My Day of Fail

Yesterday, I took matters into my own hands and removed a fallen tree I had cut up from my front yard. The tree had been there for a week+ and I was tired of looking at it. Due to failed attempts to get Waste Management, the organization that picks up our trash, to come do it, it was my turn. I rented a pick-up from Uhaul in the morning, and Kerri and Jack drove me up to get the fun started. Here's what happened on that foggy, rain soaked morning.

I brought Jack in the U-Haul store with me. This was a BAD idea because they had just painted a sealed concrete floor which Jack was eyeing intently. One false move and he was nearly out of my grasp and onto the floor. The guy that ran the place kept giving me the eye.

I load the truck, it takes about 10 minutes if that

I lose the keys to the truck.

After much cussing, I realize the keys have to be in the truck, under all the leaves and logs.

I find the keys with minimal re-loading (lucky) and head out.

I pull into the landfill, after missing the exit once.

I pull up to the 'office' if you want to call it that, behind some large garbage trucks, and garbage men that actually know what they are doing.

I proceed to press the "Talk" button on the speaker thing, however I'm told there was no need to do that. Rookie.

I present my water bill and license (no problems), but was told I need to cover my load next time otherwise it's a $30 'tarp fee' (what?)

I drive through mud to the residential dumping area. This consists of sunken dumpsters which you pull up to and start dumping down into. Don't fall in.

The stench is bad. The air is thick with it. Every few seconds a thing that sounds like a gun shot rings out. Still no clue what that was. It was like a warzone out there.

I'm done and make my way back to U-Haul. I call Kerri and she's going to meet me there.

Prior to going to U-Haul, I note the huge amounts of mud all over the nice white truck. I smile as the U-Haul guy says "You might want to run that through a car wash".

Kerri is behind me now, we find a car wash. I insert $2.00. The car wash doesn't work. I press the nice electronic buttons. Nothing. I cuss and Kerri gets lunch.

Now back at home, racking up the miles, I attempt to spray the truck with a typical garden hose. Very fail against this landfill mud.

I run to QuickTrip, purchase a Coke, to get change for the carwash across the street.

This car wash works great. The thing is now cleaner than when I got it.

I eat a Burrito from Chipotle.

I gas up the truck, all the while being cut-off by various idiots in the QuickTrip.

I drop the truck off, the guy inspecting it doesn't even bother to walk around the entire truck. I could've just washed one side.

The rental costs nearly $60 largely due to all the miles driving all over the place (see above).

I take a vacation day from work, because by this time, it's 1pm and it would make no sense.

One bit I failed to mention...

As we headed to U-Haul, a black cat was on the side of the road. Staring at us.

"That's no big deal." I said, "It never crossed our path."

How wrong I was.

Moral of the story is always pay someone $130 to just do all this for you and don't discount the power of the black cat, regardless of his crossing your path or not.

DFW Walk Now For Autism

Kerri and I finished creating our Walk Now site this weekend. The family will be walking this November at the Ballpark in Arlington in support of Autism Speaks, a great non-profile organization devoted to autism research, advocacy and eduction.

Our team page is here:
http://www.walknowforautism.org/dfw/followemily

My personal donation page is here:
http://www.walknowforautism.org/dfw/justinll

Our team name is inspired by this Sesame Street video, which Emily loves!

Thanks for your help!

School's coming

Firstly, we had a great time on vacation in Destin, FL. I definitely want to return someday with the kids and family to enjoy the beach. Jack and Emily both enjoyed their time there. Emily loved being in the ocean; it was hard keeping her out of it. Jack seemed to enjoy the sand and both loved the swimming pool. I simply enjoyed being somewhere special with my family, watching them smile and enjoy themselves.

Emily starts school in less than 2 weeks and we know where she'll be attending now. We put in for a transfer, but were denied. We're not upset or disappointed and we're looking forward to getting connected with her teachers so that we can help each other out in providing Emily with everything she needs to be successful in school. Based on what I've been watching and reading, teaching a child with autism really is about patience and putting yourself in the position of a new learner (as a teacher). Everyone learns differently, and this doesn't exclude children with autism. We're hopeful that Emily will once again be surrounded by excellent teachers who will be able to see the world through her eyes.

I'm very nervous for Emily, but also excited. Emily needs to be back in school as she craves the structure and activity. Jack probably wants Emily back in school again too so he can have his mommy all to himself...although I think he's really going to miss his big sister this time. We played a game with flash cards last night and the two of them were working together to look for objects around the house. It was fun to watch and be part of.

I'm finding it very difficult to get motivated at work now for a variety of reasons. My mind is on my family lately, but here and far, and less so on 'work' that may not even be mine in a few months.

In other news, Wii Sports Resort is a great game. It has some elements that I feel make it an ideal game for kids like Emily. It has some open-ended, non-violent, no-win-lose scenario games that Emily really enjoys. She is GREAT at this flying game; using the Wii remote you navigate a plane around an island, shooting balloons with this funny pew-pew laser thing and finding points of interest. I'm amazed at how well she can land the sea plane on the water, and even fly into and out of a volcano...seriously. She's even been experimenting with some of the 'harder' games like jet-skis and cycling and doing well. Thanks Nintendo for providing a nice set of games that kids can enjoy. Heck, I can't get enough of Frisbee Dog and Table Tennis.

Vacation!

We'll be taking our first family vacation to the beach the first week of August in Destin, FL. We've rented a small cottage not far from the beach. Should be a great time.

Oh, and my AC went out today. It's now rigged such that the fan will never shut off. Good times.

Oh, and we're having some meeting tomorrow at work, likely to let us know our jobs will be no more in a few weeks/months.

I'm still going to the beach.

13 Pages

Just made copies of a 13 page document describing my daughter's autism and educational needs. Leafing through the pages because I forgot to set the copier to collate made me realize that I had not yet taken the time to read every word and really take it all in. To this day, I'm still not overly worried about Emily, more so concerned that we may not be doing all that we can do each day for her. I think that's hard to ask any parent of a child with autism; you often have to pick your spots. Each and every day can't be this battery of tests you give your child. That would be exhausting for you and your child. I think Kerri and I are doing the best we can do introduce things to her throughout the day, without trying to force too much.

I am reading "Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew" by Ellen Notbohm. It's a great book with a unique perspective that I prefer. Rather than focusing on words like cure, it helps me understand what it's like to be Emily and the challenges she faces daily. I recommend this book for any person who wishes to know more about children with autism, and how they can appreciate, respect and understand who these children are.

"Jack, do you want to play with me?" Emily said today.

It's little things like this that tell me Emily is 'learning' how to do the things that most kids just do without thinking about it. Despite his age, Jack is a great help, for he's mastered the social aspects of being a kid. Makes me so happy that they have each other to lean on.