Great Adventure of 2019: Part 1

We've been home from our Great Adventure of 2019 for 3 months and I'm just getting around to writing about it! This was a trip we started planning a few years ago, but then my Daddy passed away so we put it on hold. Our destination: The Canadian Maritimes. CH visited when he & a friend rode motorcycles to Newfoundland & Labrador but it was my first time to visit Canada. I went through 6 new states on the way. When we began to seriously plan our route, I had a request: to spend a day in New Hampshire with a friend. It turned out to be a good rest-day for CH after 2 days of driving.

Ready for our Great Adventure of 2019!

The first day of driving was smooth...until we were in WV. We hit a lot of torrential rain, wind, and thunderstorms for about 2 hours. We weren't sure if we were going to reach our planned destination but we did. We found a hotel just outside of Hershey, PA. There were 2 hotels side-by-side and we chose the one with a covered entrance. Note to self: don't ever choose a hotel because it has a covered entrance when it's raining! The young lady at the front desk was very helpful when it came to suggesting someplace to eat. I thought the room was okay, but CH said I didn't look very closely at it. Glad he said that as we left and not as we got there; I definitely would have had to ask for another room. 

Looked like a sunny day for Day #2

Day 2 was completely smooth. We pulled off the interstate somewhere in Connecticut for lunch. We talked with another couple and asked about a town square in this particular town. We were told there wasn't one in this town, but if we went about 10 miles down the road we would see a very typical New England town square. It was really nice to get off the interstate & see some of the countryside. In fact, we didn't get back onto the interstate until we left NH and traveled into Canada.

I have no idea where we were, just that we were in CT somewhere. In the town the lady directed us to, there was a very old cemetery. We found it very interesting that there was a plot literally right in a schoolyard. 

If I'm not mistaken, most of these (if not all) were memorials, not graves.

Found a gnome!

Some of the grave markers were too worn to see the dates

The cemetery was a good place to stop and stretch our legs a bit before we traveled on to see my friend. Annie is a fellow Speech/Language Pathologist and blogger who I "met" online some years ago. We met in person a few years ago in New Orleans at a conference. I couldn't believe I was in her town!

Shortly after this picture, CH showed me how to change the selfies so it wasn't backward!

We stayed at The Common Man Inn. The room was very spacious and there were pictures of the area all around the halls. The grounds were beautiful; it was nice to just sit and enjoy.

 Annie & her husband met us for dinner that night. I just couldn't believe I was in NH with her! We laughed & laughed, and then laughed some more.

The next day, they took us around town. The claim to fame of this town is not only a college but also a plant that makes baseball gloves...Babe Ruth had a glove from here.

There were stone walls all over the place...reminded me of Ireland!

Sculptured Rocks was a really cool place. It made the rocks and the river in the Great Smoky Mountains pale in comparison. 

Standing on a bridge looking down

As an added plus, I got to see Annie's Speech Room!

I also got to see her house (which is an old farmhouse with amazing fireplaces) and sit on her back porch. I ended the day with a severe headache so we had to cut our day a little short. CH & I went back to the inn. I really hope they come down to see us at some point so we can show them around the Smokies.

The first leg of our trip was done. We were ready to cross the border and get to New Brunswick!

A Neighborly Hodgepodge

The Hodgepodge is back this week! 

1. When was the last time you chatted with a neighbor? About what? (sharing that last bit is optional)
This is going to sound awful, but it's been about a month ago, after the big wind storm we had. We wave in passing, but are rarely outside at the same time.

2. River, lake, ocean, or waterfall...which one are you most like and why?
Waterfall. I'm definitely not feeling very peaceful or serene right now with my kitchen hassles!

3. July 13 is National Delaware Day. Ever been to Delaware? Delaware is called 'the first state' because it was the first to declare independence from the British. What's your state's nickname and does that moniker make sense to you? If you were in charge, what nickname would you give your home state?
I've never been to Delaware. Tennessee is the Volunteer State; makes complete sense to me. During the War of 1812, Tennesseeans volunteered and play a big role. Also, in the Mexican War, volunteers were requested & Tennessee responded According to statesymbolsusa.org, Tennessee has also been called "Big Bend State" because of the big bend in the Tennessee River, and "hog and hominy state". They didn't teach us that in school; or if they did, I must not have been paying attention!

4. What dish did you contribute to the last pot luck meal you attended? Do you have a go-to recipe for pot luck suppers?
Blueberry buckle. The last day of school, we had a breakfast. This is something my mom used to make, and it's really easy and delicious.
When I go to a potluck, I usually take Mexican Trifle. (I couldn't find the recipe online, but it's a Pampered Chef recipe.)

5. What is your number one tip for a brand new parent?
I actually have 2: Sleep when the baby sleeps, and it's okay for the baby to cry a little.

6. Insert your own random thought here.
I had a long weekend in New Orleans for a conference. I have a group of online speech pathologist friends, and we decided a few months ago that we were all going to go. None of us had met everyone else. We're from all over the country: California, Washington, Oregon, Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Colorado (who wasn't able to attend), and, of course, Tennessee. I won free registration at the state convention in Oct., which helped a LOT, because it's a rather expensive conference. 1 of the girls made us all bracelets with charms for each state.

State bracelets

We hope to make this an annual event, whether it's at a conference or on our own. I really hope we can. These ladies are just amazing.

Ohio is missing in this picture!

The conference was just "eh", but the evenings were OH! SO FUUUUUN!!! The Louisiana girl was our tour guide, so we got a little off the beaten path.

Some of us managed to make it to an 8:00 presentation on Sat.! (NH went to a different session.)

After the conference, I drove to Baton Rouge and spent the night with MS. I got to see his new place (which is on the same property as his old one) and spend a little bit of time with him. 

He was so happy to see me!

We had an alligator appetizer with Andy Gator Abita Beer

Weekend Celebration

"Someone" had a 90th Birthday on Friday! He started the day with Mass, followed by a breakfast that the "morning mass regulars" arranged for him. I took a half-day so I could get in on the celebration.

That evening, we met as a family and had dinner and cake & ice cream.

This is everybody, minus (let's see if I can do this without leaving anyone out!) 2 of my boys, 2 sisters & their families, a brother & his spouse, and 2 nephews & their families. So, we were missing a total of 21 people.  I don't think there will ever be a time when we have everybody together!

MS came in from Law School for the long weekend, but we only saw him Friday evening. I guess it will be Thanksgiving before we see him again. 

I spent Saturday on another product for my online store. Monday is a "must have" sale: we choose 1 item to put on sale for 1/2 off. In the SLP community, Talk like a Pirate Day is turning into quite the event, and I had a really cute book I wanted to make some activities for. The sale set a deadline for me, so I worked my tail off on Sat. to make sure it was up Sat. night. Here's the cover:

Now I'm ready to take it easy on Monday and maybe...just maybe sleep late!

Thankful Thursday

Rebecca at Knit by God's Hand hosts Thankful Thursday. Since I'm really trying to get this blog back in shape, I had to participate!!!

This week, I’m thankful for…

 ~ air conditioning. Seriously. I have no idea how we survived without it when I was growing up.

~ a job that means that I can relax in the summer and read books.

~ online CEUs. That means I don't have to go in for training over the summer!

~ my camera. Not only am I enjoying seeing the beauty in every little thing, but I'm able to capture it in photographs!

~ my dogs. They're the ones who make me get up in the morning to walk...even though I'm drenched when we get home.

~ nice people. Especially the ones in a Facebook group for SLPs who are TPT Sellers (teacher site where you can peddle your materials that you've made). They don't pass judgement (at least not publicly!) and answer any question...even if it is a stupid one!

What are you thankful for?

Week Wrap-up

Yes, you read the title correctly. I was so busy last week, that I can't just do a "Weekend Wrap-up"!
Last Sunday marked the end of an era for me. I decided (after much thinking on my part) to stop playing in the flute choir. There were quite a few factors that came into play for my decision: I want to start playing for Mass, and I can't do both since both groups practice on Thursday. The "snarkiness" of one of the members also played into the decision. I tried to get past it, but when you get to the point where you dread going to something you pay money for, it's time to leave.

I'm going to miss that bass flute, though! They have a former member coming back, and she plays a mean bass, so I didn't feel quite so guilty knowing she would be stepping in.

Wednesday, I got to go to my first ever ASHA  Convention! ASHA is the national organization for Speech/Language Pathologists & Audiologists. I had the best time! I met some speech bloggers, and was a bit star-struck! 

A co-worker and I presented a Poster Session. It went amazingly well! We had a lot of people stop, read, and ask questions. I was amazed at the positive response we received. We're seriously thinking about expanding the topic into a talk for the school's convention for summer, 2016.

It was a 2-day whirlwind of being updated on the latest materials & techniques. We took time out for a little fun on Friday night. We went to Minus 5, which is an ice bar. It was a bit pricy, but I figured that would be the only time I ever went to something like that, so it was worth it! The whole room was incredible. To see our pictures, click HERE. Our pictures are #28-31. After that, we had dinner (& finally found Stella!), then walked back to the Convention Center, took the shuttle back to the hotel, packed, and crashed.

Sunday afternoon was the community band's fall concert. There were a couple of spots where I really thought the piece was going to fall apart (not the flutes' fault), but they managed to keep it together. After the concert, all but 3 of the flutes took a couple of pictures:

 Guess who insisted on a funny picture? (See below)

I've had a good time with this group this semester. As you can see, the band consists of musicians of all ages...from college to senior. 

I have another short week this week: only 2 days of school and then Thanksgiving Break! If you work outside the home, what's your schedule like for this week?

Tuesday Post-Its

Ignorance is NOT Bliss!

My new friend, Pattie (aka "ApraxiaMom"), has graciously permitted me to post one of her recent posts.  See, Pattie has 2 children with apraxia.  The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association defines childhood apraxia as:  "Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder. Children with CAS have problems saying sounds, syllables, and words. This is not because of muscle weakness or paralysis. The brain has problems planning to move the body parts (e.g., lips, jaw, tongue) needed for speech. The child knows what he or she wants to say, but his/her brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words. "  It is common for children with CAS to also have expressive language deficits.  Some may need a device or sign language to communicate.  As they get older, these children will more than likely have serious difficulties with reading and writing, and may require additional services (other than speech/language therapy) to be successful in the classroom.

The following is a post written as a letter to her daughter, describing an experience she had while voting.  It's hard for me to read this and realize that there are still so many people out there who have no idea that a special needs' child doesn't have to be physically disabled. 

Dear Kaitlyn,

Seventy-two hours ago, you were assaulted by something that I have worked seven years to protect you from: ignorance.
It may be the first time, but I am sure it won't be the last.
However, I promise you that I will continue to protect you as well as I can.
That is my job description.

You didn't know that the old bitty that you asked "What's your name?" gave you a look of annoyance.
I did.
You didn't realize that the tone of her voice when she said "Joo-death" (Judith) was sarcasm.
I did.
You didn't see her roll her eyes to the woman sitting next to her in reference to you.
I did.
You didn't pick up on her aggravation with you when she scolded you for touching that cord between the voting booths.
I did.
You didn't see me give her the look of "she's-my-daughter-I-will-take-care-of-discipline-if-I-think-it's-necessary".
Judith did.
You didn't feel my disappointment in a public official.
I did.
You couldn't read my mind as I walked up to her to hand her a card with your diagnosis, hoping to educate her closed-mindedness.
Don't worry, Judith couldn't either.
You will never understand the pain I felt when that nasty old bitty of a man (and I use the term "man" very lightly) told me to put a sign around your neck so that others would know that you had special needs.

I will never forget it.

But what I want you to understand is that I did what I thought was right at that moment.
I chose to protect you.
I chose to not acknowledge his ignorance and evil.
I chose to walk away.
I chose to keep you from witnessing further harassment and discrimination from two people who, in my opinion, do not deserve a second glance or even breathe the God-given air around them.
I chose to protect you from physical harm, because if that man could bellow words so cruel and painful, what would stop him from physically hurting you or I?

I chose to breathe and pray.

Please don't think that I let you down by not standing up to them.
My silence was my stance.
But I only kept my silence for a short time.
I want you to know that I made sure the right people knew what he did.
A lot of right people.
Hundreds of people have read your story, my dear.
And those people have been very supportive of you and I.

So don't look at me in your funny little way if I pull you a little closer to me while we are out in public.
Don't be mad if I don't let you learn to fly on your own a little sooner.
Go on and keep playing if you see me talking with a stranger a little longer about why your speech isn't perfect yet.
Let me stroke your hair a few more times.
Let me give you one more hug before you walk into school.
I won't shelter you.
I will still allow you to do all the things that you did before.
I will just watch you a little closer.
And I will listen to those mean people a little closer.
Because mean people suck.
(Kate, please don't repeat that word, OK?)

But most of all, I love you more than life.
You are my life.

Love, Mommy



To learn more about Childhood Apraxia, visit the following links:
http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/childhoodapraxia.htm
http://www.apraxia-kids.org/

Some Speech/Language Talk

During my reads on Saturday, I came across a post that directed me to another blog, titled Your Child Talking.  This blog is written by a Speech/Language Pathologist, which I wasn't aware of at first.  I started to write a comment, but it turned out to be fairly long, so I thought I would just make my own post!
As a Public School Speech/Language Pathologist, it is very disheartening to have to tell a parent that their child's language isn't severe enough to warrant therapy, especially if that child is having difficulty in the classroom and the parents are searching for answers.  But, we have to abide by the state guidelines.  Private speech clinics/centers do not have to abide by the state guidelines, so that would be an option for the concerned parent.
The post addressed a child who was hesitant to speak out in class because he was having difficulty saying some sounds.  There are certain ages that a child is expected to say certain sounds.  For example, /p,b,m/ are the first sounds that are expected to be made, and 'th' is the last (at around age 9).  That being said, if a child is refusing to talk in class, that is a huge red flag.  We have to look at whether or not the speech/language deficit adversely affects his/her educational progress.  "Educational" does not just mean "academic"; it also includes "social, emotional, and vocational" aspects.  So, that child would be considered for eligibility for certification as speech impaired, regardless of whether or not the sounds are "developmental" at that time.  Generally, I try to wait as long as possible to refer a child for an evaluation, especially when it comes to saying their sounds.  Many times a child will correct a sound on his/her own without therapy.  And, with language, I am very hesitant to evaluate a child in Kindergarten during the first half of the year.  The reason for that is that Kindergarten is very language based, and, many students have never been in any kind of structured program, so I have to give them that exposure before I even think about certifying them.  Call me crazy, but  I have a problem with certifying students when they really aren't speech or language impaired.
Most states (I thought all of them had this, but maybe they don't) have some kind of "Birth to 3" program.  This program is an early intervention program to identify children who may need speech/language services, or some other kind of therapy/help.  The school system is responsible for children ages 3-21.  
If you have a child under the age of 3, and you're concerned about his/her speech & language skills, contact the health department or your pediatrician.  They should be able to steer you in the right direction for your local Birth to Three organization.  If your child is already 3 or older, contact your school system and ask them what the process is to have your child's speech and language screened.  If your child is already attending school, contact the Speech/Language Pathologist at your child's school. Even if your child is homeschooled or in a private school, the public school system is responsible for serving your child.
Below is a chart indicating when each sound should be mastered.  The only thing that I would modify is that the 'sh', 'ch', and 'zh' sounds should be on the 7...but that's just my opinion!  You may have to click on the picture to get a better look at the sounds.