Anna’s Blog

Wow, did these past few months go by fast! My first summer as a Therapite was completely AMAZING! I saw a whole lot of Texas, Delaware, Indiana, Washington DC, Connecticut, Oregon, South Dakota, Missouri, Maryland, New York, a bit of Kentucky and a little piece of Iowa. Best of all, I’ve met so many fantastic people and have built a fun group of friends that call, email, and follow me around the nation living vicariously as a Therapite through my blog.

To those of you that keep in touch and send me emails , IM’s, and blog comments, you inspire me! Thanks for being so terrific! A note to one of my dear girlfriends, Deb, a Delawarian Therapite, thanks for your most recent inspirational email. I read it regularly. You are a truly an angel!

As Fall sets in, there are a lot of Therap activities that I’m privileged to be a part of. Want to know what those are? Well, let me share just a couple (I wouldn’t want to make you too jealous). Okay, its a tough job but someone has to do it …and why not let it be this Therapite? Soooo, Wednesday I have to fly all the way to Oregon and force myself to work at the beautiful Kahneeta Resort with one of my best friends and my Leadership Institute brother, Brett Turner, and his Adult Learning Systems of Oregon management team for their annual retreat. Geez! (Are you feeling my pain?…Okay, you’re right, there is absolutely NO pain. I’m giddy with excitement!)

What is the topic this year? I’ll give you one guess…EXACTLY, those ALSO Therapites will be learning all about Therap applications, the website, and how to benefit from the many reports that our incredibly fabulous system creates.

I’ll be back from Oregon around the 2nd of September for a couple days, then I’m off to ANCOR’s National Governmental Activities Seminar in Washington, DC. to meet up with “the wand master” himself, Warren Gifford, and our fearless leader Sir Richard Robbins for lots of ANCOR excitement. It will be just like a family reunion!

Until I get to Warm Springs, Oregon…. Ciao!

Its my own fault, I have spoiled the child all of his life…actually “spoiled” isn’t a fair word to use. Sure, Andrew has rarely ever had to go without most anything he asked for, but he was always one of those kids that had the job at 16, worked really hard, made all “A’s” in school, never put his parents through a second of grief, got the scholarships to college, and has always appreciated what he has. So, when “the list” came via email last week I could only sit back and think to myself…”This is Your Fault”.

My mind rolled back to the that time 18 years ago when the child was three and had to have the Ninja Turtle toy that I refused to buy, but as the end of the shopping trip guess who was holding the little creature in his happy little hands?” Yep… “the list” was totally my fault.

Let me share with you what was on “The List”… The spare hide-a-bed (oh, yeah, that was fun to load on top of the Trailblazer, thank heaven Brian and Hunter have a lot of patience); winter clothes (ummm, the kid is a clothes horse, you have NO idea); the 22” television; a floor lamp; bedside table, microwave (not the little one in the garage…no, he has to cook you know); 3 stackable drawers with 5,000 lbs. of books (it’s in his DNA, he can’t help it); his vast movie collection (he’s a theater major); the “system” (this equates to his CD player, a sub woofer, speakers, receiver and DVD player…for the above mentioned vast movie collection; computer printer; wall art…complete with Hunter S. Thompson portrait, Kramer poster, and a few other odds and ends, including the Bamboo plant (which I had to promise not to injure in the move).

Finally, any food we don’t plan to eat in the pantry because he has nothing in his cabinets and was forced to dine on Twizzlers for dinner… and, if I had time, “a couple dozen of those really awesome Buffalo Chip cookies”(the final batch came out of the oven around 10pm last night). Ahhh, the life of a VERY LOVED… and very special… college kid.

So, at 8:00am, the Trailblazer loaded to the max, a hide-a-bed securely fastened atop, and two tired brothers in the back seat, we were on our way to see Andrew and deliver “the list” to his new apartment in Columbia, Missouri where he will begin his junior year at Stephens College.

We got to Columbia a little past 1pm. After “the list” was unloaded (did I mention that he lives on the 2nd floor?) it was time for a well earned lunch and the traditional visit to Target. At the end of the day, and many hugs and kisses later, we were on the road for the 4 hour trip back to Kansas.

We pulled into the driveway around 10pm, the wallet empty, the Trailblazer cleaned out, the hide-a-bed gone, and two sleeping brothers needing to get to bed so that they were rested for school on Monday.

In the silence of the car, for a brief moment, I was taken back to the end of summer many years ago when all four of the boys still lived at home and at night they would light up our home court for a slightly friendly (they are brothers) game of H-O-R-S-E. Connor was just starting kindergarten, Hunter a third grader, Elliot in middle school and Andrew in high school. I could see the all kids laughing and playing together just as if it was going on in front of me. Hunter’s snoring brought me back to reality.

At times like these there is a quote that I am always reminded of, it goes, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

I can tell you that I have been blessed with many moments in my 41 years. A word of wisdom from a seasoned Mom, savor every moment no matter how significant, they are gone in what seems like an instant.

Ciao

I’m privileged to have a “lifestyle” (its true…Therap is NOT a job…it is a lifestyle) that allows me to travel the nation, seeing beautiful cities, and visiting truly incredible disability agencies.

Yet, it doesn’t matter where I roam, I am often asked abut how “flat” Kansas is. Let’s just have an agreement that we no longer use the word “flat” but instead I’d like to appeal to your sense of fairness and consider the word “spacious”.

Take a look at the pictures I snapped just outside of my quaint little city. I’d say those are hills. Beautiful, green, spacious hills. Its a sight to behold when one travels through the southeast part of Kansas. It’s rather breath-taking. True, its not the oceans of the East or the mountains of the West, but it does have a beauty all its own.

Enjoy the view from the passenger’s seat.

Ciao!

What’s the coolest thing about being a Kansas Therapite? Well, its hanging out with amazing agencies like Futures Unlimited, located in Wellington, KS.

Futures is one of our oldest and most active Kansas users. The agency serves both adults and children. It is the home of both Early Head Start and Head Start programs as well as infant services. Futures is also a full-service agency for adults, including case management, residential and day supports, as well as supported employment opportunities.

I had the pleasure of spending my Friday morning with Christy and Jodi this week. What a fabulous Provider Administrator team!

The agency will roll-out their final phase of electronic documentation in the form of Behavior Event Reporting mid-September. WOW! It is so awesome to see this agency fully utilizing Therap!!!

Christy and Jodi, you two get a gold star for your Therapite efforts to bring Futures into the paperless world of documentation. Way to Go!

I’ve been working closely with Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation over the past month. The organization is located in Wichita, Kansas, just a short 90 minute drive from my home.

CPRF has been excited to build on their knowledge of Therap and I am happy to spend the day with them as they venture into new Therapite territory.

This week…da-ta-da…Individual Support Plans…or as Kansans call it - Person-Centered Support Plans (PCSP’s).

To get the group up and running I spent the first part of the morning with Provider Administrators getting them more familiar with the inner-workings of Therap. The afternoon was spent with the case management team playing around in fictitious PCSP’s…oops…ISP’s. The later part of the afternoon was spent with the Direct Support Professionals learning about Incident Reporting and the GER and then a bit of Health Tracking/Seizure Reporting.

At the end of the day, CPRF was ready to roll out ISP planning, GER’s and Health Tracking. Yea!!!! We’re getting them a little bit farther down the road to full Therap Implementation.

Way to go Sue Elmer, Chrysa, Tara, and the CPRF staff. You gals are awesome!

Are you ready for yet another cool bit of SE Kansas site-seeing? Well, you’re here so I’m guessing you are dying to know more.

About 20 minutes from my house is a turn-off into what looks like a huge field. About a mile up the road is a piece of property where the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder sits. That’s right, the official historic site of the Little House on the Prairie.

I don’t know about you but I grew up on Laura Ingalls books and didn’t miss a single episode of Michael Landon’s show. It’s too bad that Laura grew up. I loved that series…it was good television!

Now, time for the history lesson….

(The next time you think you live in a small place…think again)

The Little House on the Prairie, written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and published in 1935, had peaked the imagination and interest of readers for decades when Margaret Clement and Eilene Charbo of the Kansas State Historical Society set out to locate the Little House location. Years of painstaking research work culminated in 1977 with the discovery of the actual foundation of the Ingalls family’s original cabin site and the well Pa Ingalls dug with help from a neighbor.

Research of the 1870 census of Montgomery County, Kansas, located the “Ingles” family in the eighty-ninth residence in Rutland Township.  C.P. Ingles was cited as a 34-year-old carpenter along with his wife, Caroline, and three daughters, Mary, Laura, and Carrie. This 1870 census and the Ingalls’ family Bible record that Carrie was born on this site on August 3, 1870. The family lived here only a short while as they mistakenly settled on the Osage Indian Diminished Reserve. After hearing that they were to be moved, the family decided to return to Wisconsin. The Ingalls didn’t know it, but six months later, the Osage Indians were moved to Oklahoma and the family would have been able to homestead the land.

In 1977 local volunteers reproduced the Little House with special efforts to build the cabin according to descriptions in Laura’s book.

(This historical accounting was taken from the following site: http://www.littlehouseontheprairie.com/web/facts1.htm)

It’s almost here. The countdown has begun. This week I’ve located the traditional new backpacks, sat through countless shoe choices…oh, no!…not my own…Master Connor is totally picky when it comes to the “new school tennis shoes”. It’s an experience that this mother has to prepare for days in advance. Its BRUTAL. Connor must have tried on 10 different pair of shoes and EVERY one of them had an issue. Too tight, too blue, too white, not cool enough…the list goes on and on. This adventure is not nearly as much fun as the choosing of the Trapper Keeper/binders and folders. Now, that’s just a whole different sort of fun!

As for Hunter, its all about the items he needs for football. Cleats, practice shorts, under armor, oh, can’t forget the no-show socks (this is so new to me…why do kids “not” want their socks to show?). He could care less about the new school shoes. His only requirement… make sure they’re lightweight for running.

My favorite part about the first week of school… PICTURES!

My boys have always indulged their mom’s need to capture every blinking moment of their lives on film. Now that I have a digital camera they are totally doomed. No film to deal with. Immediate gratification. I’m in shutter-bug heaven!

So, as it is every year, the boys gave in to my “issue” with taking the traditional “First-of-the-School-Year” pictures. Hunter, the Freshman, gave me some nice shots that I can frame for my office. I even got to photograph him in his new football jersey.  Connor, Mr. 6th grader, was all smiles as well. He even let me take some pics in our backyard.  I’m beginning to wonder what’s up with all the cooperation…hummmm….?!!???

Now we wait until Wednesday morning when school officially begins. Where Hunter “The Moose” Keith is concerned, it starts bright and early Monday morning with “Two-A-Days”. Basically it means that Hunt will be up at 5:30am and on the field in his football gear by 6:00am for a couple hours of conditioning and then back again at 3:45pm for another couple hours of running plays and practicing. I don’t plan on seeing much of my young man aside from feeding him and turning off his light after he crashes in his bed from exhaustion. The first full week of practice is simply a grueling experience..and I’m just the mom! But, as Hunter tells me, its all about a player’s AEP. Yeah, I know, what’s AEP stand for?

Its where the rubber meets the road in the quest to be successful. Wouldn’t it be cool if we all had a personal mantra like that? If you don’t, you are welcome to borrow this one.

Do you have any back-to-school traditions or stories that you would like to share? Tell me, I’d love to read them.

~ Ciao Summer! Hello Fall !!!!

It’s a regular thing to call my sister (or visa-versa) most days. We’ve had the “agreement” since I began traveling so much. So it was not unusual that I called my sister on a Saturday morning at 7am to see what her day would look like. Shortly after I hung up the phone, I was in the shower, and within an hour I was heading west with my son, Connor, to meet up with Amy and her family, as well as a few hundred other people, in Mulvane, KS. to celebrate the settlers of yesteryear.

I’ll be honest, the opportunity to give Therap readers this kind of surprise just sounded COOL. How many folks that read our Therap blogs get to attend a virtual parade and country fair? I’m guessing not that many. Besides, if anyone would get a kick out of this event it would be our dearest New Yorker, Sir Richard. He has a love of history. Although, this “type” of history, complete with funnel cakes, a rodeo, and lots of banjo pickin’ may not be exactly the history he prefers.

Oh well… the day was a lot of fun for me and my little Conn-o-roo. I’ll show you several of the pics…but, first the history lesson about this wonderful event called Old Settler’s Days.

It’s been a tradition in Mulvane, Kansas for the past 135 years. The community comes together to celebrate its original settlers.

It began as a picnic organized in 1873 when a man named Jessie Bowles invited neighbors and friends to enjoy a basket dinner in the walnut grove of his farm to celebrate harvest. The next year a different community member extended the invitation. The picnic was held on different farms or at a grove on the Ninnescah each year and was called the Harvest Home Picnic.

Another year, Jim Brown, who had a trading post at Littleton, started promoting a colt show for the 4th of July. The community decided to put the two celebrations together and the picnic and colt show were held in Major Freeman’s grove near the trading post. Settlers would bring their prize animals for all to see.

The first organized picnic and written account was held in 1884 in Major Freeman’s grove. Logan’s national martial band enlivened the woods with patriotic airs. Alonzo Shull was chairman of the after dinner program which consisted of speeches and awards for the settlers, first to break ground, first to raise corn, and etc. This was the end of the Harvest Home Picnic and the start of the Mulvane Colt Show.

In 1900 the Mulvane Colt Show merged with the Mulvane Agricultural Association. In 1904 it was decided to make it a Quad County Old Settlers Picnic.

The parade was started in 1915 at George Blair’s instigation. Historians cannot locate when the first carnival was started but the merry-go-round seems to be remembered by all old timers. The equestrian Quadrille was held in the mid- twenties, and received national attention by being invited to perform at the National Livestock Show in Wichita plus many other places. A queen was chosen in 1937, Mrs. Sarah Jane Jones, to honor the pioneer women. In later years a King was added.

The Quad County Old Settlers Picnic was changed to Mulvane Old Settlers Picnic. Many changes have taken place over the years, but the
covered wagon and the oxen have always been a part of the parade starting with George Seaman’s excellent white oxen.

When was the last time you saw a Calliope?

Nice John Deere!

Those Shriners do a whole lot to help disabled children!

This is Connor and his friend, Colton, while on the ground.

This is Connor and Colton in flight mode.

The Bucky Fowler Family Band

I just thought this…whatever it is…was COOL (be even better in orange)!

This is Amy, Richie, and Abby across from me on a ride (yes, I got dizzy).