Such a Wonderful Vacation!

We are back from our vacation and are trying to get settled back in! That might take as long as we were actually gone! While it's nice to be home, after a week in hotels, I don't think that any of us are truly ready to be back to our reality! It's hard to get back to "normal" (whatever that is!) after a week of playtime and Disney!!!

What a wonderful week we had! It was the perfect balance between crazy/high energy (Las Vegas and Disneyland!) and calm/peaceful (the beach and the evening we spent at my old temple for Friday night's service.

We spent our first night and last night on the road in Las Vegas. It was a good experience, as we realized how totally disinterested we were in being there! Neither Dusty nor I gambled at all....not even a single coin was dropped into a slot machine! We walked around a lot, taking in the sights and people-watching. Now, I don't think of myself as a prude or straight-laced, but I was amazed at some of what I saw! The way people dress (women mostly!) and behave, I'm sure contributes to Vegas' name "Sin City"! While we enjoyed looking around, all of the lights and the food (we ate at two different buffets), we were also glad to be leaving both times!!

Disneyland was.....well, Disney in every respect!! What a wonderful, wonderful two days we had there! Aside from the cost and the lines (both of which are unavoidable), it truly is a magical place. The Disney organization just does everything to absolute perfection! Their employees (called "Cast Members") are trained better than employees anywhere else! They are kind, considerate, polite and helpful 100% of the time! There is no question that you can ask, that they don't immediately have the answer to!

The Park is immaculately clean. Years ago, I remember my Dad saying that if you drop a piece of paper on the ground at Disneyland, someone immediately comes out of the bushes to pick it up! That is still the case! The average daily attendance is around 43K. Considering the number of people that move through the park daily, it is truly pristine!! People behave differently at Disneyland too. You would think that having that many people "crammed" into that amount of space for hours on end would cause annoyance and irritation, in general or between people/groups. This just doesn't ever seem to be the case. We laughed when I said, "Only Disney could have people stand in line for what seems like forever, have a comparatively short ride for them at the end of that wait and have people happy and saying it was all totally worth it at the end!! How DO they DO that??"

They have mixed the old and new so well. The old standbys (like "It's a Small World") are still there and while they seem almost antiquainted by current Disney standards, they are still wonderful for what they are....Disney's past! The newest rides like Indiana Jones at Disneyland or Soarin' Over California (at the new California Adventure Park, which is just next door to Disneyland) are truly spectacular for opposite reasons. The only thing that the two rides do have in common is the amazing technology than was used to create them both! Funny enough, the ONLY ride that I didn't like in either park (both of which we spent time in) was the ferris wheel at California Adventure. Yes, I can handle, and even enjoy, being dropped 12 stories, feeling like I'm riding a hang glider or any roller coaster they can throw my way, but I DO NOT like ferris wheels!! They just freak me out!! We rode the rides we enjoyed most, several times, wait times allowing. We had our fill of "Pirates of the Carribean", "Indiana Jones" and "The Matterhorn". There were a few things that we never did ride because the lines were just too long. As proof that it really is "a small world", we even ran into the principal from James' school, Mr. Brummitt and his family!! What a nice surprise that was, and something we'll always remember!

Overall, it was a wonderful two days. Nothing else makes you feel like Disney does! It REALLY is "the Happiest Place on Earth" and is where memories are made!! Our son, who was completely resistant to the idea of going to Disneyland is now a "Disney convert".....James LOVED every minute there! The thing I enjoyed most this trip was watching James enjoy it all. The smile never left his face! Riding the rides with him and watching his reactions was WONDERFUL. The smiles, giggles and squeals of glee made it ALL worth it!! We hope it won't take us so long to get back there again.

After Disneyland, the rest of our trip was much more calm! We spent the afternoon at the beach and had a wonderful time there! James had only been one other time (in Northern CA at Thanksgiving time) at the age of 4 and didn't remember it at all. This time, he didn't even bother to put on his swimsuit, going into the water fully dressed in jeans and shirt! He had a great time! I used it all as a photo op and got several great pictures. Dusty thoroughly enjoyed watching James play in the water....it brought back many happy memories for him, playing in the ocean as a kid. When the wind picked up it was time to move on!

We were able to spend a wonderful evening with my Mom's oldest and dearest friend, Joy and her husband, Bob! For me, it was wonderful to see them both again! For Dusty and James, it was great to spend the time and get to know them! It was very enjoyable for all of us!

We went to the Friday night service at the temple where I had been raised! For me, it was an amazing experience! It was very different than it had been years ago (different people, different music and they have just completed a remodel so the building is different too!) and yet it still felt like Leo Baeck....still felt like "home" to me!! I've been to several different temples since leaving L.A. and Leo Baeck and have never felt comfortable anywhere else! It was a very sweet "homecoming" for me and now I'm sad that it was so short. We met up with my old temple friend, Ami, and had a fun reunion with her! She joined us at temple and then we met her husband at a restaurant for dinner. It was so much fun to rekindle an old friendship and we hope we'll see them again, before too long!

We drove around to the neighborhoods where I had grown up, seeing my old homes and schools. We ate at an awesome Jewish deli and had an unexpected reunion with an old high school classmate of mine! What fun!

It WAS a fun, fun trip on all levels! The three of us got along well and enjoyed each other's company. I'm glad that we waited until James was old enough to really enjoy and remember his time at Disneyland! While it is nice to be back home, I find my mind wandering to what kind of a trip might be next!!!

Here are some of the pictures that we took during our week away......

Getting Caught Up!

I just realized how much time has passed since my last posting! This hasn't been my intent, but time has just gotten away from me. The days pass so quickly and I haven't been good about recording even the highlights here.

We have been busy.....James with school and Dusty and I with our jobs. I've been working as a substitute aide ("Paraprofessionals" is what we're called in our district.) in our school district, servicing 3 Head Start preschools, 6 elementary schools, 3 middle schools and 2 high schools. Some weeks I'm very busy, working all 5 days and other weeks I work very little. Overall, it's a job I enjoy, though it isn't without it's stressful times. I work mostly with children who are labeled by the district as those with severe needs. These are children with Downs Syndrome, autism, CP, and emotional disabilities. The most difficult children for me to work with are the ones with emotional disabilities. They often have been labeled as "autistic". If they have the ability to be in a regular classroom, the "para", is in that classroom with them, to give them the one-on-one that they require. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes not!

I've learned to be flexible. Flexible, because I rarely know what I'm doing any day, until my phone rings at around 6:30am, requesting my presence at a particular school, to fill in for a para who is unable to work that day. If I'm lucky, I have jobs lined up ahead of time (I now have people calling me directly! I've left my phone number throughout the district as I've worked jobs.) I'm not much of a morning person, and don't "hit the ground running" very gracefully, in the mornings. So the more I can schedule ahead of time, the better off I am.

I have also applied to the State of Colorado for a three year "teaching license", which will enable me to substitute for any teacher in the school district. Though I've been told it might take six month for me to get the license, I'm eagerly waiting. It is my hope to have the license for the beginning of the new school year, which starts here mid-August. Substituting for teachers will offer a sizable monetary raise. Also, it means that I'll be working in regular classrooms, as the teacher for that day. It's a lot different than what I'm doing now. The long and short of it all is that I'm working!! It's not ideal, as the position has no benefits.....no stability of hours, no vacation or sick time, no insurance (which I now have through Dusty's job with the same school district!) but it IS a job!! Jobs are still very hard to come by here, so I'm grateful to have this job!

Dusty continues to work at Montrose High School as one of their evening custodians. This is now the end of his third year, and he really enjoys it. We works as part of a team, but mostly alone. He has a good rapport with the teachers and students. I never thought that we would have the same employer....funny how that worked out!

James is nearing the home stretch of his 4th grade year! That's so hard for me to believe on so many levels. He's doing very well! We've been blessed with an incredibly bright child who, according to every teacher he's had, will never "have an academic worry". Even at our small, rural school they've done a good job of keeping him busy and challenged. He participates in the school district's "gifted and talented" program and receives extra attention with that. He has a wonderful classroom teacher and we were thrilled to learn that she will "loop up" next year with the same group of kids to 5th grade. So we know that James will have a positive 5th grade year, and then we'll be moving on to the middle school! WOW! Where has that time gone?

As I write this, we are preparing to take our very first family vacation! Aside from trips to visit family and friends over the years, the three of us have never taken a vacation together. The last time that Dusty and I took a trip together, that wasn't family oriented was our honeymoon to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in September 1997. We decided it was time!! In two days, we are heading to Disneyland!! I'm getting so excited!! We will be gone a week, spending two days at Disneyland and a couple more days in the Los Angeles area, visiting my old "stomping grounds"!! We're driving and will spend a night in Las Vegas in each direction.

To say that James wasn't interested in making this trip, in the beginning, is an understatement. The only travel he's really ever done has been to visit my family in California. He's grown up, like any kid in America, watching Disney commercials and being bombarded with Disney movies and products. And yet, I've been dealt a cruel hand.....I have the ONLY child in the country who was totally disinterested in going to Disneyland!!! How could that have happened!? Dusty said that James will be fine once there and will love it all, and I'm sure he's right. But, I'm not embarrassed to admit that at first I was hurt and disappointed! I so wanted this to be something we ALL were looking forward to! James is such a creature of habit, a "homebody" and doesn't really like change. But as the trip has gotten closer, I've seen sparks of interest. We've watched a lot of Disney videos on YouTube and the Disney websites, and last night I actually "caught" him with his nose in our Disneyland tour book! Hehehehe!! Maybe the bug is biting him too! I so wanted to take him to Disneyland before all of the "kid magic" was gone, and it now looks like we might have made it, just under that line!! So Disneyland, here we come!! Mickey...just a few more days and we'll be in your midst!! YIPPEE!

One more "exciting" thing for us....we have acquired a camper!! Yup! We're finally moving UP....off the ground, mostly!! It's not new and not fancy, but it IS ours. It's a 19 foot, 1979 Roadrunner that was in great condition, considering it's age. The only work that needed to be done was cosmetic. Dusty and James are already working on it, to have it ready for the upcoming camping season. For us, it'll seem like luxury.....up off the ground, dry in inclement weather and a bathroom close by for those late night needs! What could be better!! We are so excited and looking forward to using it lots!! We have our favorite spot (Woods Lake), but already have a list of other places to visit!

So stay tuned.....CA vacation photos to be posted soon and then we're heading into a summer of camping fun!!!

It's Spelling Bee Time!

This last week, James participated in his school's spelling bee. Being tested in the classroom, the children were eliminated. The top two spellers in each class went on to the school bee. The top three from each school are going on to the school district's spelling bee.

Our normally outgoing child has a real fear of getting up in front of a group on people. He was pretty concerned about having to get up in front of his whole school at this spelling bee! But he got up the nerve to do it and I was very proud of him....not only because of his ability to spell, but more that he was able to overcome that fear!

He made it through to the third round, spelling "lid", "tickled" and "dillydally" before "designer" got him! Here are some pictures from that day.......

In this picture, James is spelling "dillydally" for Mrs. Fredrick. She is James' teacher in the gift/talented program, and he loves her. She's awesome!!


Spelling and concentrating.....


Waiting for his turn......


All of the participants with their certificates!


Here is James' participation certificate....


As always, I was proud of his accomplishment! The fact that he got up and did what he needed to, was more important to me than his ability to spell well! Both skills will serve him very well throughout his life!!

And on to the "leg" front......I took James to the Dr. on Monday. They re-xrayed the leg and said it was healing nicely. He has been released to go back to P.E. and all "normal" (what does that really mean to a 10 year old?) activity. The only remaining issue is that James is limping badly. When asked about it, he says that his leg doesn't hurt at all and that he's not limping!!!??? We're not sure what that's all about, so he has another appointment in February to be rechecked by the Dr. I think that he's expecting that, within the three weeks, the limp will have disappeared. We'll see....it's coming up on yet another week, and the kiddo is still limping. He seems totally unaware that he's limping! So if that continues, we'll have to get to the bottom of it. Time will tell!

Our Wounded Warrior

It doesn't seem to matter how you try to protect your kids from certain things, they can still happen. On Wednesday afternoon, while innocently playing with Lacey in our yard, James got hurt. Lacey, all excited when she saw the frisbee in James' hand, ran full-force into his leg, knocking him off balance and backward, off his feet. We don't know whether it was the force from when she hit him or when he hit the ground, but James ended up with a broken leg! It never swelled or bruised, but I put ice on it right away and started giving him Advil. Yesterday morning, when he woke up, he was still unable to put any weight on that leg. It was then that I decided to take him to the Dr. and have it all checked out. After visiting our doctor, being sent to the radiology department at our hospital for xrays and then down to the emergency room for "treatment", we finally headed home with a game plan. The orthopedist office was unable to see him until Monday, so the ER set him up in a "knee immobilizer"....a splint that goes from high on his thigh to his ankle, and put him on crutches with instructions not to put any weight on his leg.

On Monday, we'll go and see the ortho Dr., who will decide whether or not to put him in a cast. He broke the fibula, the secondary "support" bone in the lower left leg. It's a hairline fracture, that thankfully doesn't need to be "set", but is very painful none-the-less. Two days later, the pain seems to have subsided (unless it gets bumped or moved suddenly), and the reality of what the next month or so will be like for him. It's so hard for an active 10 year old to sit around, but I guess he'll figure it all out!!

The worst part of the whole thing (in this 10 year old's mind!) was that the day it happened, we had been at WalMart and we had gotten him a new Nerf Dart gun with some of his Christmas money. Now he's benched for awhile. NO running and jumping for several weeks and it's just killing him that he can't go out and play with his new toy!!!

Making the best of things and getting used to the brace on the leg and the crutches...


Trying to figure out how to walk with the crutches and carry his new toy at the same time!! Something tells me that the broken leg isn't going to keep him from having fun!!


Happiest when on the computer, with his toys at hand....

He is so excited, though, that he is now using Skype to visit with his friend, Hugh, who lives in Melbourne, Australia!! Ahhhh, this modern world is such a wonderful place. Skype saved the day today, as Hugh and James kept each other company, getting to know each other better (so much better than old fashioned emails!!) and even "shooting" each other with their Nerf guns! Too funny!! By the end of the evening, I even got used to having that Aussie accent in our living room with us!! It's wonderful to see their friendship grow, and at such a perfect time for James! Hugh seemed happy with it all too, as he is at home enjoying his "summer break" from school!! :)

Here are the boys, enjoying their time on Skype......

Thank you, Hugh......for being the great kid you are and for keeping James company!! He really enjoys hanging out with you!! How we wish we could meet you and your family in person, but this is the next best thing!

I will keep everyone posted on the progress around here, when there's new news to report!!

Family Pictures

On Christmas Eve, we decided to take out the camera and take some family photos. It had been way too long. In fact, we also decided that we must get to a professional photographer sometime in 2011. The last time we had a professional picture taken of the three of us, was in 2003 and James was only 2 1/2 years old. We are way beyond due for that!!

In the mean time, these will have to do!! These are the best ones we took the other day. The hardest part of the whole thing was figuring out how the timer on the camera worked!

So, from our house (and hearts) to yours.....we wish you lots of the best things for 2011!! With much love heading your way........

A Holiday Mix

I was looking at a friend's blog this morning, and fell in love with a way to present pictures that she had used! Helen, you're so good at knowing about this kind of thing and I hope you don't mind that I, too, jumped on the wagon, so to speak! I think that this is a great way to post more pictures for all to see and enjoy!

Here are the best of the pictures I've taken in the last 10 days! As Hanukkah ended for this year, we headed out on one of our favorite annual outings....to the Christmas tree farm to find our tree!! James decorated his room with lights and we've been busy decorating the house, inside and out!! Within the next week, I'll be taking photos of the finished products - the tree and village inside and the outside of our house - and will be posting those pictures soon!

We hope that you're enjoying your holiday season!

Thanksgiving with Family

We had a nice Thanksgiving, with Dusty's family here in Montrose. Dusty's son, Joe, and his wife, Jen, came down from Grand Junction with their three kids and we all gathered at Dusty's sister's (Vonnie) house. There were 15 of us and it was a nice, low-key holiday. Lots of good food and conversation!!

I had the idea of taking some family pictures. I didn't know if everyone would agree to it, but they did and I'm so glad! We got some good pictures! Here are the best of the bunch!

My little family....Dusty, James and me!

Joe and Jen with their three....Jack, Juliana and JT

John and Vonnie with their three.....Ryan, Katie and Devon

Vonnie and Dusty with their mom, Stella.

All of the boys from the Ryan and McChesney families.

All of the girls from the Ryan and McChesney families.

And here are all of us together. I was quite pleased with this picture, in particular! It's so hard to get a good picture of so many people, but somehow we did it!!


With Thanksgiving behind us, we head into a busy time of year. Hanukkah starts this week. As is always the case, we will be melding the two religions of our (Dusty's and mine) upbringing. As we light the Hanukkah candles, we'll also be decorating the outside of our house for Christmas! Unfortunately, this year the eight days of Hanukkah will be over long before we really get into preparing for Christmas. I always love to take pictures of the lit Hanukkah menorah in front of our decorated Christmas tree, as it always speaks of what the Ryan family is all about. But, alas, that won't be happening this year. Perhaps next!

We have several traditions that we enjoy at this time of year.....sharing Hanukkah with families who are unfamiliar with the holiday, going to the Christmas tree farm, decorating the house (inside and out!), baking, going for a ride in the evening (complete with quilts and hot cider or hot chocolate!) to enjoy the beautiful Christmas lights in our area and other holiday-type activities!

I hope you'll enjoy your holiday season as much as we do! Find the time to spend with your families and give them an extra dose of love. It's the BEST gift that can be given!!