Tuesday night was the top 10 boys and tonight was the top 10 girls. Everyone put your thoughts/opinions in the comments. Be warned - there will be spoilers there so don't look until you have seen the performances!
I have sent the modified training schedule to the stinchfamily@gmail.com account if you want to use it. Sorry about that!
So here we go - everything went well, the food was good, the attendees were beautiful and, most of all, it was really really fun!! But I am glad it is over for this year! I am watching the show now because I didn't get to see much of it last night...it is lookin' good! :)
I won't bore you with details...so here are some pics!
The drink bar with labels for each nominated film made by yours truly!
Watching the show in comfort!
Lauren Palazzo, David Sanchez and me - reunited after a long time!
This was Kristy's face for a lot of the awards.
Kristy Gill and me all dressed up!
Michelle works the red carpet
I thank my fans as I walk the carpet
Joel waves to fans
Michelle and Marnie
Michelle beautiful Best Picture centerpieces
Matthew and Marnie - oh so posh!
The girls - Michelle, Marnie and Kat
Mis mexicanos - David, Matthew y Michelle :)
The boys - David, Mike, Joel, Matthew and Grant
Not to be premature, but Kim's & Anne's question regarding lodging for the race got me thinking. Oktoberfest will be in full swing in Leavenworth during that weekend, which means that if you intend to stay in Leavenworth, it would be wise to find lodging soon. The race starts at 9 am - so I am thinking we will stay as close as possible to Leavenworth. I have looked at some lodging and have found some available - anywhere from $100 to $200 a night, which brings me to my next question...
Paige said some people are welcome to stay at their place in Selah - about an hour and a half from Leavenworth. We can't all stay there, obviously. For those interested in staying in Leavenworth, should we arrange to stay at the same place, maybe share rooms to cut down on cost? Just a thought...
We had an awesome time at dinner with K&B and B&B. It's great having Isaac watch the kids while we go out on the town - it's very liberating. He is funny, though. Always anxious to know when we will be getting home. The night we went out, he called us on the cell while we were driving home - it was about 11:10 pm...
Hello?
Mom?
Yea?
Where are you?
We are on our way home - we'll be there in about 20 minutes.
Mom - this is ridiculous! It's 11:30!
It was pretty funny - I felt like I was 16 again, and had missed curfew...again.
Anyway - it looks like Dave and I have tickets to the Modest Mouse show next month at the Crystal Ballroom - before they start their big tour. I like those small venues.
And Happy Birthday to Buffy - enjoy your dinner and movie tonight!
Later...
Adina
A full report of the Oscar party will be coming later tonight with pictures. Since I didn't get home until around 1:30am last night and am consequently still waking up while at my desk, I didn't get the pictures uploaded last night. For now you can enjoy a picture of the beautiful flowers on my desk that my friend Jacquie brought for me last night. So sweet! :)
Dave,
Anne and I were talking and she looked up hotels for Leavenworth and there were none available. Did you have something planned for thesleeping arrangments or do we need to keep on looking?
Also I commented on your blog, but I will tell you here. I don't have the extra money to register at the moment. I will in a month or so. I really do want to do this and I am starting to train already. Anne and I are going to be doing 5k and 10k this summer in Idaho. If anyone wants to join us, just let us know!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUFFY AND EARLY FOR PETER!
Kimberly
I just wanted to welcome Buffy into our exclusive club of 30 something year olds. I am getting her the best present this year (a house). Anyhow we are off to go to breakfast then I have to a little at work seeing how this week I have inventory AND the VP of all Gap Inc Outlets is coming to visit my store on Wednesday. Very crazy week I will be very happy come Saturday. Anyhow I wanted to wish my lovely wife a very happy birthday and yes I did this in person too. And Mom I love the picture!!!
Here is a good article to read if you are just starting out (btw, Hal Higdon is a writer for Runner's World, so this is typically the kind of stuff you see in that magazine, including nutrition suggestions, etc.)
http://www.halhigdon.com/beginrunner/intro.htm
Things important there? Run defensively, try to run with a buddy if you can, run on the shoulder FACING traffic so you can see the cars coming, and just be alert...there are idiot drivers out there. I also wear one of these just in case something were to happen:
http://www.roadid.com/id.asp
Hope this helps.
Ok, I think we have decided upon the Leavenworth 1/2 Marathon on October 13, 2007. It is on a Saturday and is relatively close to most. So far these are the folks that I think have decided to do it, let me know if I am wrong:
Tom
Mom
Adina
Paige
Dave
Brent
Buffy
Marnie
Anne
Kim
Peter?
The race is 32 weeks away. That gives us plenty of time to train for it (Marnie, you were the one that said you didn't have enough time). I am going to give you a link to a training schedule that you can use. Make sure to read the information below the table, it is all excellent information.
http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm
When looking at the schedule, if you don't train on Sundays (which I don't), I would shift everything one day earlier so that you are just stretching on Sundays and then just strength train, the way it describes, on Monday mornings with your regular run for that day. This will make your long runs on Saturdays.
As you notice, the training schedule is for 12 weeks. Below the table it explains what you can do if you have a lot more time than that. I would suggest stretching it to 24 weeks. And, like it says, just do each week twice. That gives you 8 weeks, or 2 months, from now to get up to 9-12 miles per week, broken up into 3-4 3 mile runs a week. You DON'T start at 9-12 miles per week, you just have to be there within 2 months. Start with walking 1 or 2 miles 3-4 times per week if you have been sedentary, then add jogging to the mix.
Only run a pace that agrees with your heart rate. Don't increase your mileage more than 10% each week. So if you start with 5 miles per week, do 5.5 the next week. Slow increments! Don't injure yourself! Trust me, if you gradually increase and don't kill yourself, your body will accomodate and it will feel better the further you go.
You don't have to run the 5k and 10k races, but it is good to get used to the feelings on race day. That way you will be a little more relaxed on October 13th.
Wouldn't be a bad idea to get a subscription to Runner's World, the articles in it will keep you pumped up, even though some of them run WAY more than I would ever think of running. Also, if you have someone to run with, that is always a good idea because it makes the time pass, even if it is just for the long runs on Saturdays.
Get the right shoes. Make sure you have the right kind of shoes for your body/feet/surface. You can find a local running store (like around here there is Fit Right Northwest, in San Diego it was Road Runner Sports) and let them help you find the right shoe for your foot. I am not talking GI Joes, or stores like that, I am talking about a store FOR running, where they know what they are talking about. Or you can go to this link http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/product/shoe-dog.jsp
Here, you enter all your information and it will spit out a bunch of suggestions for shoes based upon your foot, step, etc. I have used it and got the same results as going to the specialty shops and being evaluated.
Here is the link for the Leavenworth 1/2 marathon: http://www.leavenworthmarathon.com/registration.htm
You can click on the Athleteslounge.com link or do it by PDF. I already registered, so I don't want to be doing it alone. Register now and that will be your drive, because you will be committed.
Find some place or way to keep track of your progress, it helps to keep you motivated. I hope you all get excited about this, I really think it'll be a lot of fun. And, you'll most likely drop a few pounds and have a healthier heart!
Let me know when you have registered. If it's a money thing (about $45) let me know, that shouldn't stop you.
BTW, this was the intro to the running schedule: http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/index.htm
Just wanting to test to see what it says!!!!
Dad and I are going to a Yard and Garden Show today and then to Annie.
Love you all
Barb has transferred everything over and our life right now doesn't consist of much more. Mike is very busy. We've had three 30 second conversations since he left. One of which was to straighten out some paperwork for our housing. We finally have the Dr's letter and I went to turn everything in and the day before they had changed the policy and now they need the Regimental Cmndr.'s signature instead of the Battalion's. So annoying. It shouldn't be a problem though, just another delay.
Every day is a crap shoot. Every hour for that matter, but today was a good day. I met a couple of my friends at Mega Play, an indoor playground with trampolines, huge slides, a toddler play area with a ball pit, tons of trikes and go cart type bikes, etc... The kids played from 1-6:30. Even Ellyn got independent enough to go running all over the place and while that gave me less rest it was fun to watch her figure out how to climb and slide and jump and wade through the ball pit. The older girls each took a turn with her but most of the time they were running around like wild women, red cheeked, and sweaty, stopping in occasionally for a drink or asking for money for ice cream. Such a relief to get the kids out to play. I vacuumed the house this morning and that was a huge relief too.
I was going to leave these as comments but I might as well put it on right here. Adina, thanks for the dietary info. It confirmed what I've been trying to do. She won't do legumes unless I hide them in burritos. But we do peanut butter and yogurt and cheese and all that good stuff and sometimes she'll eat sweet potatoes.
Barb, as far as family fasts, I would really love that. I have thought about asking before but haven't yet. If everyone would be willing to fast as a family on a periodic basis it would really
be wonderful. I tried to look up the article but they don't have March articles on line yet. I just renewed our subscription so I don't know if we'll get it in time but we will keep looking on line. We would love to have our little Ellie speak and so often she seems right on the cusp. I think family fasting would help a great deal.
Well I am off to put my little babes to bed. I love you all. Love, Brooke
Last night while having dinner with Dave, Adina, Brent, Buffy and Mom, the waiter kept going around the table and placing food, etc between the couples seated there. We were at a marvelous restaurant called The Melting Pot. Expensive, but what a great evening. Anyway, as the waiter moved from place to place he would say in a low voice, "primeridge". Now, Dave and Adina have been there before so I just thought that they were "in" on what primeridge meant, so I didn't say anything. However, as the evening wore on, I was more and more bewildered about what this word, primeridge meant. I just took it in stride; was cool and maintained my part in the evening togetherness. I really was trying to figure out the pattern of his use of "primeridge". I was baffled. No one else had any idea that my inquisitive mind was short-circuiting trying to figure out the Rubics formula for this new word, primeridge.
About 45 minutes into the meal, the waiter, Charles, comes between Adina and I and reaches to adjust the fondue flame controller and says, "pardon my reach". Very distinct and clear to my right ear. Ah ha........"pardon my reach". I just about laughed myself to death inside and had to pass my new found word on to the seated party. So, yes, I did make my admission of dumbness and told the crowd my frustrating firsts 45 minutes....and how the Stinchfield family has now picked up on a word that can be used for just about anything.........."Primeridge". It can mean anything. ...............and, I'm just getting older; 60 is just around the corner.
Dad
Anne just pointed out an article in the newest March Ensign "Joshua's Walls" about a mother's experience with an autistic child. It warmed my heart and brought tears to my eyes...reminded me a lot of what I have seen with Ellyn...Brooke and Mike have a better perspective on it. It also talks about how the mother worked with him for a new baby's arrival...I just wanted to recommend to all. In conjunction with the suggestions in the article, we may want to have periodic family fasts...maybe with both the Bennetts and us on the speech issue! (and maybe the sleep issue for Brooke's sake!!!)
Love,
Mom
A preface...Brooke did find out that she did not have salmonella....
Today is a pretty good day, just a little sick. SOOOO much better than the past few days. I know it is because our family and Barb and Tracey are praying that I won't be sick-if you aren't already, begin now. Mike left for the field today and now I have two weeks to look forward to entertaining the girls with no energy and, if the prayers aren't strong enough, a return of constant debilitating nausea. The sun is shining today and yesterday too actually so at least I can send Jane and Sadie out to play. My poor kids, a month of chicken nuggets, taquitoes, campbell's soup and corn dogs. Makes me want to throw up just reading that list, but it is all bought and in the deep freeze. I have to take the kids over to the health clinic now so that they can give me the results of my pregnancy test that I finally took this morning. I'm either pregnant or my salmonella tainted Peter Pan peanut butter has thrown me for a doozy (yes we ate a whole jar of the stuff).
Later gaters- inspired by Sadie, who really enjoys those phrases these days! Brooke
So I know that we all pretty much watch it, or at least most of us, so I think it would be fun to have a weekly post about what we thought of the show! I will put one up every week before the results show.
Tuesday night was the top 12 boys and last night was the top 12 girls. I will put my thoughts below but leave yours in the comments! I would be interested to see what everyone thought.
Marnie's thoughts:
The guys - the only one that I really thought was pretty good was Blake, the beatbox guy. I really liked that he picked a more modern song that is a lot more like the music that people listen to today. I think it was a good risk because most people just pick the old standards. I also think Chris, the JT-sounding guy from VA, was ok - and very good looking ;) so that will get him through. I really like the big curly haired guy but I really didn't like his song choice and thought he didn't do so hot. My choices for outs are Sundance Head (big guy with beard) and Rudy Cardenas (1st one, looks like Scott Baio).
The girls - they were a lot better than the guys. I was a little scared at the beginning of a few of the songs because they picked some big songs. I really liked Gina (All by Myself) and Lakisha (Dreamgirls) was really good too. I like Jennifer Hudson's version of that song better but she did a good job. My picks for outs are Antonella Barba (Don't Want to Miss a Thing) definitely, she was horrible, and Leslie Hunt (red-head, just really really creepy).
Can't wait to hear what you guys thought!
I post these pictures if only for Tom and Tracey to appreciate seeing Will Arnett aka Gob Bluthe in this get up - this movie is going to be fantastic.
If you haven't seen the previews it is about two male figure skaters, Will Ferrell and Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) that have been thrown out of men's singles and now have to become the first male-only pairs team. Will Arnett and Amy Poehler (who are married in real life) are the villains. It will be grand.
Ok, whoever wants to, lets set a goal for a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) for the latter part of the summer/early fall somewhere on the west coast. That should give those interested plenty of time to ramp up their training efforts. During your training (which I can provide training goals/schedules), you should run a 5k race and a 10k race, it prepares you for I think it would be a lot of fun to do it as a family. Then, if it catches on, maybe we can organize our own relay team for something. Let me know any takers. Adina and I will do it. Some options are:
Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon San Jose, CA October 14, 2007 Sunday
Cowtown 1/2 marathon Sacramento, CA October 7, 2007 Sunday
Leavenworth 1/2 marathon Leavenworth, WA October 13, 2007 Saturday
Big Sur 1/2 marathon Monterrey, CA November 11, 2007 Sunday
Disneyland 1/2 marathon Anaheim, CA September 3, 2007 Monday (labor day)
America's Finest City 1/2 marathon San Diego, CA August 19, 2007 Sunday
Over the Dam 1/2 marathon Grand Coulee, WA May 13, 2007 Sunday
North Olympic Discovery 1/2 marathon Port Angeles, WA June 10, 2007 Sunday
Hulaman 1/2 marathon Hillsboro, OR August 19, 2007 Sunday
These are just a few. Unfortunately most are on Sunday. There are a good number of full marathons on Saturdays, but most don't have 1/2 marathons associated with them. Anyway, let me know if anyone is interested.
Not too much to report but figured it has been a while since I put an update so here goes...
I am full into preparing for the Oscar party that is next Sunday. I pretty much have everything minus the food, which won't be purchased till Friday. Looks like I am going to have a pretty good turn out with about 30 people, many of whom I haven't seen in a while. It is practically turning into a high school reunion, actually. Should be fun to see everyone. I finally have my outfit ready so at least the most important part is taken care of. ;)
I had yesterday off, which was great, but it rained all day which was not great. I did get in a little studying though. I need to do a lot more but some is better than none. My friend Nicole came down this weekend for a quick trip Sunday night/Monday morning with her dad and sister. Her sister and her husband are moving down here so it was a quick move-in trip. It was really fun to see her though and hopefully she will be down more often now that her sister lives here.
Things at work are a little sporadic but good. Slow some days/hours, really busy others. I still really enjoy my work and the people I work with though. Still at Sport Chalet - always fun to have that added dose of drama every Saturday - it is like my very own little soap opera that I get to watch. :)
For my TV/movies update:
I am very happy that Lost is back on. I am really enjoying it and am looking forward to seeing where the writers are going to go with my beloved survivors. I am not looking at spoilers and analyzing too much anymore which is much easier because I have a new episode every week to keep my Lost appetite fulfilled. I also have started watching Heroes. Mind you, I am not obsessed with it but it is a good show and I can appreciate why people like it so much. I just started watching when it came back from the break so I haven't seen any episodes before that. I do have to admit my guilty pleasure of watching American Idol as well. I am really glad that the auditions are over and we will see what this season has to offer. And, to those who watch Grey's Anatomy, I am really hoping you have seen the last two weeks - amazing. Not to mention a great place to find awesome music (fun tidbit: they list all music played in the episodes on ABC.com). The Office need not be mentioned as it should be considered a necessary staple in all of our lives.
I saw the movie Music & Lyrics last weekend. Very good. Definitely a movie I will buy and watch about a hundred times. I am a sucker for Hugh Grant, what can I say?
Anyway - I should get some work finished up before I leave for the day. I love you all, love the pictures, and love to hear the funny stories (good one Hayden!).
Well I guess it's my turn to update the blog for us. Brent just posted a picture of the house as you might have seen and we are happy that it is not the white color anymore since we didn't choose it. We would have been happy with it however, if they had taken us up on the offer to pay our closing costs, but no such luck.
It is getting exciting now with things falling into place with our mortgage broker and seeing the house come together with the details that we got to select (paint, flooring, appliances, accessories). Brent and I are very excited about the fridge as it is stainless steel and has a in-door ice and water dispencer with a PUR water filtration system. Funny how those things get a person excited. Even after all of this, it still seems half real and half just some crazy idea. After all, we are used to dinky and sometimes downright bad apartments for our living arrangements in the past few years (since we lived in oh-so-affordable LA!!).
I am liking work these days since we have moved clinics to a downstairs unit that was totally made for a therapy office including a therapy pool. We were able to paint all walls the way we wanted with some nice colors which has made it a very nice work environment that we are all happy with being at 40 hours a week. I have fun with my patients and try to always find a way to excercise with them so I can benefit from time spent in a gym all day... except no cardio.
Speaking of excercise, I am sooo impressed with Barb! She now has a workout regimen that includes not only curves, but the local gym cardio machines, yoga class, and she sometimes hits the gym again in the evening so Kenn will have a workout buddy. Seriously guys, she's putting most of us to shame! I seriously hope Brent and I can get our act together soon and find a gym to join so I can start being nice to my heart again by hitting the cardio machines myself.
By the way Dave and Adina, I did stop in that wood furniture place and they had the exact table that Brent and I are looking for. So we'll see what Brent thinks when he finds the time to go look himself.
Well, that's it from me. Hope the two prego gals feel better soon!
Buffy
Hayden has been playing with his Star Station a lot this weekend. That is the toy that Kenn and Barb got him for Christmas that lets him watch himself sing and dance on the TV. Yesterday he was putting on a show and he told me that this was his favorite toy ever because it made his dreams come true. I asked him what he meant by that and he said "I have always wanted to see myself on TV and now I can!!" So, Kenn and Barb, thank you for making his dreams come true!! Danica really likes the toy also because she likes to make noises into the microphone, it's pretty funny.
Things here are starting to thaw out a little bit. It's a heat wave, we hit 40 degrees today and it feels fantastic! We tried going for a walk this morning but it ended up being more of an exercise in dodging muddy puddles! Overall everything is great. Tom and I had a nice quiet dinner at Olive Garden on Valentine's day because our friends babysat. Then we all went to Red Robin on Tom's birthday and had a nice dinner and tons of fun. Tom and Hayden spent the weekend building tunnels in the snow in the front yard, very fun. I'll post some pictures soon. Tom has decided that while my belly continues to grow he wants his to shrink and has set some great running goals. My goal continues to be to get out of bed in the morning, although I have done the treadmill several times in the last week. Brooke I am really feeling for you...I have yet to go a whole day without feeling sick and yesterday was terrible...I thought I would be past this by now, I'm out of the first trimester but I suppose no one told my stomach. Soon... that is what I keep telling myself. I'm praying for you Brooke!
Well, I best use the last of this nap time to get the house somewhat in order... it's amazing how thrashed things can get in one day since I didn't feel well yesterday... Have a great day!
Happy Birthday Kim! We hope you had a great one. We love you and miss you. The pics of the babies are darling.
love, the Mike Stinchfield Clan
Just wanted to send out a happy birthday wish to Kim, almost 30, that is really something.
Love, Tom and Tracey, Hayden and Danica
Happy Birthday Tom! and late Happy Birthday to Ellyn!
We Love you guys!
-Anne Peter and Andrew
Dave just took off with Isaac for some winter camping at Nanitch Lodge on Mt. Hood - brrrr. I'm happy to be home, thank you. They are both well prepared and will be doing some tubing and other snow activities with the scouts, so it should be fun for them.
It's been a busy couple of weeks - I have been working fairly hard on the community classes I was to teach, only to end up canceling them due to lack of interest. To my dismay, the class on cultivating wild mushrooms got more interest than my class on childhood nutrition. A sad state of affairs But the pressure is now off and I have been spending more time doing things I want to do. Also- I have been asked to teach a course for Enrichment - 30 people signed up for that one, so my ego has fully recovered.
Kids are great - Isaac was recently tested and found to be a 'highly capable' student - who knew? - and they want to put him in a program at the High School. Pretty cool. Taylor is an origami master - leaving tulips, cranes and frogs all over the house. Parker misuses the word 'distracting' all the time - This cupboard is distracting me...I am so distracted with my shirt... I'm pretty sure he has it confused with 'frustrated'. It's pretty funny. Morgan is Morgan - serving me tea all day and making me do her stuffed animals' hair. Life is good.
Happy Birthday, Tom. Hope it was a good day. Brooke - have you read George and Sam? In all your well-rested, spare time...it is supposed to be a great book - thought of you when I read the review. Also - for those The Devil in the White City fans, Erik Larson's new Thunderstruck is supposed to be good.
That's it...have a great weekend!
Adina
With Brooke's permission...
....So let me tell you. I feel TERRIBLE. I'm not really starting on the nausea stuff yet, just the hollow empty stomach yucky feeling, a cold, and three hours of sleep two nights in a row. Mike goes to the field for two weeks next week and I'm pretty sure I'm going to die. I have been completely useless today. Okay, at least for the past three hours.
Funny stories. Ellyn can turn door handles now. I laid her down for a nap this afternoon and about ten minutes later she was coming down the stairs happy as a clam. We traded Mike's office and Ellyn's and Sadie's room this weekend and moved Ellyn out of her crib. She absolutely loves her bed, last night after scriptures she took my hand and led me up to her room. She is totally happy staying there once she wakes up during the night, as long as I'm there. She is staying very happy on half doses of her meds and it is helping her fall asleep. Now that she is starting to get used to it I'm going to try to give her the other half again when she wakes up and maybe she won't be so groggy. Supposedly a certain amount of tolerance is built up. What a roller coaster and I am so sure you are all bored to death hearing about it. This is kind of my vent and you all have to suffer.
Okay the other funny story, as implied by "stories" before I went off on my sleep tangent. The other night we had one of the families Mike home teaches over for dinner and she brought little no-bake cheesecakes. Well after dessert I cleared all the plates and noticed that Sadie had barely touched hers and thought that was just as well. When the family left they wanted me to keep some and I said I would eat them all but I would save one for Jane's lunch. Later I was upstairs getting Ellyn ready for bed and I could hear both girls arguing over the remaining cheesecake. Mike quickly interjected and Jane's precious cheesecake was set aside. The next morning as Jane was eating breakfast I explained to her that Sadie had not been trying to steal her cheesecake but that I had cleared hers from very near that same spot and thrown it away. After Jane left for school I noticed the cheesecake on the counter with a note saying "For Sadie, Love Jane." It was so cute. I gave Sadie the cheesecake lunch and told her the same story I had told Jane, that I had thrown away her cheesecake and Jane felt badly and had left it home for Sadie. Sadie was darling, she said "Oh, I thought she had eaten the fruit off (plain vs.cherry topping)." Pretty soon Sadie comes to the table with a piece of paper and asks me how to spell "for" and then she writes a "J" and asks how to spell the rest of Jane's name and then she writes her own. She puts the paper in the center of the table and goes and gets the cheesecake and places it next to the paper. When Jane got home from school Sadie happily took her to the table. There were big hugs and then Jane suggested they split the cheesecake and it was quickly devoured. Such a "precious moment" for a mom. I thought I'd write it down so that later in life they will know what good kids they were.
Brooke (borrowed by Barb---had to get this story on this blog!!!)
and Happy Birthday to Elynn. I love you all so much and am so glad that you are my family. My boss sent out her monthly newsletter yesterday with a Valentine's theme and I really liked what she had to say so I thought I would put that little Valentine's message on the blog today. :)
When we learn how to demonstrate through our words an inner feeling of acceptance toward another person, we have a skill that can produce some startling effects. We can be influential in his learning to accept and like himself and to acquire a sense of his own worth.
We can greatly facilitate his developing and actualizing the potential with which he was genetically endowed. We can accelerate his movement away from dependence and toward independence and self-direction. We can help him learn to solve for himself the problems that life inevitably brings.
Active Listening when used with the proper attitude and intention is the way of communicating acceptance of another person as they are. It tells them in effect, "I really understand what you are experiencing and I accept your feeling or thinking that way."
For this message to come across, these conditions are important:
1. You want to hear what the other person has to say. This means you are willing to give her your full attention and take the time to listen. If you don't, it will be obvious.
2. You genuinely want to be helpful to the other person at this time and with this problem. If you don't want to, be honest and say that.
3. You genuinely accept her feelings, however different they may be from your own feelings or from the feelings you think she should have. You don't want to change the other person.
4. You have a feeling of trust in the other person's ability to handle her feelings, to work through them and to find solutions to her problems. That happens over time.
5. You keep in mind that feelings are transitory, not permanent. Feelings change--hate becomes love, discouragement is replaced by hope. So you need not be afraid when feelings get expressed--they aren't forever fixed.
6. You are able to see the other person as someone separate from you--a unique person, an individual with her own life and identity. You can be "with" her as she experiences a problem, but not responsible for her.
7. You want to understand with empathy how the other person feels from their point of view. Put yourself momentarily in the other's shoes and see the world as they see it, putting aside your own perspective.
Of all the effects of acceptance none is as important as the inner feeling of the other person that he is loved. For to accept another "as he is" is truly an act of love; to feel accepted is to feel loved. And in psychology, we have only begun to realize the tremendous power of feeling loved: It can promote the growth of mind and body, and is probably the most effective therapeutic force we know for repairing both psychological and physical damage.
Happy Birthday to Ellyn...I am still waiting for her apron to arrive...her shoes are here and both will be mailed out as soon a possible after arrival! I hope she has a great birthday!!! I'm so glad she came to our family!
Also, Happy Valentines Day to all. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful children (including the in-laws) and grandchildren. Being the dingbat I am, I just mailed out Valentines to Cleveland and Vilsek yesterday so they will be a few days late but it is always nice getting something in the mail. I even forgot to put out my Valentine decorations around the house. I don't have a lot but it would have been nice to put out what I have! (I will come by Dave and Adina's tonight!!)
We woke up today to a Valentine card and delicious muffins from Brent and Buffy. I am going to miss them when they get into their house (not the cats but them!!) We had our carpets cleaned yesterday because a family from our ward is using our house for their reception on Saturday night. My work has been slow due to my "getting ahead" of review and critical decisions. It has been nice, however, since it has given me time for other projects.
I lost the Expedition keys over the weekend which resulted in me entirely emptying my desk and rearranging it which was a good result. I was on the verge of towing the car to the Ford dealership when I squeezed my hand between the seat and the console in the car and found the keys....Hooray! We really do need to get a second set but I am going to thoroughly clean our closet prior to doing that. We lost them about three years ago right after we got the car and I have a feeling that they are in some obscure pocket. If not, I'll have to bite the bullet and pay the $150 that a new key costs!!!
We are starting to get quotes again for countertops. We are getting a nice income tax return so we are going to go ahead to do the countertops, bookcases, and painting up and downstairs (just not the bedrooms yet). Then I'll have to start saving for the floors and carpets. We want to extend our hardwood to the stairs and upstairs hallway and the dining area and then recarpet the rest...except for putting tile in our bathroom. We probably won't get the work done until after our trip to Germany in April since I'll be out of town in Idaho at the beginning of March and we are having a clinic party on the night of the 31st. Can't have the house torn up!!!
Speaking of Kenn's work, we are vacillating between our two alternatives with the decision changing day by day...It is a hard decision!!! I'd love to know how it all will work out!!!
Love to all...have a great Valentines Day and birthday!
Mom
So thanks for my wonderful friend Marisa I discovered that Williams Sonoma sells the mix and recipe for Sprinkles Cupcakes! I had to try it out. So for Valentine's Day I just made a dozen Red Velvet cupcakes and, well, I just had to taste one! They are delicious!! Almost the same as if you went all the way to Rodeo Drive to get one at the Sprinkles shop. And the mix is much cheaper than that actual cupcakes which go for about $40/dozen.
B&B, the pics are great. I love the dark wood as well and the counters. I'm very jealous.
Anne, I have a question for you. Did you get Old Navy maternity jeans in long and what type and size did you get? If that is okay for me to ask. I have two pairs of jeans that I know I am going to be out of in a month and I was looking at all their options. Did you every use the kind without the panel? Thanks- oh Kim you might have used them too, duh. I just remember Barb buying some jeans for Anne at Christmas and I was thinking they were Old Navy.
Take care, Brooke
I can log in as stinchfamily but it is a good idea to not always have to sign. Can someone invite me to the blog!!!! (Isn't that what is needed?)
Love,
Mom
Just thought we should post something to keep the blog going. We are half way through the semester after this next week and we are very stressed. Treven has 3 exams this week before we go to Vancouver on Friday. One for chemistry and two for anatomy. I have 2 exams for anatomy. One of them being the bone test which we are studying like crazy for! We walk into the lab room and they have all the bones in the body (some broken into segments) around the room. We have to go in there and what it is pointing to on the bone, we name it. Then our other exam is on our lecture which is going to be easy. We are stressed and tired, but we know we can do it.
Melia is growing fast and is cooing and giggling. She is starting to grab for things. The only thing that is confusing is she won't pass a bowel movement for 7 days then she will have a huge blow out. It started happening when I tried to get her to eat formula. She did NOT like it so we stopped it. She drank like one bottle of the formula so now just breast milk Anyways! I don't know what to do. The doctor's office said it was something I was eating but I didn't change ANYTHING in my diet from when she was born and it all started because of the formula. I don't know what to do. If you have any suggestions please help.
We bought a second car that is in Vancouver. We got a 2000 Toyota Camry and it is silver. Mom and Dad went and looked at it for us and picked it up when we bought it. It will definitely help us having a 2nd car. It has been really hard with both Treven and I working and going to school cause they overlap some days. We are number 5 on the subsidized housing list so he said he can guarantee us moving in by April but there is a possibility for March. So we will see!
Anne and I are going to Rascal Flatts concert on March 8 for our birthdays from Mom and Dad in Boise. We are definitely excited for it and it will be tons of fun to go with her. Peter, Treven will be coming on Friday after his classes. He wants to come, but can't leave till Friday night.
Well have to go study! I will post some pictures once Melia wakes up. We got her a pink sock monkey from old navy. I couldn't resist buying it.
Love you all see some of you soon!
Kim
Hey Everyone,
So we had to do this eventually so it is ok that Dave switched to the new blogger. I was anticipating this transfer so I made a gmail account for the blog. Since David switched the blog though he is now the official administer of the blog so he changes all settings, etc.
But as for the rest of us - we can sign into the new blogger with our new blog gmail account - stinchfamily@gmail.com. The password is the same as our old blogger account. This will also be good for any sensitive information like addresses or phone numbers to be sent to a family email that we all can check. I will try to keep that email organized so that it is easy to find different email for different people (that will make more sense if you sign into the account at gmail.com).
So from now on sign in to new blogger and all should work smoothly. Let me know if you guys are confused about anything...thanks!
--
marnie
Hey Family,
Sorry but Buffy and I do not have an announcement. Soon though soon. Brooke I would be happy to take the second if you want. HEHE, congrats. So 4 weeks until the house is to be completed and they are working away at it. The cabinets went in this week and the house is coming together. I have much less hair though since going through the mortgage process. It Sucks!!!! Gap is doing well and I am going to have a fun year of travel coming up. In March I am going to Seattle for 3 days, then in June to Scottsdale, Arizona for 3 more days and San Francisco for 3 more. Then in September I go to Orlando for 4 more days. I'm a traveling man. Buffy is doing well at Proactive PT, they move into a new clinic on Monday so she is excited. And just an FYI for all you Moms out there. Gap Outlet is having the Kids and Baby sale starting the 20th. All Boys, Girls and Baby product will be 30% off. Sorry Brooke, Anne, and Kim, no Gaps where you are. Have Mom pick you up something at my store though (Shameless sales pitch). Anyhow I figured I would write on this since my name is now on the list of contributors, I should actually contribute. Love you all
Well I tried to do it the old way but it wouldn't let me so I am posting via the gmail account for stinchfamily. Anyways, all is well here in Boise. We went skiing/snowboarding yesterday and had a blast. Our friends Justin and Laura came with us and since Laura is preggo, she watched Andrew so both Peter and I could go up.
Andrew is doing well, he still has room to grow being that he is 25th percentile for weight and 70th for height. But I think he will have a late growth spurt....it may just be going on right now...the kid is killing me. We went to Red Robin tonite and he was so close to the table in his highchair and he wanted to chew on something so he just started biting down on the table...I will try to post pics( i took them on my phone). Anyways, we love the kid and couldn't imagine not having him here....we love being parents.
We love you all and are so excited for all the new little babies that will be arriving later this year.
-Anne
For those SNL fans, you'll understand that. For all others, I think I screwed up the blogger account. I tried to sign in as stinchfamily and it asked me if I wanted to update the blog. Well, it didn't look like there was any other option, so I agreed. Well, I think it now says I have to sign in with my gmail account...and it thinks I am 'stinchfamily'. So, somebody needs to tell me how to rectify this. What I am thinking is to re-invite everyone to the blog so that everyone can post. It'll probably require you to sign in with your own new sign-in. Well, the benefit of that would be that all would now have the correct name after their post instead of the generic 'stinchfamily'. All who disagree, post something...he,he. I am going to try to invite everyone. So, I need all current email addresses. Send it to taysaac@gmail.com.
Well, I got on after a hiatus of what has got to be over 2 mos. I have been readin', but not bloggin'. Reasons? Bought the practice (majority of time), computer pooped out for 2 weeks, scouts, etc.. The list goes on. Enjoying the new experience of being a business owner, even with all its headaches. I think I was made for this? Almost enjoy it more than the dentistry, but I still love the dentistry, very exciting (you probably wouldn't understand if you weren't here with me).
I went to a course in Vancouver, B.C. for ortho, the second series of training I have had. Very good course, learning a lot. Will be going back for the next three months. Also going to Vegas in March for training on the business side of things. Should be a good segway into the crazy summer of 2 weddings on the Archuleta side and a likely disneyland trip and a week of scout camp. All fun!
We miss you all, even you Ma and Pa. I think today was the first time I have seen them since Christmas (well, not really, but that is what it feels like). Me and Dad went to the Children's Dental Health Day at the Clark College Hygiene school today for the morning to donate some treatment to the kids. It was a good time, despite the whaling and gnashing of teeth!
Well, I better get going, it is wonderful to be able to taste a piece of each of your lives through the blog! Congrats Mike and Brooke!
Dave
So let me tell you this funny little story- this fall- October- life seemed to be going pretty smoothly. I could keep the car cleaned out, the house was staying reasonably sanitary and straightened to boot and Mike and I sort of started talking about the fact that maybe we could handle one more. It might be good for Ellyn because it would keep us catering to young kids. It would be good for Sadie because she would have someone that would accept all of her love and attention. Jane would love it, Mike has always wanted another baby and I knew I couldn't help but love another child (you might note my enthusiasm was not as high as it could be). By November we decided we would at least not do anything to prevent another baby until Mike deployed. We would put it in the Lord's hands and then if we still didn't have a fourth child we could feel comfortable with making that final definite decision.
Since that time we have had all the major sleep issues, Ellyn's therapists not as hopeful as they were earlier, our callings requiring more and more of our time, and a few nights ago as I watched that autism documentary and sat bawling my eyes out Mike and I had a heart to heart and decided that we were done and that it was okay. We (I) had reached our max capacity. The next morning I started thinking about the date, studied my calendar, and decided that we may have come to our conclusion a bit too late. The Lord obviously had other plans for our family. That afternoon my suspicions were confirmed. My husband was estatic and I was in shock. Considering our track record I didn't really believe it was going to happen before he left and really I was just wanting that extra reassurance. But I have to say that I'm very happy. Scared to death, grumpy because I'm a bit stressed about the whole thing, and because I know in two weeks I will be wishing I were dead as I build a closer relationship with my toilet bowl. But as I said, I know the Lord wants this child in our home. Two months just doesn't happen for us. I knew that if I were to have a baby the ideal timing would be October and October 16th it is. So please keep this baby in your prayers (and T&T's too).
Keep Ellyn in your prayers as well. Her sleeping continues to be an issue, the sleep medication either does too little and she is still awake (1/2) or it's too much (whole) and she still has a restless night and is groggy all day. She needs sleep for her little brain and for her parents' sanity. We are giving it a few more days and then we are back to no meds, a happier kiddo, and still no sleep.
That's my story and Barb, if there's two you get one! Have a fabulous day. Love,me
Congrats Mike and Brooke and family! We are so excited for you guys!
Love, Anne Peter and Andrew
Well, I could write a novel about how cold it is, how much we have cabin fever and are going crazy, how wound up and cranky the kids are and how I can't wait for the spring but it wouldn't be very fun to read. So instead, I'll just share our great news.
First off: Big Congrats to Tom on passing the National Dental Boards!!! Woohoo!!! He got his scores yesterday and we are so thrilled!! He will take the final part at the end of March and be officially done! Yeah!!!!!! Great job Tom!!!!!!
Second: I have hit the twelve week mark with this pregnancy and everything looks great!!!! For those reading who hadn't heard, yes, I'm pregnant! We found out just before Christmas and we were surprised to be blessed so quickly but very happy and excited! I'm due August 18th so I'm 12 1/2 weeks and finally crawling out of the first trimester. I told the Stinchfield clan when we were there for Christmas but just haven't blogged about it because we have so many people reading this blogg!! However, I had my check up this week and the doctor did another ultrasound and things looked great! The baby is growing really well and everything is on track. I have been really sick, much sicker than with the first two kids, but we've managed and I even got some amazing meds from my doctor that helped me through the worst of it after I had the stomach flu. I still feel nausea every day and get headaches a lot but it's getting better and I am optimistic that it will all subside within the next few weeks! There were several days I was certain that this will be our last child but luckily I am sure I will forget about those terrible days! For now we are just excited and looking forward to all the really fun things we have coming our way with graduation, moving, new job, new baby, which means new car, etc. So much to think about!!! In terms of whether we want a boy or girl the family is split, the boys want a boy and the girls want a girl... so either way we'll win! Just six weeks until we'll find out!
That's all for now! I have to go take advantage of the last few minutes of nap time! Have a great weekend and enjoy some above freezing temps for us!
Tracey
Fam-
I have been away a while, then again, so have many of you on the male side. So here is what's been going on:
It has been very busy at work since getting back after Christmas. We go to a field exercise soon and a lot of effort has been made since then to prepare for it...on top of my usual HR/Personnel business. I really dislike my job, but I do think I will be happy in company commmand after a few months...mid-May I think.
High Council work has also been overwhelming, with many, many meetings and other events, we have spent a lot of time traveling. That job at least is more rewarding than work.
With all that, my time with boardgames has declined quite a bit. We have still played a few, but no new recommendations this time around.
Supreme Commander comes out this month, the Total Annhilation sequel I have been talking about for a year or so. Dave, hopefully you have a new system that will play the sucker. The demo is out around the internet, and you could probably see if it has legs for it. I hear the Wiis will be back in stock this week...at Target at least. Don't anyone shy away from buying one for our family, Henry and/or Cate will really enjoy the system in a few years. By the way Kim, the XBOX+ games are on the way. Sorry for the delay. Please refer back to the top of this blog for excuses.
I miss you all. I wish you were around to hang out with and play games and travel and..... We are very excited for Mom and Dad to come out in April...especially since that will correspond with warmer weather. love you guys.
Mike
Autism rate about 1 in 150, higher than previous estimates
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- About one in 150 American children has autism, an urgent public health concern, said U.S. health officials Thursday who reported on the largest study done so far on the troubling disorder.
The new numbers, based on 2002 data from 14 states, are higher than previously reported.
Advocates said the study provides a sad new understanding of how common autism is, and should fuel efforts to get the government to spend hundreds of millions of additional dollars for autism research and services.
"This data today shows we're going to need more early intervention services and more therapists, and we're going to need federal and state legislators to stand up for these families," said Alison Singer, spokeswoman for Autism Speaks, the nation's largest organization advocating more services for autistic children.
The study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculated an average autism rate 6.6 per 1,000. That compares with last year's estimated rate of 5.5 in 1,000.
The research involved an intense review of medical and school records for children in all or part of 14 states and gives the clearest picture yet of how common autism is in some parts of the country, CDC officials said.
However, those states are not demographically representative of the nation as a whole, so officials cautioned against using the results as a national average. The study doesn't include some of the most populous states including California, Texas and Florida.
No conclusions on a trend
Also, the study does not answer whether autism is increasing -- a controversial topic, driven in part by the contention by some parents and advocates that autism is linked to a vaccine preservative. The best scientific studies have not borne out that claim.
"We can't make conclusions about trends yet," because the study's database is too new, said Catherine Rice, a CDC behavioral scientist who was the study's lead author.
Autism is a complex disorder usually not diagnosed in children until after age 3. It is characterized by a range of behaviors, including difficulty in expressing needs and inability to socialize. The cause is not known.
Scientists have been revising how common they think the disorder is. Past estimates from smaller studies have ranged from 1 out of every 10,000 children to nearly 1 in 100.
Last year's estimate of 5.5 out of every 1,000 U.S. children was based on national surveys of tens of thousands of families with school-age kids. That fit into a prevalence range found in other recent studies.
The CDC also has been developing an alternate way of measuring autism prevalence, building a network of university and state health departments for ongoing surveillance of autism and developmental disabilities. The study released Thursday is one of the first scientific papers to come out of that effort.
"This is a more accurate rate because of the methods they used," said Dr. Eric Hollander, an autism expert at New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
The study involved 2002 data from parts or all of 14 states -- Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Researchers looked specifically at children who were 8 years old that year. They said most children with autism are identified for medical or educational services by that age.
The researchers checked health records in each area and school records when they were made available, looking for children who met diagnostic criteria for autism. They used those numbers to calculate a prevalence rate for each study area.
The rates varied from 3.3 per 1,000 in the study site in Alabama, which was made up of the state's 32 northernmost counties, to 10.6 in the site in New Jersey, which involved four counties, including metropolitan Newark.
Researchers say they don't know why the rate was so high in New Jersey. They think the Alabama rate was low at least partly because researchers had limited access to special education records there.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source
Late report in on the trip to Elko...worth the trip at least once in your life. Our thanks to Dick and Martha for inviting us to go and enjoy a wonderful time. Great poetry, music, humor, food and friends. This will be on our docket annually. It was a VERY enjoyable trip. Thanks, Kenn/Dad
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