A year ago I had good
intentions to “chronicle” (blog) our ongoing home-schooling experiences. As many New Year’s resolutions, I think I got
to February and that was the end of that.
Why didn’t I continue on with our quirky stories? No excuses just a year full of reasons as so
many of you can relate. Life happens and
often the “extras” slip away without action.
How about a quick 2013-year
in review?
Our dear Grandma Dot passed
away a week after she turned 105 in April.
We miss her so much but are indebted to the legacy she left behind.
Kim, my sweet sister, moved
to a new apartment much better suited for her.
She lives with 2 other very social ladies and continues to build
community through her day-supports. Kim
has a small business called, “Kim’s Kandy Korner” and fills 3 sets of bulk
candy machines for local businesses. She
has a recycling job once a week at Friendship, Inc. And she is active in her church
community. I am so proud of her growth
and encouraged independence. I continue
to assist her as her guardian (that ebbs and flows with busyness).
Randy and the boys keep
active with Motorland. Our small
business continues to support two families, and three single guys. We are grateful for our continued connections
with many not for profit organizations and the ability to support them through
helping provide vans, buses, etc. Randy,
of course, stays busy with the many responsibilities on our yard. In addition, he and Rebekah built a wagon for
our horses to pull last winter. I think
a sleigh is the next project…
Rebekah remains very active
in life! We have thoroughly adopted
“SelfDesigning” as our rhythm of life, and specifically in her home schooling. She just completed another art class with an
amazing mentor, continues with weekly swim lessons, and started ballet lessons
at home (instructed by an older friend)…don’t be too surprised, this is a step
toward becoming more flexible to work toward her dream of trick riding
(horses). Rebekah and JJ (aka Jalapeno
Jimmy) spent a lot of time together this year.
Rebekah’s confidence and abilities in horse back riding has soared! Meanwhile, she continues to love to read,
research random things (we don’t call her Random Rebekah for nothing), and has
a good attitude toward working more on math.
In addition to driving to and
from all of the activities, I serve on two boards of not for profit
organizations. A small group of us
created a youth-led, mentor rich learning community for ages 11-18 called
three65. There was a lot of groundwork
for this group. It’s very rewarding to
have our youth meeting now. I continue
on in an “advisory” role for Equine Oasis (equine assisted learning for at risk
individuals). I also co-lead our local
4-H group, Dacotah Equestrian Club.
However, the most impacting change for me in 2013 has been returning to
school. I am working toward my master’s
degree in Self Design: Building Learning
Communities through the Self Design Graduate Institute out of Western
Washington University. My classes have
been incredibly rewarding and enriching and I look forward to the rest of this
journey!
A dream two years in the
making:
As some of you know, we have
been planning a trip to Kolkata, India for the past two years. We were supposed to go a year ago. However, we had a “glitch” with immigration
when we renewed Rebekah’s and my residency.
I am firm believer that things happen for a reason, so this is now the
perfect timing for our adventure. We
depart December 27th.
We will be serving along side
a friend of mine with Tabitha’s Heart not for profit organization. There are two youth centers (academic help,
life skills building, and a large mid-day meal) and two children’s homes (boys
with addictions/orphaned girls). We are
not certain how Rachel (my friend and executive director) will have us
serve. We are going with open hearts and
a willingness to work however needed.
Randy can only join us for
the first two weeks. He will be seeking
out a car for the group. He is so
excited for Motorland to purchase and donate its first truly international
car. Don’t worry we won’t be driving
there! The rules of the road are very different and the sheer congestion will
be enough to motivate us to walk! Randy
will also be intentional in helping with any “handyman” projects that are needed.
Rebekah and I will be staying
on for another three weeks. By then, we
should establish a “rhythm” and feel more acclimated to our surroundings.
This trip is my main reason
to resurrect this blog! We will do our
best to chronicle our adventure with stories, pictures, and videos. Hopefully this will give you a “window” into
our journey.
Until next time…Merry
Christmas and a very happy 2014!
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