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I went to a town called Granger, Indiana yesterday for a conference today. Cute town, lots of things to do... just not on a Sunday evening. That's okay though. The company I had was terrific, the hotel where we stayed was nice. We ate at a restaurant I've never been to... something about chicken and buffalo and barbecue, I think.
The conference today was at Granger Community Church. These people have customer service down to a science. We were greeted by no less than 4 volunteers by the time we had registered at the kiosk, which was only about 20 feet inside the doors. The food was great, the facilitators were engaging and knowledgeable about the subject... can you say that about the last conference you attended?
There was a volunteer seated in the back of each class area (incidentally, there had to be several hundred people attending several different conferences on the campus today) who was there to assist anyone who walked in late or someone who was looking for a restroom.
A volunteer even appeared during breaks to clean the class rooms while we were out getting free snacks and checking out the bookstore.
The facility is state-of-the-art and clean - clean means SO much to me.
The area where I was probably most impressed was a corner room on the lower level of the building called "Special Friends". I recognized a swing suspended from the ceiling, it was identical to the one Diego uses at school in the OT room.
This church places so much concern on kids with special needs that they actually have volunteers (doctors, nurses, special ed teachers) who meet with families before they ever attend a service to investigate their child's need and make sure the needs are addressed so the parents may go into a worship experience. From the GCC website: (For children with special physical or mental challenges who need individual assistance in order to fully participate, every effort is made to connect each child with a Special Friend who will assist him or her during a weekend service. This is a deliberate process, taking into consideration the needs of the child and concerns of the parents in order to make the best match between each child and Special Friend.)
Two people held the door for us as we left; I noticed these folks there greeting earlier in the day, serving snacks throughout the day and ensuring everyone they came into contact with received their eye contact and a warm, friendly smile. Here they were after what I am sure was a long day for them, telling us thanks for coming and have a safe trip home. Wow.
Impressive. Absolutely impressive.
So, the friend I mentioned taking to the ER (in a previous blog) gave her 7 year old daughter a Garden Tea Party on July 14. (Yes, the day after she was in the ER all night!)
Diego was the only boy to receive an invitation and he was thrilled! It was the social event of the summer for him.
He selected what he was going to wear days before the party and talked about going ("What day is the party, what day is today, how many days until the party...") all week. He had no worries about being the only boy there. I told Joe he certainly will know where and how to pick up girls some day; he had them all captivated and arguing over which one would get a turn jumping on the trampoline with him.
Even though in this photo Diego appears to be bored, he definitely was not. He had an awesome time! Thanks for asking us to be a part of your Garden Tea Party, Chloe! We love you!
I've been pretty busy getting ready for a wedding expo on August 3 and 4; this will be my first official show/expo so I'm excited about it. Here's a project that I did about 20 hours of "mind labor" on, it actually only took a couple of hours to complete once I had all the materials and a clear picture in my head of what I wanted it to look like.
I plan to use the "cake" to put registrations for a free 2- hour consultation into.
One more big project to go so forgive me if I'm not here for a while :) I'll upload pics of that one when I'm finished (if it works out that is!).
Remember the song, "That's What Friends Are For"?
Last Friday, 10:30 p.m., local ER with a friend.
Waited for doctors and tests and her husband.
Prayed nothing serious would show on the test results.
Prayed a reason for her pain would be evident.
Laughed until my head hurt.
Played with the monitors and blood pressure cuff... yes, while it was hooked up to her, duh.
Laughed some more.
Waited some more.
Hugged my friend in the parking lot after her discharge from the ER, 2:15 a.m. Saturday.
Would I ever do that again? That's what friends are for!
Okay, so I've been told it's been over a week since my last post. I have half a mind to post nonsense and see who responds to it. Of course, there are several people who would agree wholeheartedly that I only have half a mind, hmmmph.
I've been busy, just busy. My usual day of the week for posting this week was full of "Diego stuff". We started the day with an eye exam for him. He doesn't remember much with his 'Swiss cheese memory' but he did remember his last eye exam 2 years ago, especially the eye drops the doctor used to dilate his eyes. He informed me he would not have drops put into his eyes this time. I knew I was in for some 'fun' after that comment.
The technician and doctor are both extremely patient people, they're wonderful with Diego. The only time I had to go into the exam room was when Diego escaped as the doctor tried to put the drops into his eyes. I had to practically lie on top of the kid to keep him even semi-still. This doctor's a pro... no drops on the cheeks or forehead... right into the eyes.
The good news is that Diego's eyes have actually gotten better. That means no need for the 'wear your glasses' fight, at least for the time being. More good news, we had a credit on our account so I didn't even have to contribute our co-pay. And there will be some of the credit left for a future visit with Diego.
Maybe in 2 years the doctor will have more advanced technology so he won't have to use drops. Could someone invent something like that for us, please?
My friend went on vacation through Hershey, Pennsylvania... and we all know what Hershey is famous for (or at least you should know!). She brought me a sampling of their infamous chocolate as a souvenir. The expiration date stamped on the back of the bar is July 08 - like it's going to last that long! You'll notice the foil is a bit crinkled on the right side, I've already checked it for proper expiration date...Yummy!!!
She also brought me an adorable Coca-Cola 'can' with a Boyd Bear sticking its head out of the side to add to my collection. I didn't have one of those, it has taken a special place with the rest of the collection.
Thank you, Wendy, you're AWEsome!!
The boys and I took off on Monday for a few days in the northern part of the lower peninsula... if you're a Michigander you'll understand that we were north of the thumb, on the index finger, first knuckle :)
I am a spell checker, everything from signs to anything in print. It's a curse, I know.
I have to share some of the typos I saw on various signs on our journey -
- Dinning room open July 20 (a Taco Bell under construction)
- Video tapes on premises (at a Burger King)
- poopycredit.com (an auto credit company)
- Your Home Maintance Conection (a construction company)
- Grage Sale (translation, garage sale)
I did see some good ones though -
- "On the run since '31" (automotive and radiator service)
- Waigy Tails (a dog groomer)
If you're traveling this summer and have an eye for typos, let me know, I'd love to read them!
Our neighbors have an annual summer tradition... a yard sale every weekend.
Not to be outdone, Diego decided to sell his "baby" toys yesterday in his own yard sale. He wanted to earn money to spend on new Cars toys... like he needs more of those!
Diego started out strong but dwindled after about 2 hours when there had been no interest in his (very few) treasures. His signs said, "Pay here thank you", "Yard sale today", and various prices. I couldn't help but snap his photo as he waited for customers. He even went out to the street and tried waving people into the driveway.
I wanted to load the items into my car while he wasn't looking and leave some money on his pay station but Joe told me I couldn't do that, there was a lesson here for Diego to learn...
I say, anybody want to buy some great stuff???
:)
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