I have been stalling on posting because I wanted to post some pictures, but it seems like evenings are full and the only time I have time to post is when I take a short break at work, so maybe I will post some pictures during the Thanksgiving break. Anyway, it snowed here last night (3-4 inches in town, 5-6 at our place). Have I ever mentioned that I hate snow!!! I get that it can be pretty, but basically to me it is cold, wet and a pain to drive in. I should probably move to Arizona, California or Texas so I didn't have to deal with it.
Last night I stayed the night in the Sleep Lab (no it was not to avoid driving in the snow, although that was a benefit), because one of the boys in this program needed a sleep study and his foster parents refused to stay here, so the only way to get him a study was for me to volunteer to stay here as well. It wasn't too bad, except at 5:15 am the technician knocked on the door to ask me what time I wanted to be awakened. Apparently I wanted to be up at 5:15, because I couldn't get back to sleep and finally gave up. My suggestion at our next staff meeting will be to ask the patients and/or their family members about wake up calls before they go to bed. Anyway between snow and sleep deprivation I am a little cranky today. The up side is that I started work at 6:00 pm so I got lots of catching up done.
Forrest has started playing basketball at the high school and he is very excited. He made the Freshman team and he is having a great time. The only challenge for us is transporting to and from practice and games, but he is very appreciative of the sacrifice and it is helping him with the changes that he needs to make.
WOW!! This is the whole Kent Clan
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Family History
As you probably already know, I am very much into family history. I especially love to find stories about our ancestors. It turns out that two of our ancestors on the Kent side are quite famous. One of them (Thomas Rogers) came to America on the Mayflower as one of the original pilgrims and another one (Robert Bailey) fought with the minute men in the Revolutionary War. I am looking for more information on Robert Bailey, but this means that our daughter and granddaughters are eligible for membership in "The Daughters of the American Revolution."
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
What An Odd World
I was just pausing to think of what an odd world I live in now. The world of foster care for sex offending boys is more than a little surreal at times and it has occurred to me this morning as I drove them to meet the school bus that 5 years ago, my daily experience was quite innocent. My daily vocabulary now includes words that would never have come out of my mouth when my own children were growing up. I spend a lot of time talking about victims and empathy for victims. I write out long criminal histories with them so that they can get to a better place in the level system. I read horror stories about how these young men were molested and abused as children. I help them write clarification letters to their victims and help them learn how to say I am sorry, even when no one has said it to them. And, in the process of all of this, I learn to care about these lost sheep only to have them whisked back to the world where they were lost the first time. My prayers now include a long list of young men that I hope He is looking after because I can't and their families won't. We have a young man staying with us for three days who is very, very gay, and I really looked forward to having him come. He is a really nice young man and I like to be around him. Truly the world is upside down and some days I am not sure how to get it right side up again.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Teaching with a General Authority in the Room
You may all remember that in May of 2009, I was asked to speak in Stake Conference. I am not at all afraid of public speaking so I said, "yes." Then I found out that Elder Dallin Oaks would be visiting this conference and I was really terrified. When it was over, I was releived and thought to myself, "Whew, at least I will never have to do that again." Well, I learned once again to "never say never." Yesterday in Sacrament Meeting we had a surprise visit from Elder Risenmay of the Seventy and he spoke in Sacrament Meeting. It was a wonderful speech and we really enjoyed it. Then afterward, I began to set up for Gospel Doctine class and Elder Risenmay and the Stake President sat down and appeared to be going to stay. I kept thinking, "Surely they are not going to stay for Sunday School." But, sure enough they did, and once again I find myself in the terrifying position of presenting in front of a General Authority. I will not say that this will never happen again, but I think the odds are definitely against. Lightning, having struck twice, can surely not come to this same place three times, if so my heart will surely give out.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
We Have Water Again!!
Yeah!! We have running water again (since you can't see me, I will tell you that I am dancing and singing with joy). The new pump is quieter and more wonderful and we are all busy appreciating taking hot baths instead of standing at the sink with bottles of water (for those of you who are interested you can get clean with only five bottles of water, if you are careful). The only casulaties were a badly cut hand (Jerry) and some strained back muscles (Forrest). We figured out that it has cost us 7.39 per month to have our own well, so for those of you who pay a water bill you will understand that it is fairly cheap (except for the monthly electrical bill).
Monday, September 13, 2010
Thank Goodness for Husbands Who Can Fix Things
Today has been an interesting day and reminded me to be grateful for a "handy" husband. We got up this morning as usual and proceeded to get ready for the day. As the morning wore on and we used more and more water we began to notice that the water pressure was getting less and less. Jerry tried a number of things (checking pressure in the tank, checking switches, etc.) and nothing seemed to be wrong (except for the fact that we were down to barely a trickle of water). I just got a call from Jerry warning me that I may want to pick up some bottled water and use the bathroom before coming home as he was replacing the pump (this requires pulling the pump up from 110 feet down and replacing it and then reassembling the pipe as he lowers the pump back down) and it might not be finished before tomorrow morning. I asked him if he needed me to pick up parts on the way home and he said, "No, I already have the new pump and tank and I am working on getting it pulled." I paused for a moment to be grateful for a husband that can replace our pump today instead of waiting for an appointment and paying a gazillion dollars to have someone else do it. I am confident that we will be bathing and washing and flushing again tomorrow, thanks to a very handy man.
Monday, August 30, 2010
News At Our House
Now that Jerry is doing better, it seems like there is not much excitement at our house. I have to say that after this summer, I am glad to have less excitement.
We do have a new foster son living with us now. His name is Christian Wong and he is 14 years old. He has some serious offenses on his record and he is not very easy to get along with, but Jerry is convinced we can help him and he has started in with enthusiasm to help Christian overcome his challenges. Here is a funny story about one of Christian's challenges (he is absolutely sure he is always right and he is sure that he is the expert in all things): He wanted to play the farming game (which he had never played before), so we agreed. Those of you who have played the farming game before will understand why this story is funny, for everyone else you will have to go get one and learn to play. Anyway as we got started, he had an option to buy 5 acres of fruit and 10 acres of hay, but he didn't want to go into debt (even though we told him that he should purchase the crops if he wanted to do well). So after about 10 rounds of the board he decides that everyone else is doing better and he ought to buy some crops, so he buys hay (20 acres because he has picked up another OTB for hay), even though we told him that he should get the fruit instead. Meanwhile he has landed a couple of times on places where he had to pay for not having a tractor or harvester so he decides to trade Forrest the Fruit OTB for a tractor OTB (even though, once again, we told him that he shouldn't do it). So then, after several unsuccessful rounds of the board, he gets another OTB for fruit and decides that it would be good to buy it, but he is maxed out on debt and has no cash. I suggest that he could sell some of his hay acreage for enough to buy the fruit, but he decides to sell his only grain acreage instead (even though, once again, we tell him this is a bad idea), his rationale being that he has more hay (we point out that you make more money on grain, but that doesn't influence him). Anyway, to make this long story a little shorter, when the audit is called, he is $200,000 dollars behind the person in 3rd place (Forrest) and $400,000 behind the winner (me, in case you care). I decide that there is a good life lesson here, so I point out to him that in this game, as with life, it is good to listen to those who have some experience as they know how to avoid the problems. His comment was, "I only lost because I didn't get lucky rolls of the dice, not because I didn't do what you told me." All I have to say is that Jerry has his work cut out for him and I hope that I survive him.
The happy news is that Forrest is still with us and he is doing really well. He will be going to high school this fall and he is more than a little nervous about it. He is such a nice young man, we really do love having him live with us.
We do have a new foster son living with us now. His name is Christian Wong and he is 14 years old. He has some serious offenses on his record and he is not very easy to get along with, but Jerry is convinced we can help him and he has started in with enthusiasm to help Christian overcome his challenges. Here is a funny story about one of Christian's challenges (he is absolutely sure he is always right and he is sure that he is the expert in all things): He wanted to play the farming game (which he had never played before), so we agreed. Those of you who have played the farming game before will understand why this story is funny, for everyone else you will have to go get one and learn to play. Anyway as we got started, he had an option to buy 5 acres of fruit and 10 acres of hay, but he didn't want to go into debt (even though we told him that he should purchase the crops if he wanted to do well). So after about 10 rounds of the board he decides that everyone else is doing better and he ought to buy some crops, so he buys hay (20 acres because he has picked up another OTB for hay), even though we told him that he should get the fruit instead. Meanwhile he has landed a couple of times on places where he had to pay for not having a tractor or harvester so he decides to trade Forrest the Fruit OTB for a tractor OTB (even though, once again, we told him that he shouldn't do it). So then, after several unsuccessful rounds of the board, he gets another OTB for fruit and decides that it would be good to buy it, but he is maxed out on debt and has no cash. I suggest that he could sell some of his hay acreage for enough to buy the fruit, but he decides to sell his only grain acreage instead (even though, once again, we tell him this is a bad idea), his rationale being that he has more hay (we point out that you make more money on grain, but that doesn't influence him). Anyway, to make this long story a little shorter, when the audit is called, he is $200,000 dollars behind the person in 3rd place (Forrest) and $400,000 behind the winner (me, in case you care). I decide that there is a good life lesson here, so I point out to him that in this game, as with life, it is good to listen to those who have some experience as they know how to avoid the problems. His comment was, "I only lost because I didn't get lucky rolls of the dice, not because I didn't do what you told me." All I have to say is that Jerry has his work cut out for him and I hope that I survive him.
The happy news is that Forrest is still with us and he is doing really well. He will be going to high school this fall and he is more than a little nervous about it. He is such a nice young man, we really do love having him live with us.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
There is Life After Charts
For those of you who are tired of hearing me complain about how hard it has been abstracting charts, you will be pleased to hear, "THE CHARTS ARE FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yeah!! We did the last chart at 9:26 am today and then danced and sang for 15 minutes. This was followed by the staff throwing us a pizza party. I feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders. We started the process on November 1, 2009 and there were 4,152 charts total and they are gone, gone, gone. YEAH!!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Best News Ever
Jerry went to his appointment at the neuro-surgeon yesterday. They gave him a clean bill of health. He showed Jerry the brain scan pictures and there are no clots left. He is completely healed. We are so excited to put this behind us.
Life is getting back to normal. William is gone (so sad, we miss him a lot) and for now we just have Forrest. He is a sweetheart and very easy to have around. I am sure we will be getting a new boy soon, but for now this is a nice break.
Thank you all for your faith and prayers and the important part that these have played in Jerry's recovery. Jerry bore his testimony on Sunday and talked about his grandchildren praying for him and the tears started falling. This is not a guy who is tearful often, but it means so much to him that his little grandchildren turn to prayer in times of struggle. We are so grateful that these little ones are being raised in gospel centered homes.
Life is getting back to normal. William is gone (so sad, we miss him a lot) and for now we just have Forrest. He is a sweetheart and very easy to have around. I am sure we will be getting a new boy soon, but for now this is a nice break.
Thank you all for your faith and prayers and the important part that these have played in Jerry's recovery. Jerry bore his testimony on Sunday and talked about his grandchildren praying for him and the tears started falling. This is not a guy who is tearful often, but it means so much to him that his little grandchildren turn to prayer in times of struggle. We are so grateful that these little ones are being raised in gospel centered homes.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Family Reunion 2010--SO MUCH FUN!!
Fun at the Beach and Uncle Boyd and Aunt Becky Ann's house.
So much fun to dress up at Grandma Kent's house.
This is the whole Kent Klan. I love this picture! Thank you for putting up with the heat and hassle to get it done for me.
This is a picture we took from the freeway on our way to the reunion.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Canning Season
We are in the midst of canning all of the produce from our garden, so that is how I spend my weekends. So far I have: 19 pints of pickled beets, 14 quarts of canned potatoes, and 4 pints of carrots. Not a lot yet, but we have only gotten started. We have lots of potatoes, so if anyone would like us to can some for you, I would be happy to do so (I am sure that Curt will be first in line). Forrest helps me a little and asked me yester day if I like canning. I told him I do like canning, because it gives me a sense of accomplishment. His comment was, "You are a crazy woman."
Jerry will go for a brain scan on Tuesday, so we are anxiously awaiting the good news.
Jerry will go for a brain scan on Tuesday, so we are anxiously awaiting the good news.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Continued Good News
We went to the Neuro-surgeon this morning and he said everything is fine. They are scheduling a CT Scan in the next few days and then we will see him again in two weeks. He said there are no restrictions except for no riding horses until he looks at the scans. Jerry was a little dissappointed as he hoped to be able to do some riding with the boys before Will leaves. But all in all the recovery has been miraculous. Thank you for your faith and prayers in our behalf. I know this has made all the difference.
William will be leaving on July 30th, and we are very sad. We will really miss him. We have plans to stay in touch and hopefully that will make the differences for him as he returns to a "not ideal home." He has come so far and made so many positive changes in his life. The neuro-surgeon summed it up beautifully today when he said, "It is amazing the ability children have to change in an environment of love and kindness." I hope Will's changes are permanent and that he can move toward success in life.
William will be leaving on July 30th, and we are very sad. We will really miss him. We have plans to stay in touch and hopefully that will make the differences for him as he returns to a "not ideal home." He has come so far and made so many positive changes in his life. The neuro-surgeon summed it up beautifully today when he said, "It is amazing the ability children have to change in an environment of love and kindness." I hope Will's changes are permanent and that he can move toward success in life.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Light at the End of the Tunnel
You are probably all bored with hearing progress notes, but the news continues to be good, so I want to share it. We are now at the point where Jerry takes care of almost all of his own needs and is even helping with a few things around the house. He is much steadier on his feet, although still has to walk a little slow or he lists to one side or the other. Yesterday, he walked all the way to the chicken coop and fed the chickens. He said it took him a long time with stops to rest, but he was very pleased to have done this chore again. He is down from 12 pain pills a day to only needing 8 yesterday, so in all ways progress continues to happen. He is still struggling with short term memory and regularly thinks things have happened when they didn't, but these are less frequent all the time.
Jimmy has moved to a different home now, and I am ashamed to admit that he is not missed. He was a very challenging boy and made life unpleasant for everyone. Will and Forrest were practically silly last night, they were so glad to be out from under this perpetual cloud. I think I must work very hard to improve my christian attitude the next time one of these challenging boys live at our house.
The bad news is that Will is leaving soon (probably this week or next). And noone is happy about that (especially not Will). He will leave a huge empty spot when he is gone, he has been a pleasure to have around and we have come to love him.
Jimmy has moved to a different home now, and I am ashamed to admit that he is not missed. He was a very challenging boy and made life unpleasant for everyone. Will and Forrest were practically silly last night, they were so glad to be out from under this perpetual cloud. I think I must work very hard to improve my christian attitude the next time one of these challenging boys live at our house.
The bad news is that Will is leaving soon (probably this week or next). And noone is happy about that (especially not Will). He will leave a huge empty spot when he is gone, he has been a pleasure to have around and we have come to love him.
Friday, July 9, 2010
More Progress
This morning Jerry got up and decided that he would like to go with me to do the grocery shopping. I was quite surprised, but thought the exercise and fresh air might do him good, so off we went. Other than him wondering a bit and having to stop frequently, it seemed to go well. He is really making progress now and I am confident that within a few weeks life will be back to normal.
The boys and I went swimming last night and Jerry decided to come to the meadow with us. We set up a chair in the garden and he ate peas and strawberries while we swam and had water fights. It was fun and he really seemed to enjoy it.
On the foster care front: Jimmy will be leaving on Monday to go to another home as his status will change from an Oregon Youth Offender and so he can't stay in our home. This will make my life a lot easier. Will is going on a home visit this weekend. I will miss all of his help. When he went to leave this morning, he went into what I have come to refer to as his "shut down mode." I asked him what was wrong and reminded him that he is working on not shutting down when he is unhappy and he said, "I just don't want to go. You need me here and I don't want to go home." What a sweet young man, I will really miss him when he is gone.
The boys and I went swimming last night and Jerry decided to come to the meadow with us. We set up a chair in the garden and he ate peas and strawberries while we swam and had water fights. It was fun and he really seemed to enjoy it.
On the foster care front: Jimmy will be leaving on Monday to go to another home as his status will change from an Oregon Youth Offender and so he can't stay in our home. This will make my life a lot easier. Will is going on a home visit this weekend. I will miss all of his help. When he went to leave this morning, he went into what I have come to refer to as his "shut down mode." I asked him what was wrong and reminded him that he is working on not shutting down when he is unhappy and he said, "I just don't want to go. You need me here and I don't want to go home." What a sweet young man, I will really miss him when he is gone.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
No More Staples
If not having staples in your head means that things are getting back to normal then we are, indeed, getting back to normal. The staples were removed this morning and Jerry was so happy I thought he would cry. Apparently they were really bothering him. There was a whole scenario here, because his doctors office put the appointment on for next week instead of this week and we definitely can't leave the staples in that much longer, so I ran to the hospital to get a staple pulling kit and Paul did it for us. After the week I have had with confusing conversations (please see story below) I wondered if the receptionist had had brain surgery recently. Or, there is a distinct possibility that it is me who is looney and everyone else is doing fine.
Our home teachers came out to visit last night (this is the first home teaching visit we have had in a number of years) and Jerry came to the living room to visit. If we had known it would take brain surgery to get home teachers to visit, we might have considered it sooner (on second thought there are probably some length to which we would not go to get home teachers to visit). Anyway after sitting up for a while the pain got worse and he had a pretty rough night, but seems to be fine again today.
He is doing better, both mentally and physically, but still has a little struggle with some things. For instance his doctor is in the same building as our office, so I told him that he would be able to have the staples pulled in the same building. Somehow this to him meant that his doctor was moving their office into the sleep center and would be working with me now. He thought that we had had a whole conversation about how this would mean additional work for me. I really never know what to say when these conversations happen (and similiar things happen several times a day). I don't want to make him feel bad, so sometimes, I just let it go. I couldn't let it go the other day, when he read the instructions on his pain meds (2 tablets, 4 times per day) and decided that meant that he could take 8 pills at a time. The math works, but I definitely had to stop him before he overdosed.
Anyway that is life at our house, which is mostly getting a little easier everyday.
Our home teachers came out to visit last night (this is the first home teaching visit we have had in a number of years) and Jerry came to the living room to visit. If we had known it would take brain surgery to get home teachers to visit, we might have considered it sooner (on second thought there are probably some length to which we would not go to get home teachers to visit). Anyway after sitting up for a while the pain got worse and he had a pretty rough night, but seems to be fine again today.
He is doing better, both mentally and physically, but still has a little struggle with some things. For instance his doctor is in the same building as our office, so I told him that he would be able to have the staples pulled in the same building. Somehow this to him meant that his doctor was moving their office into the sleep center and would be working with me now. He thought that we had had a whole conversation about how this would mean additional work for me. I really never know what to say when these conversations happen (and similiar things happen several times a day). I don't want to make him feel bad, so sometimes, I just let it go. I couldn't let it go the other day, when he read the instructions on his pain meds (2 tablets, 4 times per day) and decided that meant that he could take 8 pills at a time. The math works, but I definitely had to stop him before he overdosed.
Anyway that is life at our house, which is mostly getting a little easier everyday.
Monday, July 5, 2010
A New Damn
Yesterday we were playing around in the meadow after finishing chores and Will and Forrest decided that the damn that was built so many years ago should be moved downstream and so the job began. Forrest did most of the heavy lifting (he is amazingly strong), Will moved smaller rocks, while telling Forrest where to put the rocks, Jimmy crawled around on the rocks, shouting, "Hey what is this everytime he saw a new bug or water creature." I sat on the sidelines laughing when they fell, cheering everytime a big rock was moved, and telling Jimmy over and over that I had no idea, "what that was." But mostly I marveled at these young men who have suffered so much in their lives and can still laugh and build.
At our family meeting with Michelle (the boys case manager), she asked them to brainstorm ways that they could help, while Jerry recuperates. Will's said, "We can't take care of Jerry, but we can take care of Nyla." And both he and Forrest have been doing just that: They have done dishes, cleaned the kitchen, cooked a meal, and mostly just been kind and helpful in a hundred ways.
Again, how do young men who have suffered horrible indignities in their life manage to be so kind to others? We sat on the porch last night watching the sun come down, teaching Shiann new tricks and I couldn't help but wonder, what I would do without them. My life as Jerry heals would probably be easier without having to constantly watch these three--or would it? They are indeed "taking care of me and reminding me that there will be life after brain surgery and in the meantime, we can laugh, and talk, and survive together.
At our family meeting with Michelle (the boys case manager), she asked them to brainstorm ways that they could help, while Jerry recuperates. Will's said, "We can't take care of Jerry, but we can take care of Nyla." And both he and Forrest have been doing just that: They have done dishes, cleaned the kitchen, cooked a meal, and mostly just been kind and helpful in a hundred ways.
Again, how do young men who have suffered horrible indignities in their life manage to be so kind to others? We sat on the porch last night watching the sun come down, teaching Shiann new tricks and I couldn't help but wonder, what I would do without them. My life as Jerry heals would probably be easier without having to constantly watch these three--or would it? They are indeed "taking care of me and reminding me that there will be life after brain surgery and in the meantime, we can laugh, and talk, and survive together.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The Kent Family Times and Seasons
Head Games
The title of the post may seem a little macabre to those of you who know that Jerry was seriously hurt and almost died recently, but I have learned in the last, very difficult week that a sense of humor will get you through the toughest experience.
Jerry is recovering from brain surgery and this has brought with it a host of comical situations. At first the wacky things that Jerry has been saying and doing, made me a little frightened--wondering if the man that I married would be coming back or if I would spend the rest of my life with someone who puts his sock in the frig. Then I decided to trust the medical professionals who tell me that these things are all temporary and in the next 6 months my husband would be coming back.
I got home from work the first day back from Idaho to find a trail of misc items from our room to the living room. One of the items I found was a single clean sock. As I put the items away, I looked and looked, unsuccessfully, for the mate to the sock. So, I put the sock in the hamper and hoped that the match would show up in the laundry. The next day I was putting the groceries away, when lo and behold I found the missing sock, carefully place under the milk container in the frig. It was a truly funny experience, especially the look on Jerry's face when I told him about it.
There is much to chuckle about, but some parts aren't really funny, such as head pain that is sometimes almost unbearable, the room spinning around everytime he stands, and slightly slurred speech. But all in all I know that we will survive and thrive through this experience, as long as we keep a sense of humor and know that 6 months from now the trial will be a memory and the only place we will be finding socks is in the drawers.
The title of the post may seem a little macabre to those of you who know that Jerry was seriously hurt and almost died recently, but I have learned in the last, very difficult week that a sense of humor will get you through the toughest experience.
Jerry is recovering from brain surgery and this has brought with it a host of comical situations. At first the wacky things that Jerry has been saying and doing, made me a little frightened--wondering if the man that I married would be coming back or if I would spend the rest of my life with someone who puts his sock in the frig. Then I decided to trust the medical professionals who tell me that these things are all temporary and in the next 6 months my husband would be coming back.
I got home from work the first day back from Idaho to find a trail of misc items from our room to the living room. One of the items I found was a single clean sock. As I put the items away, I looked and looked, unsuccessfully, for the mate to the sock. So, I put the sock in the hamper and hoped that the match would show up in the laundry. The next day I was putting the groceries away, when lo and behold I found the missing sock, carefully place under the milk container in the frig. It was a truly funny experience, especially the look on Jerry's face when I told him about it.
There is much to chuckle about, but some parts aren't really funny, such as head pain that is sometimes almost unbearable, the room spinning around everytime he stands, and slightly slurred speech. But all in all I know that we will survive and thrive through this experience, as long as we keep a sense of humor and know that 6 months from now the trial will be a memory and the only place we will be finding socks is in the drawers.
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