Well, what can I say, it’s been awhile! So much has happened and continues to happen. First things first.
Update on Dad:
Dad was finally released from the hospital. He spent about 2-3 more months in a rehab / skilled nursing facility. He had a feeding tube most of that time. Finally right before he was released he was put on a pureed diet. He was released on May 27th, 2011 (the last day of school). I left school as soon as I could and mom and I drove them home to Silver City. He’s had some ups and downs, a few returns to the hospital, but nothing too serious. He is still in a wheelchair, he can walk with a walker and lots of help but he’s coordination is shot and he’s dizzy as a loon every time he stands up. He still has a lot of confusion. My dad is alive, but we lost the man he was. I really miss that person sometimes, and I know my mom does. She takes care of him all by herself – a huge undertaking and has little respite. I go down whenever I get a couple of days off in a row to help her out as much as I can.
Coralora:
Coralora, the girl we took in her Junior year, got married last December and recently celebrated her 1 year anniversary. She has a 5 yr. old step-daughter and keeps busy with her family and school – she still attends UNM full time studying Media Arts.
Ducky:
Dakota is still attending UNM but changed her major from Journalism to Sign Language Interpretation and Linguistics. She definitely found her calling! She absolutely loves the SLI field and is very good at it! She has been mistaken for a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) several times because she is so natural at it! She continues to date Thomas, the boy she starting dating back in High School. She recently moved out into her own apartment, and the house is much quieter without her – and that’s not a good thing – I miss her. Luckily over Christmas I got the opportunity to spend several days with her and get my Ducky fix!
Shananay:
Cheyenne is a senior in high school. She had applied and was accepted at Art Institute of Seattle. Some recent developments have put that on hold, but she is definitely a baking/cooking genius! She also has found her niche and is excited about exploring the future possibilities.
As for me and the hubby we continue to plug along. We have been so busy we are struggling to get work done on the house. I am still teaching at the Catholic school and most days I still love it. I have a challenging class this year, but we are getting used to each other. I have many exciting things coming up for my class. Hopefully I will be back to tell you all about them!
We returned today from a ski trip to Red River. Unfortunately, only Coralora, Shananay, Nolan and I were the only ones able to go, but it was very nice none the less. I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all a very happy New Year!
