- Bike Across IOWA
The oldest, largest and longest bicycle touring event in the world is happening right now in the great state of IOWA. In it’s 38th year,
RAGBRAI is sponsored by The Des Moines Register.
2010 Route:
Sioux City, Storm Lake, Algona, Clear Lake, Charles City, Waterloo, Manchester and Dubuque (Not this year, but sometime it has gone through my hometown of Iowa Falls)
If you want to be a part of the amazing fun and ride next year you need to register NOW.
ADA 20 Years of Age
Autism Speaks was on hand to witness President Obama commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act at the White House.
The ADA was significant to our family in the past as we litigated under it for our son’s rights. WE WON!
As parents of children and adults with autism, we must and shall always stand up for what is right ~ we will WIN.
Hey, family fans, I want to show you some of the many hats that I wear. I’m a Santa, to an Indian Chief, to a Happy Birthday present, to a Dickey’s Barbeque fan. I love it all.
Kathie says she can’t wait until the Halloween costumes are on the shelves. Oh boy ~ I’m in for many, many more.
As a speech therapist just think of all the possiblities you can do with a page like this ~ of ME ~ with my hats. IT’S ENDLESS!
If you need a larger copy of my hat sheet for therapy just send me your E mail address and Kathie will make sure you receive it. You can “categorize, verbalize, functionalize, prepositionalize, sillyize, whateverize.” You’ll have fun and the kids will learn and remember ~ ME!
I love to play this.
I was off my wall and havin’ a ball. I was at a famous resort on the Las Vegas Strip ~ but where? Can you guess? You bet I was there. I played right along on this loud, funny instrument. Who knows where I was ~ if you want another clue you’ll need to check me out On the Road With Humpty Dumpty.
Where is this from?
This statue is a memory that people from Iowa Falls hold special in their minds. Who remembers where it was and what they did around it?
Did you run ~ did you splash ~ did you make a wish and did it come true? Whatever the memory we’d all like to see it back in it’s place.
Now you tell me ~ where does it belong?
If you have not seen the HBO film “Temple Grandin” staring Claire Danes than your missing a true treat for your heart, soul, ears, and eyes. Those of us who know the world of autism appreciate the journey that Temple and her family has taken. To those of you who don’t know about autism, you will appreciate the perspective of this film and the acting talent of Ms. Danes as she crawls into the skin of Temple Grandin.
I have met Temple and heard her speak on several occasions. Her insite into the world of autism is not only informative but gives us all an appreciation of living life to the fullest and doing good. She has made the world a better place ~ she has done it with her grace ~ she has given AUTISM a face.
Thank you Temple and congratulations to all of those who made this film possible. And to you, Claire, a heartfelt kiss for the performance you so vividly brought to the screen.
Everyone laughed at my Mickey Mouse ears & shoes.
Laughter is sooooo important for every aspect of our lives. I want you to follow my On the Road with Humpty Dumpty blog to see just how wise he is about laughter. There you will find a list of all of the wonderful things that laugter does for us.
Yes, if you have a child with autism, it is often hard to find a moment of laughter some days ~ but those moments are there.
Yes, if you have a disease, it isn’t always easy to laugh ~ but it will help.
Yes, if you are depressed and can’t determine what decision to make ~ laughter will be on your side.
Mark Twain wrote: Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.
Now do yourself a favor and see what Humpty Dumpty has to say about laughter in post #107 and become a follower of this very wise little man.
Oiled bird in the Gulf of Mexico
I am mad! I AM OFF MY WALL MAD! How could this national disaster have happened in the first place and why is it continuing to go on day-after-day?
This bird only wanted to live. To fly. To eat. To be free. Thanks to man he can do none of these.
I do not have to travel to the Gulf to see the devastation. I do not have to smell the oil to sense the stench. I do not have to hear the squeel of the birds to know they cry.
May God forgive us for what we are doing to our Earth. He gave us this sacred place, filled with so many blessings in which to live. Will we destroy it , one bird at a time?
My eyes do not shine big and bright tonight. They do not see a moon or stars or fireflies ~ that’s because my eyes are FILLED WITH TEARS.
From my blog: On the Road with Humpty Dumpty
June fourth is the third anniversary of my second surgery for Cushing’s Disease. This is monumental to me because my team of doctors at Cedar’s Sinai Medical Center’s Pituitary Center (where the surgery was completed) told me that I would be 100% back to normal by my three-year anniversary.
The second surgery, June 4, 2007, removed my entire pituitary gland, along with the tumor. I’m living proof that one can live without a pituitary. But am I back to normal – I like to think so but I know there are deficit areas that remain a bit foggy. Most Cushing’s patients are in their 20′s and 30′s, I was much older than that at the time of my initial diagnosis and subsequent surgeries. Thus, one would expect my recovery to take longer.
Because of this website/blog and written articles, I have received phone calls and E mail from other Cushing’s patients or people who suspect Cushing’s in themselves or a family member. The stories are sad ones and often fill with professionals who will not listen to them or who refuse to do the right testing in order to diagnosis properly. I offer advise but I know how lucky I was to have a doctor who recognized the characteristics of Cushing’s in me right away.
So on the eve of my third anniversary, am I 100% back? No. Physically, I tire easily and take power naps about three times a week. I don’t like loud, crowed places because it makes my head “full.” I can’t listen to more than one person talking at a time and really pay attention, and conversation often tires me out. I lost weight at first but have gained some back. I continue to have a word finding problem at times, especially if I’m tired. Because I’m a speech pathologist, I know how to substitute many words and try to “hide” this language disorder. I don’t plan to overdo too much in any given day ~ if I do, I pay for it the following three or four days. I continue to get those deep, deep chills that only four or five blankets and a nap can cure – but not nearly as often.
BUT, when I compare where I was three years ago, I can only put the palms of my hands together, close my eyes, and thank God for my family, my faith, and my courage to pursue so desparately those things I knew I had to in order to get to where I am today. I’d put me at about 90%.
I’ll leave you with this thought because I like it and it says a great deal about anyone who has dealt with any disease:
“What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Humpty Dumpty in water fountain at Estes Park ~ Iowa Falls.
Iowa Falls Parks and Recreation Director Brian Lorenzen said he is expecting to turn on the Estes Park Water Fountain for the first time this year today.
Currently, the statue atop the fountain features a nymph blowing on a seashell. (Humpty is holding on tight) However, Iowa Falls resident Shirley Welden is hoping to replace the current statue with the original which had been at Estes Park since 1934. The original statue was accidentally destroyed last August. Welden is coordinating the fundraising effort and says the replacement bid is for $10,000.
