Monday, July 12, 2010

Summer Is Flying By!

Hi all,

It's been far to long since my last post! So much has happened and is happening in the Hyndman household. I hope to post some summer pics in the next week or two.

Greg and I went on a cruise a few weeks ago for our 20th wedding anniversary. On June 30th, we were married 20 years and we've been together as a couple for 28 years this year! Greg surprised me with the cruise. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to go as I had just gotten into a walking cast and had just started being able to bear weight on my ankle. My doctor gave me the OK but I had to take it easy. We went to Florida for a day and then on a cruise to the Bahamas, just as we did on our honeymoon 20 years ago. We couldn't do much but relax but we had a wonderful time. While we were gone, the kids had a BLAST with their PaPa and NaNa Jagel and cousins and got to go up to my brother's cottage in Indiana and see fireworks and just hang with their cousins. We missed them but it was good to get away as we hadn't done that, just the two of us, in YEARS.

When we got back, we realized we "mixed up" the dates for one of Nick's camps and found out he had to be at Camp Storer (http://www.ymcastorercamps.org/) in Michigan right away. He missed the first day but he got up there and enjoyed the rest of the week. He went for the first time last year. He is able to go because the Ability Center of Greater Toledo set it up and provides the staff to assist Nick and the other teens with disabilities who go. So, Nick gets to go and experience things that kids without disabilities have been doing for years, swimming, boating, rock-climbing, fishing,camping, horseback riding, dancing, lots of other outdoor activities (survival, etc.). The camp is great, but not exactly the most wheelchair accessible, so without the staff from ACT, Nick would have a difficult time. So, he had a blast again this year and when we picked him up, we went to The Parlour again, just like we used to do when I was a kid. (It used to be called the All-Star Dairy and it's now called the Parlour in Jackson, MI.)

Bella has participated in a camp in The Humane Society of Greater Toledo (http://www.toledohumanesociety.com/) and will be in another camp with them next week. Last week and this week, Nick and Bella are both attending Camp Cricket at The Ability Center of Greater Toledo (http://www.abilitycenter.org/) . It is a camp for kids with and without disabilities. Nick attended as a camper since the age of 6 and last summer and this summer is a volunteer counselor. Isabella has been attending also since age 6 as a camper without a disability and she loves it. So, it's nice for them to attend the same session with Nick as a counselor/volunteer and Bella as a camper. Nick will be volunteering for another session again for the first 2 weeks of August as well.

Nick is also attending a 3 day camp for an vocational rehabilitation assessment for the Bridges to Transition Program ( www.woodlane.us/bridges.php ) next week at the the Penta Career Center(http://www.pentacareercenter.org/) . This is one of the first steps in the Vocational Rehabilitation Services process for him. We are trying to also set up a time for Nick to complete driving school through a school that works with individuals with disabilities, although so far, there have been scheduling conflicts and we're just hoping it works out this summer so Nick doesn't have to wait until another school break.

In between all of this, we're trying to spend as much time together as a family as we can. We've seen a few movies (Eclipse and Despicable Me-which we LOVED both!) and hope to do some of our other favorite summer activities soon.

One other exciting thing is, through a contact I made with InvoTek (http://www.invotek.org/), a research and development company, Nick is being given the opportunity to try one of their products called AccuPoint. AccuPoint™ is a movement-tracking system that allows users to command and control a computer with the smallest of movements, while distinguishing tremors from intentional movements and filtering them out with pinpoint precision. Absolute Tracking™, a key feature of AccuPoint, aligns the cursor with tracking dots attached to the user’s head, fingers or toes. Even after repositioning or leaving the computer altogether, the user returns to find the cursor in perfect alignment. Text is entered via the on-screen keyboard, while mouse clicks are input by dwell-clicking or alternative switches, such as the Voice Switch or a sip-and-puff pneumatic switch. They just recently sent us the product and Greg is currently working with our contact to get it set up for Nick to use. Then, Nick is going to use it and blog about it or record it on a web cam. We are still working out the details. Anyhow, we are grateful for the opportunity to see how the product can help Nick and also maybe we can help in the development of the product for future users. (help work out any issues with it, etc.) We'll update as we go to let you know how it goes!

Finally, the most recent exciting thing has been scheduling Nick's senior pictures for August. We spent this past weekend shopping for his suit and other clothes for him and also for Bella as we hope to get her in one of his pictures, and also Charger, Nick's service dog in some. I ordered a white satin bow-tie for Charger for the formal pics too! (so cute!) We've had Charger on a strict diet and he is walking outside or walking for 30 minutes on the treadmill every day to lose weight. He's only missed 2 days of walking, and although we have to get him weighed soon to tell, he is looking so much better and healthier! He's had severe allergies this summer and has been on steroids again but even with that, the daily walking is making a big difference. We've made it a family project and Nick and Bella and responsible for making sure he walks every day and they are have gotten SERIOUS about it. It's something they do together and I think it's good for all of them!

Well, that's a quick update. I WILL be posting some pics and also some new links to resources I've found very soon.

We hope everyone is enjoying their summer and having a safe and fun time!

Blessings:)

Amy