Cerebral Palsy Family: Happy 2012 From Team Hyndman

Hi all!
I knew I hadn't posted on the blog in quite some time, but when I looked and saw it was the end of October since my last post, I couldn't believe it. Time has flown by faster this past year than in any other year I can remember! I fully intended to blog more this coming year and share more information, but that didn't happen. I'm not one for New Year's resolutions. I prefer to set goals anytime, not just once a year. So, my resolution or goal or intention is to keep up with this blog more this year and do a better job at sharing good information. Hopefully, I can at least do better than last year!

We had a really great Thanksgiving, threw a great 70th birthday party for my Dad / PaPa Jagel in November, attended The Toledo Ballet's Nutcracker to see our niece Maddie perform, Isabella had a wonderful band concert playing Saxophone, Nick finished his first semester at college and did really well, we purchased a van for Nick and it's in Columbus getting modified, and we took a trip to Florida for Christmas and New Years. Those are the major highlights for Team Hyndman since the end of October.

In December, we purchased a 2012 Black Toyota Sienna for Nick. RSC (the State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency) is paying for the modifications (lift, etc.) and that is why the van is in Columbus being modified. Greg and Nick are supposed to go down on Jan. 31st. to Columbus to inspect the van, see if the modifications work for Nick, and if it is done at that time, we think we'll have it after that. We'll see.........more to come:-)

I also did not manage to get Christmas cards out this year. We were busy and we also had a lot of "bugs" going around in the family before and after our trip, so it just didn't happen. We are sending out New Years cards I had made instead this coming week and since we had such a big year of transitions and changes, I typed up a holiday letter which I haven't done in years. I am attaching a copy of it below and I'll post more later about the van and Nick's progress with college, which has been challenging for all of us. (he's doing well but we have not yet figured out the physical assistance part yet!)

Charger, Nick's service dog is back with us and doing great. As of his last weigh in he actually lost a pound and didn't gain any weight. He is having a re-certification test this week. We're not sure if he's maintained his weight over the holidays. I know we didn't feed him any bad foods but he spent a lot of time driving in the car and in our hotel room. He DID LOVE the beach! We went to Clearwater Beach over Christmas and he is a true water/beach dog! He ran like crazy and would run full speed into the waves. It was amazing to watch and he is literally the PERFECT traveling dog. He was perfect the whole trip.
Here is a copy of the letter I am sending out with our New Years cards this next week:

Happy New Year 2011 from The Hyndmans!

We hope this letter finds you well and that you had a wonderful holiday! We did not manage to get Christmas cards out as we had wanted to this year and we enjoyed the cards and letters we received so much from everyone. For us, 2011 was a year filled with some big events for our family so we wanted to write a note and tell everyone about some of the highlights, as well as let all of our friends and family know we hope you have a 2012 filled with joy, good health, and time spent with people you love!
Nick was able to wrestle again for Perrysburg High School in 2010-2011 for his senior year. He loved it! He won an award from the Ohio High School Athletic Association, “Most Courageous Athlete” Award and we were able to go to Columbus for the State Wrestling Tournaments where he received the award. He graduated from high school in June and WALKED down the aisle in the ceremony with a little help from a friend. He turned 18 in August and started college at The University of Toledo majoring in International Business. He got his driver’s license in 2010 and this year, we worked on getting him a modified van. We bought his first van, a 2012 Toyota Sienna, which is currently being modified in Columbus with a lift, etc., and we pick it up at the end of this month. He still has his service dog, Charger, and he is playing wheelchair football with The Toledo Crash (through The Ability Center). He got a power chair to use on campus this year and we just ordered him a really cool “sports” wheelchair, titanium, which he should get soon. He’s written a few songs this year and continues to write and speak on occasion. He really loves to write! So, lots of changes and transitions for Nick (and us!) this past year!
Isabella started Junior High this year and is in the 6th grade at Perrysburg Junior High School. She turned 12 this year. She is playing the saxophone in band and is on student council, which she loves. She is taking dance again this year in her 6th year at The Dance Factory (formerly JJ’s) and her 8th year of dance total. She takes tap, jazz, hip hop, and ballet and she really loves it. Her big passions are animals, animals, reading, her I- pad, and animals! She loves to take classes at the Toledo Humane Society and our vet said she can volunteer at her office if we make the arrangements, which we hope to do this year.
Both of the kids love their IPads, IPods, computers, music, and all things of the electronic age. They are WAY ahead of us! We were very fortunate this year to do some traveling too. The kids went to Chicago over the summer with their NaNa and PaPa Jagel to visit their Uncles and they got to do some really cool things there and had a GREAT time! In June, we went to Hilton Head, South Carolina for a week to celebrate Nick’s graduation with some extended family and LOVED the beaches there. Then, with all of the changes, we felt like we needed some time away, just the four of us so we went to Florida for Christmas and New Year’s. The kids said it was the “best trip of their lives” (but they say that a lot!) and we agree it was great. We spent Christmas Eve and Day on Clearwater Beach with Charger (who loved the beach!), had some awesome dinners, and the highlight was visiting the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for a day where we took a behind the scenes tour and met Winter, the dolphin from the movie Dolphin Tale (a great movie if you haven’t seen it!) and lots of other rescued animals. We can’t wait to go back there some day. We highly recommend it if you’re ever in that area! After Christmas, we went to Orlando for New Year’s where we visited Disney, Universal Studios (Harry Potter!), and SeaWorld. We also managed to swim and visit Downtown Disney a few nights where we ate at Planet Hollywood and The House of Blues and saw the movies ‘War Horse” and “We Bought a Zoo”, both EXCELLENT movies if you haven’t seen them! We had a lot of fun and did some great things but the best thing was just spending the time together. It’s our goal to get as much time in with the kids as we can now that they’re growing up and so busy!
Greg and I celebrated our 21st anniversary (29 together) and Greg’s in his 15th, almost 16th year at Northstar Bluescope Steel. I managed to publish a small article in Exceptional Parent Magazine (Sept. 2011 issue) online and I’ve been blogging still, but not as much as I should have. This year, I’d like to keep up with our family blog more and keep it updated, find some more information to share when I can. In Hilton Head (in June), I managed to get second degree burns on the balls of both of my feet on the beach (long story) and I’m still working on healing them believe it or not. Hard to heal when you actually WALK on your feet! We are back to our routines starting the new year and like everyone else, we’ve had some colds/flu, but we’re grateful for our health!
So, we had a wonderful year and are just grateful! We are hoping that 2012 is a little “less busy” (less big changes/transitions). We are sending our love and wishes for the best 2012 to all of you. Thanks for “catching up” with us.

Team Hyndman
Greg, Amy, Nick, and Isabella (Oreo, Ozzie, and Charger too!)
Visit our blog if you’d like to keep in touch: http://www.cerebralpalsyfamily.blogspot.com

Blessings:)