I know, it's been a while since my last post. I honestly just have not had the time to sit still, plus the free wireless internet is not always reliable. We have been living in our camper now for 17 months. Hopefully soon we will move into a house. We are looking to rent. The boys started their 2nd year in public school. Daniel is 8th and Darin in 2nd. Both are doing well. Darin has joined his brother in scouts this year. He is in the Cub Scout Wolf Pack. He loves it.
I have been training at the 911 center - dispatching EMS. I love it. New soft wear was recently installed on the computers, so everyone is adjusting and learning all over again.
Dan is doing an awesome job with the boys and keeping up the house. I am so blessed to have him.
Hopefully I will be able to keep the blog up to date. Stay tuned!

Darin playing "Roll the burger" at the l
Lookouts home opener.

Darin has had eye issues since the beginning. While feeding him one day, I noticed that his eyes would dart back and forth, like he was watching a very fast tennis game. The pediatrician noticed too and sent us off to a specialist. He was diagnosed with Occular Albinsm, Ocular albinism is an inherited condition in which the eyes lack melanin pigment, while the skin and hair show normal or near-normal coloration.
The lack of pigment in the eyes causes various vision problems:
Reduced visual acuity from 20/60 to 20/400 (Darin is 20/70) Nystagmus - involuntary back-and-forth movement of the eyes,
Strabismus - crossed eyes or "lazy" eye, and
Sensitivity to bright light and glare. At 6 mos old he wore very thick glasses to try an correct his lazy eyes and Nystagmus.

In the past few years, I had honestly forgotten the diagnosis and pushed him to be a better reader. It wasn't until a few weeks after he started school that we heard from both his reading teacher and the school nurse about his vision problems. For him, it's very difficult to focus on the words. His eyes are not working together, so you often see him turning his head to favor mostly his left eye. The realization of his struggles broke my heart. I felt like the worst parent in the world. How could I have overlooked this? I am so blessed to have such great communication between myself and all Darin's teachers and helpers at his school. We have found a wonderful specialist in the area, who takes the time to test and evaluate Darin thoroughly. He will have special reading materials provided for him at school along with one on one help from all his teachers. He is so smart and I know he will go far.

Thank you God, for all that you have shown us, taught us... We are forever thankful for your grace.

It just so happens that every 12 weeks, my 2 days off a week collide with another 2 days off with a personal day in the middle, creating 5 days off in a row!!! This week the boys were off school and I was off work - YAY! Family time!

Back in October, our lives came to a sudden halt, when Dan came home one day without a job. He was tired, he was stressed, and he told me - "honey, I don't know if I can do this anymore."
For the next 3 months, we both searched for work. December came and right before Christmas, I was blessed with a full time job, doing something I have always loved, public service. I look forward to work each day. But, it came with a price, I miss my family while I'm gone.
In December, something else came to a sudden halt, Homeschooling! We have taught our boys at home from day 1. Vowing that we would never put them in the public school system...
Shortly after New Years, we enrolled them both in public school. We were anxious, terrified, sad, happy - a whirlwind of emotions.
3 months later...
Daniel is an "A" student, has overcome some bullying issues, tried out for Baseball, got over not making the team, has a handful of good friends, and looks forward to trying out for football. He is an enthusiastic student and never needs pushed to do his assignments.

Darin had a rougher start. He is a brilliant Math student, but when it comes to reading and writing...he's all boy! Stubborn! His 1st report card was OK, but with some room for improvement. Now he brings home a much better report card and I look forward to the teacher conference next week. He is a star student.

We are so proud of both boys. We never, in a million years, thought they would be taught in the public schools. We have had some glitches with bullies and breakdowns, but communication with the schools has been great, and we are pleased so far.
We are getting over the bumps in the road.

I haven't posted for a while, because every time I sit down to do so, something else comes up. Since the kids are in school now, I find that I am sleeping more in the mornings. Something I have not been able to do for a long time. Enjoying the quiet, peaceful rest with my hubby curled up beside me. At least for a few hours. Then there are things I like to do before I go to work. Laundry, shopping etc... It's a different lifestyle now. The boys are doing well in school. They seem to enjoy it. Daniel wants to tryout for baseball next week, and Darin tells us about his good behavior and all the kids he plays with at recess. So far so good. Dan is still unemployed, but I'm glad that he's home. He takes such good care of everything that I never worry. It's too bad he isn't making money for what he does. His salary would be huge! I'm so glad he is who he is and that he works hard to keep us safe and warm.
Work has been interesting. I am no longer training on the phones. In fact, our whole class was released last month, and we are on our own. I am stationed on the EMD side, which means, any medical calls get transferred to me and I alert dispatch to send out the ambulance. I also answer regular 911 calls for police and fire. I've had assault calls, burglary calls, suicide threats, and a variety of interesting people. We were told at the beginning that our phone conversations are always recorded and sometimes released to the public if there is a high profile incident. Well, my first released call made the "Chattanoogan" an on line news source. I answered a call about a break in, and the slow police response made the news. I cannot discuss any more details, but it certainly was weird hearing myself. Now that I am part of public service, I need to get used to that. All I can say is that, if you ever have an issue with any part of public service, whether it be police, fire, ems or 911 - educate yourself before you make any accusations of wrong doing. I see it too often. The public is quick to find fault, when things don't go their way.
I enjoy my work, and I do the best I can to assist the public in times of trouble. I plan on a lengthy future with 911. It's satisfying going home at night knowing that I've helped someone.