Gratitude #17

I know I have said this a hundred thousand BAJILLION times before, but I am so grateful for GEO and the experience I gained while working there. The kids and employees there are absolutely amazing.

Today I walked into my meeting at Seasons of Hope and I saw my old boss and her two sons.
I was almost in tears I was so happy to see them, after all I worked very closely with them for at least a year.
I ran to help my coworker who was watching them and I was so impressed by how much they have grown, yet they haven't changed in so many ways.
They still have the same habits and catch phrases, yet there were some new ones as well.
The best gift came when I asked the boy I worked with the most what my name was.

He looked me in the eyes, pointed at my chest, and said, "Miss Emmeria." (He never could quite say my name)

AHHH how I have missed that!

This one's for you...

This is for all of you who:
Know that Dove chocolate does indeed fix everything.
Genuinely care about me.
Leave notes for me that you know I'll see that always always ALWAYS make my day.
Tell me that you love me unconditionally.
Say those profound things that I've heard zillions of times, but all of a sudden make an impact.
Understand where I've been and know where I'm going.
Can finish my sentences.
Can always make me smile.
Laugh at my (usually) stupid jokes.
Have told me that you're proud of me.
Know that there is a deeper meaning to Bubbles and Potato Salad. :)
Understand what I'm talking about when I say Potato Tots.
Compliment my cooking even when it's not the greatest.
Crawled into my bed with me when you knew I was crying just to give me a hug (just FYI, this only applies to Maci)
Pulled me onto their knee and held me while I cried.
Supported me even when I was failing.
Have lent me things even when it wasn't convenient.
Bring me down to earth.
Helped me separate Cross Stitch thread into the wee hours of the morning.


I LOVE YOU!
That is all :)

Sometimes I really miss GEO

It's the truth! GEO was awesome :)

I picked up a lot of really good habits from that job...and some very interesting ones.

Like this:

Yes, I spent 20 minutes tearing up a piece of paper and throwing it around :)

It was an activity we did with one of the kids

  1) Because he enjoyed it and

  2) Because it taught him that he needed to pick up after himself.

Have you ever tried it? It's actually pretty addicting...

Kyle looks like he thinks I'm the weirdest person in the world in this picture...but he was TOTALLY joining in!

Oh, and to top it all off, we ended the night with The Lion King!

Peace, Love, Joy, and Lion King!

The Start of Something New

This new semester is bringing a lot of new challenges for me.

Last semester I had a lot of difficult classes, but no job.
This semester I lowered my class difficulty and load and took on a job.
I'm thrilled to no end that I have income again, don't get me wrong....
I just didn't realize it would be so difficult to get back into the swing of things.

I started my new job as a developmental therapist at Seasons of Hope on January 5th.
For those of you who don't remember, I was a developmental therapist for a year and a half
before leaving to come to Pocatello.
I figured that I would remember everything and jump right in.
WRONG!
I should have known that it would be lots different, DUH.

It's not all bad though. The kids here are every bit as adorable as those in Soda.
I have a boss that is very well trained in what he does
and coworkers that are willing to help me out...

Maybe I just miss having lots of time after class to take naps...
And sleep in... (I had to be at work by 8 in the morning)
Anyway, I should really stop complaining about it because this is a seriously amazing opportunity.
I'm sure I will grow to love it as much as I loved GEO. :)

Oh, and sorry for the total lack of pictures.
My New Year's Resolution to take more pictures this year isn't going so great...

The Beginning of the End

Today was a very sad day at work. It wasn't a bad day or anything...it just marked the beginning of the end.

I work at Grace Educational Opportunities, which is a developmental therapy agency in Grace, a town about 15 minutes away (10 if you fudge the speed limit a little...not that I'd know). I would post some pictures...but I'm pretty sure that's against the law. I hope you enjoy the story anyway :) Here's my story:

 I started working there in March of 2009. 

I didn't even know it EXISTED until my dad took me along when he went to go give a lady a blessing.

 I saw a friend of mine working with a kid I didn't know, so I walked up to talk to her and that's where I found out exactly what they do. 

Bryan Jensen (the boss's husband) was the other priesthood holder who was giving the blessing and as we walked out he said to me, 

"You should consider working here when you turn 17 (the minimum age of any therapist). 

I told him I would think about it, but in my head I was thinking, 

"Heck to the no! Not a chance!"

 I would guess that was in January.

 In March I got a call from Lorrie'L Jensen asking if I was still looking for a job. 

Not knowing what to say, I told her that I was. I believe her exact words were, 

"Great! Would you like one?" 

Before I knew it, I was sitting across from her being offered a job. 

She kept telling me that she really needed someone like me. 

I didn't even know her...and she didn't know me, how could she possibly think that she needed me? 

I never told her that mentally handicapped kids scared me. 

I didn't tell her that I didn't think I could do this. 

I didn't tell her that I thought she had the wrong person. 

I just kept nodding.

The first few months went by and I couldn't decide whether I loved it or hated it.

Some days were great, but more days were awful.

I remember the day that everything turned around for me...

I was working with one particular kid (I can't say more than that due to HIPPA laws), and we were working on a program they particularly struggled with.

I asked a question that I asked every single day...

...and every single day they answered it incorrectly.

I was beginning to get frustrated, thinking I was DEFINITELY the wrong person for this job.

Then I heard the right answer come out of their mouth.

I can't tell you how excited I got!

We had our own little party right there in the kitchen. Jumping up and down and giving each other high fives and knuckles. I think we even did the Butt Dance (long story).

They looked up at me and they were just so happy.

It was then that I realized that I was making a difference in this kid's life.

I was making a difference in this family's life.

But most importantly, they were making a difference in MY life.

Now I can't believe that I ever looked at these kids and had shivers run down my spine.

I had so much fun! 

Center days were the best!

We would go on long walks to the park or the library.

Some days we would sit in the shade of the trees and try to get every semi that passed to honk.

We would race down slides and get snow cones.

We would get fries and ice cream.

But most of all, I realized that these kids were just like everyone else.

I put myself into my job 110%

I began to understand how to work with each individual kid, their strengths and their weaknesses.

And together we worked and made more strengths.

I will never be able to convey to you how good it feels to hear a child who can't speak say a word,

or see them wash a dish without being prompted, 

or wheeling themselves up a ramp in their wheelchair,

or to have them tell you that they love you.

That is why today was a hard day at work. 

Today was the beginning of my last week. 

I still can't believe that I may never see some of these kids that I have worked with for a year and a half again.

Honestly, how can I give this up?

I have never been so grateful for anything in my life (except for my family and the gospel).

I will never forget the things I learned along the way.

This job has changed my life and I hope that I was able to change a few lives along the way.