Just RK

Today my dad was preaching at a church in the metro, so some of us went to be there on Father’s Day.  This is three of the four sisters. Rachel, me, Dad, and Julia (our summer live-in nanny) One sister and two brothers were not there. And Kinlee with her Papa Beagle. In the same meet-up, the girls switched Siennas (our family has 3 in these get-togethers, one more wasn’t there) and climbed in with Grammy and Auntie Julia for a week at music camp!  They’re getting to experience their first week of church camp, and I’m a little jealous.  I used to spend several weeks every summer there.  So they said a good bye to Daddy on Father’s Day. And Mommy had to have a goodbye picture, too, before they left for 6 days. I’m sure they will have a super week with dozens and dozens of jr. high, high school kids!  M and I are kind of looking at each other like “what do we do now?”…..  guess it’ll be a long work-day week while we ha...

If you follow me on Twitter (@mom2braskakiki) you know I've been doing C25K for a couple weeks now. I'm surprised at how well its going. By that I mean that I'm able to complete the interval jogging/walking as told to me by my app, C25Kfree.  But more than that, I'm surprised at how much I'm wanting to run. Wanting. Whoa. Those of you who have been in my inner circles over the last decade or so have probably heard me say, "I really want to WANT to run."  That means I know the health benefits of good exercise, I like the idea of just stepping out the door and taking off, but I have never had the least bit of oomph to do it. Plus I have bad knees from old sports (and growing) injuries, and various other ailments that make running difficult. Yet I know lots of people who run. Not all of them love the activity itself but yet they have some kind of passion for doing it anyway. And most of them are very fit. I am not. I have lost much of the momentu...

(To see some video that went along with the above picture, click here . )

Two pretty little 4-year-olds.  I cannot wait to see these girls in 10 years, hopefully still close friends! Somewhere there may exist a pic of Ella’s mom and I, from 25 years ago when we were teens…  or maybe not since there weren’t digital cameras back in the old days.  But it’s fun to see our kids hang out together now.  What a neat life circle to bring our families to the same neighborhood, church, and life group.

We have been surprised and so blessed by a neat provision of God through some very dear friends to grant us a newer,  nicer, better-fit-for-a-family-of-four car than our little sporty Eclipse that M drives to work each day.  So we’ve got an extra car that we don’t *have* to sell right away but are putting out there to see if anyone might need it.  Paying forward a great deal if you’re in need of some wheels with great gas mileage. What we’ll miss most…. remote start!! SO nice in both warm and cold weather. It sure spoils a driver quickly! Edited to add…. Good Gravy!!  It’s been on Craigslist for all of 60 minutes and I’ve got 3 who plan to see it tomorrow. Who knew?!?

This time it’s for local charity awards, why I think the DSA is a worthwhile cause. ________________________________________________________________ The Down syndrome community is most valuable when it provides just that. Community. Knowing others who are traveling a similar journey, learning from experts who really care about the individuals for whom they are sharing and teaching makes all the difference. The Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis is an organization that takes community seriously, and their members benefit from their commitment to that end. I have benefitted from that commitment. My daughter’s future is brighter because the DSAGSL is walking the path along with us. Some of the best friends I have are those I’ve come to know through our local DSAGSL community group. The most amazing and inspirational moments have been when I’ve been able to share with new parents, through the New Parent Support of the DSAGSL, that a diagnosis that many say is not worth li...

Lately I’ve been asked to write a thing here or there for various purposes.  And I figure if I write them, might as well let them serve double duty as a blog post, right? Glad you agree. This one was for the DSAGSL.org blog on the upcoming WDSD celebrations. _______________________ It’s always nice to have a reason to celebrate, and in the Down syndrome community, March 21 is a great day to do some big celebrating! Chosen because of the numerical similarity to the medical name for Down syndrome (Trisomy 21, 3 copies of the 21 st chromosome), 3/21 each year is a day to celebrate those we love who have Down syndrome and to make others aware of the intrinsic value of individuals with Down syndrome. Only recently has it taken on a larger audience, but World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) is becoming a full-blown holiday in many areas. The blue and yellow that are held to be Down syndrome awareness colors are often seen in creative ways on March 21. Locally, many families and gr...