thankful

Well folks. This semester is almost over. Am I the only one who thinks it flew by? I can picture our first day like it was yesterday... everybody so nervous and excited. The nervousness wore off soon after but the excitement is still there. These guys LOVE school. They love being here.... love class... love the volunteers... love eating together... watching movies together... just hanging out... taking a walk... enjoying the day. What a simple but beautiful life. And I just keep soaking up each moment.

Now there has been slip-ups, learning opportunities shall we say, but all in all the guys have grown a ton. I went though a skills inventory today with Karen (my advisor and their life skills teacher) and we have seen an improvement in each guy. Now there are definite improvements we hope to be made in the spring... but I am proud of where we have come. They are learning some valuable information here and I hope they continue to have a great time while doing it.

Now we've gone a long way since day 1. We are learning independence. That means we do our own laundry now, we clean our own bathroom, we set our alarm when needed, we fix our own snacks and meals (if possible). Resist the temptation moms... we may need some help... but we can do it. I've seen it. If they try to lie and say they can't, you call me.

Thanks for sticking with me here. I know the posts are becoming less frequent and probably less interesting. I'm working on a new look for the 14b site. Maybe I'll have time for that over the break. Semester one is almost behind us... one more to go. Should be just as exciting. Have fun over Thanksgiving. Eat some turkey. Watch some football. Laugh constantly. Enjoy the sun. I'll be here when you come back.

Test Video

Fall has come

Man it was cold last week... but it has been BEAUTIFUL this week so far. I could live with this weather year round. The leaves are changing and the nights get cool... this is officially what I call "fleece weather" better known as fall.

So I have not given a real update on what is happening in the lives of Ben, Joel and Justin lately. Let's think. TOPS soccer finished up Tuesday. They passed out trophies to the athletes at the end of the game last night. They all really enjoyed helping out... definitely something to think about in the future. I'm sure there are leagues like TOPS all around.

The guys are currently working on a research project. They are researching their topics through the internet, books, etc. Most of the work is done during the day at school but a little is done in the apartment. Joel's research is dealing with the Bible. Justin is doing his research on Bob Barker. And Ben is doing some research on amusement parks. All interesting topics. I'm excited to see how they turn out.

This weekend should be a fun one. Clemson has a game on Saturday night against Florida State. First night game of the year. Weather.com says it should be sunny but, I guess I should expect rain since every home game this year has had rain. I'll get my poncho ready. I think we may spend some time outside on Saturday... throwing the frisbee, kicking the soccer ball, walking down to the botanical gardens. The guys have been doing so well remembering to do laundry, take out the trash, clean up the apartment, etc. It has been great. The first few weeks I reminded the guys to clean, do laundry, etc... but now when I come back to the apartment after a weekend off, all of those things are done!

It's good to see friend and family whenever you all stop by. We all are anticipating Thanksgiving. I don't know about the guys, but visions of turkey and dressing have slipped into my dreams.

Question: When can I start listening to Christmas music?