Saturday, September 12, 2015

Change

I survived my first week of student teaching! I’m in 3rd grade special education at Lee’s Corner Elementary. It’s been so much fun. The teacher I’m assigned too is amazing, and the staff has been so welcoming. They put up with me asking “what’s that?” every 10 minutes and constantly getting lost in the school.

 



            Now this is not the special education where I am chasing students with Autism or getting bitten. I know some of you are thinking that’s what I’m doing. Although I do go down to those classrooms and see if they need help. I love being in those rooms. At Lees Corner I am in the general classroom helping students, or pulling them out of for extra help in certain subject areas. I bounce between three classes, so that is three classes of names to remember, about 85 students!

This is the last semester of school for me. I will be able to graduate in December and FINALLY say I have a BS… Yes, graduate school has crossed my mind, but one hurtle at a time.


Troy is back at Herndon Elementary for the third year. Only this year he has moved up to second grade. I joke with him that he passed first grade. He has stayed with this group of kids since Kindergarten, he’s enjoyed watching them grow and working with a new group of teachers every year.

First Day!
            While I am loving the experience, it’s been a HUGE change. I’m not crazy about change. In fact, generally, I avoid it when possible. I’m in a school building all day… With adults... In real clothes… Gone are days of wearing whatever I feel like wearing. And yes, sleeping in. I wake up at 6:30am, every day. Blech.
Went and got a new hair cut for school

Dad will be home, for the most part, with Gwen. Which is another big change. I don’t like not being the one to make sure he is home safe during a storm. Or randomly taking him out to buy peanut M&Ms.

Kelli is at day care every day. She loves it. She loves being with the other children. Although she does not like being woke at 7:30am. She usually glares at me and turns around hoping I will go away.

This is a great experience that I want for her. It’s just hard being away from her all day, every day. I’m no longer her primary caregiver, I’m not the one there when she trips or learns something new. She no longer gets to see her best friend almost every day. And being able to get all my errands, (and laundry!) done during the day.
BFF

There has already been days I haven’t seen her. I wake her up, leave, and get home after she has gone to bed. And it makes me sad. Yes, I have cried over this.


But we have bitten the bullet. All three of us are adjusting and trying, to get into the routine of things. We have pressed forward with the change that I have been avoiding.



There is no turning back! 

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Did Love Win?

Now that things have calmed down I decided to put my opinion on the subject.


On June 26, 2015 the Supreme Court ruled at same-sex marriage was legal in all 50 states of the US. This decision came with many different responses. Some were thrilled beyond belief, others were heart broken.


The Church of Jesus Latter Day Saints is firm in its belief that marriage is to be between a man and women. The Church has that right to stand by what it believes in and to refuse to perform such marriages. Among members there is much confusion on what members can do without putting their membership in jeopardy. As my understanding, members are can have attractions to the same sex and stand by that attraction, however if they practice homosexuality they can be excommunicated. Members can advocate their beliefs on the subject- whatever that may be. However if they start to request members to follow them and push their beliefs they also, maybe excommunicated. That is the Churches position. They hold that right to stand by that, like it or not.



Personally- As a Christian I believe that marriage should be between a man and women, and that is how I have chosen to live my life. But I was excited. Who am I (or anyone!) to say who you can’t marry? So what if it’s two men or two women. They deserve the same healthcare and other legal benefits as any other married couple.  Today at the nail salon these lovely men walked in hand and hand. They are getting ready for their honeymoon and wanted to have fresh nails for the photos. If you are happy that is all that matters. Love prevailed in this court decision.


I was heartbroken to see people say that the world is going to hell or that they would wish their child dead rather than Gay. Or that these people are “abomination” quoting Leviticus 18:22. As well as recounting the story of the Sodomites, which may I add I never saw the word homosexuality.
Really? If Kelli were to walk up to me and say she liked women, I’m not going to lie I would not be thrilled and caught off guard. But I would love her and support her, not wish her dead or tell her she is an abomination.



In a letter form the Church presidency they state:

The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to love and treat all people with kindness and civility—even when we disagree. We affirm that those who avail themselves of laws or court rulings authorizing samesex marriage should not be treated disrespectfully. Indeed, the Church has advocated for rights of samesex couples in matters of hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment, and probate, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches.


I feel like this was a good summary of my feelings, and I don’t expect anyone to share that belief. We all have our own opinions on this topic, but we need to be able to respect these opinions. 

Friday, July 17, 2015

Break

Break.

A work I thought I would never thought I would be able to say that word. 

In June my ODU classes ended, a week later my statistics class at Norther VA Community College started. Statistics. Yes, you are required to take STATISTICS to teach special education. Still not clear on how that is supposed to help me. But I digress…

End of June statistics ended. This means I have 2 months off. I haven’t had this long of a break since I took a semester off when Kelli was born.

Cute baby Kelli


 It’s weird. 

There’s no pressing assignments, no papers to write, no e-mails to send to a group member. It’s been great. When Kelli takes a nap I get to watch TV, or read, or even run an errand if someone is home. I’ve never had so much extra time. Time to do regular things! Nothing school related.


I’ve loved having so much time with Kelli. The mornings is just us. We get to do whatever we want. Go to the movies, playground, or her favorite, do something with her partner in crime.




Partners in crime


I’m loving every moment of it… As long as it doesn’t involve a meltdown. Another part of our daily routine right now. 

Troy is doing summer school, so he is home by noon and he will have all of August off. The afternoon we do something as a family. Something we rarely get to do during the school year. We’re hoping to throw in some day trips!
 
Quality time

So stay posted for the Bouley’s summer adventures! 

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Maybe...

It’s no secret that my Dad has Alzheimer’s. People are always asking how he is doing. I always wonder what I should say. “Alright” is the short, not so true, answer. It’s an everyday struggle that will never get better. It can only get worse.  

First off let’s define Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s Association defines it as: A progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. It is the most common cause of premature senility.

This is caused by plaque building up on the neurons, this slows down and eventually even stops the brain’s ability to communicate with the rest of the body. Alzheimer’s Association adds:

Plaques are deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid (BAY-tuh AM-uh-loyd) that build up in the spaces between nerve cells.
Tangles are twisted fibers of another protein called tau (rhymes with “wow”) that build up inside cells.
Though most people develop some plaques and tangles as they age, those with Alzheimer's tend to develop far more. They also tend to develop them in a predictable pattern, beginning in areas important for memory before spreading to other regions.
Scientists do not know exactly what role plaques and tangles play in Alzheimer's disease. Most experts believe they somehow play a critical role in blocking communication among nerve cells and disrupting processes that cells need to survive.
It's the destruction and death of nerve cells that causes memory failure, personality changes, problems carrying out daily activities and other symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.


Now let me add. The only way to be 100% diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is at an Autopsy. The plaque cannot be seen on the brain till then. Only one machine in the US that can see the plaque. Lucky for us that machine is at Georgetown University, which is where Dad is enrolled in a drug study. But because it is a double blind study, we don’t know if he has the plaque and if he does how much.
There is so many holes in any cure or cause that we have. There are so many unanswered questions

What are the factors?

What can I do to prevent the disease?

What can I do if I’m starting to show signs?

Then there are many “maybe” answers.

Maybe if you have a high fish diet it will delay the symptoms.

Maybe if you exercise you won’t Alzheimer’s.

Maybe if you have the gene you’ll develop the disease.

Maybe

One link that is another maybe is genes. For a genetics lesson reminder read this.

There is an agreement there is a genetic link. But there is no agreement on which one. Out of the 23 genes there is a possible 19 genetic links.  The one with the strongest science behind it is the 4th Chromosome, this gene is referred to as APOE-4 (Apolipoprotein E). Women who test positive for this gene are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Men who test positive are only slightly as likely to develop the disease as those who do not carry the genes. The ones who carry both genes (remember dominant and recessive? This is recessive, so if you have two recessive genes), women are four times as likely to develop the disease and men are twice as likely.
With Dad’s family history of memory loss it is no surprise he has the APOE-4 gene. Both his parent’s had memory loss and some of his brothers are starting to show the same signs.
But there is a flaw to this genetic link, 10-15% of people who carry the gene never develop Alzheimer’s. And 15% of people with this disease don’t have this gene.

 

So if you have this gene, maybe, you’ll develop Alzheimer’s.

So with this knowledge, my siblings and I were given the option for us knowing if we too carry the gene. I talked to various friends, family relatives, etc. 


I couldn’t decide if I wanted to know or not. It’s good to know. Especially with kids, is this something I’m going to pass?

But do I want this hanging over my head for the rest of life? Knowing what could happen to me…

It took me months to make a decision, but I did come to one.

I got tested.

And I’m a carrier.


So now I know my risks, I know what maybe will happen. And what I may or may not pass on. It’s scary. But now I can be proactive.
Discoveries are made every day.


And maybe, one will be made to stop The Memory Robber.