The weekend.

Well, this weekend we had my second Partners in Policymaking class. Seriously, if you are doing any sort of advocacy/work with an org for people with disabilities, I HIGHLY recommend that you get into your state PIP class. I've met some really knowledgeable and very influential people in this class. If anything else, it's ALL about the networking. I'm gaining so many resources here it's amazing.



So we got up there Friday afternoon and had our afternoon session. The whole weekend was geared towards Education and Inclusion for children with disabilities. For the afternoon, they had all the state gov't officials there to give a short talk and meet with each table in a round table session, which was really awesome. We had the state director of education, the people over the First Steps program, the 3-5 program, the Transition program, and lastly the Due Processes. After dinner, a really neat lady presented about how to create an IEP plan and gosh the time flew by before we knew it. We seriously didn't realize it was 8pm already. After the session, Rei and I went on up to our room and settled in for the night since I was just really tired from the whole week.



Rei was really good laying quietly the whole time and doing as she was supposed to. It was pretty funny, one of the speakers had talked to us, sitting up front and close to my table the whole time and when she asked me who I was and what was my background, I told her that I was deaf blind, but with loss of peripheral fields, hence the dog. She went OH! I didn't even know there was a dog here! LOL!



The only issue we did have was when we met the other service dog in the class. We were outside and Rei had finished breaking when the other gentleman and his assistance dog came out. We let the dogs meet and both began barking at each other. After a few minutes, they settled down and were pretty much ok. The gentleman said that he knew how his dog acted around new dogs and didn't want the barking and such to happen inside with all the people around. I'm glad he thought of it, because I wouldn't have, being that Honey had never had an issue with anyone or anything. So we both made our way back inside and a little bit later he came by us doing a controlled walk by and Rei was very interested, but his dog was not. At dinner they were both staring each other down on opposite sides of the buffet table but we kept a close eye on them. As the weekend went on, they both grew accostumed to each other and by the time we left Saturday, they pretty much didn't notice each other.



Saturday we had a really, really neat lady named Jill Englund from Michigan present. She brought all these toys, different things, and had everyone actively involved all day. Each table presented on short things on how to include kids and it overall was just a really good presentation.



I got home about 5:45pm and Mike came in with the kids after church. Rei sure was glad to be home and back to her favorite blanket and in familiar surroundings, though she had made several friends this weekend.



Sunday, we spent the day cleaning the house from top to bottom and the girls both had practice for the church christmas program. We were hosting bible study and only John and Karen showed, which was a little frustrating for all the work that went into it, but we had a good time with them talking and having some actuall adult time! :)



After getting the kids to bed, we settled down and let Rei off the tie down and she grabbed her blanket and settled down on the floor by us on the couch. We were watching Amazing Race and at the part where they were at the bird hospital, she jumped up barking at the screen. Which Saturday night she had done the same thing at Survivor man. LOL! We both headed to bed about 10pm and called it a night, since I had home training starting the next day and Mike had to start the new week at work.



A cute/funny story about Rei....

Mike bought her this doggy blanket before we came home (a bed at my request). So when I got home, I pulled it out of it's package and gave it to her to lay on. What does she do, she immediately starts to chew on it and rip holes in it. It didn't seem to matter what I did, she kept doing it. Not so much eating the stuffing, but just pulling out what she could get a hold of. So she's taken to the is blanket and since i have her in the playroom on tie down quite a bit, I have it there for her. Then to keep from leaving her by herself in there in the evenings, when Mike and I go into the living room, I brought her and the blanket with me. So then we go to bed and she grabs her blanket and follows me down the hallway dragging it with her and I put her down on the floor next to my side of the bed.

So the next morning, we get up and I don't think much of it, figured we'd just leave the blanket there, but noooo, she had to have her blanket and she grabbed it and drug it down the hallway with her and plopped down on it. So pretty much ever since, whenever we change rooms, Rei brings her blankie with her. LOL!