Our first visit to the ER

When Graham and I became parents, we knew there'd be a day we'd have to visit the emergency room. We just didn't know when, and I think we both assumed it would be for Gideon. But no; little Miss Hannah, in defiance to being kept from running into the street, flung herself out of Graham's arms landing head-first onto the sidewalk. I was at work, but Graham said she cried for a few seconds at first, tried to take a breath, then completely blacked out. Thankfully she came to in a few seconds, but he had the scare of his life.

I was on the way home for lunch already, so we rushed her to the hospital which, in great little Ellensburg is literally one block over and two blocks down from our house. By the time I got home, she was extremely lethargic and had a huge scrape/bump on her head (the picture doesn't do it justice, but thankfully she didn't crack her head open). We didn't even have to wait two seconds before being seen (again, good ol' small town service!). She was pretty freaked out by the doctors and nurses, so they ended up giving her a sedative so she'd stay still for a CT scan. Thank the Lord, everything came out fine, although they said that since kids are so limber, their spines can still experience trauma even if it's not fractured.

Once she woke up, she was laughing and counting the numbers on a wellness chart, so the doctor wasn't too concerned. She took it easy once we got home, but after a while was running around and being her normal, toddler self. We just have to watch her close for the next 24 hours.

Thanks to those who prayed for her/us. Graham is still pretty upset about what "could have happened," but we're thankful that God was and is watching over our little Hannah Mae.

Work, projects and more!

In case anyone is interested, I thought I'd give a little update on my job. In a nutshell, things have been going very well, but several side projects and events have kept me extremely busy.

The things taking up most of my time are the three search committees that I'm on. Due to various reasons, we currently have five openings in our department that need filling ASAP. Two committees I'm on are for new Study Abroad Advisors (one being Selmah's previous position [sniffle, sniffle] and the other a new position). I don't think I'm allowed to say how many applicants we had, but it was over 100! And the fun part was that we HAD to read every application, cover letter and resume. Talk about time consuming! I was looking at files every moment I had (during lunch, at home, in my dreams!) The good thing is that we have some GREAT candidates, although it's going to be a tough decision. I'm looking at it as not only someone qualified for the positions, but potential new friends. So far so good.

The other position is for a part-time office assistant which doesn't require as much scrutiny (and there are less than 30 applicants). Phew! That begins next week, around the numerous phone interviews for the other positions.

The 24th and 25th I spent on the "west side" (aka, Seattle area). The first day I left E-burg around 7 a.m. and spent the day visiting my international students who are attending our satellite centers. I only met with one in Des Moines, but in Lynnwood they were literally lined up outside my door. It made for a busy afternoon, but I made some really good connections with the students up there. They were all so grateful that I came so far to meet and help them with their issues/questions.

Then Friday I attended another day conference with a group called AWISA (Assoc. of Washington International Student Advisors). The conference was great, but the cool part was that it was at the University of Washington, which is not only GORGEOUS but has a student population of 30,000+ and the potential of being an independent city (it even has its own zip code). Apparently they are turning students down by the hundreds, which is good for CWU, but just goes to show how incredible their reputation is here.

Thursday night I stayed with the Jefferson's again (my mom's cousin's family) and since my "Uncle" works at UW, I carpooled with him, and he was able to show me around campus before going to work. To get him there by 7 a.m. and beat traffic, we had to leave their house at 5:30 which meant I had to get up at 4:45 a.m.! Oi! But I did it.

Needless to say, the next day, I was pooped...and still had about 50 SAA files to read over the weekend. :)

The other thing that's been keeping me busy is the revival of the International Club. Long story short, I was starting to gather a group of students who would help me get it going again when two guys walked in my office who had the exact same plan! So we joined forces and it's taken off full force! As great as it was, we were meeting two nights a week, once for the officers meetings and once for the actual club events.

It got to be a little much, and Graham and the kids were starting to call me "stranger," so we've changed the officers meetings to mornings (during work hours) and I'll probably only go to the events every other week. This week I took Graham and the kids with me so I didn't feel like I was abandoning either party. Just for the record, I've been given permission to pass off the "International House" Advisor position to one of the new Study Abroad Advisors...once we hire them, that is. :)

This wasn't work related, but another project I did was a "Happy Birthday from Ellensburg" video for my Grandpa's 90th birthday. A few months ago I helped one of my students from Japan with a mini-documentary on culture shock, so in return, she helped me make this video to send him since we couldn't attend the birthday bash. We had so much fun! We started it with a tour of our new house, then went around town interviewing people Granddaddy knew when he was a kid, as well as strangers who were willing to sing "Happy Birthday." Fortunately we were able to connect with three of his friends from High School. I had a blast listening to their stories and memories of him as a teenager. It was a true insight into my Grandfather's life long before I was around. We also interviewed two of the DJ's from the local radio station which Granddaddy started back in 1946. Needless to say, Tomomi did an AWESOME job editing the video and Granddaddy loved it! Happy 90th, Cracker!

Visits from friends and relatives!

We have been so blessed these last few months to have several visitors from home.

My mom was here in March (during the move), then in early April, Mark, Shiloh -- Graham's oldest sister -- and their girls stopped in for the night on their way to Idaho.

We couldn't believe that the last time we had seen them was when we went to Disneyland, almost exactly a year ago.

It was great to see them again and for the cousins to play together. Gideon really misses his cousins, and it was more of an introduction for Hannah since she was only 6 months old last time.

Then a few weeks later, Todd & Sarah Friesen and their boys stopped in for three days during their northwest tour. Unfortunately they were battling illness their entire time here, but we were able to meet up for dinner the first night.

I've known Todd & Sarah since our freshman year in college and they've remained friends since then. Gideon and Paul got along great and enjoyed being the silly, 4-year-old boys that they are.

In June, my Dad and Annie plan to visit, and then my mom and grandparents are coming in mid-August for my Grandpa to attend yet another Ellensburg High School reunion (class of '35).

Tim and Summer Gilstrap, who only live 3 hours away, haven't come to Ellensburg yet, but apparently we shouldn't hold our breath. (Yes, Tim. I know you're reading this!!!)

Golly gee, I'm 33!

Happy Birthday to me

Two Tuesdays ago (the 22nd, of course) I celebrated my 33rd birthday. Being away from home, I thought it would be fun to have our new friends over for a game night, but we decided to just make it a family affair which ended up being really nice.

The day started pretty normal: work, lunch in the Student Union, etc., but Nicole baked/brought cupcakes on my behalf, which was very sweet of her.

But when I got home, the boys had decorated the dining room, baked a cake and had finished painting my new dresser! Yay, I didn't have to live out of my suitcase anymore!

Then to top it off, Graham did BBQ shishkebabs (in the rain nonetheless) and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner, cake and opening of gifts. After dinner, we all watched the classic version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at which point I fell asleep on the couch (it had been a long week...yes, already).

So thanks to all of you for your e-cards, e-mails, cards, gifts and well wishes. I felt just as loved here as I did in Fresno, but wished you could have been here to celebrate with us.