25th Anniversary Celebration

Today is our 25th anniversary.  Mike planned our ten day getaway.

In Alaska

We took a seven day cruise to Alaska.  We did things out of my comfort zone, and we had a wonderful time.

We then went to meet up with Mike's family in Northern CA.  We had a great time catching up with the extended family.  I showed pictures of our boys.  They hardly recognized our boys, as the boys are "all grown up".

Mike with siblings and Dad

We travelled onward to the wine country.  We did a few wine and food tastings.  Quite elegant.  And educational.  I need a few more (actually any lessons) cooking lessons on cooking and how to compare/contrast wines with foods.

We spent our 25th anniversary with just each other.  We had thoughts and discussions of doing the entire rendition of renewing vows and reception after.  We couldn't quite agree on that.  So we ended up spending the day with just each other.

Sheryl and Mike

That was perfect.

We have never been away from our kids this long.  They are older and are more independent.  The grandparents stepped in to oversee schedules.  I have some reassurance that our house won't burn down.

In the life of autism, this is paramount: to not forget the couple we are.  Husband and Wife.  As long as our relationship is intact, autism does not define who we are, although it is a part of our lives. We are happy, and our job is to make sure that our kids get what they need to do what they wish to pursue.  God willing, we will be blessed with more years of happy marriage, in which we support our boys.

Cheers!

Nick's Milestones

Much has happened in Nick's life.  In the last month, he went to prom.  He graduated.  He received a scholarship.  He attended a local college band camp.  Those are the good things. Some not so good things happened too, but I'll save those for another day.  Now is the time to celebrate.

Nick had a challenging year, and he met them head-on.  At the beginning of the academic year, his case manager stated that he was flunking Spanish II and had to be removed.  That happened on day 5 of the year.  Nick earned an A-.  A far cry from failing.

The next challenge was being told from his school counselor that he could not go straight to the local university.  Nick had some special needs classes that supposedly the university would not accept.  I called the university.  They wanted to see Nick's transcript.  I sent it.  They enthusiastically said that they would accept Nick.  His grades were fantastic, and his class ranking was high.  Why would they not want him?  Of course, there were other factors to consider, but based on the transcript, Nick was welcomed to attend.

The third challenge was Nick's new case manager stated that Nick's plan for a fifth year at the high school could not happen because he was on course to graduate.  Nick had been planning on taking a fifth year to work on communication and reading skills.  I had emails documenting this plan.  The IEP team had agreed each year, that this would be the best transition plan for Nick into adulthood.  The case manager totally changed the game plan.  She said the only way Nick could continue was to participate in a special ed class that was wayyyyy below his cognitive level.  Even the psychologist warned me.  We observed and visited the program, but ultimately nixed it, and insisted on our original plan, which the IEP team again approved.

Throughout the ordeals, Nick focused on his studies and his goals.  I told him we would get through the obstacles, but he could not dwell on it.  He had to learn that this will happen frequently in his life.  People will judge that he is not capable of something.  People, no matter how well intended, will underestimate him.  People will have preconceived notions.  They just don't know Nick.

Yes, Nick has autism.  However, autism does not define Nick.  Nick is Nick, and only Nick can determine who he is.  In my eyes, he is turning into a successful man.