Backing Up and Bringing it Forward

Even though it will be out of chronological order with my previous posts, I'm going to back up to January and move forward to more current information.

End of January:

Winter blahs set in about January 6th. It was a long, cold, snowy, and hard winter this year. Many people said it was very atypical; colder and more snow fell than this area has experienced in about 30 years. When we came in and heard that the winters were mild and not much snow we were thrilled. Now we think they might have lied to us to get us to accept the job and move here. That or moving and getting record breaking winters is a Broadbent curse. (That happened our first couple winters in Illinois; coldest on record and most snow on record.)

Regardless, we survived and even managed to get out to a few school boys' and girls' basketball games; in between school cancellations, game reschedules, and late starts for school.

Girl's JV Game at the half.

Same girl's game final score.

  

 
Despite only making it to a few games, we enjoyed watching the teams play and cheering them on; no matter the score. Another fun aspect was seeing so many of the students we've met by visiting their homes. As of today we've been in 41 Senior Division homes and 2 Middle Division homes with an average of 11 students in the homes, that's a good portion of the school's population!

Most of the student homes we've been in have intercom systems. Some homes use them all the time and others not very much. Majority of the student homes had some remodeling done within the last decade; however, once in awhile we have been in a home that's soon to be remodeled with older intercom systems--ones that would be straight out of the Brady Bunch:

It even has a cassette tape player! Now THAT's Old School.

February:

Sometime in the fall we saw that Kristin Chenoweth was giving a concert in Lancaster, PA. We decided to splurge and purchase tickets. Since it was a weeknight, we took the evening off and headed the 30 minutes or so away to get some dinner and then attend her concert.

Such a special night deserves...McDonald's?!?!

The concert was FABULOUS! It was wonderful to be in the audience while she performed. She was very touched by the reception she received from the audience. Her family had lived in the Lancaster area and so she felt that she was coming home. Her concert was 90 minutes with no intermission. We would have gladly listened to her for another 90 minutes with or without an intermission! Listening to a singer who is also an actor makes a huge difference; she became the character she was singing for. Such a marvelous night!

The day before the concert we were covering a boy's student home. That morning Dan headed out to scrape off and start the student van for me so I could take the boys to school and he could head to his doctor's appointment. It wasn't a big deal except that day we had a late start that was quickly creeping upon Dan's previously scheduled appointment to follow up on his back.

He'd been outside for a little while but I wasn't too concerned. When he came it he didn't look ok & told me he'd slipped on the ice and hurt his knee. He headed off to his appointment and I took the boys to school then tried to get chores checked and such before he returned from his appointment. We then went over to the worker's compensation doctor's office to have his knee checked and found out he sprained his knee and couldn't work. He walked out of the appointment with a crutch!

Having watched some others from our training group and other houseparents fly solo because of spouse's being injured, having a baby, or surgery, I wasn't thrilled by the prospects of me flying solo. Thankfully he was out only 4 weeks and I survived the time ok. It was strange to work without my spouse for that time. We had been together all the time and to suddenly not have him with me was odd. I even went to a couple student homes he's never been to which is strange too. But we survived and are stronger because of it. (Yea, whatever.)

We've seen the following on bookshelves in more than one student home:

Whenever we see it, it just puts a smile on our faces. We can't proselytize but we look for this wherever we go.

Before Dan returned to work there was a large drug bust on campus. When the Home Live Administrators learn about drugs on campus, some of the students might be immediately terminated from the school (if they are selling or the middleman). Those who use or purchase might be spared expelling but they are on detention. The Home Life Administrators will often go search a room to try and find the contraband items. One of the homes I was helping had a student who's room was searched. This is what it looked like when the adults finished searching for the drugs:

Hopefully that left no doubt that the administration doesn't take drug use lightly. The student had to clean everything up. Lucky for him, he turned in all he had and wasn't hiding any in his room. Some other students weren't so lucky. Wish we could say it's the last we'll have of that problem, but we're not living in a perfect society.

And with that, I think I'm up to March!

Adventures in Shadowing

Our new jobs have been an education in so many ways. We've had to readjust our cooking skills, (now cooking for 14 instead of 2), discover the skills needed to run a house of 12 students who are rarely related to each other, learn how to create a chore program so the home is cleaned regularly and thoroughly, learn new names and faces, adapt to various dialects, become CPR certified, know how to drive 22-foot vans, know and uphold the consistent expectations for students and houseparents, etc. In addition to the required topics, we've learned about the area and what teens here like to do for fun.

Now that our classroom training is finished, we spend much of our time shadowing other houseparents. We go into their homes and observe how they run their homes. We take what we like and don't like and then keep track of it until we are assigned to our own home. Then we will incorporate it into our routine and hope for the best.

When we shadow, we will do everything the student home is doing. If they are going to dinner, we go with them. If they are watching a movie at home, we join in. If they are meeting up with other homes for a bbq, we get to join in the fun.

The first weekend we shadowed was Memorial Day weekend. Since the students didn't have school on Monday, many took the opportunity to enjoy some time with their families. That first home had only 4 students there and one went on a day visit with family (off with family for the day but not staying the night). One of the things the houseparents planned for the weekend was to attend a High School Step Competition in Harrisburg. Stepping was part of our learning process too.

We described Stepping to some family and friends as a combination of drill team, marching band (without instruments), and cheer. Wikipedia (a super reliable source...I know) defines step this way:

"Stepping or step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps. Though stepping may be performed by an individual, it is generally performed by groups of three or more, often in arrangements that resemble military formations.
"Stepping may also draw from elements of gymnastics, break dance, tap dance, march, or African and Caribbean dance, or include semi-dangerous stunts as a part of individual routines. The speed of the step depends on the beat and rhythm the performer wants it to sound. Some forms of stepping include the use of props, such as canes, rhythm sticks and/or fire and blindfolds.
"The tradition of stepping is rooted within the competitive schoolyard song and dance rituals practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, beginning in the mid-1900s"

A new competition to the two of us transplanted from Idaho:

Our visits also included some mini-golf & pizza to welcome upcoming 9th graders, dropping students off at Hershey Park (almost every weekend), celebrating birthdays with the students, being there for prom, and witnessing the Walk of Shame:

Yes, those are female & MALE students getting the boys dolled up!

Thank heavens for HouseMoms who can tuck in the hanger straps for boys who think they are spaghetti straps. One of the boys put on his strapless gown backwards; my biggest complaint was that the school didn't warn us about the hazard we discovered that night, cheeks hurting from laughing and smiling so much.

 

The Walk of Shame is with one student home. The boys take a bet with their housemom that she will spray them with the kitchen sink hose unexpectedly. If they get sprayed, they walk down their lane dressed in prom dresses and heals-after getting their nails, makeup and hair done by the girls next door-and other student homes come watch the fun. If they don't get sprayed, she buys them a quart of Rita's. This year there were three lovelies. We were present at the girls' home when the call came that they'd have 3 to make up and then we were present for the walk.

 

Dan, and another Flex-Houseparent from our training group, decided to add their own touch to the parade:

 

 

During the summer we commandeered a student home. That means for three weeks during the summer, we were in charge. Scary, I know! The regular houseparents were on vacation and we took over 100%. It was a good taste of what the job will entail when we are assigned our own home.

Between the guys' work & school schedule (some were there for summer school) we tried to fill the time with other fun activities. There was pool games, a 4-on-4 basketball game, pool, puzzles, bowling, a few rounds of spoons, July 4th fireworks, pool, secret service to another student home, pool, a concert by the US Army Field Band Jazz Ensemble, did I mention games of pool?

Commandeering added more experience and education to our belts. We're looking forward to all that's in store for us as we continue to shadow and cover other student homes.

Summertime Randomness

In no particular order, here are some things we've experienced during our first summer in Pennsylvania:

It's harder some days than others to hide the difficulties of working with your spouse 24-hours a day. ;)

(I just realized this looks like a mug shot…I promise it isn’t if you look close you can see the hook from our bathroom door & that’s a white shower curtain behind me HONEST!)

Summer has officially arrived!

Occasionally our job requires us to hang at the pool. How GREAT IS THAT?!?!

Dan's newest fascination...Fireflies. They have been so fun to watch "dancing" around in the evenings.

My first double yolk ever was before we left Boise...I cracked 4 of 4 eggs with double yolks on August 11! Things are certainly different in Pennsylvania (hope it's not because of our close proximity to Three Mile Island! Ha ha ha...).

Just hanging in a 60's style student home kitchen.

Our car reached a milestone. I think it's the 4th car I've driven that's hit 100K.

How about some ice cream with your whipped topping??? We stumbled upon this fabulous ice cream parlor in Mt. Gretna, PA. We haven't returned to Jigger Shop yet, but I we might have to make another trip before the summer season comes to a close.

Dan becomes a complete rebel when he seeks time in the spotlight.

It's been a fun summer so far. Hopefully the weather will stay nice for awhile so we can continue to enjoy various adventures around our new home.

Our First Week of Training

            On Monday, May 13, we began our first week of training. Most of it could be categorized into three parts: 1) human resources, 2) school liability prevention, and 3) behind-the-scenes operations. We had a welcome breakfast and introductory courses regarding the school and its heritage. We filled out all the necessary employment paperwork. We learned that most operations that occur on campus are provided by school employees. And we heard some presentations from the Chocolate Workers Union of which we are a part.

            The main two training all-day training events dealt with learning to drive the long 15-passenger vans by which students are transported and learning First Aid and CPR. I had just been through the CPR training for my work at Carrington College in Boise, so this was easy for me, and JaNae picked it up without any problems, too. The driving training was a little more stressful. By the end of the day, both of us had killed a few cones, and there had been some frustration, but in the end we both passed and moved on to the next thing.

            This weekend brought a welcome rest. We slept in and took naps on Saturday, then spent the rest of the day attending to outside needs that can’t be met during the busy training schedule.      On Sunday, we attended church at the Hershey Ward again. Then, we returned to the motel for another needed rest. Tonight, we received word that our things that have been transported from Boise will be arriving tomorrow, so we’ll probably spend tonight and one more night at the motel before making the attempt to call our house a home.

An Impromptu Day Trip and Our New Place

From Lexington we drove to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. We stayed at a hotel converted from General Lee’s headquarters. We took Friday to enjoy some sightseeing in this historic town.

 

 

We left Gettysburg then headed the hour or so to Hershey. When we arrived we raced in and took care of the final HR item remaining, our fingerprinting. Then we headed over to pick up any mail that might be at our new place and see just what our housing situation will be like.
 

Our place is adorable. We’re both so excited about the space and the chance to make it our own. It was described to us this way:
 

“Old farm house (1/2 duplex unit), formerly called “Old Farm 69” – has a barn adjacent to the home with some cute cows. (Don’t worry…other folks take care of the cows!)

“Multiple entrances to the home – back door by parking area, side door into living room area, and front door also at living room area – not typically used except to go to front porch of home. If entering through back door, you go into a small utility room, which is where the clothes washer and dryer are located. Entry from this room into kitchen area, then living and dining room areas on first floor, with the ½ bathroom located in this area as well. There are actually two interior stairways to the second floor. (sort of neat!) One off the kitchen area-back corner, and a second in the living room area.

“All bedrooms are located on the second floor, along with the full bathroom. While I call it a three bedroom, it actually has another smaller room in between two rooms that you could call another ½ bedroom. The former occupant…used this ½ bedroom as a nursery when his son was a baby. There is also another room that is used as a walk in closet off the one bedroom.”

 The Outside:

 

             The Inside: 

 

Our new next-door neighbors even came out to greet us:

Thankfully the neighbors next door, and across the street, have been very quiet and not pestered us at all when we’ve visited. Glad they know how to keep things to a dull roar.
 

We are looking forward to moving in and making this new location our home. The only challenge is that our things are taking their time getting to us. Everything left our house on Friday, May 3 but only to a local warehouse where it was unloaded and sat waiting for a national driver to pick it up. The first driver scheduled didn’t have room. The 2^nd could only take ½ our things (NOT acceptable!), so we think the third driver picked everything up sometime around the 10^th or 11^th or May. On Sunday, May 12 Amanda & Jake met the truck in Morgan to load our piano. After that we have no idea what route it took or when we were to expect it.
 

We had the option of staying at our place on an air mattress until our things arrived. Luckily, Dan realized that we’d want more than that while we were there –kitchen supplies, desk, chairs, maybe even a tv – so we opted for staying at a Residence Inn not far from campus. That’s been a blessing. It’s a studio room and has a full sized fridge and stove. So there’s some space for us to move around and feel at home. After training has ended, we’ve taken advantage of the pool and workout room to get in some exercise.
 

Thankfully, on Sunday, May 19 we received a message that our household goods are ready to be delivered tomorrow. FINALLY THE WAIT IS OVER! Now to figure out what is most urgent to get washed and put away while we are in the middle of our training. I suppose it’s better during the training than after we’re trying to be houseparents.

 

 

P.S. Whoops, the fuzziness was from a finger print on the lens that I didn't find for several weeks.

Heading East

Along with packing we started planning our trip east. We arrived on Saturday, May 4^thin Ogden at Amanda & Jake’s home. Sid joined us and we spent the weekend together. It was great to be together as a family again especially since it will be awhile before we’ll all be together again.

 

Every time we passed a moving truck Dan would wonder if it held our stuff. Come to find out, none of them would for another week!

Either the caffeine or need to use the bathroom will keep us awake while driving.

State border #1: Idaho to Utah

 

Sunday May 5^th my family joined us at Amanda & Jake’s for a bbq. It was fun to see them again. It was the first time Dan had met one of my nieces and the first I’d seen her in about 18 months. Crazy to think that’s our life now.

 

Monday dawned with the goal of Denver for the night. We’d decided to take pictures as we crossed the state borders with the intent that we’d be in the each of the pictures. As we headed into Colorado neither of us were paying close attention so we had to hike back to the boarder ¼ mile to capture our pictures at that border.

 

 
Border #2: Utah to Wyoming

Border #3: Wyoming to Colorado. 

 

Denver was reached and we stayed with Dan’s cousins and met their three darling children. We had a great visit and enjoyed reconnecting but had to get going quickly in the morning since our next stop was Columbia, Missouri.

  

No sign for border #4: Colorado to Kansas.

Gone are the mountains.

"Everything's up to date in Kansas City..." 

 

Today was full of new territory for us. We drove through St. Louis and the southern tips of Illinois and Indiana. Even though I grew up in the Chicago area, I didn’t spend much time in other parts of my home state. We included a stop for dinner with Dan’s Uncle John and Aunt Norma (aka Elder & Sister Trimming). His cousin Jenee and her boyfriend Rich drove down from Cincinnati to join us. It was great to visit and catch up with them as well.

Drove through a portion of 3 of 4 of these states in one day.

Maybe we should take a little detour on I-270???

 

 

Potty stop in Missouri, JaNae can sniff out a mall in any state she's in!

 

Missed the border for #6: Missouri to Illinois (of all the ones to miss!!!).

Border #7: Illinois to Indiana

 

Another stop to see family!

 

We left Uncle John & Aunt Norma’s and headed to Lexington, Kentucky for the night. Welcome to Southern Hospitality. We went to breakfast the next morning and had a fun visit with the staff and other customers. Dan and I left smiling at the dialects and “come back and see us now” that we heard; truly kind, welcoming people.

 

Border #8  Indiana to Kentucky (a make up for missing the actual border).

Border # 9: Kentucky to West Virginia

Border # 10: West Virginia to Ohio (this one was done just to say we'd been there).

Border #11: Ohio to West Virginia

 

 Almost missing the Colorado border sign should have tipped us off that the goal was going to be more challenging than we’d anticipated. Kansas had construction right at the border so the sign was nowhere to be seen. Missouri was as we crossed the river and it was missed. We didn’t see a sign into Illinois (another as we crossed a river). Going into Kentucky we crossed a river I tried and failed at getting that one too. Dan had the camera as we crossed the border from West Virginia into Maryland and missed the sign there too. Had it been safe, we would have turned around or walked back to get the border signs we missed but several were in the middle of a highway and on a bridge making that goal impossible. Oh well, we had fun trying anyway.          

Border #12: West Virginia to Maryland

 

Very interesting fog in Maryland.

 

Border #13: Maryland to Pennsylvania...FINALLY!!!

 

Some of the amazing scenery and signs we saw along the way:

About this point we learned the our things were still in a warehouse in Boise so we decided to spend an extra day on the road and visit Gettysburg...To Be Continued...