Visits, Potatoes, Volleyball, Homecoming & Kisses

Amanda had a conference in Pittsburgh for work in September. Thankfully, Jake and Sid were able to join her at the end and the three of them headed our way for a long weekend. It was a short trip but we were so glad they made the effort to come.

Our agenda included a stop at the school for lunch. We were there for a couple Senior High lunch breaks and the kids were able to meet a few of the students we've interacted with in the few months we've been in Hershey.

From there we headed to Chocolate World.

Chocolate World has the largest and widest selection of Hershey chocolates you'll find anywhere. YUMMY!!! There's even a ride that tells how Hershey makes its chocolate and at the end, everyone receives some chocolate!

 

The next day we headed to Gettysburg together. We took the auto tour and since we had bought a tour on cd on our previous visit, we gathered in the same car and went from stop to stop learning more and more about the critical battles that took place there.

 

 

 

It was fun to show them around where we live and let them see more of what we are doing. Overall it was too quick of a visit but better than no visit at all.

While preparing for dinner at a student home I noticed the following:

An Idaho brand of potatoes! Then a few days later I saw this:

It was fun to have these two touches of "home" here in Pennsylvania, especially after the kids had left recently.

After attending a couple football games, we decided to support the girl's volleyball team. We managed to attend a couple of their games too. It was even more exciting and nail biting than the football games since we knew 75% of the team and were much closer to the action; we cheered ourselves hoarse.

Eventually, we spent a couple weeks at another girl's student home. There was the possibility we would be taking over for a period of time since the housefather's mother was ill. So we were  assigned there to shadow and learn the regular routine. We even ended up covering a few days that the houseparents were off which happened to fall on Homecoming weekend.

At 7:30 am the Saturday morning of Homecoming we were awakened to several of the students knocking on door letting us know that the power was out. We gathered together in the living room with pillows and blankets to visit and wait for the power to return. As the morning progressed, we began trying to figure out how we were going to eat breakfast and all get ready for the tailgate party and game. Eventually we decided on McDonald's for breakfast and by the time I returned with the first van load of girls, the power was back on. Dan took the remaining girls who had slept through the excitement and they got breakfast while we quickly got ready. The girls were troupers despite concerns about how we were going to eat breakfast and primp for the afternoon's festivities.

We made it to the decorated van contest and game with plenty of time to spare.

This game ended with a win for us! YAY!

As Dan and I left Founder's Hall, we saw this parked right outside the porte cochere:

 

Not sure why the Kissmobile was there but we decided to seize the moment.

Another fun-filled couple weeks!

Seasons Beginning to Change

With only a few spare hours here and there, it's been a huge challenge to keep this even close to up-to-date. The hours we aren't with students we are running errands, sleeping, attending church, sleeping, at a church activity, sleeping, in trainings or meetings. Those priorities push the blog horribly out of date and the house a disaster. We keep telling ourselves it will get easier once we're assigned a students home, hopefully we aren't lying to ourselves.

The students returned from their summer breaks and are back in full swing of school work and activities. The first marking period came to an end and the time was been busy and hectic yet full of fun too. We're still shadowing and jumping from student home to student home and loving every minute of it.

The annual day of service to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. was in October. We were at a girl's student home and tried to come up with some ideas that would benefit the community not just the school or student home. After calling around to see about making visits at nursing homes, we paid closer attention to something the students said and opted to write letters to anyone they could think of who might need encouragement. We all selected someone and got busy writing and drawing to encourage someone else. We delivered several of the letters and sent a few out to the appropriate people. The girls really got into it and realized that something small can be very comforting and helpful to someone in need.

After spending some time doing service, the students all gathered for treats, carnival games, dancing, basketball, socializing, and swimming. It was a fun weekend and everyone seemed to have a good time.

A couple weeks later we attended the annual Cocoa Bean football game; our school vs the in town rival, Hershey High.

 

 We cheered loudly for the students we knew on the team.

 

 

We looked hard for the ones we knew in the band and color guard.

This is an annual tradition between the schools with the trophy going back and forth; but at Hershey High for the last nine years. This year's game was a nail biter of a game that sadly we lost by a measly five points. Not a very fun way to start the season, despite the determination of the whole team.

The following Monday was the Jelly Bean game, the JV version of the Cocoa Bean:

The JV played well and sent the other team home without the trophy this year; make that year #10 for Hershey.

This backpack deserves a shout-out:

It brought a smile to my face and I refrained from shouting "You spinney backed jerk."

One of our weekends off we headed to Amish country for a day visit. Not really sure where we were going, we drove through the area looking for places to stop. As we drove through the heart of the Amish communities, this was a frequent sight:

Yes, the town is really called Intercourse:

We were brave and even tasted some Shoo Fly Pie:

While helping at a third girl's student home (we do get assigned to boy's homes too, but they weren't doing as many photo-worthy activities at this time.) the Hershey Horticulture Society was holding an event at Founder's Hall. I persuaded three of the girls to go with me to view the displays. There were some amazing arrangements and flowers I'd never seen before.

This particular student home assignment was for us to Med Assist. That meant that one of the houseparents was ill and unable to perform their duties for several weeks so another couple comes in so that the student homes will have a male & female adult in the home. Dan and I were both there as was the regularly assigned housefather. During our time Med Assisting, it was the housefather's birthday. The girls and I decided to make some homemade cinnamon rolls for him. He took a night out and we went to work. On the morning of his birthday we were able to get everything together and surprise him with our efforts. The girls were excited about what we had done to help make his day more special.

 

Though we've not been able to attend our Church meetings more than every-other-week, we've been lucky enough to be off for a couple different ward activities. At one, one of the young women was drawing caricatures of people in attendance. We decided to have her draw one of us:

An example of how our brains aren't functioning as well as normal (whatever that is for us); Jake, Amanda, & Sid came out for a quick trip in September. They left on Sunday for the airport from Gettysburg and we left about the same time and headed straight to our ward for church. When we pulled into the parking lot, Dan reached for his tie and realized he'd packed his suit but not his tie. Here he is in church trying to hide that fact:

It was a busy couple months but we did all we could to make the most if it.

Summers Were Intended for Road Trips

As the summer came to a close, we managed to squeeze in a few final activities such as a trip to Lititz, PA,

the Victoria Jackson/Big Time Rush Concert (yeah, we hadn't heard of them before either..and we wore earplugs) and we admired the beautiful sunsets,

and a weekend in Washington, DC (long before the shutdown):

Day 1-Driving through DC, National Mall:

So which direction are you driving on this street?

We found the motto on the license plates pretty funny.

Day 2-Library of Congress, Capitol Building, Canadian Embassy,

Supreme Court, National Archives, Naval Memorial, Riding the Metro:

 

Dan's back was killing him by this point so we took the elevator up to meet a shuttle that would take us to the front of the Capitol Building; any break was desirable at this point. Dan's never been very mechanically inclined, can you tell?!

We are looking forward to spending more time in our Nation's Capital while we are here.

Ag & Zoology Related

So the saga of the double yolks continues...

When I finished the dozen, 10 of the 12 were double yolks!

We live among corn fields:

The corn might not be quite elephant eye height but it does surpass Dan's eye:

Over the summer there was a orange bullfrog outside the student home. Well, since then we've seen two outside OUR HOUSE! The first one appeared at home on an night out for Dan. I wondered if maybe I'd have to kiss the toad to get my prince back:

 

 

 

 

Lately they've gotten a little bolder...the two frogs were guarding our door:

 

It's kinda cool to have them here but kinda creepy at the same time.

We've seen a hawk seen several times outside our house. It's remarkable to see it just resting on the wires looking for something to eat. One day we even saw a couple of them a few feet apart:

I won't post the pictures of the huge spiders we've seen so far; just know they aren't big, they are HUGE!!!!!

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.