Sarah Rise Weekly Updates

Last Sunday the surgeon on duty said that Amy was free to go home as soon as she felt ready, but at that time Amy felt anything but ready. Carl and Sarah visited, bringing a sad-faced balloon (selected by Sarah of course!) and a new Beanie Boo stuffed animal. After lunch we put in the… Read more »

Last Sunday was a glorious autumn day. We started our day in Washington, DC, where we had been for a family wedding. We decided to see some of the monuments before heading home. We hadn’t known what our morning would be like so had kept it open, so it was very last minute to reach… Read more »

A week ago Amy had a fun day celebrating the birthday of her bestie. It was chilly and drizzly, but the outdoor mini-golf ice cream party happened anyway with umbrellas and rain boots but no dampened spirits. After that we dyed her hair to be ready for Halloween. While Amy and I were out, Sarah… Read more »

We have weather maps and meteorologists to help us predict when storms are brewing. If only we could more fully see such maps for our own selves. On Monday Sarah had an enormous upset at school in the afternoon. It was so enormous the teacher had to write up an incident report and if such… Read more »

Last Sunday we had a wonderful time at Simmon’s farm, our traditional spot for play and pumpkins. Two of Amy’s friends were there too, and we were lucky that it didn’t rain. After our requisite chocolate covered pretzels to eat on the hay ride, Sarah made a bee line for a giant slide. She grabbed… Read more »

Sarah was living her best life this past week because every day was a dress-down day with a special theme. Monday was “dress like a celebrity. . . or . . . dress like someone.” Sarah opted to dress as a music teacher, wearing musical notes head to toe including her musical note cardigan that… Read more »

Sarah went to work! Part of her school program now includes one day a week of going to a job with a teacher and some other students from the St. Anthony Program. Sarah started her job on Monday, going to a seminary that is near her school. She helped empty trash cans, wipe door knobs,… Read more »

I’ve been thinking about the impact of language. I can tell you that Monday was stressful or I can tell you that I felt stressed on Monday. If I say the day was stressful that doesn’t give me much agency were the same things to recur. But, if I say I felt stressed then that… Read more »

I almost feel like I should write two separate updates because part of what I have to share is light and funny and part of it is so tragic it should stand alone. And yet, perhaps we need the lightness to survive the heaviness. The tragic part does not directly involve us, but Carl and… Read more »

Overall, the week felt stressful. I second-guessed myself and judged myself, replaying some interactions with people and wishing I had handled my part of things differently. The days felt extra full, because most of them were. That’t not necessarily bad, but it gave me less time to pause and regroup. We always go swimming on… Read more »