An Interesting Experience

Today I was on my way home from picking up the kids from a friend's house and I saw a man in a motorized wheelchair in the bike lane. He was on a kind of busy road, and he seemed to be having a hard time controlling his chair. I was afraid he was going to get hit by a car, so I pulled over and asked him if he needed help. He said that he needed to get to the shade under a nearby tree. I pushed the controller on his chair and jogged along beside it to get him onto the sidewalk and down to the shade.

I could tell he was having a hard time mentally and thought part of the problem may be dehydration, since it was the middle of the day and fairly hot outside. (We had a high of 81 degrees today.) I asked him if he needed a drink and he said "Yes, please". I dug around in my car and found a bottle with a little water in it. He couldn't move his hands up to his face, so he asked me to pour the water into his mouth. I did, and I could tell he was very grateful.

A guy who was working on the landscaping nearby came over to see what was going on. He took the water bottle and filled it up with fresh, cold water from the cooler on his truck, then had to get back to work.

I asked the man in the wheelchair where he was trying to go and if there was someone I could call for him. He motioned to an envelope in his lap with a phone number written on it. It said "Immanuel" under the phone number, so I assumed that was the name of a person. It turned out that it was the phone number for the care facility where he lives. I told them his name, what street we were on and our crossroads. First, they asked me if I was going to bring him back, and I said that I had no way to transport him and his wheelchair in my car. Then, they dispatched a car to come pick him up.

After a while in the shade, and with some hydration, Mr. R's condition started to improve. He became more talkative, but still wasn't all the way "there".I didn't want to just leave him there alone, so we waited until someone showed up from the care facility. While we waited, we talked. He said he was trying to get to the DMV in his wheelchair so he could get his license, but when he got to the place he thought it was there was no longer a DMV there. Before that he had gone to CVS because he lost his wallet yesterday and thought he'd left it there. He said that he has had MS for 17 years, and that he had earned some kind of special PhD from ASU before he got sick.

My heart really went out to this man. I could tell that he had been a really smart guy in his 'previous' life. I asked him about the place he lived and if he liked it. He made a face and said he hated it and that he wanted to go back to Tuscon, but Tuscon is getting too big now.

For most of this time the kids were sitting in the car with the windows rolled down, but they were getting restless so I let them get out of the car. They enjoyed interacting with Mr. R, and I think he really got a kick out of them. Shortly after that the man from the care facility arrived. As soon as he saw the motorized wheelchair he started complaining and saying, "I can't pick you up in a car with a wheelchair!" Then he started interrogating Mr. R, lecturing him about how he can't go off in his wheelchair like that, and complaining about how the people at the facility do that all the time and what a hassle it is for him. I felt so bad for Mr. R and the way this man was treating him. I felt like saying something to him about it, but I didn't want to get in a fight with some stranger and put my kids and myself in a bad situation. So, I just continued to talk to Mr. R and give him more to drink. I kind of didn't want to leave him there with the guy from the care facility, but I had to.

It annoyed me how the man was talking down to Mr. R. Just because he doesn't have the same mental capacity as he used to doesn't mean you have to treat him like that! I think another reason it bothered me was because Mr. R reminded me a little of my Dad when he was near the end of his illness. He wasn't all there mentally, but he still had feelings. He liked to try to do things for himself. People deserve to be treated kindly and with respect, especially in a situation like that. Mr. R wasn't trying to "cause trouble" or anything. He sincerely thought he needed to get to the DMV and that his chair was the best way to get there.  

I asked Mr. R if he wanted me to stay until the bus from the care facility arrived. He said he'd be okay. So, I started loading the kids back into the car and cleaning up our 'picnic' of fruit snacks and chips that I found in the trunk to appease their grumbling tummies since it was way past lunch time. When I was saying goodbye Mr. R grabbed my hand, then pulled me in to give me a hug. He said, "Thank you so much. God bless you! Have a nice day." I wanted to cry, and said shyly, "You, too."

During our 'adventure' the kids were asking me questions about what we were doing, etc. They asked me something along the lines of "Why are we staying here and helping this guy?" I said, "Because it's the nice thing to do. If you were stuck on the side of the road, wouldn't you want someone to help you?" I know I don't always stop to help people, but in this case I just really felt like I need to help this guy.

At the time I wasn't thinking about it, but on the way home the thought occurred to me that I think letting our children see us giving service and showing love to our fellow men is such a great way to teach them about the things that are the most important in this life.We were there with him a little over an hour. An hour well spent? I think so.

My "Crafty" Idea

I have a fun idea...and a challenge!! Go over to my blog "Crafty Crafts" to read all about it. You know you want to...

And speaking of things that are crafty, check out these goofballs. More pictures to come in another post. This is just a sneak peek.

Top FIVE List

I thought it would be fun to periodically do a Top Five List. I was originally going to do a Top Ten, but decided that it can be hard to come up with 10, so Top Five it is!
Here is my first Top Five.

Drumroll please...

TOP FIVE REASONS I ACTUALLY *LIKE* TAKING A SHOWER AT THE GYM!

I know some people hate it and avoid it at all costs, but I'm okay with it. Here are the reasons why.


5. The showers at my gym have decent shower heads. I think they're better than the one I have at home, anyways.

4. I get to use the fancy-ish shampoo and conditioner that we got when we stayed at the Marriott last November. I never use trial sized shampoo & conditioner at home, so it's like a little treat.

3. It feels good to hop in the shower right after I've been working out. (I get really sweaty & stinky, especially after a long run. Probably TMI. Ha ha ha). It's so refreshing to let the water wash away all the yuckiness.

2. More privacy! Now, you are probably thinking, 'More privacy?! In a bathroom at a public gym?! With those flappy little curtains for shower doors?! Where Wanda Weirdo could just accost you while in the shower unannounced?!' The answer, my friends, is YES. You mamas probably know this better than anyone. See, when you are in the shower at the gym you don't have little people entering the room saying, "Mom, I need this" or "Mom, so-and-so hit me" or "Mom, can you read me a story" or a plethora of other things to make you squeal "Get out of here! Can't you see I'm taking a shower?! I'm NAKED!" Husbands can be guilty of this crime as well, bless their hearts.

AND THE #1 REASON IS...

1. Peace of mind. This is similar to the last one, but kind of in reverse. Instead of being interrupted by kiddos you are interrupted by thoughts pertaining to what said kiddos are doing whilst you are in the shower. Is it too quiet out there? Are they getting into trouble? What if some one gets hurt and I don't hear it because I'm in the shower? What if someone comes to the door and the kids open it and it's some kidnapper? The list of questions that rack a mommy's mind while trying to (peacefully) take a shower is virtually endless. BUT, if you are taking a shower at the gym you know where the kids are. You know they are safe. You know that they aren't getting into trouble, and if they are the Kids Club people will take care of it. Your mind is free to enjoy the warm water, the scent of the soap and a few minutes of free time. Or, you can let you mind worry about other things...it's your call. ;)

***

Oh, and throughout writing this post I kept thinking over and over about "Legally Blonde" when Elle is questioning the daughter during the trial and she keeps saying, "So, you were in the shower..."

Scott at School

Here are a few pictures I was able to get of Scott at school. Thought it would be nice to have a few pictures of him at school on here since that is where he spends the majority of his time. ;-)

Here are a couple of pictures from a Sports Medicine Club event.

Here is a picture from the Suture Off preliminaries last year.

Oh, and I don't think I've mentioned it, but Scott was elected to be the president of a new Podiatric Surgery Club at school, so that is exciting! I am proud of him and all the hard work he puts in for our family. I know that keeping up with school and family life can be stressful, but he just steps up to the plate and makes it all happen. He's been working really hard and we really appreciate it. One day we'll all be able to relax a little more and enjoy the fruits of his labor, like a work schedule that allows him to be home at a decent hour! But, until then we will just have to make the best of our current situation and remember what Gordon B Hinkley said, "Through all of living have much joy and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."

Cuts for Kids

Monday night we went to Cuts for Kids at Midwestern. I wasn't planning to go, but when we went to pick Scott up from school Katelynn had to use the potty, so we ended up getting out of the car and staying for the event. They had a bunch of hair stylists there doing 'free, but you should donate at least $15' haircuts, and the donations went to Locks of Love and Phoenix Children's Hospital.

They also had a bunch of booths set up from local businesses and clubs at the school giving out free stuff, food, drinks, etc, as well as a bounce house and slide. Both Mommy & Daddy were able to get 5 minute chair massages. One booth was giving out potted vegetable plants, so now we have several tomato and pepper plants.

The kids were having a great time. These pictures pretty much sum up the evening.

CiCi's

Last Saturday we drove out to Mesa to look at a minivan we were thinking about buying. Or was it the Saturday before that? Man, I'm losin' it... Anyway, we didn't end up buying the van, but while we were in town we visited American Discount Foods. Yes, we really live it up around here. But, when you can get onions for 12 cents a pound and lots of other great stuff for so cheap it's worth stopping there! After shopping we decided to have dinner at CiCi's Pizza, since there isn't one close to us. (Yikes! It sounds like I should rename this post "Ghetto Fun" or something!) The kids love 'playing' the arcade games and picking out their pizza.

Katelynn was a pasta monster! She ate, like 5 or 6 plates of pasta!! It was insane. Maybe the prednisone makes her crave carbs. I dunno. Anyway, it was so funny that I had to take a picture of her with her many plates. Well, the ones that hadn't been cleared away yet, at least.

AZ Science Center

During Scott's Spring Break we went to the Arizona Science Center. The kids always love going to museums.We were able to get passes from the library, so that is always a good thing.

Here are the kids running around in a garden outside the museum.

Here they are posing on a rock together. Love Michael's face?! Ha ha ha.

The kids loved pushing the button to make Mommy &  Daddy lay on a bed of nails!

Daddy and the kids looking at the 3D pictures. These things reminded me of the old Viewmasters we had when we were kids.

Here is a video of the kids spinning around in an exhibit about centrifugal force (I think that's what it was about. I don't remember for sure). Isn't kid laughter contagious?!

We spent a decent amount of time playing in the water table. It was filled with sand so you could experiment with how erosion works. The kids loved building the dam, then releasing the water to make a river. It was nice to visit the museum.

Marathon Med Tent

A few weeks ago Scott was able to work in one of the medical tents at the end of the P.F. Chang's Rock n' Roll Marathon. He said they mostly saw a lot of blisters and things like that. The most 'exciting' thing that happened in their tent was sending a guy to the ER for hyponatremia, which is what happens when you get over-hydrated. I didn't realize that was a big problem, but apparently it is.

Touch-a-Truck

On Saturday we went to an event called "Touch-a-Truck". They have all these different types of trucks on display and let the kids climb into them, honk the horns, start the sirens, etc.

 

 Needless to say it was a loud event.

Here is a neat old yellow firetruck they had there for the kids to climb into. 

 

They also had a couple of truck shaped bouncy slides for the kids to play on.

 

One highlight of the event for the kids was the Oscar Myer Weinermobile. (for some odd reason my spell check doesn't recognize this word. I am mystified). All the kids were given a 'weeny whistle', which they thought was the coolest thing ever. 

The girls also loved the pink fire truck. The fireman with the truck was outfitted in pink gear from head to toe.

The kids, and Scott, also enjoyed the Air Force fire truck. It was huge! If a firetruck and a hummer had a love child, this is what it would look like.

 

After the Touch-a-Truck we went over to Cabela's. While we were there they had some snakes on display and they let the kids hold "George". They loved it!

We also had to check out the fish tank, of course, as well as sample the food in the booths outside, including a buffalo steak and some pizza made in a dutch oven! It was nice to spend a Saturday together as a family.