Lindsey

I talked to some of the family about this article in the "Old Ann Landers/Dear Abby" column, so here is the full text. Enjoy!

DEAR ABBY: Several years ago, a mother of a disabled child sent you a moving essay, "Welcome to Holland." It became one of my most treasured pieces, but unfortunately I have lost my copy. Could you please reprint it for me and your readers? -- A GRANDMA IN NASHVILLE

DEAR GRANDMA: With pleasure. I am frequently asked to reprint the essay written by Emily Perl Kingsley, a wonderful mother whose child had Down syndrome. October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and this essay is dedicated to the parents and grandparents of all children who cope with disabilities.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND by Emily Perl Kingsley I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability -- to try to help people who have not shared the unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this ... When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip -- to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. Michelangelo's "David." The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The flight attendant comes and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?!" you say. "What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guidebooks. You must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." And the pain of that will never, ever, ever go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland. Readers, this is Abby again: For information about Down syndrome, and to be put in touch with local Down syndrome organizations, write to the National Down Syndrome Congress, 7000 Peachtree-Dunwoody Road NE, Building 5, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30328-1655. Its hotline -- (800) 232-NDSC (6372) -- also offers a wealth of information on any subject related to Down syndrome. A telephone call can provide you with that difficult-to-find information or assist you in establishing contact with other parents of children with Down syndrome. The Web site is: www.ndsccenter.org

Candy Sale Reward Trip

Almost everyone won the trip to "Boondocks!" We had a blast!

Lindsey's New Friends

Some of you might recognize a few of these people...

Timber Trail

Orange Blossom Special

"Friends of Berean" Night

Here are some pictures from a recent church activity. We had a fundraiser slightly similar to "Wrestle-O-Rama," for those of you who are familiar with that event. In addition to a chili cook-off, a bake-off, and a play (by the high school), there were numerous other activities and competitions for participants to enter.

There was the Marshmallow Stuffing Contest.

And the arm-wrestling wars! Thanks to the extra impetus of having his fiancee' standing right behind him, Matt was able to beat his opponent, but just barely.

Sadly, all of my practice at the Ladies' Retreat did not help against the curveballs and trick shots that the guys brought to the ping-pong table.

Foosball!

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And... whoa! Did I miss something!

Oh, whew! That is the Lewis' baby! I thought I had entered a time machine there for a second!

As Requested

For those who asked for these or have not seen them...

Fishing!!!

Mom & Pop

Our Family (Fall 2008)

Girls ONLY!

Christmas Dinner (2008)

Tibby

Yes, I am one to name my cars. Some of you might remember "Sweet Chariot"... sweet, but.... After I got done with it, it was more of a chariot than a car, too. That was a good car for a beginner!

Then there is "Max." Technically, the full name is "Maximillian." Thanks a million, Maximillian!

Well, now am proud to introduce you to Tibby! She's my baby!

Red paint, sun/moon roof, and even lighted gear shift on the dashboard! What more can you ask for? Well, the light purple, mohair seat covers are just the topping on the cake!

My New Home

Well, this is my house!!! In case you were wondering, it is 753 Polk St., Ogden, UT 84404, to be exact.

A lot of the houses out here seem to be similar in structure. Though they appear small at first, they actually have a lot of space inside. A walk-through of the house gives the impression that it expands as more and more rooms are explored. Just when you think you have seen it all, you will find another room! There is a kitchen, dining room, two family rooms, four bedrooms, one bathroom (but a set up for another), laundry / utility room, and storage space. There is also a one-car, attached garage (filled with just about everything but a car - typical for a garage, I guess), and a good-sized front and back yard. It really is a very nice house!