It was Mikelle’s brother, Kasey, who loved cats. His seven year old hands helped rescue “Vampire,” a gray hodgepodge of a kitten from beneath the pfitzer bushes standing sentry to the entrance of our home on Ponds View Place, back when we had grass, a sprawling ranch-style home with an uncertain future. When we sold […]
Perhaps She Does Love Cats Read More »
Life with Mikelle: Balancing our Special Needs I thought living with my daughter would either be intense, even feverish. or cool and somewhat detached. After all, I am the “backup” her “just-in-case” person, the one she will use as needed, like a first aid kit. But, as any special needs parent knows, both scenarios
As I enter our home, it is warm and bathed in soft light. I take off my coat and hang it on the hook near the door as I reflect on life in its present incarnation. I thought living with my daughter would either be intense, even feverish, in my attempts to help her find
Life with Mikelle: Balancing our Special Needs Read More »
Reluctant eagerness. Yes, those two words capture my dilemma each time I take a break from being a “special needs mom” and caregiver—if there is such a thing. Respite is good for both of us. On one hand, I am eager to leap out of my routine. Since, Mikelle graduated from high school, I have
Everyone Needs a Break–The Importance of Respite Read More »
By Ashley Ryder, Our new roommate. Some people say that ‘variety is the spice of life’…and I tend to agree. Like most people, I’ve got “chapters” in my life that define who I am and who I am trying to become. These segments are easy to identify because they’re punctuated with a proverbial ‘fork in
A Fork in the Road Read More »
This month we are sharing our ideas on what makes us happy. Listen to Kasey, Mikelle’s brother, thoughts on happiness.
January is Happiness Month. Read More »
Happy New Year. Either I am getting older, or the world is getting more complicated—or both. This year at The Shining Beautiful Series, we decided to keep our celebrations simple, grabbing for clarity rather than verbosity. On January 2nd, sitting in my favorite coffee shop awaiting the arrival of my delicious latte, I flipped
How Happy is Your New Year? Read More »
While we love our words on Shining Beautiful, it is difficult to string them together in such a way as to capture the camera sees and what are hearts feel during the holiday season. Each year, we have two major events, a holiday party and Mikelle’s birthday party. These celebrations not only connect Mikelle to
Our Shining Beautiful Community Glimmers this Holiday Season Read More »
Meet new roommate, Ashley Ryder. Ashley moved in with Mikelle and me in November just before the Thanksgiving holiday. Don’t worry, Taylor is still helping out even though she moved out in October. Ashley’s first blog for The Shining Beautiful Community. Moving truck loaded: check Final hugs and kisses doled out: check Itinerary established:
Welcome to the Shining Beautiful Community Read More »
Some people say that ‘variety is the spice of life’…and I tend to agree with them. Like most folks, I’ve have “chapters” in my life that define who I am and who I am trying to become. These segments are easy to identify because they’re punctuated with a proverbial ‘fork in the road’ and
A Fork in the Road to Shining Beautiful Read More »
