Hacker Widow

Holding pattern.

Kim Fahrni — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:27:19 +0000

That pretty much explains my life at the moment. I really can’t explain how it feels. Some personalities are ok with waiting for circumstances to dictate the course of ones life. I don’t happen to be one of those. I consider myself a pretty laid back person but this is ridiculous. I just want to move on to the next phase of our lives. :0/

The SLO life.

Kim Fahrni — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:13:43 +0000

For years, our favorite place in the world to visit has been San Luis Obispo, CA. We were first introduced to this wonderful city when we stayed at the Apple Farm. This lead us to the actual exploration of the city itself. We have walked Monterey and Higuera more times than I can count. We always visit our favorite shops, some are no longer there. But the overall feeling of the place is “Welcome!” Now, we actually have the opportunity to live there. My hubby has accepted a job at a GREAT company there is in his second week. It’s a wonderful opportunity, and he is inspired once again. I, on the other hand, am now standing in the middle of our home thinking, “What in the WORLD have we gotten ourselves into??????” I really hate to pack… no , really, I HATE to pack… We are two pack-rats who got married and produced 2 baby pack-rats. AARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!! I really have no idea how I’m going to get through this. The only thing I can think of is to just stay focused on the end result. SLO…SLO….SLO…. I can’t wait to be able to enjoy the SLO life on a regular basis…

Mother’s Day Memories.

Kim Fahrni — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 04:58:51 +0000

All I wanted for Mother’s Day this year was to spend the day with my family in our favorite place, San Luis Obispo. They were so sweet and gave me my wish! First, they showered me with gifts..

This beautiful Willow Tree box was from my youngest…

My oldest made my favorite Key Lime Bars from scratch, mmmmmmm!!!

Hubby did pretty good too… ;0D

Then off to SLO!!

First, lunch at our favorite place..

With our 2 beautiful daughters…

As we walked around, we came upon an amazing site. First, I saw this dog…

A very forlorn looking guy. So sweet and of course I wanted a pic… So I walked around to the other side of the car for a better look and saw…

THIS guy!! I fell in LOVE!! He was the most amazing looking hound.

Just LOOK at that face!!! He was amazing!!! This guy DEFINITELY made my day.

So we said goodbye to our favorite place…but not for long :0)

The Last Day

Kim Fahrni — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:32:41 +0000

This day is definitely bitter sweet. It is a day that I’ve been looking forward to for about a year. I had hit burn out pretty badly after 9 years as a Behavior Aide and had decided to take a year off. Then 4 weeks ago, God sent our life into warp drive! Rob has a new job in a wonderful city, I have to get the house ready to sell, the girls are entering the next phase of their lives, our family dynamic is going to radically change, and I will be a stay at home mom again. WOW!! I consider myself pretty easy going but this is alot in a short amount of time. The hardest part will be leaving the little girl I’ve been with for the better part of 3 years now. She has been the toughest but most rewarding assignment I’ve had so far. I love her like a daughter and when she smiles, it just melts the heart. Being with her 1-1 for so long, it made it hard to really see her progress. She has come so far, and I am SO proud of her. She will probably never understand this, or really care, but that’s OK. She will always be in my heart, like one of my own children. The laughter, the tears, and definitely the stories to last a lifetime.

On to the next great adventure!!

The “Expedition”.

Kim Fahrni — Mon, 24 May 2010 11:16:42 +0000

So we went on a house hunting expedition to San Luis Obispo this weekend. We left around 8 am. Not a good time for me…. About 45 minutes into the drive, I realized I’d forgotten the Thomas Guide. My Dad go me hooked on using “the guide” years ago. They have saved us more than once. Anyway, after that, we continued on our way, completely clueless what we were going to do once we got there. We had one showing set up. I tried to set up 3-4 more, but the agents wouldn’t get back to me..aarrgghhh. On our escapades through the various towns, we discovered, Arroyo Grande.

I’m in love!

If you take a trip along the Coast, this town is a must!! Quaint shops, friendly people, great weather, what more can you ask for?? And speaking of quaint shops, we found…

OMG.. this place had THE most amazing pastries.

Hubby enjoying his cupcake topped with whipped cream and dipped in chocolate…

Obviously…

;0)

Changes…

Kim Fahrni — Thu, 20 May 2010 10:52:36 +0000

Wow… this has been an exciting last couple of weeks. Rob accepted a job at the coast so our lives will be taking a completely different direction. It has been a whirlwind of a time, I can tell you! My summer will now be spent scrambling to get this house in order to hopefully sell for a fair price. It isn’t the greatest time to sell, but the Lord is leading us in a new direction…Who am I to question or complain?? ;0) Will be blogging about the process, of course. More to follow…

Really??!?!?!

Kim Fahrni — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:58:45 +0000

I just can’t believe it. Do people really break up with people on public forums like MySpace and Facebook?? Seriously?? Whatever gave these people the idea it was ok to humiliate someone like that in public. Yes, MySpace and Facebook are PUBLIC. Every photo, every word, every poke, and comment is out there for anyone to see. These pages change the rules so often that there is no way to keep up with all the updated privacy settings. They keep opening everything we have on these sites wide open and it is up to us to go in and change the settings. Does this seem a little backwards to anyone else?? Then you pair that with people who don’t even give you the benefit of a face to face conversation to drop huge, life altering bombs on you. Yes, I have enjoyed getting reacquainted with old friends, but it is very disconcerting to see someones life ripped open so callously for all to see. Do they think it will be easier seeing it written down as opposed to hearing it face to face? More likely, these pages are producing generations of cowards. People who don’t have the bravery to confront someone face to face and take the consequences. “Dear John” letters have been around forever. That isn’t what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the true message BEHIND the message. The “I don’t care enough to tell you I’m leaving, I’ll just change my status and delete you from my life.” message. The one that seems to have become acceptable today. What do you tell your children? How do you explain that they are worth more than just a meaningless status update? As parents, we have to be aware and keep trying. Tell them how wonderful they are. Give them that foundation so when stupid things like this happen, they won’t do something drastic.

Center Activities #5

Kim Fahrni — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:40:25 +0000

This activity is to introduce word families. Pick some fairly common “chunks”.

Then take the time to figure out all the letters that will create words. Some can be used in more than one “family”.

Attaching the velcro will help the child see the word.

I usually attach long strips somewhere on the folder to hold the pieces when not in use. Remember… velcro is our friend. :0D

Ok, I admit it…

Kim Fahrni — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:53:00 +0000

Ok, I admit it, I’m having a mid-life crisis. Who’d of thought! It’s still hard for me to believe. I sit at work or at home and feel restless. I feel like there’s something else I should be doing. Something that will be more meaningful, more fulfilling, more helpful, more memorable, more enjoyable… It has GOT to be out there, right? Something that will make people stand up and take notice. Something meaningful. Sadly, my job is sort of like that now. Any normal person would be intrigued, inspired and motivated. But me, I have hit burn-out so bad after 9 years, I can’t appreciate it any longer. I no longer have the motivation to create and inspire the kids I am with. Why? What has changed? Just because I had a few birthdays? What is it that made me so totally switch my thinking? A few years ago I was wanting to acquire more education to be able to delve deeper into finding out what creates Autism. Now, thinking about going back to school just makes me tired. Will this change? Is there hope to find ones passions again without buying a new motorcycle or running away with an 18 yr old? (Just kidding, honey :0) ) I guess we’ll find out…

Center Activities #4

Kim Fahrni — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:33:22 +0000

I’ve talked about categorizing quite a bit, so I decided to hit math. I’ve been with my student for about 3 years. So we have had to grow quite a bit. this was one of the earlier folders she used. I made it for the purpose of number recognition and counting. This was actually just a handout in her Kindergarten class. I decided to make 2 copies.

I colored both copies and cut them out. I glued the first set onto a filefolder and glued the second set to card stock and laminated everything.

I attached velcro and she was ready to go. This can be done a variety of ways depending on your child. ;0)