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The Biggest Little Lessons ...

 by Kyndra

Here's what the Biggest Little City in the World got me doing in the past year and a half ...

1.)  living simply ... reducing, reusing, recycling / amazing how this can reduce the clutter in your head also

2.)  not thinking as much, just BEING more

3.) taking time every day to see and appreciate the beauty of nature and the beauty of the human spirit

4.) supporting local biz / easy to do in a small city ... thinking this will take more deliberate choosing in a spread out suburban metroplex like DFW (taking suggestions)

5.) appreciating my friends more / I have some of the best friends and family, chances are if you are reading this you are one of them and I am so grateful for you

News

We have some news on the O'Reilly-Reno front!  Drumroll please ......

Kyndra will be taking a new OT job at Cook Children's in Ft. Worth, and will be moving back to the DFW area!  Tada!

Now, before any speculators get out of hand, hear the specifics:

1.  Our marriage is great, and this decision has nothing to do with us WANTING to leave/be apart from each other. In fact, because we feel so committed to one another and to the other's dreams, we are opening ourselves up to this possibility for a time.

2.  Kyndra went to OT school with the specific goal of working with children in a hospital/rehab setting. It is the setting where she was first exposed to occupational therapy and wants to give herself the chance to experience working in it early on in her career. Mostly because she has a passion to work with children and their families who are experiencing major life transitions. Unfortunately, Reno does not have this kind of work opportunity.

3.  Shaun is staying in Reno, with the goal of finishing his Literature and Environment program at UNR in Summer of 2012. He plans on being super busy, working and mastering grad school and then seeing what's next. Every time he gets lonely, he'll simply head to the library to read or write something. And, he will always be accepting visitors!

With this in mind, we are taking on this long-distance thing as an adventure. We know that the next 2 years will fly by (our first 6 years of marriage sure have), and we're looking forward to what this time will bring about! Thanks as always for your support and care, and be sure to catch an O'Reilly near you - now in DFW and Reno, NV!  :)

peace,

-shaun and kyndra

Dallas!

 by Kyndra

Last week I made a big trip back to Dallas. I went to participate in a phenomenal training course called SIPT training (Sensory Integration Praxis Test). It is a course that prepares occupational therapists to evaluate children with sensory integration issues. And, it provided me with a great knowledge base to work from with the kids that I see at my job.

I was very happy to visit with my family and to celebrate my Dad's birthday while I was there! I also was able to spend some wonderful time with my good friends from OT school and some girls I used to work with.

We went to the Mavericks pre-season game; we had a lot of fun, of course!!

 

We had a birthday dinner before the game for my Dad. It was so good to see my uncle Andrew who we used to live with. Love him!

OT friends dinner at Blue Mesa!

 

Kelly brought her little man - he is wearing a Reno ENVY shirt that Shaun and I got him when he was born! He's a sweetheart, and loves the Itsy Bitsy Spider song. :)

 

Shared a laugh-til-you-cry kind of lunch with Media & Wendy! I was so happy to see them; they are like fam.

 

We went to Anamia's, my most favorite Mexican food restaurant! I have craved good Mexican food since we moved to Reno - these northwesterners really don't have that genre of food down. Give me some Tex-Mex!

SPIDEY SENSES

by Kyndra

Since working with kids with Sensory Processing Dysfunction, I have started to recognize some similar characteristics in my pups at home! We shouldn't be surprised that animals can have similar sensory issues since they also have complex neurological systems that take in and process the sensory experiences in their environment. In fact, Temple Grandin (a well known adult with Autism) has written numerous books on the topic and has advocated for these animals. See more here.) Tux has always been a sensitive dog and so I have begun to try some sensory therapy with him to help him calm his nervous system a bit ... it seems to be working! He actually really loves wearing his Spidey costume we got him a few years ago for Halloween because it provides him deep pressure from its stretchy/tight fit (which is super calming)!

Here's a few pix of him lounging around with his therapy suit on!

386 to 880 - one year in Reno

 

by Kyndra

  --> 

We have officially been in Reno for 1 year this month. When we arrived last year to our 386 sq foot house, we were thrilled and excited to see what life would hold in the Biggest Little City in the World. And, honestly, we didn't expect the changes that would come even after only one year.

We imagined living at SODO 4 for the full time we would be in Reno. But, we decided it was time to take a look around town to buy a house, and for some reason it just didn't seem right to buy 386 sq feet for our long term future. :-)  Mostly, we wanted a fenced yard for our dogs, room to host visitors so people can travel here and stay with us (hint: come on down!), AND - the loan companies said they wouldn't work with us on anything under 500 sq ft!  So, that sealed the deal - we couldn't buy at SODO 4. 

We found plenty of houses that thrilled us, but none that were right to buy. After more than a month of looking, we decided to pack up our house search and keep the "renters" status. Then not 2 weeks later, our fabulous landlord, Kelly Rae, called us to come look at her recent project: 526 Cheney St.

We pretty much fell in love with this darling home and are taking the plunge to be first-time home owners.

I don't miss SODO 4 like I thought I would, but I have learned many valued lessons from living SMALL and SIMPLY for a year.  Even in our 880sq ft (+ basement), I don't plan to take this last year for granted; simple living is good living and it somehow lets the stuff that really matters take full bloom into daily life.

Live simply that others may simply live. - Gandhi

Transition Point

 by Kyndra

I have now completed 2 full weeks at my new job as an occupational therapist. And, I absolutely love it and have no doubt in my mind that I am meant to be exactly where I am now.

Of course with a new job there is plenty of excitement, and also plenty of nerves! And undoubtedly, the nerves found me. In fact, these nerves have been hanging around me since before I was in OT school. I would worry about what it would be like to be a 'real' OT with all the responsibilities. I have been anticipating this transition from student to novice therapist for a very long time. And now it is here; I am smack in the middle of this transition.

I found myself mulling over this experience ... and if a girl ever had a wish that would come true, mine would be that I could completely skip over this transition period and be a great therapist that knows exactly what to do and where to go and what to say and no anxiety. I was wishing for the future, and not realizing the present ...

And then it occurred to me ... "I work at place called Transition Point."

Transition Point was chosen by Judy Ishibashi (the owner and my boss) for a very pointed reason. Transition point is a physics term. Judy explained that during the transition point, as one state of matter is transitioning into another, properties of both states of matter are existing together. This is her hope for all the children and adults who come to Transition Point. That they as individuals, with their unique gifts, can exist in this world ... that they are not lost in this world or fully in their own.

So, there I sat ... realizing that I am at a transition point. And, I should just be. So I take this opportunity of feeling the excitement and anxiety of transitioning and think of the very special children that I work with. Maybe they also feel how I feel ... excited, not good enough, anxious, confused, overwhelmed, happy, laughter ... and I admire them. They give me courage as they show up and work so hard.

I choose to count this time a blessing and I will transition with these great kiddos!

Here is a picture of Judy with Jessi (who is an amazing little girl who has autism). Read more on Jessi's transition here.

Bored = Scored!

by Kyndra
This past weekend, we found ourselves very bored ... well, mostly this means that I was bored. Shaun generally can find things to do with his time better than I can. On Saturday night, this "boredom" led us to the mall and we bought a board game called, Spy Alley. We had fun learning how to play and hide our secret spy identities from each other while we sipped some hot tea. After all the fun though, we decided it might be a 2 person + game. On Sunday, Shaun learned that the San Antonio Spurs were playing the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento later that evening. He knows how much I love to watch NBA games, so he threw out the idea that we go. I thought he was crazy, but I was SO tempted! He found some fabulous seats (on the front row right behind the Spurs - hello) for a sweet deal. We went for it, and before we knew it, we were headed to Sacramento! (It's only 2 hours away).

We made our way into the stadium and down to the FRONT ROW - we were giggling like school girls ... we have never been so close. We were 5 feet away from Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, Greg Popovich, Michael Finley, Fabrizio Oberto ... ok, ok, I won't name all the Spurs players! It was so exciting though. Oh, I forgot to mention that Shaun made me (at least this is my story now) wear my Dirk shirt. The whole night I was totally embarrassed to take off my jacket ... but at least I was secretly "Loud and Proud!" Although, I didn't manage to hide it the entire game and the girl sitting next to me said her brother saw us on TV and was like, "Why is that girl next to you wearing a MAVS shirt ... weirdo!" That made me feel goofy - but at least I was noticed on TV, right?!! We had a thrilling time, and it was a close game - Spurs won by 2 points!! Oh, and Duncan totally looked at Shaun and me when I pulled out the camera during a time out - that was fun for me - I hope he saw my Dirk shirt! :)

Our first row pics are here.   I have to say that the Spurs are not my fav team - c'mon, I'm sold out for the Mavs! But, we had to go support anyone representing Texas up here in the Northwest! 

 

O's Visit Tahoe!

by Shaun

September has been a packed month so far!

-         My parents visited us and celebrated their anniversary while here

-             The Great Reno Balloon Races

-         Kick-off of Fall programming at the church where I work

-         Kyndra leads an in-service for therapists at Renown hospital

-         Shaun preaches a short sermon at church

-         Kyndra finishes her 1^st internship!

 

And that’s where we are today. 

Here’s playing some catch up:

My parents came and visited over Labor Day weekend, and we packed out the schedule of things to do – which seems to be a running theme when we have visitors!  Still, this is the place to do that. 

They stayed at the Casino/hotel that is closest to our house, so that was a breeze.  We spent some good time there at the slots and roulette table, and also showing them around the downtown Reno casinos.  Nobody lost too much money, so that’s all good!

 

We also did some things that Kyndra and I had been wanting to do, but waiting for visitors to partake with.  We headed up to Tahoe (south shore) and hopped on a big paddle wheel boat – the M.S. Dixie II.  The boat was fine, but the point was that it takes you to the described (and most likely true) “most beautiful section of
Lake Tahoe” – Emerald Bay.

It was stunning.  Just when you think the lake itself is spectacular, this glimpse was even better.  Kyndra and I hope to get back there very soon!

 

Another attraction that Kyndra and I hadn’t quite taken in was the historic Virginia City, about 40 mins from Reno.  This town is a page out of the big mining days, and the town grew solely based on the big money that could be made, especially from silver discoveries. 

So, it’s a cool place to walk around when you’re in the touristy mindset – people in costumes, re-enactments right and left, old things to look at, and trains to ride! 

It was a hot day out there, so learning about what miners’ work life was like was startling. 

Very hard work, but paying off big at times!

 

Also, we dove into one of the casino’s buffets while the parents were in town (we hadn’t done that).  These things are expensive, but the food is fine.  The new buffet at the ElDorado was packed out, and it’s quite an experience.  We were completely stuffed.

 
And, really, that’s what the weekend felt like.  We stuffed all the attractions in – Tahoe, Virginia City, Reno night-life, church visiting, and seeing our home here in Reno.  I just hope it was a good anniversary trip for them!  We love seeing family come visit us way out here, so it was a treat.

More pics here!

 

That’s how our September Reno began.  Now it’s getting colder and summer is changing, so it’s cool to see this place in transition.  More updates soon!

Texas Visitors

by Kyndra

Richard and Brendon came to visit us last week. We loved having them here and we had plenty of fun playtime.

We made sure we took them to our favorite food places around town throughout the week ... Peg's Glorified Ham N Eggs, Silver Peak Brewery, The Blind Onion, Roses, & Sup.

SATURDAY: We ventured downtown for the River Wine Walk where we walked from vendor to vendor to sample the different wines. We even got to keep the painted wine glasses from the Art Mansion for souvenirs! It was a great time, especially watching Brendo's reaction to the new kinds of wine! ;)  Wine Walk Pics.
Later, we got a little Dark Knight action at the theater. (Anyone else share the love for Christian Bale in this movie?)

SUNDAY: We started out the day with church at The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, where Shaun just accepted a job as Family & Children Ministry Coordinator. They introduced us to the church, and we pretty much shook hands with everyone there after the services! Brendon and Richard came to support us - and they loved every minute of it! In the afternoon, we took a trip up to Lake Tahoe for some nice bike-riding along the Truckee River and the west side of the Lake. It was beautiful, and the down-hills were tons of fun (not so much on the uphill!)

I had to go back to the hospital for internships once Monday came, but the boys kept playing ...

MONDAY:  Hiked up to Mt. Rose and explored another summit overlooking Lake Tahoe. Checked out Wall-E on the big screen. Everyone loved it!

TUESDAY: The boys headed up to UNR to check out the campus. In the evening, we made veggie burgers and headed downtown again to the Truckee River with the dogs in tow. Brendon & Richard jumped in and took on the rapids. We finished the evening with some fancy ice cream from Cold Stone. Can't forget the little casino visit! Shaun finally came out on top this time (not sure this has ever happened!) Can't say the same for Richard and Brendon.

WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY: Traveled to the South shore of Tahoe to Desolation Wilderness and hiked to a nice camping spot next to Susie Lake. I hear it was breath-taking views, freezing cold swimming and burnt oatmeal. Those Pics here.  Later that evening after everyone was home, we all crammed on our bed and watched Juno, the dogs too! We were packed in like 4 grown adults on a queen sz bed with 2 dogs bouncing around on top of us!

FRIDAY: After Richard asked for a Peg's breakfast again, they cleaned up the guest house they had been staying in, and then they all came to visit me at the hospital and we ate lunch together. Special! But, I hear they had to make one last stop at the favorite brewery before heading back to Texas!

So, come and see us and we'll show you a good ole time in Reno.  Here's how Brendo and Richard feel about it:

3, 4, or 5 things - an Update!

-Shaun

1...went to the Andrew Bird show on Wednesday night was simply amazing.  I had never seen him in concert before, but have followed his music fo years.  His talent with a live audience is mezmerizing and his band is great as well.  I especially dug trying to keep up with his drummer, looping beats and playing keys with one hand and drums with the other.  (He is the artist Dosh - check it out).  And make every effort to see Andrew Bird live!

2...I got offered a job on thursday!  Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd has offered me the position of “Children and Family Ministries Coordinator,” and I’m happy to accept.  It has been an interesting journey to this particular job and it has us analyzing our lives here in Reno (more on that another time).  This small church, just down the road from our house, seems like a unique, open group of people concerned with really serving the poor and hurting in Reno.  It will differ from what I’m used to, but we’re really beginning to see how it is (was) the next good step.  I’m very excited about it and will update more soon.  I officially start on July 28th.

3...Kyndra just wrapped up week 3 of her fieldwork with some hard, but good, evaluations.  She is no longer a mere observer and is having to learn while doing it  - sometimes for the first time.  But she works with good people and has the best attitude about it all.  It’s really eye-opening to hear the real stories of therapy every day.

4...I’m enjoying having more time to read books and blogs lately.  I admire someone like Annie Dillard who claims to try to read about 300 books a year.  I’ve been reading, but not quite like that.
The most enjoyable book lately has been rereading Dan Price’s stimulating memoirish book - Radical Simplicity.  It really is a creative workout.
The blog I’ve enjoyed following is McLaren’s notes on Faith, Politics, and Voting.  He is releasing them in parts, of which there are 6 so far.  All are good, clear, and challenging.  Take a look and let’s discuss!

5...Guests from Texas will arrive late tonight and stay for a week.  I’m really looking forward to Richard and my brother Brendon being able to hang out with us here.  It’s a bummer that Kyndra will have to work during the week ... but I’m still free, so that’s all working out pretty well!!  We’ll make plans when they arrive, but the skies are clearing out and it’s not so smoky from the California forest fires ... so it’s a good week to be here.  I’m thinking we’ll head out to Desolation Wilderness just southwest of Lake Tahoe - to hike and camp.  Some rafting is probably also in the works, along with sitting around with pipes, showing off the campus, and some casino time if someone feels lucky!  We’ll keep you posted with pics and stories along the way. 

There’s the Ohome update.  Peace and all good.