CHARGE Through The Year 2015 Calendar

One of the phenomenal moms I have met through the online CHARGE syndrome world, Anna Miller, has put together the 2nd CHARGE Through The Year calendar for 2015.  This was a sell-out fundraiser and awareness raiser for CHARGE syndrome and the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation last year and promises to be another huge success this year.

I sent in Kennedy's photo for consideration and was pleased to see she made the cut - woohoo!  So many cute kiddos, it must've been hard choosing! For only twenty bucks, you can get your very own copy of the calendar to support the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation and promote awareness of CHARGE. 

Sneak peek of the video featuring the supermodels of the 2015 calendar is available on the website or on the video below - enjoy & share with your friends and family!

Girls Trip 2014

Over the years, we've forged many friendships through the world of CHARGE syndrome.  It's definitely been a highlight to have others who get it with whom we can talk, share feelings and spend time.  Kennedy and MacKenzie have been close pretty much since birth, as have Jeanie & I, after nurses connected us in 1998 when the girls were both in hospital together.  Over the years, we've met many other moms, including Colleen and her daughter Clare, who we've connected with at the CHARGE conferences over the years.  The three gals have had a great time together at recent conferences but we always lamented the fact it was 2 years between the times when the girls would see each other again. Clare and her family lived in Ohio and Jeanie, MacKenzie, Kennedy and I in Atlantic Canada.

 We sought to rectify that this year and we did a short trip to Old Orchard Beach, ME.  Because of scheduling conflicts, we would only have 3 days together but it was just magical to see the girls connecting, chatting away, laughing and having fun.  As I mentioned in a Facebook post I did with one of the pictures of them chatting away at breakfast,

Some of my favourite times during this trip involved just seeing the girls communicating. They always sat at a separate table for meals and just chatted away. Three friends, all with various levels of hearing loss, each with different technology (BAHA, CI, BTEs) and different communication styles yet they all signed, spoke, gestured and made it work. Made my summer.

377 days until conference...can't wait for Chicago!

Jeanie, MacKenzie, Kennedy & Lisa ready to head to the USA!

The 3 gals ate at a separate table at all meals so they could yak...

Old Orchard Beach, ME - lots of fun on rides...

Saying their I Love Yous at Old Orchard

Visiting a beautiful lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth - the Portland Head Light

Swim time!

Always tough to say good bye...until next summer!

Cineplex, You Can Do Better

I've written many good reviews lately on Urbanspoon, etc.  Lengthy, detailed reviews, outlining the really awesome things about places I love. I really don't just complain without sharing the love as well when it's deserved.  Tonight's experience with our local movie theater, however, calls for a "You Can Do Better" post.  I've shared this with Cineplex, hopefully they'll respond and even more hopefully, they'll fix the CaptiView machines.

Dear Cineplex,                                                                                                                                   

Tonight my daughter wanted to go and see “The Fault in our Stars”.  Being proactive, we called ahead to make sure CaptiView was available for the movie (she has a severe-profound hearing loss) and purchased our tickets ahead of time in the optimal spot for the CaptiView to work, according to the manager with whom I spoke.  We arrived, made our way to the “Yay-for-not-waiting-in-line-handy-dandy-Mobile Pick-Up machine” and...this was our first oops of the evening:

In case you can't read it, that's an Out of Order sign. 

No sweat.  It’s Monday night, not too busy, so we made our way over to the box office, picked up the tickets and a CaptiView machine.  We rely on the machines so I’m not signing all night and can enjoy the movie as well.  

Want some butter on your popcorn?  Well get in line because the second broken machine of the night had the dreaded “out of order” sign on it:

Again, not a huge deal but it was just starting to look odd, seeing all these out of order signs on machines – really hoping the movie would actually play when we got in there. 

Well we finally settled in for the movie (yes, it did play) and guess what?  I ended up signing over three-quarters of the movie because the CaptiView bombed.  It would work great for a couple of lines then skip to about every fifth line of dialogue.  It was certainly not conducive to following the story line.  “Why didn’t you leave and ask for a new one?” you might ask.  Well then she misses the words and my signing.  They also had to turn about five on at the box office to find one charged and working when we picked ours up, so my hope that another one would be available, charged and actually working was less than optimal as well.  

At the end of the movie, I went out to talk to a manager (we went to the 6:45 show – surely someone would still be around afterward, right?) about the CaptiView, how neither of us really got to see the full movie because I was acting as her interpreter, etc. 

Yep…you guessed it:

It’s awesome that I can go over and let the 16-year-olds who are slinging the popcorn and sodas know of my concerns.  

Needless to say, Cineplex, it looks pretty unprofessional with all these out of order signs, machines not working, no manager on duty, etc.  These are minor inconveniences though, and all pale in comparison to the poor quality CaptiView machines (this is not our first CaptiView dilemma, unfortunately). If you’re going to have accommodations there for folks with disabilities, they need to work.  We pay equal pricing for her to go to that movie and she deserves the same access as other people in attendance. We paid for two admissions and between us, took in about 60-70% of the movie.   

Not cool, Cineplex. I honestly think you can do better.

Sincerely,

Lisa & Kennedy Weir

Teach a Girl to Fish...

Kennedy caught her first trout today.  Prior to this, she'd only caught smelt during ice-fishing.  I think the look on her face as she snagged that first one says it all.  She caught two of the three in the other picture.  I'd say that's a great haul!

HVHS Chorale Ensemble Spring Concert

Tonight was the spring concert - Kennedy is on the far right of the front row in each of the three videos.

Changamano (Join Together) by Sally K. Albrecht Dona Nobis Pacem (Traditional) Some Nights by Fun