Today with Autism Goggles - Day 4

* You might want to read today's normal entry first before reading my thoughts today through the autism goggles.

"Though she be but little, she is fierce!"

This morning was pretty extreme…  The bouncing, the jerking, and the noise of the engine of the Gater.  Then add in the 90* heat and high humidity and the discomfort of wet clothing.  If that wasn’t enough, then we added the exhausting climb up the iron mine.  I was ready to quit and I know the kids felt it too but they didn’t give up.  Sammy led the way up our climb and had no one in front of her to show the way.  She tried and tried and lo and behold she made it.  As we came back down the hill, I could tell she had had enough.  We were way out on the course and far from any drinks, snacks, or anything familiar to help her stay calm.  Then she fell down and let out a scream that near brought the entire staff running.  But she pulled it together and was the second to make it back to our ride.  You could see her physically struggle to hold off her melt-down.  And she did it!

Sammy took a short break, she didn’t get upset or yell, but informed us all that she was done talking.  Even as the guide tried to cheer her up, she ignored him and stayed calm.  Within five minutes we arrived at the waterfalls and it was just the ticket to “reboot her system”.  Sammy was back at it again!  

The Wielhouwers once pointed out that it is nothing short of a miracle, that when we travel, we so often end up with guides that have a child or close relative with autism.  That was the case again today… thank you Jesus!  It makes it so much easier to know they understand!  I was particularly grateful at how patient and kind both of our guides were with Sammy… shouting up words of encouragement to urge her on and trying to make her ride as fun as possible. 

Sammy has come so far through the years.  As we walked into the dinner show tonight, we reminisced about the hoops we jumped through to attend our very first dinner show four years ago.  Today she blew us all away by not just sitting through and behaving at dinner, but laughing and participating in the cheering of the event.  Then the frosting on the cake was watching her out on stage, competing in the event, with the crowd cheering her on.

I am so grateful for the opportunities Sammy has had.  I consider travelling and the outings we take some of the best therapies we have found.  They help her grow and try new things.  Please understand, though, it is not without a cost… days like today can be hard on Sammy.  It’s tiring to try to understand the world around her and I never want to make light of the work it takes.

Autism is a strange yet beautiful thing… it has been an amazing journey watching Sammy blossom firsthand.

I'm sure not everyone will recognize the accomplishments from today in my regular post, so for our sake, I’ll share these milestones to remember:

• Climbed the iron ore mine
• Held herself together during what could / would have been a tantrum
• Finished her day at Fox Fire Mountain and the hour ride home in wet clothing
• Handled the disappointment of NOT getting a souvenir in the gift shop
• Politely told the waiter what she didn’t want at dinner
• Cheered for her team appropriately during the dinner show
• Celebrated Tyler’s success in the sling shot competition
• Competed on stage in the sling shot competition herself
• Chose to take her headphones off part way through the show

Today was nothing short of a miracle folks!  M-I-R-A-C-L-E!! 

Gater Ride and LumberJack Show - Day 4

Scott and I were up just after 7:30 to get breakfast started and packed for the day.  After pancakes, we got on the road around 8:45 and headed toward Fox Fire Mountain.  It’s a really fun place to spend the day.  They offer ziplining, gater rides, rockwall climbing, hiking, and llamas.   We got checked in and waited only a few minutes for our guide to orient us.

We signed up for the Bear Crawler, the very exhilarating gater ride.  The kids LOVED the bumps, the curves, and the splashes too!  Honestly, we were drenched within 5 minutes of leaving the base camp.

We made a few stops along the way.  First was an abandoned iron ore mine.  Years back, the owner blasted it closed.  They now allow visitors to climb the face of it… some 50 feet, near vertical with only a rope to support you as you climb the slippery red clay/dirt below your feet.  Of course, Sammy was quick to volunteer to go first and I, of course, had to follow.  Tyler followed behind me and then Scott.  It was crazy.  Several times Sammy said she couldn’t make it but Tyler encourage “don’t say you can’t!” and they persisted.  We were covered in mud and sweat and every muscle shaking by the time we reached the top… but we did reach it!!  We were both so proud of those kids.

When we got back to the trail, the guide shared that in the 5 years they had worked the course, he had only seen 4 or 5 adults climb it in flip flops (like Scott and I had on).  It was a good boost to my self-esteem for sure.

The ride continued to a small waterfall that we could explore.  The fresh cool water was a welcome surprise for all of us!  We all enjoyed a short soak and took advantage of the chance to clean up a bit.  The red clay was hard to get off.

  

The tour finished with another splash in the creek and a picture with our guide. 

We explored the base camp a bit more.  Scott took advantage of some good ole Tennessee pulled pork and Sammy the homemade ice cream.  Then we walked across the longest expansive rope bridge in the US. 

We got home around 12:30 pm; all of us ready for showers and some lunch.  Then we spent a quiet afternoon in the RV.   Tyler, Mom and Dad watched the Titanic as a follow up to our museum visit last night while Sammy took some quiet time watching movies in her bed. 

At 4:30 pm we headed out for our Lumberjack Feud Dinner Show.   This is the same show we watched last year, but the kids really enjoyed it and specially-requested we do it  again.

As we made the way to our seats, we were surprised by how close we were… front row, center of the stage.  Wow!  The show was a lumberjack competition between two rival families with 18 exhibitions including dog jumps and climbing.  It was fabulous.  The kids cheered our team on as they worked through each event.  Tyler was the most eager kid in the place… laughing hysterically at the corny jokes, cheering / jeering at the teams.  It was so much fun.  Sammy loved the dog tricks the best and laughed every time someone fell in the water.

After we finished eating, a cast member approached and asked the kids if they would “help” for a portion of the show.  They of course eagerly agreed not even questioning what it would entail.  I tried to warn the gal, but she reassured me it would be great.  So, halfway through the show, the kids went out on the floor and competed in a sling shot competition.  

Tyler lobbed a few down before finding his sweet spot.  He got 4 points in 30 seconds; Sammy was jumping and cheering behind him.  Sammy, well, missed every shot.  But, if there were points for the furthest shot, she would have won by a landslide!  Tyler held her doll Margaret and faithfully encouraged her as she tried. 

 

It was a great night for sure!  I cannot even count how many times the kids thanked us for taking them to the show.  Tyler cannot wait to show everyone back home the video of their moment in the spotlight!  He is so proud of himself and I love to see that confidence in him. 

We headed home at 7:30 pm to watch a movie and head to bed. 

AMAZING day!  We all had so much fun!!

LumberJacks - Day 3

We wanted to do a dinner show tonight but had so many options.  After much consideration, we decided on the Lumberjack Feud!

The meal was served almost immediately after we were seated.  The two feuding families started their 18 event competition to see who would win rights to log the mountain ;)

Tyler giggled so much!  He screamed so loud to cheer on our team, I thought he'd go hoarse.  Sammy made it through the whole show too!  She especially loved the dog tricks.

After the show, we headed home and took the kids on a quiet walk / scooter ride of the RV park.

Its been a very busy day for us all.  The kids took showers and are settled in for bed.  As I pick out our favorite pics to share, my heart is full... knowing what a great time we had and the many memories we made.