Try to Laugh a Little

Welcome to my new blog! I have been thinking about this for months and have finally decided to "take the leap". My vision for this blog is to share some of my family's interesting stories and tidbits in our daily life. One week ago my wife Kelly and I passed our 12th wedding anniversary. We are also fortunate to have 2 beautiful little girls. Elise is 6 and Abby is 4.

I have been trying to think of a catchy name for my blog for a few weeks. Nothing came to me until I was out taking Elise to a doctors appointment today. As a guy who loves football, although I don't watch as much as I used to, "View from the Helmet Cam" seemed like a great fit. In case you don't know, Elise wears a protective helmet all of her waking hours to provide protection from an uncontrollable seizure disorder. To say the least, being out in public with Elise can lead to some interesting looks and comments from the many people we encounter. The helmet brings everything from strange looks to comments about her being ready for a football game. No matter what, Elise just thinks it is funny when people notice her.

People with disabilities are frequently described as "invisible citizens". There are MANY people with disabilities in our society and around the world, but you and I do not frequently encounter them. There is nothing invisible about our family. We believe it is important for Elise to experience as many of the activities that her "Neurotypical" peers get to experience, so you are likely to see us anywhere that you would see any family. Sometimes it leads to some rather difficult experiences, but no matter what Elise is always prepared to provide a laugh.

Sometimes adolescent aged kids just don't understand the whole helmet thing and the gibberish that Elise is generally muttering. Many times it makes them laugh, point, whisper to their friends, etc. But, no matter what Elise is laughing. Sometimes I wonder if she knows they are laughing at her, or if she is laughing because the rest of us just don't get it! She has experienced some tremendously difficult things for a 6 year old and still manages to laugh every day. Some of the most tense moments we have encountered with Elise have been broken by her infectious laugh and beautiful smile. She is a constant reminder to me not to take everything so seriously. Today at the doctor Elise learned she had Influenza A. She obviously didn't feel well. After laying down in the doctors office for an hour the position must have gotten uncomfortable. She decided to stand on the floor and just lay her head on the table. Right before I took this picture of her she looked at me and laughed, then laid her head down and went to sleep.

There will be many stories that make you laugh, cry, and probably even make you wonder if this stuff is true. Most of our experiences are things you wouldn't believe if I did make them up. I appreciate you reading and hope you will come back. Find something unusual to laugh about today. I promise you, Elise will be awake at 4:30 a.m. laughing about something!