Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Having said our farewells, we still had a little work to do before the party. A highlight of our career here was to finally meet our "big boss", and she was kind enough to let us help her, by being co-presenters for today's training for our co-workers. I mean really-can you believe such positive reinforcement for the work we do helping the coaches. We are really humbled, and frankly, overwhelmed. Thanks so much Dr. Kristin.
After training, we still had the farewell party - What food! What friends! What fun! Here are just a couple of pictures. Connie may add some more while we are gone.
See you again in mid-August!
Bon Voyage!
Today was the big day for our Farewell Potluck for Judi and Jimmy, saying a special thank you to some of those who have helped us so much, and packing up to head out with Njoki and Natasha.
Where do we begin - well, we started by a making a visit to our dear friend, Annette. If it hadn't been for the unfailing help she has given our co-workers with their computer problems, and the very clear and personal help she is always so ready to give them, we never would have figured out how to use the computer on our own. (We know - it's not nice to eavesdrop, but what's a mouse to do?)
Obviously, one of our first stops had to be at her cube, were she very generously pulled up a map to help us get an idea of where we would be going. Minneapolis, Detroit, London, Nairobi!
The next stop just had to be with Sylvia and Patty. You may remember that they are the pregnancy nurses who introduced me to my dear, Janet, saw her through her difficult pregnancy, and brought the twins into the world. They said it was a rather bittersweet farewell for them, as seeing the twins off to their new life in Kenya was a little bit like seeing their own kids grow up and leave home. We really know what they mean!
At the end of our workday today, we will leave with Natasha to finish our orientation for the big adventure. Saturday we will be off to - AFRICA!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
And the BIG NEWS!
Well, that brings you up-to-date --- except for one more very important thing. Thanks to Hal and Cheryl, who spent 2 weeks in Kenya last year and have many contacts there, and to two of our co-workers, Njoki and Natasha, who will be escorting Jimmy and Judi to Africa, we have been able to make connections for them to go to the Kenya branch of the Mouseville University Research Institute of Genetics (MURIG) at Nairobi, rather than having to go all the way to Zimbabwe!
Njoki and Natasha have just "made our dreams come true" by offering, not only to escort Judi and Jimmy, but by inviting Janet and me to go along on the trip as well. Needless to say, we are "in 7th heaven" as our human friends would say.
AFRICA! Can you believe it!!
Janet and I, of course, will return with Njoki and Natasha to our work here, and will be looking forward to further outings and adventures with our friends at work, after our return mid-to-late August.
Njoki and Natasha have just "made our dreams come true" by offering, not only to escort Judi and Jimmy, but by inviting Janet and me to go along on the trip as well. Needless to say, we are "in 7th heaven" as our human friends would say.
AFRICA! Can you believe it!!
Janet and I, of course, will return with Njoki and Natasha to our work here, and will be looking forward to further outings and adventures with our friends at work, after our return mid-to-late August.
One more new friend
This trip introduced us to another animal, well bird really, that also has black and white coloring. That is our newest friend, Larry Loon. Aren't his colorings just "too much" --- meaning gorgeous! It certainly isn't hard to understand why his family is the Minnesota State Bird. Unfortunately, we didn't get to meet his wife. She was tending the little ones, and he needed to get back, so we didn't have a long visit, though we did hear their beautiful duets many times during the evening.
Feeling Safer
This was really a wonderful experience, and though we thoroughly enjoyed being on the pontoon, and would have loved to have stayed for the whole week, we were a little apprehensive about our perch on the steering wheel. The water just seemed a little too close for comfort, so the whole family took up a spot with Hal's wife, Cheryl, and her friend, Ginny, as we did our cruise around Bass Lake near Annandale, MN.
Getting out of the dock.
Then we went out on Hal's pontoon, which holds up to 14 people, and he graciously let me help get the boat out of the dock and onto the lake, where he invited Janet (Mrs. Jingles) to help steer as well.
Helping Hal celebrate his 65th
The following day, July 11, we went along with Elsa to help her brother, Hal, celebrate his 65th birthday. WOW! Was that ever an unusual day for us!
First, of course, we had to help Hal with the candles on his cake, and sample the delicious crumbs and the berries and cream on top, and some of the other great foods, too.
Meeting Bunny and Bean
On Saturday, July 10, we visited at the home of Bunny (also known as Destructocon) and Bean (whose full name is Vanilla Bean). They were really great to us, and offered us our choice of their foods. We especially liked Bunny's (fresh carrots, alfalfa and a wonderful selection of grains.) Not to hurt Bean's feelings, we did sample her food, and even the curry her humans were serving, but Bunny's food was definitely our "food of choice" --- ummmm, ummm, good!
Their family, Jason (Elsa's grandson) and his girlfriend, Han, were very gracious hosts and told us about Bunny's heritage, and also about Bean's. Bunny is a Dwarf HoTot rabbit, and Bean is a 5-month old Samoyed. We felt especially comfortable with them and compared coats and other similarities, while being ever mindful that Bunny and Bean are considerably larger than we are, so caution is in order when on the floor together. Did you notice the black band of color around Bunny's eyes, and that Bean shares that same characteristic?
Catching Up With The Jingles Family
For those of you who haven't been on our blog recently, here's a quick update.
As many of you know, I came to the Lifestyle Coaching telephonic programs about March of 2009, at the behest of my "foster mom", Connie. Since then, I have become the unofficial mascot of the telephonic coaching programs. Two of the nurses introduced me to my bride, Janet, when they took me along on a trip east. December 24, 2009, we were joined by our twins, Jimmy and Judi, who will soon be leaving us for an adventure of their own.
Before their departure (for AFRICA) we are getting in as much family time as possible. One of our co-workers took us for our first family outing this past weekend, and we met some really fascinating friends.
As many of you know, I came to the Lifestyle Coaching telephonic programs about March of 2009, at the behest of my "foster mom", Connie. Since then, I have become the unofficial mascot of the telephonic coaching programs. Two of the nurses introduced me to my bride, Janet, when they took me along on a trip east. December 24, 2009, we were joined by our twins, Jimmy and Judi, who will soon be leaving us for an adventure of their own.
Before their departure (for AFRICA) we are getting in as much family time as possible. One of our co-workers took us for our first family outing this past weekend, and we met some really fascinating friends.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The Jingles Family: Vilified no more
Well at long last our good name has been rectified after all this talk about troubles in our family with the children not growing,driving the car at too young of an age, Mrs Jingles being distracted and our family possibly being reported to Mouse Protective Services. My adoptive mother was telling these suspicions to one of the coaches and to her great credit she ( Elsa) did some investigating.
I am passing on her note to my adoptive mother:
Elsa wrote:
"I came home and did some "mouse" research last night, and am feeling very defensive on behalf of our dear friends, The Jingles. It would seem that we humans may be guilty of gross prejudice and bias based on what we do in our culture. Shame on us! We coaches, of all people, should be aware of cultural differences, as well as the possibility of genetic differences!
It was my thought to write a letter, from The Jingles, explaining the unusual circumstance of the diminutive size of their children (a genetic anomaly, because both of the Jingles, Sr., carry a recessive gene relating them to the African Pygmy Mouse who grows to be only 1.2 to 3.1 inches tall, etc.). Also, unknown to us, or even to Mr. Jingles himself, he had been born in a research lab and his beautiful white coat is attributable to the fact that he is what is known as a "knockout" in lab terms.
All on their own, these poor, dear friends of ours have discovered this, while having to hear the criticism, innuendos and inferences of possible misconduct from those of us who had originally befriended them, and still claim to be their friends.
Some of the things they shared with me, more related to differences in their culture, and growth patterns, are that their children were fully mature and ready to start their own families when they were only 50 days old! So, when you found the youngsters in the car, they were actually mature (though extremely small for their age) adults. They, as well as their parents, were aware of their small size, and soon discovered that they could not possibly drive the car, even though it had been their hope to reach the University of Mouseville Research lab to try to find answers for their small size.
Instead, when we were not at work, the parents had to try to find information by looking for a computer that had still been left open, and then as a team, manage the keys to send and receive messages to help them find both resources and answers for their plight.
All this time, they were in great fear that their children might be taken away from them by the very people they trusted most --- well meaning, but uninformed friends, Us!
Now that they have found the answers themselves, the children (now young adults) are anxious to move on with their lives, and both want to go away, permanently, to be a part of research studies that can help both their dwindling numbers of African Pygmy Mice in Southern Angola, Zimbabwe and the northern part of South Africa, and their human friends. They are asking for our help to get the young people to the University of Mouseville Research lab in Zimbabwe.
Also, because of the research they have done, the Jingles have decided that they will never have any more children. Sad as that makes them, the launching of their children into their own lives, will allow the Jingles to travel together, or separately again without criticism.
They do understand our concerns for their children, and harbor no hard feelings, though they were deeply hurt. They realize that we were all going through very strained times at work ourselves and just forgot to "think outside the box" where they were concerned. They are most grateful for the life we have given them, which may allow them to live twice their normal life expectancy of 2 years. By our generosity in providing a safe living environment for them, free of disease, and with ample amounts of food for them to forage, they have a good chance of living to be 4 years old, or perhaps even a little older. The children, too, by going to a research center will also have the advantage of a safe environment and the possibility of a longer life span.
So, all-in-all, we have a happy resolution to the problem that was troubling us, and we and our small friends can resume our "happy travels". Mr. and Mrs. Jingles are very much looking forward to attending Steph and Felix's party, and Mrs. Jingles is hoping that I will make her a new cocktail party dress --- if they are invited.
I hope this puts your mind at rest about the children. I admit, you had really caused me to question what was going on, but having worked with married students from the middle east, I had noted some significant cultural differences. Also, I had worked for Graff Auction company, and my boss, Judd, and his wife, Deann, had two beautiful little children, both of whom had been born deaf.
It turned out that both Judd and Deann had a genetic defect that caused the deafness. If they had married anyone other than who they did choose the resulting children would not have been deaf. Judd and Deann have dedicated great amounts of time, money, and other resources to furthering cochlear implants, and a school in St. Paul for children learning to talk and function with what they can hear with this wonderful scientific breakthrough.
I do hope this puts your fears to rest, and that we can all regain the joyful relationship we had with the Jingles. We had such a great trip to Wisconsin with both of them last year, and they still talk fondly of all the things they did with us, but most especially about the wonderful treats they were able to share from the breakfast --- and the humongous Cheese!
I am passing on her note to my adoptive mother:
Elsa wrote:
"I came home and did some "mouse" research last night, and am feeling very defensive on behalf of our dear friends, The Jingles. It would seem that we humans may be guilty of gross prejudice and bias based on what we do in our culture. Shame on us! We coaches, of all people, should be aware of cultural differences, as well as the possibility of genetic differences!
It was my thought to write a letter, from The Jingles, explaining the unusual circumstance of the diminutive size of their children (a genetic anomaly, because both of the Jingles, Sr., carry a recessive gene relating them to the African Pygmy Mouse who grows to be only 1.2 to 3.1 inches tall, etc.). Also, unknown to us, or even to Mr. Jingles himself, he had been born in a research lab and his beautiful white coat is attributable to the fact that he is what is known as a "knockout" in lab terms.
All on their own, these poor, dear friends of ours have discovered this, while having to hear the criticism, innuendos and inferences of possible misconduct from those of us who had originally befriended them, and still claim to be their friends.
Some of the things they shared with me, more related to differences in their culture, and growth patterns, are that their children were fully mature and ready to start their own families when they were only 50 days old! So, when you found the youngsters in the car, they were actually mature (though extremely small for their age) adults. They, as well as their parents, were aware of their small size, and soon discovered that they could not possibly drive the car, even though it had been their hope to reach the University of Mouseville Research lab to try to find answers for their small size.
Instead, when we were not at work, the parents had to try to find information by looking for a computer that had still been left open, and then as a team, manage the keys to send and receive messages to help them find both resources and answers for their plight.
All this time, they were in great fear that their children might be taken away from them by the very people they trusted most --- well meaning, but uninformed friends, Us!
Now that they have found the answers themselves, the children (now young adults) are anxious to move on with their lives, and both want to go away, permanently, to be a part of research studies that can help both their dwindling numbers of African Pygmy Mice in Southern Angola, Zimbabwe and the northern part of South Africa, and their human friends. They are asking for our help to get the young people to the University of Mouseville Research lab in Zimbabwe.
Also, because of the research they have done, the Jingles have decided that they will never have any more children. Sad as that makes them, the launching of their children into their own lives, will allow the Jingles to travel together, or separately again without criticism.
They do understand our concerns for their children, and harbor no hard feelings, though they were deeply hurt. They realize that we were all going through very strained times at work ourselves and just forgot to "think outside the box" where they were concerned. They are most grateful for the life we have given them, which may allow them to live twice their normal life expectancy of 2 years. By our generosity in providing a safe living environment for them, free of disease, and with ample amounts of food for them to forage, they have a good chance of living to be 4 years old, or perhaps even a little older. The children, too, by going to a research center will also have the advantage of a safe environment and the possibility of a longer life span.
So, all-in-all, we have a happy resolution to the problem that was troubling us, and we and our small friends can resume our "happy travels". Mr. and Mrs. Jingles are very much looking forward to attending Steph and Felix's party, and Mrs. Jingles is hoping that I will make her a new cocktail party dress --- if they are invited.
I hope this puts your mind at rest about the children. I admit, you had really caused me to question what was going on, but having worked with married students from the middle east, I had noted some significant cultural differences. Also, I had worked for Graff Auction company, and my boss, Judd, and his wife, Deann, had two beautiful little children, both of whom had been born deaf.
It turned out that both Judd and Deann had a genetic defect that caused the deafness. If they had married anyone other than who they did choose the resulting children would not have been deaf. Judd and Deann have dedicated great amounts of time, money, and other resources to furthering cochlear implants, and a school in St. Paul for children learning to talk and function with what they can hear with this wonderful scientific breakthrough.
I do hope this puts your fears to rest, and that we can all regain the joyful relationship we had with the Jingles. We had such a great trip to Wisconsin with both of them last year, and they still talk fondly of all the things they did with us, but most especially about the wonderful treats they were able to share from the breakfast --- and the humongous Cheese!
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