Tonight we went out to dinner at our favorite local restaurant Heraldo's down in Lolo to celebrate the posting of the position at the Missoula Vet Center that Justin's applying for. I haven't kept this too up-to-date regarding Justin's job situation so here's the latest. It turned out that he wasn't qualified for the position he applied for in March at the Vet Center because he didn't have his Master's degree yet. Fortunately, they didn't hire anyone at that time and instead decided to re-post the position at a lower level which makes Justin even more qualified this time around. Plus, he's graduated and now has his MSW. The job closes on June 12 and they are looking to hire within 30 days of the closing date. We're praying things work out this time around and that they would find Justin to be the most qualified person for the position. I'll be sure to keep you updated on the latest as we find things out.
In the meantime, Justin's been enjoying his time off fishing and bike riding (when he hasn't been helping watch Madeleine while I've worked in the garden). He's even found a way to join the two activities by mountain biking 5 miles up a trail where he can then go fly fishing. It's a lot closer to home than his traditional fishing spot which makes it a lot easier to encourage and support.
When he's not spending time outside, he's been reading up on more theory and practice pertaining to trauma. I've also gotten him to start reading "Pontoon" by Garrison Keillor as a lighter before bed option. I have been reading a book called "The Highly Sensitive Child" which our pediatrician recommended based on her assessment of Madeleine's personality. Apparently 15-20% of the population can be categorized as "highly sensitive" which generally means they have a heightened nervous system that tends to influence how they perceive the world. These people tend to be more cautious, self-reflective, and reserved in unfamiliar situations or around unfamiliar people. In general, for those of you who have known me a long time, you could consider me a highly sensitive person. I'm fascinated by everything the author has said and how much of it is true for Madeleine, even with her being this young. The author gives good tips and helpful insights into how to help parent a child like this by nurturing their instincts without trying to change them. I'm even learning more about myself by reading it. I'm glad to get started early on this because it will take lots of practice for me to become consistent in the ways I parent Madeleine. And because this characteristic is genetic, there's a chance Junior might also fall into this category which means I'd be even more prepared to notice these characteristics in him.
I don't have any pertinent pictures to post with all of this text so I might as well show you some pictures I took on my hike yesterday with Madeleine. The local wildflowers are out in force and with every turn I found something new that took my breath away! Whether it was the pair of red-tail hawks that flew a few hundred feet from us calling to each other, the bees buzzing in the lupine, or the bald eagle that soared overhead, I finished the hike once again completely in love with Missoula. I'm glad we still have the opportunity to continue our family adventure here.
(The names of the flowers are as accurate as I can identify according to my guidebook.)
(Arrowleaf balsamroot and silvery lupine)
(Silvery lupine)
(Arrowleaf balsamroot)
(Cushion buckwheat)
(Bessey's crazyweed)
(Fuzzytongue penstemon)
(Leafy spurge)
(Meadow death camas)
(Silverleaf phacelia)
(Silvery groundsel)
(Western Gromwell)
(Wild hyacinth)
(Wilcox's penstemon)
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