What the heck is Asperger's Syndrome?

Well, if life were not interesting enough George is now being tested for Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's Disorder is a milder variant of Autistic Disorder, also know as high functioning autistic. This is by far not a bad thing... Bill Gates has Asperger's. However, anyone who knows George knows he is just unique. He is eight years old, and collects Forbes magazines, and Wall Street Journal Newspapers. He reads them, and stacks them on his only shelf beside the top bunk of his bed. In fact when he sleeps you constantly hear him turn and the crumpling of papers. While this may not be normal, this is George. He is a critical thinker, and does not know what thinking in the box means. It is not uncommon to listen to him and think he is an old man trapped in a little body. He does not have any mannerisms, and speaks in a monotone which is hard for most to understand. He needs calm, quiet, cleanliness, and order to stay content. He strongly relys on his brother Dustin for interpretation skills and friendship. He has a very hard time socially, and is often the brunt of harassment and bullying. He does not like to make eye contact with anyone, and often plays by himself huddled in the front room playing with some minor thing repetitively...thinking. He has always guided himself by his own routines. He brushes his teeth, gets up, and goes to bed all without being told, and always at the same time... no matter if it is the weekend or what the case may be. He just disappears from family time and someone has to go check to see if he made it to bed, and as always he has. He is my hero, grounded, and not ruled by emotions. For so long, I being his mother, seemed so strange. I am an extrovert, who knows no stranger, ruled by emotions, and bubbly, and yet intlligent enough to know happiness comes from within, and not centered around a career, a degree, or a paycheck. George is grounded, centered, and focused. For so long I felt as if he loved me, but did not like me. I have come to realize that he loves me, but on his time table and only to the extent he allows me to. He likes to watch me, enjoys my silliness, and playfulness, but from a distance. He delights in my happiness, my crazy manaerisms, and my horrible singing funny songs from across the room. This is an 8 year dance we have learned together. A functional relationship of ebbs and flows. I have learned to give him his space and observe him from a far, and come in for a sneak attack hug or kiss on ocassions that are fitting him. George will be successful beyond measure. He is truly an amazing kid, smart as all get out in some areas, and dumber then a box of rocks in others. No matter what they find, no matter what the outcome is... he is George Lee Buerer III, he is my hero.

George's Drama

Dealing with Drama. First let me start with saying Little George is doing really well. Now let me give you the rest of the story. In a freak random accident Georgie was attacked by a scooter and he has lost a bit of his right pinkie finger. The hand surgeon thinks he will heal all on his own and make a full recovery in about 8 weeks. He is even hopeful that his nail will make a full recovery as well. Now let me tell you the rest of the story... George was at school and the bell rang to let the kids out of school for the day. As we can all remember this ensues all sorts of children flooding in a mass exodus from the school flowing into the hallways. This is what George was swept up in... With this mayhem someone had left a scooter on the sidewalk and as George walked by caught the side of it with his foot. Thus the handle bars popped up and caught his finger and scraped the bone at the side of the top portion of the finger, ripped off the finger nail, and cut off the top fatty cushion part of the finger tip. The scooter did not have the protective hand guards on them that they come with. This all took about a Milli second, and he ran to the nurses station. Where the school secretary playing Nurse calls me at works and tells me my son's finger is missing. Of course I pack my things my co-workers scoop me up and we fly to the Elementary school where George was as together as ever. I swooped him up and got him in the car, and spent 20 min looking for Dustin who decided since he could not find George he would go home with a friend. After finding Dusty Joe we then went to the Boron Clinic where I told the MD on call that I thought he may have degloved his finger, but it was so mangled I could not tell. He looked at the very calm George and thought I was an over reactive parent, gave me the proper paperwork, and waited for the nurse to take him back. Eventually we made it to the room where it was PRICELESS! The MD comes in and says OK let's see it. George unwraps his finger and the doctor stammers... Oh My... Oh My... He looks at me, he looks at George and he says "Man, that looks like it hurts." George looks and him and blink, blink, nothing. So the doctor says "Doesn't that hurt?" And George plain as day says "Well, Yeah" I about died! The fingernail falls onto the table his finger tip is flopped to one side and this doctor is about to pass out and here is my 8 year old looking at this guy like give me the scalpel and I will take care of it myself. Of course the MD did cut the remainder off, and gave us antibiotics and pain meds for Little George. I went to our Primary the next day as well as the hand surgeon. All is well with Boy wounds, and chicks love scars. He amazes me. We are all good, and his hand will heal... but I am sure I will never forget how truly awesome this little man really is.

New Job Blessings...

Just when you thought it could not get any better then it already was... I got a new job within the NASA bubble. I am going to be the official "Code V Support Specialist at NASA Dryden"! OK, so in English that means basically that I am going to be the new "Secretary for the I.T. Gods of NASA", or for those of you unsure still "The Receptionist of the NASA Computer Geek Squad". I am so happy to get away from numbers and excel sheets. I really love the people here, and the job is not too difficult, but the tasks just don't exactly fit me. This is so much more a better fit. They are doing interviews now for my position, and then I will orient the newbie prior to getting to move on to my new position. The hope is to be there the beginning of February. More then anything this is a career chess game move for me. If I move here and excel in a year or two I might be able to slot into a Civil Servant position. Plus, you can never learn enough about how a computer works, and who else is going to understand my love of Thinkgeek.com? I just know I am so going to love it there! I think in celebration I am going to have to break down and buy the cute pink heart shaped equalizer t-shirt from think geek to wear on Fridays! :)

Who Really Gets to Obtain More Then You Dream?

I Love my life!!! I really am the luckiest woman in the world... I have a deep abiding relationship with my Lord and Savior. I have 3 of the greatest, loving, and most handsome men entrusted to me to raise as my children. I have some of the best friends a woman could ever have in life. (Donny& Sandra, Tony& Evelyn, Travis&Christina, Michelle&Jeremeh, and of course Amy&James) I have an amazing supportive church family. I live under restricted air space so I get to see AMAZING planes, and feel the rattle in my chest from their Sonic Booms every single day! I have open deserts encircled by level upon level of mountain ranges to play in that have the worlds best sunrises and sunsets. I have the best Beagle in the world... Lucy Lou Who! And oh yeah, did I mention that I get to work at NASA???? I mean really, who works at NASA??? Besides the world's biggest and brightest minds in all the wonderful USA! AND ME!!!!! Do you realize that the Space Shuttle is just the tip of the iceberg with these great people? When you think NASA you think of space, of the shuttle, of amazing hard working astronauts... but what most of us don't know is NASA technology is EVERYWHERE!!! From Kidney Dialysis Machines, to inferred ear thermometers, to hip replacement design, to Fire men's protective suits and helmets, to wireless headsets for phone lines and that is just a tiny, tiny, tiny bit. They have developed technology that tracks wild fires in almost real time which has greatly helped the CDF fire fighters. And Fly by wire technology that allows us to fly unmanned planes over hostile territory to obtain vital information. And they have (of course my favorite) SOFIA, which is an amazing bit of wonderment to help research the environment and the effects of global warming. Really, you have no idea just how great NASA is, or how lucky we are as a country to have it, or how privileged we are as citizens of this great country are to reap its benefits. I am a plane enthusiast, but I am a NASA geek. If you could wish your wildest wish, and break not only the glass ceiling, but keep on going, and going, and going... that is where I am. You may on a good day walk on cloud nine, but me... I float above the clouds, and I do it every single day of my life, without actually ever even having to leave my precious earth. Wow, life is good! Heck no, life is GREAT!!!