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May 2008
News from Hunter:
"I recently had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours
with my sister, Lorelei because I was on the supported
living vacation. She happened to be in Las Vegas visiting
her father. Lorelei and I had a nice meal together and even
though I have major grievances with her father the meal
remained cordial and polite. Most of all it was lovely to
see my sister. I hadn't seen her since December 2006.
Hopefully I will get to see her again soon."
"In June I started summer school where I will be taking a
History of Music class.And in the fall I will try once again
to pass an Intermediate Algebra class. I will also be taking
Astronomy."
"I sold two paintings in June to a local alternative
clothing store and I am half way throuhgh writing my novel
that is ten chapters long."
February 2008
Hunter has decided to focus this semester exclusively on Algebra I. Hunter needs to pass this class in order to get his AA Degree. Unfortunately he has tried to take this class two other times but was forced to drop the class when the content became too overwhelming. This semester Hunter is only taking Algebra. He has two private tutors and he is using the free tutors that the college offers. We hope with maximum support Hunter can get through this roadblock and finally finish up the rest of his courses toward an AA degree.
We had the pleasure of hosting another brief song writing workshop late last month with our friend, Dave Nachmanoff. Hunter was the first to make use of this wonderful opportunity. Hunter wrote a historical song which was a first for the Silcock songs. Since Hunter has a serious interest in Scottish history his song is a historical song about Scotland. We hope to have a sample of this incredible song up on the web site soon.
November 2007
Hunter had to drop a couple of classes this semester but plans on making them up during the winter inner session. In the mean time Hunter recently received an "A" on speech for his communications class. Definitely when Hunter puts his mind to an assignment in college he can excel. Our friend, Dave Nachmanoff, will be visiting us in early December to hold another song witting workshop with the boys. We are excited about producing a third CD of original Silcock songs. We are especially interested to hear another original song written by Hunter. Hunter is a very talented song writer and Dave's workshops give Hunter a venue to let his natural talents shine.
September 2007
Well Hunter reported that unfortunately summer school didn't go that great. He said he will likely want to take the two classes over again. Hunter is back in college for the fall semester and he promises this will be a better semester. Besides carrying a full load of classes at the community college, Hunter is also enrolled in some comedy classes. He continues to pursue his career as a "sit down" comedian. These particular classes offer Hunter an opportunity to perform weekly in front of a live audience. Hunter loves performing and now is spending quite a bit of time honing his skills and practicing his jokes out on family and friends. We are delighted that Hunter is able to pursue his life-long dream of being a comedian while still spending enough time on his college education. E-mail Hunter is you are interested in his performance times, dates, and locations. He would love to see you at his shows!
June 2007
Hunter recently got his grades back for the spring 2007 semester of college. With four challenging classes, Hunter was able to maintain a 3.0 grade point average! We are so proud of Hunter accomplishments in college! He is about three semesters away from getting his Associate Degree! Hunter started his summer school classes this week. Summer school is always a struggle as the classes pack a lot of information into a shorter time period. Hunter says he is trying to stay focused on his goal to graduate.
April 2007
So far so good with Nikolai and Hunter being roommates. Of course there are always little disagreements between the two, but Hunter seems much more willing to work any problems out. Hunter is mostly concerned when Nikolai leaves his rabbits out to roam around the apartment. Its great to see Hunter to try work out his unhappiness in a calm and reasonable manner. In the meantime Hunter continues to do well in college and it starting to think about where he will transfer once he graduates with an AA degree.
February 2007
Hunter ended last semester with a 3.0 grade point average! Despite missing over a week of school due to health issues, Hunter was able to keep up with his classes. Hunter is so smart that we know definitely when he is motivated he can do extremely well in school. Hunter only has a couple of semesters left of community college and is now beginning to think about transferring to a state university.
Hunter and Nikolai have decided to try to share an apartment together. Hunter seems happy to have Nikolai as a roommate, on the other hand, Hunter knows he has a difficult time getting along and sharing his space with others at times. Hunter says he is committed to making this new living arrangement successful. Over the past year and a half, he has had a series of helpers and roommates and definitely would like some stability in his living and personal care arrangement. We are hopeful with Hunter trying to make compromises and Nikolai's mellow personality this roommate situation just might work out.
December 2006
Hunter is getting ready to visit his biological sister and her family along with his biological brother in Seattle this month. While Hunter is a little anxious, Hunter is excited to be reuniting with a few of his biological family members. This will be Hunter's first plane ride by himself and the first trip he has taken without family members since he joined our family. We will miss Hunter for Christmas, but we are happy that Hunter has contact with his biological family, especially his sister. The break-up of Hunter's biological siblings really left a hole in his heart. Hunter plans on returning to Golden West Community College after the semester break.
October 2006
Hunter continues to make plans to visit his biological sister and possibly his biological older brother during the winter holiday. In the meantime Hunter maintains contact with all of his biological siblings through the phone and e-mail.
Hunter is enrolled full-time in community college. If Hunter completes this semester and completes another semester also carrying a full-load, he will graduate from community college. Hunter does struggle with organization and homework completion. Hunter is such a social guy that is hard for him to settle down and study. He would much rather pass out political flyers and hang-out with friends in between classes instead of using that time to study. Of course we suppose this is typical behavior of some young college students. If Hunter decides to transfer to a university after he completes community college he will need to really buckle-down on his studies.
July 2006
Hunter is attending summer school at Golden West
College. He is taking a full load and is working hard to
keep up with the class work. Hunter is also planning to
visit his biological sister soon. He is hoping to be able to
schedule a trip to Washington either after summer school or
during winter break. He is excited about having an
opportunity to hang-out with his sister and get to know her
and her family better. Hunter continues to enjoy living in
his own apartment and experiencing the bachelor life.
Update: May 2006
Hunter recently wrapped up another semester of college. He says he feels he did well and says he has "decided to take school seriously." That's great news to us as Hunter is very bright and capable. He has the ability to get a college degree in any subject that might interest him. We know that the transition from high school to college was challenging for Hunter so we are very proud that he has hung in there for two years. We are especially appreciative that Hunter often shares his research papers with us. It is always interesting to read Hunter's view of the world. Currently Hunter is pursuing his interest in politics and is hoping to get a summer internship at the Orange County Democratic Party Headquarters. In the meantime Hunter continues to explore his Scottish roots.
March 2006 Hunter (19) is about half way
through his fourth semester in community college. Hunter can be a good
student when he puts his mind to it. Certainly, Hunter proved his ability by
graduating from high school in only three years. Hunter seems to enjoy the
social aspect of college and has made many friends. While we are very happy
to hear Hunter say that his "social life has picked-up" we do hope that he
says focused on his studies as well. Hunter continues to have a strong
interest in politics. He has also recently discovered his "Scottish side"
and had taken to wearing kilts. This is slightly different from last year
when Hunter was exploring his "Russian roots".
Despite his very busy school and social schedule, Hunter
has made a point to go see Jim in the hospital almost once a week. It means
a lot to Jim to have the boys come to see him at the hospital. Being stuck
in bed for three to four months is obviously no fun for Jim, but Hunter, the
comic that he is, can always find something humorous to share and does a
great job of keeping Jim's spirits up.
January 2006
Hunter is enjoying living in his own apartment. He selected an apartment not
to far from home but still a good enough distance. Hunter is learning that it
is hard to work direct his own care. He struggles with trying to balance
getting his own needs met while making sure to respect his caregiver.
As it is for most quadriplegics, striking this
balance will be a lifelong challenge. Hunter does enjoys the freedom that
living outside the family home allows but he continues to visit us several
times a week. David Monson continues to work with Hunter to develop his
independence as much as Hunter is able.
Hunter had the wonderful opportunity to get together with his biological
sister, Lorilei. He had not seen her or talked with her since he entered
foster care. Lorilei, her husband, and their baby (named Joseph) came to
California for a visit. It was good for Hunter to reestablish contact with his
biological family. He needed to know that his siblings who remained with the
biological family were doing well. Hunter also had the opportunity to
understand more clearly how he entered the foster care system and why that may
have been the best option for him at the time. We also enjoyed meeting Lorilei
and enjoyed hearing about some of the funny and cute stories she had to share
about Hunter when he was younger. Hunter will be scheduling a trip to
Washington state next so that he can visit his biological sister in her
home.
 
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