Kaylea Hutson's Blog, page 7

From the 01.07.14 Issue of The Grove Sun

From the 01.07.14 Issue of The Grove Sun
(www.grandlakenews.com)



(Left) Chuck Smith, with the City of Grove's Building and Grounds department, works to clear a walkway for city offices Monday morning. The weekend weather system brought in several inches of snow and temperatures hovering around zero.



(Right) On Thursday, family and friends will gather together at the Delaware County Extension office to celebrate Barbara Denney with a come-and-go retirement luncheon. The event, set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 9, commemorates the 10 years Denney served with the Delaware County Extension services, most recently as the director, family and consumer science and 4-H educator. She is shown with two 4-H'ers during the halloween-themed fall party.

Photos by Kaylea M. Hutson / Grove Sun

Defining my word: Laugh

Working to define my word: Laugh for the January project of One Little Word.

I've struggled with the assignment today - partly because the day changed when the "storm" blew in the snow and bitter temperatures. I've spent most of the day updating first church closing, than school closings.

I've overthought the project. Today, I finally decided to do everything digitally, Using Phonto and Instagram. A new app, Noteshelf, giving me a way to gather the images/project together in one piece.

How I'll print it? Not sure yet. But that's a concern for another day.
Here's my images up close.



My word for 2014 - Laugh.



#olw2014: Defining my word - Laugh. Ok, the definition I found didn't really fit why I chose it, so I kind of tweaked it to fit my reasoning. :-)




More about my word: The synonyms for Laugh. Again, I tweaked the definition to fit why I chose the word for 2014.



My Selfie portrait. The assignment was to take a current pic, or use one that represents your word within the last six months.

I love this one. I took it in December, after Tassie highlighted my hair. I liked it, because I was laughing after I finished - because I walked in to get a cut, and said "do what ever you want" and came out with highlights.

So here's the first part of the January assignment. My word, its definition and some of the other words that relate to it.

This is a journey of self discovery. It's not a sprint, but rather a marathon. Here's to a year-long marathon designed to help me truly embrace my word. I'm hoping it helps me smile for rest of the year.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Saving Mr. Banks

I had a chance to slip away and see Saving Mr. Banks today.

The movie (despite having a few "spoiler" comments from friends) was not what I anticipated.

It was even better. The storyline, which shows how Walt Disney worked for more than 20 years to bring Mary Poppins to life, to keep a promise to his daughters.

It also shows how PL Travers strived to honor her father, despite his flaws.

It was powerful. I loved the performances by Tom Hanks & Emma Thompson. Wow. Each embraced their respective character with depth and authenticity.

I also loved how the storyline was filled with messages of hope, perseverance and forgiveness of oneself and others.

The story also found a way to reminds all of us to find laughter and joy in life despite things that happen in the past.

This was definitely a film worth seeing. Here's a tip - STAY thru the credits.

I loved this quote, Disney told Travers at the end of the fillm, as he encouraged her to step out in faith and to trust him with her story.

“That’s what storytellers do. We restore order to imagination. We bring hope.”

On a side note: It's amazing how this story wove into my word for 2014 - Laugh. Travers had to learn how to put aside the past in order to learn how to laugh again.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Bits & Pieces: Starting a New Year

The new year started with a bang (literally) for me Tuesday, as I hung out with a friend and her kidlets as they had a New Year's Eve slumber party.

By bang, I mean those crazy little confetti poppers. I had fun tormenting my friend's kindergartener, with the poppers - he liked the idea of popping them, but not listening to them pop!

And then there was the "just dance" party, and a crazy game of charades. Let's just say, hanging out with my friends helped me start my year with hours filled with lots of laughs (my word for 2014, if you missed last week's column.)

Then on January 1, I joined others across the country taking part in the "First Day Hike," at one of the many state parks. I was near Siloam Springs, and love the Natural Falls State Park, so I brushed off my walking shoes and went for a hike.

Ok, for the record, walking on a treadmill does NOT prepare you for the "natural trail" at Natural Falls State Park. I'm glad a few people were patient as I trudged up the path.

It was nice to be outside for more than an hour, spending time away from the "screens" that take up most of my life.

I love the concept behind the First Day Hike. It's like Amanda Wiley, the park manager for Grand Lake State Park - Bernice Nature Center told me, the hike is one of the many activities she will plan this year to get people outside and enjoying nature.

Wiley has several things planned during the course of the next year, including a weekly "wild eats" program, that lets visitors to Bernice see the park's animals during feeding time.

So how did you ring in the New Year? Did you make any resolutions (or revolutions as my friend's kindergartener said in all sincerity).

I also spent New Year's Day celebrating the arrival of the New Year babies (see elsewhere in the paper for their happy stories), yet grieving, for a young family that I know.

Drew and Mandy Harris have fought valiantly, with integrity and honor, as their daughters, Alex and Emma struggled for years with a wretched disease known as PKAN or Pantothenate Kinase-Associated Neurodegeneration, a rare genetic disorder that allows for the accumulation of iron in a person’s brain.

The disease caused the girls to exhibit many of the symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, including a rigidity of muscles, tremors and a lack of coordination. It also affects a person’s cognitive and developmental abilities.

One to three individuals for every one million births are diagnosed with PKAN. Alex and Emma Harris were, at the time of their diagnosis in 2009, the first cases of the disease at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City.

While many with PKAN live into their 20s or 30s. Individuals who present symptoms early in life, often progress with the disease at a faster rate.

For Mandy and Drew, this meant saying goodbye to their youngest daughter Emma in March 2012. On Wednesday, their first-born daughter, Alex who turned 11 at the end of December, ended her battle with the disease.

On Tuesday, I'll journey to northwest Arkansas, to stand alongside friends, and the many children I know who grew up with Alex, to say goodbye to a sweet little girl who charmed everyone she knew. A little girl who could say more with her eyes, than words, and loved the color purple.

So if you see me in town sporting purple highlights, know I'm joining in with others to honor Alex's memory in this way.

Do me a favor this week, hug the kidlets (of all ages) in your life, and make sure they know how much you love them, and care for them - and then make some memories. Because, like Patti Beth says in her column today, memories are what last for a lifetime.

Kaylea M. Hutson is the managing editor of The Grove Sun. She can be reached at kaylea.hutson@grovesun.com or 918-786-2228.

Note. This column appeared in the Jan. 3, 2014 issue of The Grove Sun. Click here for the original link.

From the 01.03.14 issue of The Grove Sun

From the 01.03.14 - Issue of The Grove Sun

(www.grandlakenews.com)


It's (Two) Girls!

Read more about them here! http://bit.ly/2014babygrove




(Left) Derek Hagar and Toshina Williams of Grove welcome their daughter, Lexie Nichole Hagar, the first baby born at INTEGRIS Grove Hospital in 2014. She arrived at 12:10 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 1, weighing weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces, and was 18.5 inches long.



(Right) Isabel Mae King arrived at 4:21 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1, to Cheyenne Burlein and Brandon King, weighing 5 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 18 inches long.

Kaylea M. Hutson / Grove Sun

Here's a fun fact: Dr. Zachary Bechtol was on call for the New Year's deliveries. The two girls were his first two New Year's Day babies.

Deep calling deep

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. (Psalm 42:7, 8 NIV)

I'm trying something new. On Fridays, when the faith page is "light" on stuff, I'm putting a photo in, with a bible verse - kind of a devo without words.

Another way to try some non-traditional journalism, and a way to blend the yin / yang of my world.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Bits & Pieces: Happy New Year!

I originally wrote this column for the Dec. 27, 2013 issue of The Grove Sun - my last editor's column for the year. It seems appropriate for today, the first day of 2014. - Happy New Year!

As you read this, the 12 days of Christmas are in full swing (psst. Christmas really doesn't end until Jan. 6, on Epiphany) and the first day of 2014 is knocking on our doors.

Are you ready for 2014? Well, I guess it doesn't matter if you answer no, because guess what — it will be here, ready or not — in a less than four days.

A year — 365 days full of untapped possibilities — await you. What are your hopes and dreams this New Year?

Do you have a resolution to make? If you are like me, the resolution made on New Year’s Eve is often left in the dust by spring break.

In the last few years, starting in 2007, I’ve done something different. Rather than make a resolution that will fail, I've filled my days with a word to help guide my life.

I’ll be honest, because I’m a “wordy” gal, I usually pick one word in January, and then by mid-summer, another has woven into my life. Such is the case in the first year, when I started looking for “wonder” around me, and later found myself “seek”ing out God’s will for my life.

Other past choices have included simplicity and joy (2008), dream and hope (2009), half-full and see (2010), new and renews (2011) and rest and sabbath (2012).

One word.

It amazes me the power a single word can hold, especially as I watch God use it to shape and define the things I encounter in a year.

It's quite astounding really, when I think of the ways God uses the words I choose to speak to me — through the experiences that fill my days.

In 2013, I began the year with "imagine" and that word grew to include "rejoice." I will admit, however, I spent most of the year focusing on "imagine."

I found the word imagine (or maybe it found me) before Christmas 2012, when a friend and ministry colleague handed me a rock with the word imagine engraved on it.

He challenged me to "imagine" the freedom that can only be found because of God's love. He also challenged me to consider the things in store for my life, that may seem beyond my imagination.

At that time, God only knew how the word would shape my year. In the past year, God has used the word to challenge me to imagine a new direction in life — and even a chance to return to the newsroom.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. But things that challenge us are often what ultimately bring us the greatest joy and satisfaction.

This year, my word came to me as I spent time putting together the "Christmas adventure" that unfolded for Sunny the Elf on The Grove Sun's Facebook page.

I'll be honest, I laughed a lot as I not only took the pictures, but as Samantha and I put the storyline together on Christmas Eve.

Suddenly, the word for 2014 began to emerge — laugh. It was reinforced when a new friend texted me a photo on Christmas eve with an altered sign with "For Lease Navidad," painted on it. (I'll admit that I'm still giggling over the photo several days later.)

Life gets pretty serious, especially in a newsroom. Sometimes laughter is truly the only medicine to get through the day. So I'm starting the year with a goal to find ways to fill my days with laughter.

Defining 2014
So what word would you use for 2014? What comes to mind? Maybe it’s “new” or “adventure” — because of the endless possibilities that await you. Or maybe it’s “friend” because you want to focus on building or repairing friendships with the people around you.

Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong answer to this idea. You simply pick a word to help define your hopes and dreams for 2014 — then start looking for the things God wants to teach you using the word.

A new year — 365 days as clean as a page in new sketchpad — and new opportunities. What will you create this year?

Kaylea M. Hutson is the managing editor of The Grove Sun. She can be reached at kaylea.hutson@grovesun.com or 918-786-2228.

Note. This column appeared in the Dec. 27, 2013 issue of The Grove Sun. Click here for the original link.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Happy New Year!

I originally wrote this column for the Dec. 27, 2013 issue of The Grove Sun - my last editor's column for the year. It seems appropriate for today, the first day of 2014. - Happy New Year!

As you read this, the 12 days of Christmas are in full swing (psst. Christmas really doesn't end until Jan. 6, on Epiphany) and the first day of 2014 is knocking on our doors.

Are you ready for 2014? Well, I guess it doesn't matter if you answer no, because guess what — it will be here, ready or not — in a less than four days.

A year — 365 days full of untapped possibilities — await you. What are your hopes and dreams this New Year?

Do you have a resolution to make? If you are like me, the resolution made on New Year’s Eve is often left in the dust by spring break.

In the last few years, starting in 2007, I’ve done something different. Rather than make a resolution that will fail, I've filled my days with a word to help guide my life.

I’ll be honest, because I’m a “wordy” gal, I usually pick one word in January, and then by mid-summer, another has woven into my life. Such is the case in the first year, when I started looking for “wonder” around me, and later found myself “seek”ing out God’s will for my life.

Other past choices have included simplicity and joy (2008), dream and hope (2009), half-full and see (2010), new and renews (2011) and rest and sabbath (2012).

One word.

It amazes me the power a single word can hold, especially as I watch God use it to shape and define the things I encounter in a year.

It's quite astounding really, when I think of the ways God uses the words I choose to speak to me — through the experiences that fill my days.

In 2013, I began the year with "imagine" and that word grew to include "rejoice." I will admit, however, I spent most of the year focusing on "imagine."

I found the word imagine (or maybe it found me) before Christmas 2012, when a friend and ministry colleague handed me a rock with the word imagine engraved on it.

He challenged me to "imagine" the freedom that can only be found because of God's love. He also challenged me to consider the things in store for my life, that may seem beyond my imagination.

At that time, God only knew how the word would shape my year. In the past year, God has used the word to challenge me to imagine a new direction in life — and even a chance to return to the newsroom.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. But things that challenge us are often what ultimately bring us the greatest joy and satisfaction.

This year, my word came to me as I spent time putting together the "Christmas adventure" that unfolded for Sunny the Elf on The Grove Sun's Facebook page.

I'll be honest, I laughed a lot as I not only took the pictures, but as Samantha and I put the storyline together on Christmas Eve.

Suddenly, the word for 2014 began to emerge — laugh. It was reinforced when a new friend texted me a photo on Christmas eve with an altered sign with "For Lease Navidad," painted on it. (I'll admit that I'm still giggling over the photo several days later.)

Life gets pretty serious, especially in a newsroom. Sometimes laughter is truly the only medicine to get through the day. So I'm starting the year with a goal to find ways to fill my days with laughter.

Defining 2014
So what word would you use for 2014? What comes to mind? Maybe it’s “new” or “adventure” — because of the endless possibilities that await you. Or maybe it’s “friend” because you want to focus on building or repairing friendships with the people around you.

Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong answer to this idea. You simply pick a word to help define your hopes and dreams for 2014 — then start looking for the things God wants to teach you using the word.

A new year — 365 days as clean as a page in new sketchpad — and new opportunities. What will you create this year?

Kaylea M. Hutson is the managing editor of The Grove Sun. She can be reached at kaylea.hutson@grovesun.com or 918-786-2228.

Note. This column appeared in the Dec. 27, 2013 issue of The Grove Sun. Click here for the original link.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Bits & Pieces: The Bits of Life

Sometimes my job, as managing editor, is well, full of surprises. Last Saturday was no exception.

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bessie Kinion, a member of REC who was literally there, when the lights first came on at her farm in rural Adair.

Kinion was a hoot to meet. She was at REC Day with her granddaughter and great-great granddaughter, along with other family members.

Kinion reminded me of my grandmother. She has such a positive spirit, and I could tell, would be a hoot to hang out with.

I loved hearing her stories - I wish we would have had more time to talk - about watching the REC guys hand dig the holes for the electric poles.

I also loved knowing what her first electrical appliance was - an iron. She was tired of ironing jeans and other clothing items for her family with those "sad" irons that needed to be warmed on the stovetop.

Thank you Bessie, for sharing your stories, and taking time out of the festivities to talk with me during REC Day.

Sails and more

Saturday also included a first - my first "sailboat race" on Grand Lake.

While I wasn't on the sailboat, I had a chance to ride on the "press boat" thanks to Kurt and Patsy Hagen, and "chase" the action from start to finish.

While the race was a bit longer than I anticipated - three hours - it was so nice to ride on the boat, watch the teams do different things - who knew someone might hang off of a boat - and well, listen as Kurt explained the action.

After three hours on the lake, I was a bit wind-swept, sunburned and well, relaxed. I also took more than 800 photos along the way. I've narrowed it down to about 70 - so if you like sailboats and water, you might want to check it out.

Thanks to the Grove Rotary Club and the Grand Lake Sailing Club for making the outing possible. The race, which put Mark Gardner and the Peacemaker up against Mark Simmons and The Eagle, was auctioned off as part of this year's Lobsterfest. So a fun outing that had a double benefit - it raised $2,000 to help local non-profits. Double kuddos to the groups.

Rock The Runway

My camera got another workout on Tuesday night, as seniors from Grove High School "rocked" the runway during the 2014 Project Graduation fundraiser sponsored by Photography by Katherine and others.

It was fun to watch the seniors - 35 in all - strut their stuff on the catwalk. Some had a few surprises in their "walk" I personally loved the couple who stopped at the end of the runway to take a "selfie" - a photo of themselves with a cell phone - and the guy who walked the runway on his hands.

Kudos to the seniors and everyone involved who helped raise at least $600 for next spring's project graduation, Judging by the audience response, next year's event will need a bigger venue.

Most Inspirational Woman

So, have you thought about who has inspired you? Have you taken time to submit a nomination for the 2013 Grand Lake's Most Inspirational Woman contest? If not, what are you waiting for? We're accepting nominations at www.grandlakenews.com/women. The winner of this year's contest will receive, among other prizes, a $150 spa treatment at NeéSpa at Downstream Casino. The deadline to submit a nomination Monday, Sept. 30.

Have fun this weekend. If you capture a shot at Pelican Festival this weekend, submit your favorite photo - and what's happening in it - to me at news@grovesun.com. We'll showcase our favorite pics next week.

Kaylea M. Hutson is the managing editor of The Grove Sun. She can be reached at kaylea.hutson@grovesun.com or 918-786-2228. This column originally appeared in the Sept. 27, 2013 issue of The Grove Sun. 

Grove girl undergoes treatment for brain tumor

Angelica Wilson, 8, plays
with her kitten Molly,
in front of her home. Wilson,
a third grader from Grove, underwent
a new laser ablation procedure on
Friday, Aug. 30, to remove a brain tumor,
at Cook's Children's Hospital
in Fort Worth, Texas.In August, 8-year-old Angelica Wilson made history.

Oh, she didn't cure cancer, or negotiate a peace treaty - that may come when she gets older.

What she did do, is become the first child to undergo a new form of brain surgery at Cook's Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas.

Now, less than a month later, she is back at home in Grove, ready to take on the world.

The journey to Wilson's surgery began earlier this summer, when she was found in a swimming pool unconscious during a birthday party.

This was the second time Wilson passed out. The first, took place in May 2012, on the playground of the Grove Lower Elementary School.

At the time, explained her mother, Carey Wilson, doctors did not find anything wrong with Wilson. She exhibited no additional symptoms.

In June, after Wilson passed out again, her pediatrician at the Cherokee Nation Health Center in Vinita, Okla., Nicole Willis, decided to order a new round of tests.

This time, it came back conclusively. Wilson had a brain tumor deep within the cerebellum of her brain. After further tests at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Carey and her husband, John, were given three options for further care.

They chose to pursue treatment at Cook's Children's Hospital, because of the different options available for neurosurgery - including the use of an Inter-operative MRI scan, which allows surgeons to perform scans within the operating room, during surgery.

On August 30, Dr. John Honeycutt, the medical director for neurosurgery at Cook's Children's Hospital, performed a thermal ablation on Wilson.

In the past, the procedure would have required Honeycutt to perform a full craniotomy to remove the brain tumor. Using the new surgery, he made one incision and used a thermal laser to heat the tumor and remove the tissue.

This is the third time this form of surgery, using a Visualse machine, was completed at Cooks. Wilson was the first to undergo it to remove a brain tumor.

While a biopsy showed the tumor to be benign, Honeycutt wanted to remove the tumor because of the potential for complications as Wilson aged and the tumor grew larger.

Honeycutt said he chose to utilize the new procedure because of the location of the tumor, its size, and shape. The tumor being benign also impacted the decision to use the laser ablation.

"It lent itself to the perfect setup for treatment with this new technology," Honeycutt said. "If it didn't work, we had the ability to watch over time, and correct it with other methods."

While ablation procedures were available in the past, the equipment used electrical currents. Honeycutt said the laser helps make the treatment more accurate and reliable.

After the surgery, Wilson spent time in the rehabilitation wing of Cook's Children Hospital, undergoing physical, occupational and speech therapy.

While she has not had any issues related to her speech, the surgery has impacted Wilson's balance and fine motor skills. Her mother helps her walk using a gait belt. It will take between three to six months for the brain swelling to heal, and be more than a year from now before she is allowed to run or do anything beyond walking.

Wilson was discharged from Cooks on Fri., Sept. 20. She spent the last few days getting back into a routine at home. She also stopped by the Lower Elementary and saw her classmates in Barbara Couch's third grade class.

As of now, Wilson will stay at home and receive tutoring through the homebound program. On the days her mother works, she'll go to the Noah's Ark Day Care in Grove.

Carey Wilson said the daycare is a familiar environment for Wilson, and will give her a place to do her homebound homework assignments in a smaller setting.

Wilson will also undergo physical and occupational therapy at least three times each week. She hopes to return to her class at the Lower Elementary in January.

"The beauty of all of this, is that she really went with the flow," Carey Wilson said. "She never really freaked out.

"She was a little homesick at first for her pets - but friends sent pictures. She had a great attitude."

The fact that Cooks used therapy dogs, as part of Wilson's treatment, helped alleviate the homesickness, explained Carey Wilson.

"The first thing she wanted to do when we got home, was to see her dogs," Carey Wilson said. "They were already outside, and she sat down on the ground and started to pet them."

For now, Wilson's prognosis is good. Honeycutt said they will continue to monitor her health for many years.

"This was a miracle," Carey Wilson said. "God has watched over her."

Carey Wilson works as an office manager for the Cherokee Nation Health Center in Vinita. John Wilson is an over-the-road truck driver for Werner Enterprises. His primary responsibly is to make deliveries to Dollar General Stores.

For more information, or to follow Wilson's journey, persons interested may visit www.facebook.com/prayerwarriors4angelica.

Kaylea M. Hutson is the managing editor of The Grove Sun. She can be reached at kaylea.hutson@grovesun.com or 918-786-2228. This story originally appeared in the Sept. 27, 2013 issue of The Grove Sun.