"The Pool Man"

The Bristols Blog would like to thank Michael Soden for two years of exemplary service to our neighborhood. I doubt any community pool in Fishers, or Central Indiana, looked as crystal clear consistently throughout the summer as that of The Bristols. Michael faithfully skimmed, vacuumed and treated our pool the last two summers so that all of us could enjoy it without worry. We hope that he'll continue to serve the neighborhood as "pool man," but whatever he decides, his hard work is much appreciated!

Street & Traffic Safety

Let's keep our neighborhood streets clear. With the number of children in The Bristols, the increased traffic due to 126th Street closure and the need for garbage trucks and school buses to have access, we need to keep our vehicles off the curbs.

I have noticed in recent weeks that more and more vehicles are parked along neighborhood streets. Even at posted speed limits, I find myself worrying about children or pets darting out from behind parked cars, trucks or vans. Besides those significant dangers, it is plain aggravating to feel like you're driving an obstacle course just to get down your street.

The homeowner's covenant has this to say about it:

Section 6.13 - Vehicles Parking. No trucks one (1) ton or larger in size, campers, trailer, motorhomes, boats, snowmobiles, jet ski or similar vehicles shall be parked on any street in the Property. Any recreational vehicle or trailer, camper, snowmobile, jet ski, or boat shall not be permitted to remain on any driveway or Lot except within a closed garage and shall not be regularly parked upon unpaved areas. There shall be no outside storage of commercial trucks, trailers, boats, junk cars, or fuel tanks.

And while your primary vehicle, or those of your visitors, are not specifically mentioned in the convenant, they still present a hazard. I don't have government statistics, but a safe bet is that you're likelihood of getting vehicle damage goes up dramatically when you're parked on the street. I know, my car has been sideswiped before. Plus, it seems silly to waste a perfectly good patch of concrete known as your driveway.

Let's keep our neighborhood safe and orderly, and not park on the streets.

Road Work Update

The Town of Fishers' Dept. of Public Works has issued a letter to those of us effected by the closure and widening of 126th Street. This letter updates July 26th press release posted online. Here are the highlights/changes:

• Intersection of Brooks School Rd and 126th to close on or about Sept. 15
• Completion of the eastern section (to Olio Rd) is scheduled for October 2010
• Closure of 126th east of Olio, next to HSE, will occur during the summer of 2010 for approx. 75 days

We'll just have to grin and bear it while the town continues to kick up the dust and send extra traffic through The Bristols. You can view a map of the closures and detours by clicking here (PDF).

Bristols HOA Meeting TONIGHT!

Don't forget to join your neighbors at the New Hope Presbyterian Church on the corner of 126th and Brooks School. Tonight's meeting at 7:00 presents a great opportunity to voice concerns and it is your only chance to vote for board positions. You can find information on The Bristols website.

Hope to see you at New Hope tonight!

Domestic Adoption Worked for Us

Most of us know at least one person who has travelled to Asia to adopt a child. Many believe this is the quickest and best way to adopt and well worth the tens of thousands they invest. I've heard some heartwarming stories of those who have brought back precious children from overseas adoptions. But domestic adoption is just as viable an option, and often times a lot less costly.

There are hundreds of thousands of kids in the U.S. foster care system eligible for adoption (see February 2008 article in USA Today). And domestic adoptions aren't as expensive as some people believe them to be. Case-in-point: My wife and I adopted two girls while living in Florida, both of whom were born at local hospitals. The adoptions happened quickly with little expense and very few hurdles. The key for us was getting the word out.

If you are considering a domestic adoption, word-of-mouth can be just as important as hiring an attorney or contacting an agency. We were notified about both of our girls from friends and acquaintances who knew we were desperate to adopt. The key was getting word out through our network of family and friends. And in both cases, we used private practice attorneys whose fees were nominal. We spent less than $20,000 for both adoptions combined!

I cannot fully express the joy of having two adopted children. My girls are the best part of my day, even on bad behavior days. And I would encourage anyone who is considering adoption to look first locally. Spread the word through all the people you know at work, church, clubs, etc. You'll be surprised how many people will encourage you, support you by getting the word out and may even know of available babies/children.

November is National Adoption Month and there are plenty of online resources for those looking to adopt. There are support groups all over the country and on the web, too. I'd be happy to serve as a resource, so feel free to give my blog address to anyone who's considering adoption here or abroad.

Let's tackle our foster care issue together and see to it that American children find permanent, stable homes.

Severe Weather Awareness--Tornados

I originally blogged about family preparedness a few weeks ago, then went online to do some research for local information. I was disappointed by what I found on the Town of Fishers site, so I put together some helpful information of my own. Below are some links to help you start the conversation with your loved ones. Do you have a plan? Do you and your family know what to do in the case of severe weather, specifically tornados?

Links—
http://www.disastercenter.com/guide/family.htm (Family Disaster Plan)
http://www.in.gov/dhs/index.htm (IN Dept of Homeland Security)
▪ http://www.in.gov/dhs/3672.htm (Family Plan)
▪ http://www.in.gov/dhs/3752.htm (Tornado Page)
▪ http://www.in.gov/dhs/3734.htm (Thunderstorms Page)
▪ http://www.in.gov/dhs/3740.htm (Floods Page)
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/safety/tornado.html (Nat’l Severe Storms Lab Tornado Page)*
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/tornado/index.shtm (FEMA Tornado Page)
http://www.fema.gov/kids/tornado.htm (FEMA for Kids Tornado Page)
http://www.doe.state.in.us/safety/tornado.html (IN DOE Tornado Actions for Schools)
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_591_,00.html (Red Cross Tornado Page)
http://www.tornadoproject.com/safety/safety.htm (Tornado Safety)
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/safety.html (Storm Prediction Center-Tornado Safety)
http://www.weather.gov/nwr/CntyCov/nwrIN.htm (NOAA Wx Radio by County)

**UPDATED**Help Michael Treinen Fight AML

***UPDATE***

Great News for Michael!!!
I just received a call from ICHIA- the high risk insurance that has been expedited due to the overwhelming attention Michael's situation has been given. Although the coverage is not 100%- with the money raised through all of your efforts - combined with the insurance- we can confirm payment with Seattle- TODAY!!!!!!!!!

I can't even begin to thank each and everyone of you for helping us get to where we are today. It could not have happened without the efforts of not only your $$$ but your time and making contacts for Michael!

We love all of you!
The Treinens

----ORIGINAL MESSAGE-----

Hello Friends,

We are parents who are pleading for your help. Our son Michael is 19 years old and last May was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Many of you already know Michael's story but let me give you a few highlights. As of May of 2007 Michael was a typical goofy 18 year old from a typical family in Noblesville, IN who was ready to graduate from high school. Michael loves hockey and lacrosse. We, as most of you, thought that nothing would change our lives in such a drastic way. Boy, were we wrong. Michael had some swollen lymph nodes and when they were checked we were told the devasting news of cancer. We put on our "big girl pants" and were ready to fight this thing. In December, Michael went into remission but by January was back in the fight. This time we are in the fight of our lives.

Fast forward to now, Michael has been receiving treatment at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis . His next step is a bone marrow transplant. Michael needs to have the transplant in order to survive. From our research the best place for treatment is Children's Hospital in Seattle, Washington . Now here is the catch. Michael is at his life-time limit for insurance. In order for Seattle to schedule the transplant we need send them a check for $500,000. We are no longer the typical American family and like most of you- do not have $500,000 to send them.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! We are asking three things from you:

1. Your prayers that we get our miracle and Michael survives his fight with AML and is able to return to the life of a typical nineteen year old.

2. Please send a donation of $20.00 to the:
Michael Treinen Medical Trust Fund
c/o Mr. Sid Loomis
Harris Bank
107 W Logan Street
Noblesville, IN 46060

3. Please pass this e-mail to at least twenty (20) of your friends and relatives and ask them to send this email to at least 20 people. Please feel free to share a personal connection with Michael and our family.

This a time-sensitive grass roots campaign to raise the $500,000 that Michael needs. Time however is not our friend. We need this money to be received by Thursday, April 3rd. We have to get treatment started as soon as possible!

I know that many of you do not know us. I can assure that a year ago we would never have believed that we would be asking not only our friends and family, but complete strangers to help us pay to save our son's life. Believe me when I tell you this is the last thing we want to be doing. But, you do what you have to do.

Please help us and send a check to the bank...today! Also, please send this email out to everyone you know. I know we can do this with your help. If you want to know more about Michael, you can go to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/michaeltreinen (Caring Bridge Site).

God bless and thank you,

Tom and Kelly Treinen