Spring is Back!!!

Pickleball happens to be one of the most fun sports to play. Anyone can play and do fairly well. We took a bunch of the boys down to the local courts and played for a couple of hours. We played "King of the Court" and everyone had a ton of fun!  Staff and Students were able to hangout and enjoy each other and see just how competitive some people can be!

First match on the King's Court

These 2 guys went undefeated against students and only lost once to the staff team!

Just having fun..

These guys got fairly competitive during this game, and finally pulled out a victory

They made it to the King's Court but lost their first match there.

These 2 were having a lot of fun and even tried to hit it as high as they could.

Trever hopped in and played for a game and enjoyed it a lot playing with the students!

Did that go out?

 The King Court with the staff!!

There is nothing like a SNOWCONE on a hot day after playing pickleball!!

Service Hours

We have a wonderful relationship with the town near our school and they asked us if we could come down and help them with some beautification projects. We of course agreed and here are some photos from the boys that went and helped. The guys had to transport tumble weeds that had blown into some troublesome areas and then got to burn them at the end..

 Working Hard!

Who says you can't smile while you work?

 Teamwork at it's best!

 Trying to get rid of the "farmer's tan".

 Some happy guys after a hard days work!

Burn Baby Burn!

Triathalon Race Crew

We were invited to take part in the recent Triathalon that took place in St. George UT. We had a few students go down and help with one of the "pit stops" in the race. the boys loved it and had some pretty funny stories of what happened. Here is a photo with their T-Shirts that they earned from helping.

Wayt to go GUYS!!

At the end of the hike we had lunch and a group session. As you can see if you click on the picture there were deer in the feild directly behind us as we were eating.

The group session at the end of the hike was really good and it was so calming and an awesome way to end the amazing day.

Zion Trip Part 1

We had our group therapy day up in Zion National Park this month! We took all the upper level students and had an amazing time. Here are some photos of the event.

Just getting off the bus and all smiles! 

 Started the trek to along the river and the awesome cliffs.

 The rushing water made an awesome sound in the canyon!

 Paused for a group photo at the begining.

 The cliffs were huge!

 Some of the boys had a rock skipping contest.

 The squirrels would let you pet them!

 Rodney had a fun time just watching the squirrels as they found little pieces of food laying around.

Some of the boys were almost scared of the squirrels! At the beginning of the trail it did show a person who had been bitten by one so maybe they were imagining that happening.

Halo and Ice cream with a twist!

For the upper level meeting last week we had a Halo tournament and ice cream. However this was not just your average "hey let's get together and play some video games" type of halo tournament. This one had a purpose! We deliberately stacked one of the teams and even with lower level students. Then the lower level team never had to switch, they were allowed to play the entire time. The other team that was composed of the upper level students (there was 15 of them) had to switch around each game and so they only got to play a couple of times. This was designed to frustrate the upper level students by having it "seem" unfair.

It is cool to see some of the talents that some of the boys have.

In the end we had a meeting over ice cream and discussed how sometimes "life gives you lemons and your have to make lemonade". We related it to how in life there are times and people that seem unfair, but that it should not get us down or frustrate us to the point of giving up on our goals and aspirations. It went really good and the boys shared some really cool experiences about how they have used DRA to help them make "lemonade"! 

Group Day!

Group Therapy Day was awesome! The therapists did an amazing job with having thoughtful and entertaining games and projects for the students.

 On this one they had to lower a pole as a team and keep it perfectly level the whole time and learn to work as a team! It was really hard!

 Here they had to walk on crates and pass them to move in around a course. The students had 2 crates less then the nimber of students on their team.

Multiple teams had to start over due to falling or messing around and not working as a team.

In the end it went really well and the guys learned some really good lessons on Friends and what friends to choose. It was cool to see how the therapists and students were able to process all the events and enjoy themselves so much. Thanks Clinical!

Super Bowl Party!

We had our annual Super Bowl Party this year on the Monday following the game. It went really well the staff and boys did good with not telling each other who won. There were a lot of Giants fans so it was really fun to have them all celebrate afterwards. Sorry Patriot fans it was a hard loss. We started the big game with a BBQ and chips and drinks. The guys loved it.

Can't have a football party without Chips!

 Gotta have something to wash it down with too...

 It was an intense game! Everyone was watching so quietly!

 It was just as quiet and nervous the first quarter as the fourth quarter!

 Then came the Halftime treats!

We want to thank the cooks for making the treats! They were delicious!

Charlie Brown Christmas Eve

This year for Christmas Eve we had the boys involved in a little competition. We wanted them to decorate the dorm with Christmas decorations but only using the items they are given on a daily basis. This was to help them remember that Christmas is about giving not just recieving. The boys did amazing and here is some of their handy work!

Not a bad sign to be greeted with in a dorm? 

 I particularly like the fireplace!

 This is truly a made from scratch Christmas tree!

 Charlie Brown's tree has got nothing on this one!!

 Who doesn't need a Christmas Frog!

 These guys were all about the signs not the tree!

Who needs interior decorators when you got these guys!!!

 The youth had an amazing time with this even though it was a joke in a way it gave the students a little more Christmas spirit and they showed ti throughout the following day on Christmas. They were all so thankful for the small gifts they recieved. They got the true meaning of Christmas "giving and not just recieving", as well as gifts of service and gifts from the heart are worth more than any toy or electronic!! 

Pumkins and Donuts

Who doesn't love a good glazed donut? Yes there was a bit of a twist on it. It was hanging and you couldn't use your hands!!!

 Some of these guys took awhile to eat the whole donut.

 Some just kicked back and relaxed in the shade while playing the game.

 Big bites like this seem to work the best.

 No hands fellas! Yes that is fake blood on the staff :)

Then top it all off with some eyeballs for a snack!