I have a confession to make. As much as I was looking forward to our holiday party last week, I was tempted to talk myself out of going. It was raining that day. I was cold and tired. I didn’t want to drive that far. Would the restaurant be too loud? What if my white elephant gift is too silly? I’m a little self-conscious about the way I sign.

But something that I have learned with my hearing loss is that sometimes, I just have to do things even when I think I’ll be uncomfortable. How else will I grow? What amazing experiences am I missing out on when I choose isolation over activity? So I went to the party and as always, had a wonderful time! It refreshes me to be around other people with hearing loss because I know they get it. We might not all use the same methods of communication but we always find a way to chat and connect with each other.

So thank you SO MUCH to everyone who braved the rain and the distance and even the unknown to party with us! We had a great turnout at Carino’s at The Legends and I enjoyed seeing so many new faces – I hope we’ll see even more of each other in 2012!

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Our next formal meeting will be Saturday, Jan. 21 from 10:30am-12pm at the Plaza Library in Kansas City, Mo. Our goal for these workshop-style settings is to bring in members and professionals in the deaf and hard of hearing communities to present on topics of interest to those with hearing loss. We have CART available at each meeting and transcripts of past presentations are available under our White Papers tab at the top of this page. Keep an eye on the blog and your email inbox for more details about our January meeting.

We also plan social events each month and our next social event will be Thursday, Jan. 26 from 6:30pm-8:30pm at the Central Resource Library in Overland Park, Kan. Sarah Mosher and Alex Vetor will be leading a beginning sign language class for those who are interested in learning sign language or in brushing up on their signing skills.

So mark your calendars, people, because we want to see more of you soon! We hope you can make it to our January events and as always, if you have any questions or comments, you can email us at hlaakc@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Have a safe and happy holiday season!