"It's been a while"

What a week! Back to work. Now, my house, which was clean all summer, is a mess. In one week. How can it happen so fast? I haven't blogged all week...everything's on the back burner, again.
The kids are mostly ready to go back. There's been a guarentee from Nazareth that they won't strike until at least September 21st, when they have a meeting to vote on the new contract. So, hopefully, there won't be a strike.
We took JJ for a haircut last night at a barber shop in Easton. Now, picture the barbershop from the movie, "Barbershop"...it was almost like that. Except, not nearly as big. It was fun just being there, listening to everyone. Keith and I were the only white people there.
The rules where I work have changed, and we can't wear open toed shoes anymore, so I had to do some shoe shopping...nearly all of my summer/early fall shoes are sandals, so I had to get new ones. Isn't it great to have an excuse to "have to" get new shoes?
Jj's been playing football on the freshman team. He's very good, but is only on second string. I hope it's just because he's new, and not because of his color. He's making friends with kids on the team though, which is really good.
Braden wanted those really tight jeans for back to school, so we got him a pair. He looks like he's starved in them. He's skinny to begin with, but at least with the baggier cut, it wasn't so obvious. His new look (and he always has one) is polo shirts and tight jeans.
The neigbor kid leaves today for his sophmore year of college. Last year, the mom was balling her eyes out the week before he left, and the week after he left. This year, she told me, she was counting the days till he leaves. What a difference a year makes.
Well, that's about it for me and my same-ole same-ole.

"Guess it's over, call it a day. Sorry that it had to end this way..."

Well, it's over. I go back to work tomorrow. After two months off. (I feel like Blu, except for the exotic travel and drinks by the pool, being single and carefree parts.) I know people who work year round don't want to hear it. Keith's gloating. I'm kind of looking forward to going back. We built a brand new building and it will be exciting to be the first to use it. The old building we were in was horrible...buckets catching water when it rained. Some rooms were 110 degrees, while others were 50. No phones in the room. All of that will be changed this year. I can't wait to see the kids' faces when they come through the front doors on the first day of school. Most of these kids haven't had anything brand new in their lives.

We're going to go do some back-to-school shopping tonight, after JJ's football practice. Braden wants to get those god-awful tight jeans. Not only are they ugly, but they're expensive too. JJ wants sneakers and some new shirts. Braden got his new sneakers last week. Also, I have to make a trip to Staples to get the 1" binders and whatever else is on their school lists.

Tomorrow night, Keith and I have a wedding to go to. I bought these really wide, flarey black slacks to wear, and a cute white and black frilly blouse. I have to try the pants on today to see if I'll need new shoes or if the ones I have will work. Saturday, JJ has a scrimmage in the morning, then we have a picnic to go to. Sunday, I volunteered to work at the open house they're having at my school. While I would have worked anyway, the principal threw in four hours of comp time for anyone that offered to help out.

So far, the Children's Home still won't let Robert come and visit. Yesterday they told Keith it was out of their hands, but that's all they said. What the hell does that mean?

Oh, and I'm going to try to quit smoking....again. I LOVE SMOKING! But, I wish I didn't smoke. Hopefully, I wish it enough to quit. It will be nice to not smell like a cigarette, to not have to spend the money every week and, you know, to not die of lung cancer. I'll die of skin cancer instead, from laying out. In fact, I already told the kids that since today is my last day off, I'm doing nothing this afternoon except sit by the pool and read. We'll see if that actually happens.

I don't know, I never should have started this lyric thing!

JJ's all registered for school. He's signed up for football, and has had his physical. He's 5'10" and 175 lbs. That sounds like a man, not a 14 year old. He's really doing well adjusting here...hanging out with the neighbor kids, doing chores around the house, he even called Keith "dad" a couple of times last week - which Keith eats up and gloats about later.

I have had neighbor kids here nearly constantly for the last month of so. About seven kids, aging in range from 12 to 16. Boy can they eat! I don't mind, I kind of like having them all hang around here. Except for picking up the gatorade bottles, the popsicle wrappers and turning tvs and video games off. I go grocery shopping on Fridays, and the snacks are almost demolished by Monday. Then, for the next four days I get to hear, "there's nothing here to eat!"

Braden's actually excited about going back to school. He's getting kind of bored with hanging around here every day. Sadly for him (and for me) it looks like the strike is on. I was telling him and some of his friends yesterday that they should organize a student picket line, to picket across the street from the teachers. The signs could read, "We want to go back to school", or, "couldn't you have worked this out months ago?". He doesn't think it's a good idea.

JJ's aunt (the one he visits when he goes to Philly) is coming up on Sunday for a little get-together. I've talked to her a couple of times on the phone, and she seems so nice. She keeps going on and on about how happy JJ seems now, and how much we mean to him, and she really would like to meet us. She's coming up with a couple of JJ's cousins...hopefully everything will run smoothly.

"Go Charlette, it's your birthday..."

When Braden was younger, we used to go all out for his birthday. You know, ponies, clowns, circus themes, dunk tank....whatever kind of party he wanted. As he got a little older, it became pricier and pricier to have this stupid party. So, we made a deal with him. You want a big, expensive party, you can have it. But then you'll get a very small present from us due to the cost of the party. Or you can not have the party (we'd still have cake for the family) and get $100 cash. Well, Braden loves to shop (for himself) so naturally he opted for the cash. After the first year, he asked if he could have one friend over to have cake with the family. But, now he has it down to a science. He asked three kids to come over and swim yesterday, then stay for cake with the family. He didn't invite any of the neighbor kids, and I wondered why. Now I know. As soon as the neighborhood kids see extra kids here, they all come over. At one point we had about 8 kids here, plus my family. This is Braden and his friends and his cake.

(Emma, if you look closely, you can see the back of tea lady's head)
All in all it was a good day. He's officially a teenager now. The big 1 3 !Everyone gave him money, so he'll be driving me nuts all day today to go shopping, but, hey, it only happens once a year.

"It's late September and I really should be back at school"

The family reunion went surprisingly well. I saw relatives I wouldn't have recognized if they would have knocked on my door. Everyone said they were glad we decided to do it, and we should make it at least a yearly thing. There were no fights. There were no drunks. There was, however, a funny game of basketball where all the men (mid 40's to 50's) decided to play with the kids (14-21)...I thought for sure the ambulance would be needed.
We've been settling in here. JJ is getting more and more comfortable. Which is great. The honeymoon period with him and Braden is over though, as they sometimes argue. Actually, Braden argues, JJ just says, "yeah you're right", which really pisses Braden off. All in all, everything's going well.
The other day we were driving through town and a group of daycare kids was taking a walk, holding hands. "Why are they all holding hands," Braden asked. "Because it's a daycare, and they want to keep the kids together," I told him. Braden said, "Daycare? It's more like Gaycare!"
Our cell phone plan is up the end of August and we have to decide if we're going to stay with Verizon or switch to Cingular. We don't have a problem with Verizon, and Keith gets a company discount with them, but most everyone we know is Cingular, so I'm thinking all the "in network" calling would make up for the discount.
Soon it will be back to school shopping. Then, back to school itself. There's talk that our school district will be striking this fall. What am I going to do with Braden and JJ when I go back to work and they don't have school? The 18th is my first day back, and the kids supposedly start on the 28th. Please don't strike, please don't strike, please don't strike.

"And the course of a lifetime runs, over and over again"

We're having a family reunion today. All relatives from my father's side of the family. The first one we've ever had. It should prove to be very interesting.
My father's family is filled with crazy people. Seriously. My dad's brother, Uncle Dick (I like saying that) is a hobo. He wanders from town to town and bar to bar. I haven't seen him in years. He used to show up at my brother's in the winter if it was going to dip below zero and ask to sleep on their couch. I really don't even know if he's still alive. My dad's two sisters didn't speak to eachother in over 40 years - and the arguement started over a crib. One of the sister's has passed away since, she was my favorite aunt in the whole world. But, she didn't speak to her own children in over 30 years. She passed away with grandchildren she'd never met. The other sister, for some unknown reason, will not speak with my father. And, trust me, my father doesn't get involved in any of the bickering. He's like Switzerland. That's okay though, she was always the meanest, scariest one of the bunch anyway. I used to spend weeks at a time at her house when I was a kid because her daughter is my age and we used to be close. I haven't seen the daughter in years.
So, attending this family reunion will be: My father and tea lady, my half-brother and his family, my brother and his family, my sister, the children of the aunt who passed away and most of their families (they're mostly married with children of their own now), the son of the mean aunt and his family, and supposedly the daughter of the mean aunt, but I doubt she'll actually show up, oh and of course me and my family.
I was talking to my half-brother yesterday, and neither one of us can remember ever being together with all the cousins at the same time. No holiday dinners, no weddings, no funerals. Never. I'm pretty sure we should have some sort of law enforcement agency on standby.

I can't think of a song lyric...but I know I will after I hit "publish post"

Well, we're mostly settled.
On Wednesday I picked JJ (and his things) up. He told me to be there at 11:am. Of course I was anxious, so I got there a little early. When I got there, he was sitting there, waiting. We loaded all his things (which were all packed in trash bags-but more on that later) and then it was time for him to say goodbye.
A lot of the staff members had come to see him off - not the important ones like his casemanager or supervisor, but the ones that worked in the Acopian. They all said how much they would miss him and asked us to please keep in touch with them. The one guy told me that JJ (who like most teens, usually sleeps in) was up bright and early pacing around.
I felt very badly for Robert who didn't say two words. Just helped us load JJ's stuff with a very long face. His best friend is leaving him. So, I made arrangements to pick Robert up on Thursday for him to spend the day here.
We brought everything home and unloaded it. Keith came home from work and came up to JJ's room with us. "Welcome home, son." Keith said, then added, "It's okay that I call you that?" "Yeah, that's good," JJ answered.
I offered to help him put his stuff away, but he said, "Miss, I'm responsible. I can take care of myself." I told him I knew that, but I would like to help him get his things organized. He said no. A little later, he came to me and said, "If you really want to, you can put my clothes away for me. But only if you want to."
Later, Keith took him on some errands with him, so I went up to put his stuff away. Now, those of you with teenagers...imagine if someone told them to pack up everything they own. Now imagine if the only thing there were given to pack it in was garbage bags. He had papers in with his clothes. Stuffed animals, bedding (that I swear to you must have never, ever been washed), cd's, pens and pencils, knick knacks, clean clothes, dirty clothes....ALL MIXED TOGETHER! He had clothes that he hadn't worn in years...clothes that were sizes too small for him. He had one dress shoe! Anyway, we sorted it all, and put everything away. He just has one crate left of "junk" as he calls it. I can only imagine what's in there.
Him and Braden have been getting along so well...but I know it's only a matter of time until they start arguing. But, it's all good.
Yesterday, we were in the car on our way home from his dentist appointment and he asked if he could use my cell phone. "Sure," I said, "who are you going to call?" "My mom," he answered. The next thing I know, he showed me the number he'd dialed, and it was mine. I almost cried. The only thing I have to do now is to get him to stop calling me Miss!

"And as I grab the phone I pray Let it please be him Oh dear God It must be him"

I called JJ's caseworker yesterday and left a message asking when JJ could finally come and live with us. It was a month ago that they said a week or two. He was heartbroken that we had to take him back after vacation. Last night, we rode down there to see him and give him his toothbrush he left here and he said, "go start the car, and swing around, I'm going to make a break for it." Plus, school starts in a few weeks and I'd like him to get used to being here before he has to start another new thing. Of course, his caseworker never called back. I waited all day for his phone call. Then I waited again today.

Nothing.

I took Braden to get his cast off at about 2:30 and we were on our way when my cell phone rang. "Mrs. Koch? I have JJ in my office right now. We just had a meeting and we got the green light. He can come and live with you." "I'll be there in five minutes!" I practically screamed into the phone. Braden was going crazy. Arms flapping, screaming and smiling.

Of course, I couldn't get him that quickly. He has to pack his belongings (which I'm sure are few) and whatnot. So, tomorrow morning, at 10:30 sharp I'm taking Keith's truck and getting JJ and his things. As of tomorrow, by 1:00 he should officially be a resident of the Koch household!

I thought the day would never come. To be honest, I'm still not exactly sure I believe it's real. If a stranger were to walk into our house right now, he'd think we just won the lottery. We're all so excited!

"and go kart mozart checking out the weather chart"

What a great vacation!!
The weather was hot and sunny (which is exactly the way I like it), and a good time was had by all. We went to the water park, hung by the pool, the kids drove go-karts and played basketball and went to the arcade. We ate dinner out nearly every night (what's not to love about that?). Their was an illusionist that performed on Wednesday night, and he was very good, but also had a great sense of humor. We all enjoyed that show. I think the kids liked the go-karts the best.

The resort where we have our timeshare is a great place to go, especially with a family. They have every activity you can think of. But, it's laid back enough that you don't have to do anything at all. Braden was dazzling kids at the indoor pool with his flips off the diving board. He's just like Keith and will strike up a conversation with just about anyone. I knew a little bit about nearly everyone at the resort, just by listening to Braden. JJ was a pleasure to take along, as he's never been on a vacation before. Everything was please and thank you, and unlike spoiled Braden, he appreciated every little thing we did! I didn't hear "I'm bored" or "This is gay!" once out of his mouth.

The other family we went with enjoyed the place so much, that they purchased a timeshare of their own there.

JJ spent a whole week with us, and says that he still wants to come and live with us. Can you imagine? This is a picture of the whole gang we went with. From left to right: Keith, me, Braden, JJ, Cindy, Gary and Shane. That's our last night there, at the go-karting place.




My one complaing? (you know there has to be at least one, right?) was that my mattress was uncomfortable. I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight. 

"One more song about moving along the highway. Can't say much of anything that's new"

Tonight, we're going in a road rally. It's something I've always wanted to do, and am really looking forward to it. We leave for vacation tomorrow. I'm not packed yet, but I have the clothes all pulled out. SO, I'll see you all in a week. Behave yourselves.
Look at these interesting facts about me! I'll bet you didn't know half of them.

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Schell!

1. Schell is the only king without a moustache on the standard pack of cards!
2. Schell can sleep for three and a half years.
3. Red schell at night, shepherd's delight. Red schell at morning, shepherd's warning!
4. Schell can eat up to four kilograms of insects in a single night.
5. Birds do not sleep in schell, though they may rest in her from time to time.
6. Fish travel in schools, but whales travel in schell.
7. Schell became extinct in England in 1486.
8. All the moons of the Solar System are named after characters from Greek and Roman mythology, except the moons of Uranus, which are named after schell!
9. People used to believe that dressing their male children as schell would protect them from evil spirits!
10. Olympic badminton rules say that schell must have exactly fourteen feathers!

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

"Hide it in the hiding place where no one ever goes. Put it in the pantry with your cupcakes."

I've decided, at least until I decide not to, that I'm going to try to title each entry with lyrics from a song. We'll see how long that lasts.

Tomorrow is the home inspection. I've been trying to walk around my house, objectively, and see if there's anything remiss. I've got a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, smoke detectors all working, no exposed wiring. Is there anything else I should be concerned about? Should I hide the liquor? It's normal for a family to have a couple of bottles of liquor around, right? I guess as long as I'm not drinking it when the guy arrives, it should be alright. It's okay that it's obvious Keith's a hunter right? Or should I put away the deer head and boar head? Anything else you can think of that I should put away, or get out?

There's something wrong with my refrigerator, everything keeps freezing. I had the guy come today to check it out, and he said it needs a new thermostat and that he'd order one for me. I hope it's not too expensive.

I took Braden to his annual psychiatrist appointment today...he's impressed with what a great school year Braden had, and wants to try to cut back on his meds a little. While I'd like Braden to be on as little medicine as possible, I don't want to rock the boat too much. Once again, it's a quagmire.

Braden pulled his first all-nighter last night. Him and some of the neighbor kids slept out in a tent. They went from house to house all night. I heard them come in here about 4:30 this morning...Keith wasn't very happy about it either. They fell asleep around 6 this morning, then woke up at 11:30. He napped on the way to the doctor and on the way home. He should be a bear around 8:00 tonight.

How do you like my hedgehog? Cute isn't she? For some reason, I like hedgehogs. Must be their prickly exterior. The same reason I like Nag, Allan and Emma.

I made myself a cd yesterday with songs I downloaded. Here is what's on it:
Just Walk Away Renee by The Association
Got to be Real by Cheryl Lynn
Welcome to Pooh Corner by Loggins and Messina
Night and Day by Al B Sure
Lonely Boy by Andrew Gold
Been Around the World by Lisa Stanfield
Knock Three Times by Tony Orlando and Dawn
September by Earth WInd and Fire
Now That We Found Love by Heavy D and the Boyz
Side Show by Blue Magic
Enough is Enough by Streisand and Summers
C'est La Vive by Robbie Neville
Don't Want to Fall in Love by Jane Child
Sign Your Name by Terrance Trent Darby
Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel
Everlasting Love by Natalie Cole

Would you listen to any of these over and over again?

What a great weekend!
JJ came each day, (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). He wasn't allowed to stay over, but was here until 10 each night. Robert was supposed to just come on Friday and Sunday because he was going to be playing in a basketball tournament on Saturday, so we invited JJ's older brother here on Saturday. When I went to pick them up, the basketball thing had been canceled, so I had three of them here. It was a fun, fun day. They swam, ate, played video games, ate, rode the four-wheeler, ate, played basketball, ate, watched tv and of course, ate.
Braden went on a scout camping trip this weekend, and was gone from Friday evening until yesterday around lunch time. He had a good time, and was in charge of the food and cooking for the trip. He said everyone liked his menu and the boy that was supposed to help him wasn't much help, but he liked doing it himself. He has almost all his criteria met for 1st class scout. He says he wants to go on to be an eagle scout, but I don't know if he'll stick with it that long.
I indulged Keith on Saturday night, so he was in a great mood on Sunday.
Today, Braden has to go for bloodwork, and then to the dentist. Tomorrow he has a doctor's appointment, and Wednesday we have our home inspection by the Children's Home. Then I have to start packing. We leave for vacation on Sunday. I've booked the kennel for Toby, and hired the neighbor boy to feed the cats and water my containers.

Infestation - yuk

I've been infested....inside and out.

We have a terrible Japanese Beetle problem. It's in my old-man-walking-stick, my rose bushes, my pussy willow (sssh, Bert), my sandcherry (again, sssh)and Keith's prized Japanese red maple...they're everywhere. We've sprayed them a couple of times, and they just keep coming back. It's gross to see them all over the leaves...and most of the time they're having sex. I'm afraid it's turning Keith on.

I went to the dentist today for my cleaning. My gums are a mess. They've been slowly becoming a mess, but in the last three months, they've gotten extremely worse. And, I have a baby tooth (2nd from the front) that's getting very very loose. If it falls out, I won't leave the house. My teeth are crooked and I have a complete overbite. I just want to have them all yanked and get beautiful, straight, white false teeth. My dentist says I shouldn't do that...is she just saying that because she's a dentist? If I don't do that I'm looking at gum surgeries, orthodontics and implants...probably about double the price of a good set of dentures.

I'll admit it, I was wrong...

The meeting wasn't what I thought it was going to be. When the secretary called to set up the meeting, she said it was "a meeting about JJ"....and, his meeting was supposed to be yesterday, so I assumed it was "HIS MEETING". I was wrong. It was just a general meeting with us and other people that sponsor kids at the home. It was a good meeting, but not the one I'd hoped for. I learned something shocking at the meeting....there are 125 kids at the home (some in group homes, some at the actual campus). Of those kids, only 12 kids have sponsors. And, Keith and I sponsor 2 of them. That's very sad, isn't it? HOWEVER, at the end of the meeting the facilitator told us that he had a message for us. He said that we were supposed to call the person in charge of the fostering today. He said he didn't know exactly what it was about, but he thought it was good. Now, I'm just waiting for a decent time so I can call.

After the meeting we went to see JJ and Robert. JJ said his caseworker told him yesterday that within weeks he'll be living here. JJ said to him, "you mean a month?" and he said, "no, more like two weeks."

It seems like things are finally moving in the right direction. I'm so excited I could practically burst. And, you should have seen JJ yesterday. He couldn't take the smile off his face.

Just a general update

The rain has finally stopped! It rained for five or six straight days here, and there's flooding everywhere. Luckily, I don't live right near any rivers, creeks or lakes, but within ten miles of me people were evacuated and houses and businesses are ruined. The Delaware still hasn't crested, but it's more than 13' over flood stage.
Keith and I were invited to attend JJ's meeting today at the home. I'm a little nervous, but mostly I'm excited. I expect it to go well. Hopefully we'll leave there with a date when he can come and live with us. Of course, Keith's still walking saying, "who's the man?" because of his phone call with the supervisor last week.
Braden wants to go spend the day today with the tea lady...lord knows why. So, while he's gone, I'm going to mop my kitchen floor and clean his room really well. He's doing pretty well with his cast and except for the complaints of it itching him, and the fact that he can't turn a doorknob, you wouldn't know he had it.
I still need to get a new ceiling light for the kitchen, and get my phone line moved for the computer. Oh yeah, and there's a cabinet that needs to get hung. I told Keith I want it all done by this weekend. We'll see if it happens.
We're talked about having a little cookout/party on Monday for the 4th. So far, we've just talked about it. I reminded Keith that we don't have table tops on either of our outside tables, and that might make outdoor entertaining a little tough. He's such a procrastinator. Those tops have been broken since last fall. WTF?
That's about it for me. Nothing more to report.

What a nice weekend I (we) had. Even though the weather was horrible, we had a good time.
On Saturday, we went to Keith's company picnic. Robert went with us, and he and Braden had a great time. Then we went to a graduation party where there were lots of friends and lots of good food. When I was taking Robert back on Saturday, he said to me, "I'm coming again tomorrow?", while nodding his head yes. Well, I couldn't possibly say no.


Sunday was Keith's birthday. We all slept in until 10:00. Keith went to pick up Robert and made a Dunkin Donuts run. We hung out the rest of the morning, then went to this indoor bowling alley/laser tag/arcade place. When we came home we had to get ready for Braden's boy scout picnic. The leaders of his troup can make something that's normally fun torturous. It drug on. So, we used the excuse that we had to take Robert home to leave. We came home and played some board games then took Robert back around 10:00.
Braden's doing pretty well with his cast...in fact at the graduation party he was playing volleyball with a bunch of older kids and won the game for them by using the cast as a great server. The kids all high fived him and messed his hair up, he was in his glory. It does itch him a lot...but he's been using a chop stick to take care of that.
It's amazing, now that I'm not so worried about JJ (and Robert) how much more I'm enjoying the everyday things. Even the four straight days of rain (with three more expected) isn't so bad.

It was sooo good to see JJ yesterday. He went swimming for a bit with Keith and Braden, then we ate and left for the game. He can't go to Keith's company picnic on Saturday, because he already planned a visit home to see his aunt, but they said Robert can come with us, and JJ can come up and spend next weekend here. He was beaming! We were beaming!

While we were at the game, Braden saw one of my ex-students. Whenever he runs into Braden, he starts rough-housing with Braden, which Braden loves. Throwing him in the air, and stuff. Anyway...this kid was throwing Braden in the air, and then missed him coming down and Braden fell and landed wrong on his arm. We had to leave the game at half-time to take Braden to the emergency room. Luckily there were other people from the Home at the game, so we arranged for JJ to ride home with one of them. We went to the hospital, and sure enough, both of the bones in his forearm are broken. I have to take him to the orthopedic guy this afternoon for a cast. He wants a hot pink one.

Now, this is really putting a crimp in my book-group plans. I was planning on spending all day baking/cooking and straightening up. Now I have to drive an hour to the doctors, who knows how long it will take once we're there, and then an hour back. I hope the book group girls don't mind frozen appetizers.

I'll post a picture of Braden and his cast later. Oh, and he's really eating up all the extra attention. "Mom, can you get me this?", "Mom, can you do this for me?" Sadly, it's his right arm, and he's right handed. He just better not ask me to wipe his ass!

Oh my God!

As I'm typing this, my hands are shaking...and, for once, it's because I'm very happy. We were supposed to take JJ with us to Keith's company picnic on Saturday, but due to the "no contact" thing, we couldn't. We already paid for an extra ticket, so he called the supervisor at the home to see if the other boy that came here would be able to go. He told her that JJ was obviously our first choice, but that it would be a shame for the ticket to go to waste, so we'd take Robert if we could. She said that she'd call the Acopian center and see how they were behaving, and maybe one of them could go with us. She actually said one of them! She promised to call back, but we waited all day yesterday, and she didn't call back.

Meanwhile, there's an allstar football game tonight at a local field, and JJ's brother is playing, so we were going to go. Keith called the supervisor back because we didn't hear from her, and he reminded her of the game, and said it would be nice if someone from the home would take JJ to see his brother play. She suggested that we take him! She also said that JJ can go with us on Saturday, and that they're having a meeting next Thursday, and he might be getting out of the Acopian. If he does, she said she'll get the ball rolling on the fostering. Keith said there was more to tell, but he couldn't really talk from work, and he'd tell me later.

I'm so freaking happy I could burst. Braden was jumping up and down screaming out of excitement...and that's exactly what I felt like doing!

Keeping myself busy

 
 
 

This is what I've been doing with all my pent up energy. I moved every piece of furniture in my downstairs. I still want to do what I talked about before, making my kitchen into a family room, but this is what I've been able to do without spending any money. I have to ease Keith into the spending money part. I've made a dining room in part of my family room. Moved all my family room furniture into the front (formerly wasted by that damn piano which is now in my driveway)part of the room. I also got a small kitchen table out of the basement to use in the kitchen for now, and I moved the computer in the kitchen...the computer desk and the kitchen table match. Now, I have to get a different ceiling light for the kitchen, so I can move the table into a corner. I also want to see if I can change the chandeler (?) into one that doesn't have to be direct wired so I can hang it above the dining table now. I also have to get a screen to put behind my tv to hide all the stupid surround sound and satellite wires.
I like the way it is set up now, without so much wasted space in the family room. And, Blu, my kitchen isn't 625 sq feet, it's about 250 sq feet. That's not very big. 

Braden went to an overnight birthday party at Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor waterpark in the Poconos. He had a great time, and now keeps bugging that, "We really have to go there, mom."

Keith is being a pain in the neck about my plans for moving things around. The goddam piano is still where it was. Pretty soon, I'm going to go to a truck stop, dressed like a prostitute, and lure about 6 horny truck drivers here, only to have them move the piano. I have book group here next Friday, and I'd like it done by then.

I bought spray paint and today I'm going to repaint my patio furniture. It's a purple color. We'll see how that turns out. I'll post a picture when I'm finished.

I called the home yesterday, because my "30 days of no contact" was up. I talked to the supervisor at the Acopian where JJ is, and she said she'd check and call me back. She called me back and said, "I just checked with JJ's caseworker, and he said he already told you this, but you're not allowed any contact with JJ until he's out of the Acopian." FIrst of all, I left two messages for the caseworker, and he never called me back, so he never told me this. I asked how long he'd be there, and she said she didn't know. I asked if I could just talk to him on the phone, and she said no. Then, through my tears, I asked how Robert (the other boy we had over) was doing, and she said, "he's a mess." But, that's all she would say. I know it's time to write a letter to the editor, or contact someone else, but I'm afraid to do that without talking to JJ first. You have no idea, but this place is liable to get pissed if I do that, and they'll ship him out of there without blinking an eye. I don't even know if they've told him we're still not allowed to contact him, or if he thinks we just don't care anymore. I can't stop worrying about him. Keith and I made up this plan yesterday to go down there, and we'd each get to beat up the people we like the least. It made me feel good for five minutes.