(Almost) Wordless (Almost) Wednesday

We're keeping busy here and I'm still having a hard time keeping up with blogs/blogging. I miss that, but am enjoying this "season" very much, so it is what it is... We had a super fun birthday party...here is a collage of some of my favorite pics.

Hopefully I'll have time for more "words" soon. Enjoy.

G0od night :)

Hard to Believe

It's SO hard to believe that exactly one year ago I became an aunt! My nephew is one and SO much fun! A year ago, I'm sure I had "big plans" for my one-year post (I probably also thought I'd have a gift bought and maybe some cool collages or something made!). I never could have imagined where this year would take me or how much I would LOVE being an aunt (well, I pretty much knew I would love it!)

This may not be the "grand post" I had planned and I may be doing last-minute shopping before the party on Saturday, but I love this boy so much. He is so silly and makes us laugh all the time. He loves to try and figure things out. That boy LOVES to dance! He has grown and changed so much during this past year. I am looking forward to many more fun years being his favorite aunt :)

Happy First Birthday to my Amazing Nephew!

Going Good

(or going well!)

I just wanted to pop in with a post in case anyone was wondering about me. I really miss blogging and reading blogs, but guess that's what happens when you have kids! I'm hopefully back to working full-time (please, please, please!) We've been busy doing lots of fun things (it has been raining doing LOTS of indoor things!) If it was just the little one, I probably could blog during her long naps and after she goes to bed, but I feel bad being on the computer when the older one is home sitting next to me on the couch.

So, that's all for now...until the next time. Enjoy the summer! :)

Saying Nothing

My last post was called "As I Was Saying" as I wrestled with what I coulda/woulda/shoulda said. I tossed and turned that night (probably since I was afraid I wouldn't wake up to my alarm since it had been a LONG time since I had to get up that early but also probably because I wasn't sure if I had done the "right" thing).

I am SO glad that I took the time to write that post because I got some really great comments. I also talked about it at work yesterday (I ACTUALLY got to work...of course, I didn't get to work today, so my next two paychecks are going to be crappy, but that's for another day...) and got some really good feedback too. I talked about learning from mistakes and one nurse said "well, most people have 15 years before they have to deal with a 15-year-old". True, very true.

Laurie in Ca had a real-life example to share with me and her perspective helped a TON. She wrote "...the bond of siblings runs so deep and being moved from one place to another is traumatic and so scary for them...They already know their lives are temporary no matter how loving the caregivers are." It really is true that they are the only "constant" the other has right now and to try and take that away from them really would be detrimental.

However, that doesn't mean that I can set limits and remind "M" that she needs to be a kid doing things without her little sister. I'm actually thankful that I DIDN'T say anything (I debated on whether or not to say something when I got home from work yesterday) because last night went MUCH better and I could have screwed up a good thing by saying the wrong thing! "M" talked on the phone to her friend while I made sure "L" gave her privacy (and me too). Fifteen year olds SHOULD be able to talk to their girlfriend on the phone without their mom and sister around! She didn't even come near me when I told "L" it was time for her bath and went off to do laundry and "hang out" while I did that. Even when "L" was whining at bed time that she wanted "M" to put her to bed, "M" allowed me to do it and was okay with me telling "L" that M wasn't ready to go to bed, but would be there later. L fell asleep pretty quickly even without M there (M fell asleep on the couch so didn't actually go to bed, but that's not MY fault!)

I'm really feeling blessed with these girls because they really are no trouble at all. It's actually kind of nice having someone here to share meals with, play games with, sit outside on the front porch and chat with, etc. There is very little whining from the 2 1/2 year old and the 15-year-old cleans way more than I do (speaking of...I should probably make sure there aren't any dirty dishes in the sink when she gets home and maybe should sweep the kitchen floor!)

Since I unfortunately/unexpectedly got today off work, I got to sleep in :) I also got half of my performance evaluations done. I HATE doing them, so have put them off for weeks. I have to do three peer evaluations and a self-evaluation. I did one peer evaluation that wasn't very good (the person is often rude and rarely does more than the bare minimum). I had a hard time with that and made a bunch of calls to my co-worker friends before finally reaching one who assured me that I just needed to tell the truth. The other peer evaluation I did was for someone that I really enjoy working with, but some how the numbers didn't add up to the "above standard" even though I wrote a lot of "above standard"/"outstanding" comments. The peer I have left is someone who has worked on my floor for a LONG time, but isn't quite "stellar". I had to do her evaluation last year too and it was tough. I think she has been trying to improve, but I saved that one for next-to-last since it will be hard. My self-evaluation will probably take the longest since "tooting my own horn" is difficult, but necessary if I want a raise! Work will be strange when I finally go back because there are LOTS of changes happening that don't seem that great. Two people who do amazing work just had their jobs cut. It really is unbelievable and I'm not sure the "higher ups" realize how much those people did (they are "reorganizing" and creating one job from those two people's jobs...this is not sitting well with the staff nurses on my floor!)

Okay, there's my work rant...ha! I noticed that there was a new way to create new templates on here and decided to try it out. I think I like the changes...any thoughts?! Here is a photo that Ginger took of me at the Zoo. I took it off fb, so it probably isn't the best quality, but I love it :) Too bad circumstances didn't allow for many photo-ops because I would have LOVED to have more photos like this...next time :)

Ta-ta for now :)

As I Was Saying

Yep, honeymoon definitely over (or at least on a "break").

Oh, you were fun while you lasted...trips to the zoo, the park, the swimming pool. Catching fireflies watering the flowers, and drawing with sidewalk chalk. Coloring pictures and playing with Barbies. Singing to the radio and drinking smoothies.

Back to work tomorrow, so it's going to be early to bed for me.

AFTER I write about the "event" that led to my "need" to journal before going to bed.

We were having a grand old time making smoothies, then drinking them while we listened to music (and sang). There was "spillage" of a smoothie in the kitchen during the making process and the nearly-three-year-old was "warned" to be careful. Since we were drinking them in the living room on the couch where there was carpet, there were constant reminders (while in the back of my mind I knew that the likeliness of there NOT being at least a little spill was slim-to-none, even WITH all of the "warnings".) And so, in an act of silliness, the little one dumped nearly an entire glass of strawberry smoothie on the carpet.

I will admit to not being 100% calm, but I made her sit down on the couch while I got stuff to clean. Of course, her sister came and scooped her up "saving" her from my "anger" (I may have slightly raised my voice, but did not yell at her). I had her help me spray the carpet and "forced" her to sit near me while I cleaned...the whole time she was crying and the "mother hen" was watching. After I was done (pretty darn sure that it isn't coming out with MY carpet cleaner), I gave her a hug and told her I knew it was an accident, but we had talked about being careful. I decided it was bed time and her sister reluctantly let me be the one to take her to brush her teeth and then gave in to her tearful request for her to be put to bed by her sister instead of me...

I am sitting her wishing I had handled things a little differently, like maybe coming right out and telling "M" that I was handling things and she should "butt out" but not really in those words. "M" is a GREAT help (I can't complain when dishes and vacuuming are done without prompting!) but at some point, I probably DO need to come out and remind her that she is not "the mom" here. I don't exactly know how to do that, or if it is something that needs to be done in the very near future. I haven't imposed much "authority" in these nearly two weeks since the girls have been here, mostly because it hasn't felt like I had to do much. I guess maybe this is why one of the caseworkers was "worried" about me having a teenager! It is one thing to have authority over a two year old, but putting a 15 year old in her place (especially with something like her trying to be the parent) is more challenging than I thought it would be!

I suppose this was bound to come some time! I'm all about learning, so hopefully I have learned from my "mistake" and handle things a little bit differently next time (You, M, go somewhere else while I handle this with L; you are not the "mom" here...something!)

Well, I'd better head to bed. I haven't worked in nine days, so hopefully I remember how to do my job!

Good night.

Honeymoon

Tomorrow is my last day with the girls before I go back to work. It definitely feels like a "honeymoon" which is funny since my last post was "Wedding Weekend"...ha! So far, things are going pretty well/very well, and I'm trying not to think like this is the "honeymoon" and things will get harder, but it's hard to believe there won't be challenges.

The visitation agency called and apologized to me (and apparently to the mom as well) for the mis-communication/no communication. So, I feel better about that and passed the apology on to the caseworker and to the older girl (M) so she can let her mom know too. We now have a visit schedule and I just need to figure out if it is better for me to have someone else watch them on those days or if those are the days I should be off work. Kind of a tough call. I'm planning to have my sister watch them, so it would be a shorter day if she had them while I worked on visit days. I guess I'll have to see what she thinks.

Today, we went to the park with my sister and nephew. The little one (L) likes him and says his name SO cute! She asked for her own picture of him and carried it around this evening...adorable!

Yesterday, we went swimming and are planning to go back to the zoo tomorrow. I've been trying to get M to do things with her friend, but she hasn't since Friday. Today I "made" her play Skip-Bo with me and it looked like I was torturing the poor girl, but then she wanted to play a second game and took it with her to her visit. I guess she's a "normal" 15-year-old...half the time she won't speak to me and then randomly she'll say a bunch of stuff. She loves to sing, so I've been encouraging that and she's been able to use her MP3 player and my netbook to play music/sing. She is a big help and does the dishes after pretty much every meal. She has been letting me do more things with L, but I still need to work on getting them each their "alone time" (I suppose it's been less than 2 weeks and trust takes time!)

They came with me to my 9:30 softball game. L talked to my aunt and cousin and M listened to music, but did pay attention to some of the game since she said we played better this week than last week (definitely true, although we still lost!)

Well, I need to shower before going to bed and it's already pretty late. I'm going to have a really tough time getting up for work on Thursday after all this staying up late/sleeping in business!

It may be the honeymoon, but "honeymoons" can last for a long time, right?!

On a different note, Gitz has a weekly post called "Gitz Bits" and today one of the pictures in her post was about me...awesome! I feel so cool...ha! :) If you've never read her blog, it is terrific. She has an amazing attitude and chooses to seek joy even in the midst of pain and being home bound. I find myself thinking about her when I do things like sit on the front porch or go to church, things that she will likely never be able to do again. I love that she included me in her post this week (I "may" be a little star struck...I do call myself a Gitzen Girl Groupie...ha!)

Okay, time for bed.
Good night.

Wedding Weekend

Yesterday, my cousin got married out-of-state. It is the third of what will be MANY family weddings since I have 26 first cousins :) (My brother-in-law had to work and couldn't come which is why he isn't in the picture.) Since it was out-of-state, the girls could not go with me (plus, they had a visit today). So, they spent the weekend at their "previous" foster home (technically, they are the "current" foster home and I'm doing "respite" until the end of the month...it's a bit confusing!)

My first week with the girls went well. Of course, I haven't had to go to work yet, but I'm hoping my sister will be able to watch them once I "officially" become their foster mom. My biggest frustration has been with the visitation agency since the one guy didn't bring an ID either time he came to get them. Then, on Friday, they were supposed to get a visit but apparently, they weren't sure where to pick up the girls so just didn't show up anywhere (or make any phone calls)...super annoying and very sad for the girls. They are making up time with a longer visit today which is nice, but still annoying because it would have taken less than 5 minutes to make a phone call or two (and save the caseworker from getting a very angry phone call from the mom!)

I think I'm going to set a couple of TV/computer guidelines for "M". Not too many, but I really don't want her watching stuff that "L" should not be watching (I'm trying to be okay with the radio station choice and cringe every time the little one sings "Rude Boy" and much prefer it when she sings "You Belong to Me"). So far, she has just used my computer for youtube music, episodes of Glee, and fb, but I probably should have a "talk". We played "Mad Libs" which is good practice in knowing adjectives versus adverbs, etc. and I noticed that her spelling isn't all that great. So, I think I'm going to make a call to one of the high school English teachers for some suggestions of things to do this summer.

On Friday, "M" went swimming with her friend and I was with "L" during that time. She did fine and I think it's good if they can do things separately. :) They've been gone less than 48 hours and I miss them! I enjoyed talking to my family about them and they were excited for me.

I should try and get a couple more things done before they come home, so will end with a couple more cute pictures of my nephew from the wedding. He LOVES to dance, but I didn't get any pictures of that! I can't wait to see the photographers photos because my nephew was quite the ham whenever he came around! My sister was happy to have lots of help chasing him around everywhere because he is BUSY!!

I'm Still Here

I haven't had much of a chance to blog these days, but wanted to write a quick "I'm still here and doing fine" blog post.

It's hard to believe that it hasn't quite been a week since I first heard about the girls. We've been doing well. Dealing with the System is of course interesting and the lack of communication is crazy. However, the girls seem to be adjusting well to their "new home" (although it sounds like since I don't have day care and all that stuff set up, they are technically still in the other foster home and I am providing "respite care" until July 1).

I let the little one stay up until Midnight (we were having sing-along/karaoke and it's SO cute hearing a 2 1/2 year old sing Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, etc. :) ) and it's nearly 1:30 and the 15-year-old and I just finished watching an episode of Glee. She IS fifteen and the little one DID take a late nap after the zoo, plus we don't have to get up early tomorrow, so hopefully I'm not a "bad mom"...ha!

The older one is trusting me more and more to be "the parent" to the little one. I don't have (m)any "rules" yet, but they really are well-behaved so I'm not sure what kind of "rules" need to be made... At the other foster home, they didn't really watch TV and Internet time was limited...I'm obviously a TV and Internet kinda person and she's FIFTEEN...we do a lot of things NOT involving TV and computers, and as cool as I am (ha!) it doesn't make sense to me to not allow her to do things I feel are "age-appropriate" (as long as we go outside and do social things/play games that aren't on the computer)...am I wrong?!

I went to mow this morning and when I came back in, the older one (M) had gotten out a coffee mug and put it by the pot for me...I thought that was SO sweet!

A guy from the State came today and talked to me and the girls. I let M and him talk for a little bit while I took L to the bathroom and she was crying when I came back. I feel really bad for these girls, but all of us are doing the best to make the most of this crappy situation. Sara wrote a really good post today (it actually made me cry) which includes the quote "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." ~John Wooden. While her context was different, we really can't control this situation, but can control how we react to it.

Well, I should go to bed...just wanted to let my five-ish readers know that I'm still here and doing well :)
Good night.

Lots of Firsts

I wasn't kidding when I wrote that it has been a whirlwind! Even before I got my FIRST foster placement, there were lots of others!

• I visited Pittsburgh for the FIRST time and went to the zoo and the children's museum.
• I met Ginger's family for the FIRST time.
• I had steak salad and a special white pizza for the FIRST time.
• I went with Ginger and the kids to Mass and it was the baby's FIRST time.
• Not exactly sure why, but when I was there with Ginger and the kids, I felt for the FIRST time that I really was ready to try this "mom thing".

All in all, my time in Pittsburgh was just fabulous! It rained a couple of days which made it hard to do some of the outside things she had planned. Her new camera wasn't working, so we didn't take nearly as many photographs as either of us planned. Also, one day I was in my pjs until nearly 2:00 before I decided to shower and get dressed, so it isn't like we would have gotten photos of that...ha! Of course I cried when it was time to leave. When I got home, I found out that when her daughter got home from school, she said she wished I was still there...and I cried again (and then I had to get to work making calls to the caseworkers!) I've been pinching myself a lot these days, but it's just hard to believe how much fun we have together when it is "by chance" that we know the other exists. I'm not sure when we will get to see each other again, but we're both hoping for sooner rather than later. =)

• Last night was my FIRST night with the foster kiddos. I think I'll call them "M" (15) and "L" (2 1/2) (since that's the first letter of the names they go by and will be easier for me to remember!) Their current foster mom dropped them off and left once we got involved in playing. We played Barbies (my FIRST time in a little while!) and the little one explored my basement with all of it's toys. We watched some TV for a while (and I discovered that I'm getting a bunch of channels I'm not paying for...score! I'm already paying too much, so I SHOULD be getting those channels!) They went to bed without any fuss, although I'm supposed to try and get the little one to sleep in her own bed, but that didn't happen last night...baby steps!
• My FIRST "foster mom fail" is that I had forgotten to get sliced cheese at the store on Friday night. It was late and I knew I had forgotten it, but was done shopping and the cheese was on the other side of the store, so I decided it could wait. Of COURSE "M" wanted a sandwich and I'm like well, I'm not sure I have mayo or anything (I did, but no mustard) and the only cheese I have is shredded or in string cheese form. So, she made her sandwich with string cheese...at least I got a smile out of her over that one!
• Today, I brought them to Mass for the FIRST time and they also met my mom, dad, sister, and nephew for the FIRST time. "M" was super quiet and my nephew was walking toward "L" like he was going to attack her, so she was shy as well...I didn't make them stay long (we were at my mom and dad's house).
• I saw "16 and pregnant" for the FIRST time...and likely should not have been watching it with my 15-year-old foster daughter. I'm thinking we'll have to set some TV rules...any ideas/suggestions?! Apparently, they were only allowed to "earn" very small amounts of TV time in the other home. I wasn't "allowed" to watch MTV growing up, so maybe I should make the same rules...I don't know. I definitely think we should try to do things without the TV on considering the weather is nice and all of us could use exercise.
• I had my FIRST oh.my.goodness.the.foster.care.system.is.crazy moment. I thought that the girls had a visit with their mom at 2, so they would be picked up around 1:30. Well, that time came and went and some time around 2, I called to see if they had gone to the other house instead of mine. Nope. She called me at nearly 2:30 to say that the transport person had just left there. It's only about a 10 minute drive, so when it was nearly 3, I called the foster mom who has the brothers to see if THEY had been picked up. Nope, and they usually get picked up at 2. Oh.my.goodness! I felt really bad for "M" as she sat here knowing full well that the visitation agency is kinda crazy and usually come late, send different people, etc. She also knew that the later it got, the shorter her visit with her mom. I was on the phone with the other foster mom when a guy pulled up in this little sports car and I told her that I wasn't sure how five kids would fit in there because there aren't even that many seat belts! Apparently, he didn't know to come here, he didn't know who was picking up the boys, he asked if he could use my car seat since his doesn't work well, and he didn't have his ID but asked "M" to verify that he had transported them to many visits. "Cluster*" for sure...wow!
  
  I'm sure this is the FIRST list of many FIRSTS that will come during this journey! However, I still think it feels like a "good fit" for my FIRST placement. My anxiety right now is about going to work tomorrow and negotiating my schedule. We are working on the schedule for July and it will be picked up tomorrow to finalize. The schedule I have would have been "ok/not great" for me alone, but does not appear like it will work well for me + kids. Because of the holiday and the way we do our weekend teams, I'm supposed to have to work every weekend in July (besides the one I requested off for the transplant reunion and my grandpa's 85th birthday party) which is not-so-great when you have kids. I would have just changed it, but it looked like it would mess things up, so I'd rather talk one-on-one with my manager/the scheduling person. Any spare prayers that I can get my request to have Tuesdays (softball), Fridays, and Sundays (visits) off (basically, that I can get the schedule I want!) would be appreciated :) I think they each have an additional visit, but am not sure what days those will be.

I can't believe the number of fb comments I have gotten supporting me in this "endeavor". I really am feeling the love and that definitely helps! :)

Well, I'd better head to bed. I went back to the grocery store and we now have sliced cheese (and some of the other things that "M" said they like).

More to come...although I'm not sure what being a foster mom is going to do to my blogging/twitter habit ;)

Good night.

Life's a Changin'

I totally didn't stay focused today since I was calling/texting "everyone"! So, now it's late, I'm tired, but my house is not quite ready for two kiddos to come home to it tomorrow night. Granted, I'm planning to toss quite a bit of things into my spare room and my bedroom for the time being, but I still have stuff that HAS to be done before I go to bed (and I'm writing a blog post...yeah, I have "focus issues"!) I met the girls this afternoon and spent a couple of hours with them. My friends and family have been amazingly supportive and I haven't even told HALF of the people I know! I'm sure there will be challenges, but from the first meeting, the older one is quiet (but talked to me more than the other foster mom and I expected) and the younger one warmed up to me quickly and is quite the chatty one (super cute!) Eventually, I'll have to come up with some kind of blog names for them (or numbers or something).

The plan is for them to come over tomorrow after I get off work and stay the night. They will go back to their current foster home on Sunday afternoon and return to me on Monday after I get off work or Tuesday. The day care situation is being worked on (the day care I had checked out felt a little "sketchy" to me and apparently the caseworker does not want me taking the little one there...). The caseworker is looking for activities for the older one and is getting me a toddler bed. I am going out of town for a cousin's wedding next weekend, so they will be somewhere else next weekend (Friday-Sunday). It's a bit of a crazy transition, so hopefully is smoother than it seems!

Back to work...you know, having a place on the couch to sit is a good thing as is room on the kitchen table for plates ;)

Good night.

Whirlwind

I'll have to write more about my trip tomorrow since my four-ish hours of sleep just hit me. Here's some "snippits"...and then a "recap" of the whirlwind that took place after I got to the airport...

We went to the Zoo on Monday...here's Ginger's daughter looking at the Komodo Dragon.

My dad is a "letter carrier" and takes pictures of post offices wherever he goes. I do the same. This is now the children's museum.

Making paper at the children's museum with Ginger's son.

There was LOTS of snuggling of the baby girl, but I didn't have any pictures of that on my camera...

After I wiped my tears, I headed toward my terminal, stopping to pick up souviners for my family along the way. I hadn't eaten breakfast, so was looking forward to hash browns at McD's with my breakfast sandwich and second cup of coffee. Although it was only 9:15, when I reached the front of the line, I heard that they were out of hash browns. Boo on that! I was hoping that would be my only stroke of "bad luck" today (especially since I was getting on a couple of airplanes!)

I had a fairly long layover in Chicago and realized on the trip there that they do not have free wifi...boo on that too! I decided it was going to be worth the "investment" to pay for internet since my phone does NOT work well for that and I'd have been bored out of my mind just walking around/people watching. My $6.95 internet worked for a while then suddenly I lost my connection. I took that as a sign to break for lunch, but then it didn't come back. So, I called customer service (since I most DEFINITELY wasn't going to pay that much for an hour of service!) That was around a 20 minute call, but the connection came back...and I told them they needed to credit my account which they did :)

My flight leaving for home was delayed a bit and my phone was pretty much dead so I was hoping I wouldn't miss the call from my dad who was circling the airport waiting for me to get my bags. I had enough charge to listen to a voice mail that came from my caseworker about the placement of a 7-year-old boy who would be placed tomorrow. I talked it over with my dad and agreed that it sounded like a good "first placement".

I called her back as soon as I dropped my bags on the living room floor. As far as she knew, he hadn't been placed, but she had to call the agency that referred him. She called me back to say a message was left and I'd likely get a call later.

So, I went to put in my first load of vacation laundry. I noticed my answering machine light blinking, so pressed play as I loaded the washer (I rarely answer my house phone and don't always remember to look for messages). The first message was a different caseworker calling about two girls. That message was left on Tuesday. The second was about donation pick-up. The third message was the same caseworker asking if I'd had time to think about the placement of the two girls. That message was from today. So, I called the first caseworker back to let her know I wanted more information about this placement. She said I needed to call the one who left the message for further information, but asked me to keep her posted.

I found out that it is a fifteen-year-old and her two-year-old sister. They are in a foster home now whose circumstances led them to needing the girls moved. I was given the number of their current foster parents to gather more information, but it definitely sounded like it would work...ESPECIALLY when I found out that the older girl goes to the high school I did (I've written a LOT about how special that school is to me, so when I heard that, it was like God was shouting at me...I didn't even have to TRY to hear Him! I guess that's what they meant when they told me "when it's right, you'll know!) Since I have gotten two calls about them, that makes me think there is a good possibility they will indeed be placed with me. The current foster mom and I decided to let the caseworker guide us in the transition between homes (since they aren't a HUGE hurry, but it also isn't something that should be dragged on to the point that they are living in two different homes.) So, I will call her in the morning (I mean, in a few hours...ha!) and go from there. Even though I've made good progress in the organizing/cleaning department, I have quite a bit to do tomorrow. I think that an actual placement is the perfect incentive for that...ha!

More to come on that front...

On another not, I DID miss this boy who is walking all over the place now! I brought home an entire suitcase of clothes and shoes from Pittsburgh for him. He and his parents were excited :)

Good night.

How did "this" happen? (Re-post)

The day after I returned from my trip to Chicago last year was Ginger's birthday. It also was the day that Kristy's baby Hope was born. Since I'm in the midst of my third time "hanging out" with Ginger, I figured it would be nice to re-post the story of "how we met".

How did "this" happen? (Originally posted June 1, 2009.)

Well, besides the obvious of it not being anything a human could have planned, I figured maybe telling the "whole" story would be a fun second post about my trip. (Since, I am sure there are SOME people who actually are curious about the "earthly details" that allowed this to happen!) Believe me, I am still pinching myself that it actually occurred, even though I even have pictures to prove it really happened!

So, back in December, I wrote a post about Poppy Joy. I think it has a pretty good explanation about how I came to find "the Atlanta Eight"...or, how they were "brought" to me. For "whatever reason", I ended up talking to Kristy more than any of the other girls. We emailed, talked on facebook, and even texted every once in a while. Over time, although not TOO much time, I came to consider her a "friend", albeit a friend found in an "unconventional" manner (although, much more "conventional" in this day and age!) While I "vaguely" recall reading about her friends "Greg and Ginger", possibly from this post or this one, I didn't really give that much thought since it wasn't until later that I became a "regular reader" of Kristy's blog.

Then, in early February, I received an email from Laurie in Ca. She had been reading my blog for about a year at that point and is a "prayer warrior" for SO many people, myself included :o) Ginger had emailed Laurie regarding a gift she wanted to give to the Bolte's for Asher's First Birthday that was coming up on the 22nd. She asked Laurie if she would be willing to contact some of Kristy's friends to let them know in case they wanted to help. I, of course, was thrilled that Laurie included me and let Ginger know that I could help by "facebook messaging" some of Kristy's friends (I actually got a notice from the facebook folks since they considered what I was doing as potential spam...funny!) to let them know what she was organizing. I knew that since Ginger was doing something SO sweet for her friends that I would really like her. However, since the whole thing was a surprise, it would have been pretty obvious that something was up had we become "facebook friends" at that point, but we agreed that once the secret was out, this would be a "must" :o)

And so, the "facebook chatting" began, and we never seemed to run out of things to talk about. One night (April 8 if you want to get "technical") we were chatting into the wee hours as had become "typical" when I didn't have to work the next day :o) She was looking at plane tickets to Ireland, and "some how" the conversation turned from a nice vacation with her husband overseas to a girls' weekend with me...go figure! And, the reason I know the date of this particular "conversation" is that I felt the need to actually talk to her on the telephone (you know, to make sure she was "real"...ha ha!) which was nearly an hour long and was noted on my cell phone bill :o)

The rest, they say, is history...and we spent the next seven weeks planning our "getaway" that took place this past weekend. No worries, I WILL post a little more about this weekend even though we have not pooled all our pictures together yet. Now, I am not sure how Ginger's version of the story would compare to mine, but this is how I remember it all coming together...
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Tonight, my friend from Curves asked me if I was nervous before I went. She said I didn't really act like it, but "yes", I most certainly had some jitters and was quite anxious at times. I had expressed those feelings to Ginger during multiple conversations to which she mostly laughed (because, I suppose you never would really think about someone being scared to meet you in person!) And, I think we were able to tackle lots of different topics this way and typing sure takes away some of the awkwardness of fumbling through a conversation with someone you have just met. You have a little bit of time to formulate responses, and it is easy to change topics. Of course, I suppose that "time" could make it easier to say things that are not true, but really, what would be the point of that?

Even after our trip was planned, there were little things that happened to solidify my belief that I REALLY would get along with Ginger "in real life". Little things that had me thinking that they were SO things that I would do, which definitely helped with my nerves!

Once I was on the plane, I was more excited (and tired!) than anxious. She and Lauren had to wait for me for an hour, so I definitely did not expect to see them as soon as I exited the plane. What a pleasant surprise! (In a text message shortly before that, I said that I hoped I would recognize them...[joking of course since OBVIOUSLY I had seen photos!]...I noticed them right away, and we greeted each other with the big hug I felt like I had waited FOREVER to give!)

After grabbing our luggage, we hopped the train and headed to the hotel. When we discovered that ALL of us have a little "quirk" that requires us to eat breakfast food prior to having lunch, I was instantly free of any leftover uncertainties about the decision to meet up with someone I "met on the internet". We found our traveling styles to be more than compatible, with personalities that blended perfectly to create a weekend to remember. No cattiness, no uncomfortable conversations, no "drama" (at least none between the three of us!)...all of us willing to "go with the flow", but not to the point of being unable to make decisions...simply PERFECT!

There were things that happened that do not translate well when shared with someone who was not there. Things like herding pigeons, frost bitten tongues, the water tower ghost, and cold feet are all kind of "had to be there" moments, no matter how many details you try to give...and, of course, there are also moments that are "ours" and ours alone...

And then, there were things that only God could have done. Like, planning to come back to the Art museum when it was free and then being stopped by a woman who "happened" to have a pass that would allow three more people in for free right then. Or, the fact that I somehow "forgot" to bring a long-sleeved shirt even though I was going to a mid-western city in MAY and then found the shirt I am wearing in this photo for less than $10. I picked it up off the rack and Ginger noted the brand right away..."dandelion white"...(dandelions are VERY special to Kristy and "White" is her maiden name...seriously!) And then, to get back to the hotel and have it fit PERFECTLY is almost beyond comprehension...

I am sure there are more stories that could be shared, but I want to give Ginger a chance to tell her version of the story as well :o) And, how about that the newest Bolte Baby, Miss Hope Amelia waited until we were back from our trip to be born on Ginger's birthday?!

I had to leave early in order to be home for my sister's baby shower. I was told more than once that it just was not the same without me there...I do not have words to describe how that makes me feel inside... I definitely think this will be the first of many "visits"...her daughter even referred to me as one of her "bestest friends"...and what could be sweeter than that?!

(Ginger...this picture is for you...quite the transformation from how I left you, don't you think?!)

Well, I think I probably should end this story for now...if I think of anything more to share, I definitely will (and, if I end up making a slide show, I will do that too!)

Happy Birthday Ginger, and Happy Birthday Hope!
Good night.