Our first class was Thursday night. It was interesting- to say the least. We have two instructors, KR- who is a social worker, and FJ- who has been a foster parent for many years. The two of them take turns going through the information. KR tells the way things are suppose to happen and FJ tells you a real world case scenario from experience. The class started with an "introduce yourself" exercise. I just hate those- I think people say the weirdest things. But we muddled through it. Due to some of the responses, I think the classes will be full of laughs and a lot of great people watching [well, for me at least :-)].
The biggest part of the class was the twelve statements of "Strengths and Needs" that we'll have to learn. For instance- the first is Know Your Family. This seems silly to just see it on paper, I mean, it's just me and Stephen-- I think we know our family already. We've been a family for almost 15 years! But we have to identify a strength and a need related to knowing our family. So, it may seem like a silly statement, but it makes you think, right? How well do YOU know YOUR family? Could you identify a strength and a need? It's more difficult than I thought.
The other portion of the class was identifying characteristics of a child's behavior that relate to the type of abuse or neglect they experienced. For instance, if a child was abandoned, they may exhibit clingy-type behavior when they come into your home. Some of it seems like common sense, but I feel like it was good information to know.
And we have HOMEWORK! But, it's not too difficult. We both have to answer questions regarding our strengths and needs. The other portion is getting the first part of the paperwork completed. We have to turn in an application and a financial statement this Thursday.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Our Life has been a Roller Coaster (long post)
It's been quite a while since I have posted anything to the blog. To be honest, there hasn't been a lot to blog about... some of the highlights since the last post...Stephen lost his job, we had a 30th birthday party at our house, a trip to the Rattlesnake Rodeo (for Dianna, not Stephen), then we hosted our families for Easter dinner, Stephen got a new job, we had to replace the HVAC unit for the house, and we made a big decision. Whew! It 's been quite a ride over the past few months. We've had so many ups and downs, it's been like a roller coaster!
Let's start with Stephen. After 7 years in the newspaper business, things came to a sudden end in March. First, in September, he gave his contract up as an independent contractor. All home delivery distributors were being eliminated and he thought the timing was right. But shortly thereafter, a single-copy distributor hired him. No big changes-- except that he was no longer the boss and he actually got one day off every week! I was ecstatic to say the least. Then, one Friday in March, she called and said sales were down and she had to cut someone on her team-- you know the adage- last one hired, first one fired. But he continued with his part-time job and looked for something else. Well, to both of our surprises, he interviewed with a local restaurant and was hired as a management trainee! The restaurant is called Taziki's Greek Fare and he is training at the UAB location. It is a great opportunity and we are both happy! The last few months have given a renewed sense in our relationship-- it's the most time we've spent together in years!
We hosted a couple of events in late March and early April. First was the big 30th birthday celebration for our friend, Amanda. It was an 80's themed basement party, complete with 80's music, hair styles, and fashion! Madonna was in attendance, as was John and Ponch from CHiPs. The night was filled with fun! It will be difficult to top this party!
Then the next weekend, Dianna and Amanda went to Opp for the 49th annual Rattlesnake Rodeo. It was a blast-- we tried some fried rattlesnake, saw a couple of rattlesnake races, watched a greased pole climb and buck dancing competition, and did a lot of people watching. Anyone who knows anything about Stephen, there should be no question why he didn't attend-- he absolutely LOATHES snakes.
The next weekend was Easter. A family tradition is that each of the ladies in my family has one holiday that she is responsible for each year. My holiday is Easter. We had my family as well as most of Stephen's family in attendance. As usual, it was exhausting, but a success.
Next, a run of bad luck. I had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic, Baxter was injured, then our HVAC went out in our house. Of these, the HVAC was the most devastating! The repair man said he could put a "band-aid" on our old system, but he did not recommend it due to the age of our unit. So, 8 hours and a few thousand dollars later, we got a new HVAC unit. Our house is much more comfortable now than it has been in the 3 years that we've lived here.
So, after all of this, we've made a big decision. We are no longer pursuing an international adoption or an agency adoption. As many of you know, the international adoption was called off months ago after we hit roadblock after roadblock. The agency adoption has not gotten off of the ground since November-- partly our fault, partly due to our circumstances mentioned above. BUT, we have made the decision to become foster parents. We've attended the initial orientation and we have a series of 10 classes to complete before we can move forward. The classes start this Thursday. We feel like this will be the path that will get us to our forever family. So, Amelia Quest may be over...now it is simply Baby Quest!
Let's start with Stephen. After 7 years in the newspaper business, things came to a sudden end in March. First, in September, he gave his contract up as an independent contractor. All home delivery distributors were being eliminated and he thought the timing was right. But shortly thereafter, a single-copy distributor hired him. No big changes-- except that he was no longer the boss and he actually got one day off every week! I was ecstatic to say the least. Then, one Friday in March, she called and said sales were down and she had to cut someone on her team-- you know the adage- last one hired, first one fired. But he continued with his part-time job and looked for something else. Well, to both of our surprises, he interviewed with a local restaurant and was hired as a management trainee! The restaurant is called Taziki's Greek Fare and he is training at the UAB location. It is a great opportunity and we are both happy! The last few months have given a renewed sense in our relationship-- it's the most time we've spent together in years!
We hosted a couple of events in late March and early April. First was the big 30th birthday celebration for our friend, Amanda. It was an 80's themed basement party, complete with 80's music, hair styles, and fashion! Madonna was in attendance, as was John and Ponch from CHiPs. The night was filled with fun! It will be difficult to top this party!
Then the next weekend, Dianna and Amanda went to Opp for the 49th annual Rattlesnake Rodeo. It was a blast-- we tried some fried rattlesnake, saw a couple of rattlesnake races, watched a greased pole climb and buck dancing competition, and did a lot of people watching. Anyone who knows anything about Stephen, there should be no question why he didn't attend-- he absolutely LOATHES snakes.
The next weekend was Easter. A family tradition is that each of the ladies in my family has one holiday that she is responsible for each year. My holiday is Easter. We had my family as well as most of Stephen's family in attendance. As usual, it was exhausting, but a success.
Next, a run of bad luck. I had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic, Baxter was injured, then our HVAC went out in our house. Of these, the HVAC was the most devastating! The repair man said he could put a "band-aid" on our old system, but he did not recommend it due to the age of our unit. So, 8 hours and a few thousand dollars later, we got a new HVAC unit. Our house is much more comfortable now than it has been in the 3 years that we've lived here.
So, after all of this, we've made a big decision. We are no longer pursuing an international adoption or an agency adoption. As many of you know, the international adoption was called off months ago after we hit roadblock after roadblock. The agency adoption has not gotten off of the ground since November-- partly our fault, partly due to our circumstances mentioned above. BUT, we have made the decision to become foster parents. We've attended the initial orientation and we have a series of 10 classes to complete before we can move forward. The classes start this Thursday. We feel like this will be the path that will get us to our forever family. So, Amelia Quest may be over...now it is simply Baby Quest!
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