The Switcheroo

Hi. My name is Sabrina and I'm a recovering HBE (Holiday Binge Eater). I will stick to my eating plan this year. I will start today. I will prevent diabetes from attacking me. I will lose the dangerous pounds I have accumulated. I will. I just hope this isn't my determination's last will and testament. (:
In case anyone has gotten severely confused today, I did switch over my Google accounts. I previously used my old email address @nelarealtors.com, but since I am no longer employed there and don't use this as my contact address anymore, I started my gmail account. The problem was that I started my blog under the old account and it got really really annoying to have to log out of mail, calendar, and reader to post to my blog. And I left a comment on Sis. Orange's blog which looked like it came from a blank profile. So... now its all under the same heading. I've kept both profiles, but they are exactly the same. Easier for me, no difference to you.
I had an interesting holiday to be frank. My sister wrecked my dad's less-than-a-week old truck, my sister caused all kinds of havoc with her foul mouth and crude ways, and my sister locked my brother's dog in my dad's workshop all night. Interesting.
I used my small christmas bonus to buy Josh a couple of gifts I wasn't able to get him before and I used the other half to splurge on a digital camera for myself. It just killed me to spend the money because I had so many other things we needed for the house, but I couldn't live without it anymore. I hadn't taken a picture since August! So why am I not posting pictures today? Because I still don't have a camera. I got a Kodak EasyShare C913 and the goofy thing took like 8-9 seconds between shots. Not a good idea when you are trying to capture moments with a 2 year old. I was so frustrated! I would take a picture and then Landen would pose really great, but I couldn't get the shot! So I boxed it up and took it back to Wal-mart. It was just not the camera for me. Besides, I purchased it on a whim of desperation and not after careful consideration. Josh and I are review nuts. We will spend hours researching a purchase before we take the plunge. What was I to expect? So now I've reviewed and specified the specifics that I want in a camera and I think I've possibly settled on a Canon Powershot. I haven't bought it yet, but maybe today.
I've been at the office since 7am this morning and its now time to get to work. I'm toasty warm, I've had my Starbucks (christmas blend) and I've been through my Reader. Oh yeah, and we're starting an adoption to Germany today.

Feliz Navidad!

Or in United States English... Wee Weechu a Mewy Crwistmas. (:
Tank You Bewy Much. Come Again.
Just kidding. Have a great Holiday! Catch you on the flip side of the turkey and the tree.

Never in All My Life...

Fast Forward to Monday. I should have known after such a tumultous Friday that I could not expect to come in to a normal run-of-the-mill Monday morning. It started out very cold which always makes me move slowly. So I meader my way to the office with big intentions for my day. A to-do list that I never got to "do" .
I had an appt at 10am in Monroe with a new CPA. Mr. Richmond needed to be there too, but since he had open heart surgery, he can't drive. So off I go at 9am to stop by Fred's to pick up mouse traps and peanut butter on my way to the house (don't ask). I pick up Mr. Richmond who is running late as usual and is still in PJ's and robe when I arrive at 9:40am. We pull out of the driveway at 10:05 to make our appt. Lo and Behold... I show up at the wrong office, a fact we discovered after he and I braved a construction zone in the building, tramped up two flights of stairs and met with the blank stare of the receptionist. So off we buzz at 10:25am to the right location. Fashionably late at the very least. An hour and a half later, we get a cell phone call from his wife, Mrs. Terri. We are supposed to go after our meeting to pick up the birth mother from Friday and her entire "herd" for a counseling session. Plans changed quickly and now we are supposed to meet them at the hotel to have the counseling session in the lobby. Only this is a motel not a hotel, so there is no lobby to speak of. So the three amigos trudge around in the freezing cold to find room 125. You would think that would be the easiest part of my day, but it was like the person who put the number plates on the doors either couldn't count or was playing "Darlin's grab bag" It must have been funny... We go to room 123, 124, then wait...wait... 111??? So we backtrack. Ahh... here we go... 127, 126, 148?? lol. Finally the housekeeper/maid (pushing a stolen wal-mart shopping cart with her cleaning supplies) tells us to go upstairs. Yes, upstairs for room 125. Anyway, it gets much better and much worse as stories sometimes go.
The motel room was filthy and reeked of smoke. The heater was not working well enough and the less than two week old baby was in a short sleeve shirt with a tiny little blanket in the middle of a big, cold bed while no one was watching her. She was literally shivering when I picked her up!!
So the "mother" (and I use the term lightly) was in the shower and we had to make nice with the "boyfriend" for a while. Finally, the counseling session was to begin and we had to make ourselves scarce. I convinced them not to let the baby outside in the cold wind, so she stayed in the room. Mr. Richmond, myself, the "boyfriend", and the two year old decided to take a field trip to Walgreens for her Rx. Then we went to the gas station. Then we pull up in the parking lot of the motel thinking we had been scarce long enough when the cell phone rings. It's Mrs. Terri reminding us that Richmond's therapy is at 1:30pm. So....(can you hear the camptown races playing by now?) off we go to the clinic to drop him off. I return with my live cargo to the room where the counseling is over.
~insert side note~ while we were standing in the room waiting for them to get ready to go, the counselor noticed the little girl had something in her hand. It was a very strong Rx pill. We pried them from her hands and shared a look that said enough. She threw a fit on the floor and the other two didn't even notice. They were busy looking for the Rx bottle we just had filled. A major big dose of anxiety medication. ~end side note~
So as the counselor leaves for another appt. I am stuck holding the bag. Literally. They were so busy drugging themselves up and thinking I didn't notice, that they would have walked right out the door without the baby! I had to load her in the carseat and insist that we were not leaving the room until they found a hat to put on her head. Since she didn't even have a coat. We pile up and head to the office where she is to meet the adoptive mom, sign her papers, and get her money.
Fast fwd through the variety show hour to 3:00pm and here I am rushing them out the door to take them to the bank to deposit her precious check so she can get to her dr. appt by 3:30pm. A very important appt. where they planned to insert an IUD contraceptive that will hopefully stave off future incidents. (I'm no advocate of Planned Parenthood, but believe me...this is a good idea) We get to the bank and realize that she needs two forms of ID. Of course, she only has one. So I then take them back to the motel to get her SS card. They go upstairs for a while. No doubt medicating themselves. When they come out it is now 3:18 and we are in a mad rush to get to the bank and on to the clinic. Halfway there she realizes that she left her jacket in her room which had her ID, her check, her pills, her medicaid card, etc.. We also get a call saying that her its no wonder she can't find her SS card, it was in the ratty diaper bag she had with her when she dropped off the baby. All I can say at this point is "Thank you, Jesus that she has already signed and the baby is now in good hands"
I just have to tell them that the check will have to wait for tomorrow. She is mad about it and not because she won't be able to buy food, but because the wal-mart card that Jackie gave her is not enough to buy cigarettes and alcohol. Ahhh!!!
Anyway, I drop them at the clinic at 3:39pm and finally reach the office for a cup of coffee and a sigh of relief.
Days like this are going to be hard. My only consolation is that I know how important it was to do whatever had to be done, even to the point of extreme inconvenience, to get that baby's freedom. I know I only saw her two days, but I have such an absolute LOVE for her that it brings tears to my eyes. I can sleep well tonight in my clean, warm bed knowing that she will too. Don't you just love happily ever afters? Stay tuned for another episode...

Backwards, Forwards, and Everywhere in Between

I feel sorry for you, reader. I have no shortage of topics to blog about today and I must needs catch up from yesterday as well.
Sunday night we visited an area church for the sake of supporting a young preacher from our home church who was ministering as a guest there. Actually, this was Josh's idea. I had no part in it, nor did I get involved when he asked Bro. Masters for permission to miss Sun. night at home to go hear his grandson preach. I repeatedly emphasized that I was not in favor of it, that I didn't like the idea, and that I just plain didn't want to visit this church. Josh would say I was nagging, but I never do that, so this couldn't possibly be the case here. (:
To put a name to what I was feeling would be hard. I just wasn't comfortable about the idea. I'm not sure if its because we just changed churches less than a month ago and I'm longing for stability, or if it was the actual church that made me nervous. I told Josh that I didn't feel like explaining that we were "just visiting" I don't know... it makes me feel squeamish to go to churches where I "just know" they want to recruit everything that walks through the doors to stay at their little church. Boy was I ever so right and ever so wrong....
Everyone there welcomed us and was so nice and said "come back anytime and visit". All 13 of them.
Josh walked through the doors and was handed drum sticks. Normally he would refuse since he never oversteps the bounds of pastoral authority over a platform, but this church is currently without a pastor as they rid themselves of the previous one. (Althought he was given an honorable discharge by resigning before they could remove him) Anyway, service was....short. And just as I expected. I cannot explain except to say that it was like being in a non-Spirit-filled church. A really backward one. I just get so frustrated. Right in the middle of service the man behind the pulpit (worship leader?) said to a soul on the back pew, " Sis. [name], do you have a special you can sing for us tonight?" To which the Sister replied "I'm kinda stopped up raht now. But I guess if you want me to" So she flipped through her book and sang a song that I've never even heard of "I'm so thrilled with Jesus" Ok, so then there was no altar call, revival was preached with no enthusiasm from the congregation, and we were dismissed with "my what a good little preacher"
Please don't misunderstand me. It may seem critical and harsh, but I am just hitting the highlights. I'm not saying these are not saints of God. I'm not saying that there is only my way of having church and none other. To each their own. I'm not even saying that you have to have sound systems and musicians and camp-meeting style preaching to have church. I've been on the mission field and seen such a lack of all of the above and yet I've seen miracles and such a manifestation of God's glory that you almost shake with it. I guess you had to be there Sunday night to see my point. Even Josh admitted after service that we didn't think it was God's will for a church like that to hang on. Less than five miles from another apostolic church. I think their influence would be greater by combining with another church in the area. I know God places different churches for different types of people and to reach certain harvest fields. But, how many years do you have church with less than 25 saints, no growth (numerically or spiritually), so many different pastors, etc.. before you realize that without a move of God it means nothing? These are good people and I think that they just need a new direction and vision. I thank the Lord for watching over Josh and I and for seeing us in our distress. He knows just when to move and when to move us. I know there will never be another church to fill the place in my heart that Starks FPC has created, but I am glad for the experiences I've had since I've been married. Even if only to appreciate and discern the flowing of the Holy Ghost. And to know how truly blessed I am. I've been a part of so much more that I can't seem to settle with less and be satisfied.

What are we going to do today, Brain?

The same thing we try to do every day, Pinky...Try to take over the world. Muahahaha.
Ok. enough of that.
I've spent the last hour updating my blog appearance and functionality, creating a new site to give my family a presence online, and getting picasa set up so I can share photos.
I'm really getting into this. I've tried blogging before, but I wasn't faithful. And my camera was stolen (no need for that redux) so I have no recent photos to share. But I make a new year's resolution on December 20th that I will strive to try to attempt to do better in the coming year to keep these efforts alive and kicking. Even if no one ever uses these outlets (except my mama), I think its going to be good therapy for me. Besides, I don't want to be a crazy blogger stalker who religiously reads 18-19 blogs a day with her morning cup of coffee (did I just confess that?) and never contributes to the congestion of the blogosphere. That would be creepy, right?

Anyway, as for yesterday afternoon...
The birth mother changed her mind. Again. Through the prompting of the 'boyfriend', she has decided that even though the adoptive couple has spent untold thousands throughout her pregnancy to support her, and spent another thousand to fly the mother here last night, she [the bio mom] doesn't feel comfortable giving the baby to anyone until she has money in hand. Ummm.. Selling your baby is illegal in LA. Ahhh!!
So she agreed to her first counseling session yesterday at 3:15. She did not show up in the cab with her 'boyfriend', baby, and two-year old in tow until after 5:00. It was a roller coaster after that until I left work at 7pm. I did get to hold and feed and burp the baby though. Her name is Hannah Grace and she's absolutely beautiful. The dr's thought she had Down's when she was first born, but they've ruled that out now. I held that sweet bundle of pink innocence in my arms and prayed fervently over her. I laid hands on her and I prayed that the bio mom would understand that she could not take care of this little one. I don't care who thinks I stupid, I looked into those baby eyes and I told her repeatedly out loud that "Jesus loves you"
I get teary eyed just typing it now. You just had to have been there. She was dirty, no filthy. Her fingernails were long claws, her umbilical cord 'stub thing' had not fallen off yet and was crusted with dried blood, her lips were extremely chapped, her blankets/clothes were dirty, and she had a wheeze from the smoking she is exposed to in a cramped motel room where she is living right now. She is only 10 days old. So, call me crazy, but this was the first time in her life when she would have heard "Jesus loves you" Help me pray that she will go through with the adoption and this couple can get this child soon.

Whew!! I think I'll lighten the mood. Christmas is just around the corner and I have only gotten Josh one gift so far. A new large print NLT Bible. Well, two if you count the family camcorder we just purchased. I need to do some shopping. And I need to clean my house. So what am I doing on blogger for 90 minutes?

its beginning to look a lot like christmas

I don't mean snow. We're in Louisiana. I don't mean holiday cheer. I got balled out by an elderly lady at the post office this morning about my parking. I don't mean the smell of peppermint and pies. The garbage has not been taken out yet. No. None of the above. I mean its beginning to look a lot like the stress and frantic spirit of christmas.
I am busy, busy at work today. (As not evidenced by my ability to take time for a blog post)
The good news is that we have a birth mom coming today to sign a provisional custody affidavit. Which means for those who do not work with adoptions....I will get to babysit the week old wee one until the adoptive couple arrives via airport at 9pm. Woohoo!!!
Josh will be so glad to put out the fires of baby fever before they burn out of control.

Welcome to my world. Consider this a disclaimer that you have entered my mental territory. If you find yourself afraid of thinking outside the box or find that being exposed to such streams of consiousness causes hives and excessive sneezing, feel free to leave peacefully with no repercussions. If you are glutton for punishment or actually fit into the .001 percentile of individuals who relate to me... Congratulations!! You've found the right blog. It's going to be one crazy ride!