Happy New Year!!!

Raymond and I went to Karen N's house to have some holiday cheer! It was so fun to see everyone! I havent seen Noreen since I left the Y, and I havent seen her baby Miles since his baby shower!. He is so cute! So I had 2 drinks at Karen's house and when we were about to leave, I somehow zipped my leather coat and my sweatshirt together! It was so ridiculous, we were all laughing like crazy! (that's the first picture) Maybe I didnt need that second drink??

Christmas was fun!!! But BUSY! Savannah spent Christmas eve with her dad and came home around noon on Christmas day. After she came home we opened all the gifts! Love bug was so cute as she opened each gift, she was so exuberant!! I was we had got her reaction on video but of course we weren't thinking ahead. George's favorite gifts were the cars her received. We've been seriously lacking boy toys around our home but now he has plenty.

We went to Mom's house for Christmas dinner. Mom gave each of the little kids a new quilt, Love; a bugs bunny theme, and George; a John Deere tractor theme. The kids love them...they drag them out to the living room back and forth from their beds about 5 times a day.

Raymond has his first US cold. Normal cold symptoms, stuffy, congestion, sneezing, etc. He was expecting some miracle medicine from the Dr but of course the Dr didnt give him anything for it! Poor baby! He's still got some other lingering medical issues going on that he arrived here with. His Dr is treating him but we're still waiting for test results. All in all he hasnt been feeling good for quite some time. I'm hoping and praying he starts feeling better in 2010.

We finally found out why Ray's work permit has been denied. I checked a incorrect box on the original form I completed back in September. There is no way to "fix it" except to re-file and pay the $340 fee again. It's frustrating!! Now we have to re-file and wait another 8-16 wks to get approval.

Work is good, I''m learning more and more each day. There is so much to learn and so many exceptions to each rule. I received an audit back from about 50 cases I worked, and I only received 4 back with errors. I need to have my error rate at 2% so I have a ways to go. Some of the other students in my class have much higher rates of errors. I feel bad for them because they havent received as much support from their home offices as I have. My training coach is crabby and never smiles but at least she's training me. She got me an "easy button" for Christmas!

I cant believe Christmas is in 2 weeks!

Here's an example of us using the timer to take our family picture for our Christmas card. This was one of many reject pictures. It was like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation trying to get a good photo. You'll notice in the final version that you get in the mail, Buddy isnt in the picture because he couldnt take the chaos any longer. The topper was when Raymond set the timer and ran to the couch for the about the 10Th time.....and Love annouced she had to go poop! We all started laughing hysterically as she jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Kids are so much fun!

Work is going pretty good. I completed another session of training and had a five hour test last Wednesday. I finished around 2:30 and found out the next day that half the other students had to be kicked out of the building at 5:05. The test was a killer!!! The training was held at the main head quarters on Mercer st right across form the Seattle Center. All of us that were in the class are going to be working on a special project to help some of the offices catch up on their back log of work. So I'll be at the Mercer St office until at least 1/15/10. It feels a little weird to be away from my White Center office for so long. I was just starting to make friends and get comfortable there. The best part is that we are working shortened hours, to allow for commute time, but still get paid for 8 hrs per day! I get off work at 3:30 so I'm able to get a lot of errands completed after work, including Dr appts, school appts, etc, and not have to request time off.

How about this cold weather? Poor Raymond is having a very difficult time with the cold. He takes the bus to get around and waiting as the bus stops just about does him in. He thinks Seattle is the coldest place in the US. I tried explaining to him that Seattle isnt usually this cold, and for this long. He had never seen ice on car windows before. He was totally confused about it! I cant wait until it snows! He's a good sport but generally miserable with the weather!

Please meet George and Love. They've been with us for 2 1/2 weeks now. We 're just getting settled in with a good routine and the kids are generally pretty happy to be with us. Monday afternoon their social worker is having a meeting with their Tribe to discuss the best placements for the kids. As a rule, the Tribe always wants to place their children with native American foster parents but they have a huge shortage of native American foster parents. George and Love are from a sibling group of seven, age 3 months to 11 yrs, and I believe the siblings are spread between 4 foster homes. I hope they can stay with us, they are pretty fun kids.

Well, guess what? I quit my job at Joanne's. It was just too much with the kids. Raymond was getting overwhelmed and I felt like I never saw him or the kids. I'm sure most of you are not surprised it didnt work out. I think in a past life I was Superwoman.

I'm starting to enjoy my DSHS job. There is a ton to learn and a ton of work. As I'm learning more I feel more productive. I have another training session from 11/30 - 12/8 then I'll finally be interviewing clients and determining eligibility. I'm learning all kinds of computer systems; child support system, criminal systems, social security systems, employment systems, dept of health systems, property searches, all kinds of fun systems. I never thought to run a search on a high ranking official but I was told the systems have security in place and I could be fired if I did a search of someone like the Mayor. I'm not in the least bit interested!!

Gotta go! Miss you all!

Raymond and Buddy have officially bonded! Now if only I could say that about Raymond and Savannah!! We'll all still adjusting to being a family. Savannah is adjusting to having another person in charge of her. Someone that dropped out of the sky and now is bossing her around!! Raymond is adjusting to him asking her to do something, and Savannah saying, "My Mom didnt tell me to do that, so I'm not doing that!" OR "I want to call my Mom and ask her if I have to do that". I think I mentioned in a proir post, the children in Ghana are very respectful of all adults. Raymond is getting a double dose of reality because he's a new step parent WITH a huge culture adjustment!

And then there's me! I'm stuck as referee. I'm lucky though. Savannah and Raymond genuinely get along good and enjoy each others company. They just have some normal adjustments to go through. Raymond and I are getting along really well. We have misunderstandings but we are working through them as they come upon us.

I'm starting to enjoy my new job a little bit. I'm taking on more responsibility and learning new things each day. I've been in my office all this week and then I go back to Kent for more classes for 10 days. On Sunday, I start a second job at Joanne's Fabric on southcenter parkway. I'm actually looking forward to it. I love Joanne's! Ton's of cool craft stuff , holiday stuff, and more!! I just hope I dont spend my entire paycheck there!

My Job

I survived my first week of classroom training. My teacher gave me an evaluation at the end of class and said see never saw anyone learn as quickly as me. Ha, ha!!! She said I could teach the next session instead of her! There is a huge amount to learn. So many different programs, and each program has different eligibility requirements, and then the many computer systems(which is fun for me). I'll be back in more classes from 10/12-10/20, 11/2-11/8, and 11/30-12/8 then I officially graduate and can start seeing clients each day.

In between classes they have been letting me take on more responsibility which is good. I've been auditing clients cases and correcting simple things like address errors and stuff like that. I'm enjoying the content of my job a lot. But it's kind of lonely. My cubicle is surrounded by three men in cubes, a storage area, and two woman that do not talk or joke at all. The men are fun, especially this Somalian man, named Mohammud. He's very loud and he cracks me up when I hear some of the things he says to the clients. The other day he was talking to a client and she was complaining because she hadnt rec'd her medical coupon and she couldnt get her birth control without it. He explained whatever he needed to explain to her and then she said"Are you telling me I cant have sex with my boyfriend?" He said "Lady, have you ever heard of abstinence or condoms? Or better yet, have your boyfriend buy your birth control?" It was so funny! I was trying not to laugh out loud!

So let me tell you about my boss. I've been warned not to talk to her about anything too complicated or she wont understand. I havent formed my own opinion of her yet as i hardly ever speak to her. But I have formed my opinion about her office. Her office looks like an explosion of silk flowers and greens went off inside of it. I have never seen anything like it! Her desk is draped with fake greenery garlands with white FLASHING Christmas lights throughout. The walls and file cabinets are covered with wreaths and flashing garlands. On my first day I thought her office was decorated for her birthday or something, but nope this is the everyday look. I cant imagine what the "special event" look is.

We're home!

The first picture shows me with no fear, finishing the canopy walk. I'm happy because we're nearly at the end. The next picture shows us after completing the canopy walk, but we havent yet begun the hike down the mountain. Please note my fabulous hiking shoes!

Today Raymond and I had an adventure riding metro. The plan was to ride the bus to and from Savannah's school as a test run. Beginning Monday Raymond is going to pick Savannah up from school using Metro, until he gets his driver's license.

We left the house at 1:30 to walk to the bus stop. We arrived early because last week when we attempted this we missed the bus. The bus came about 10 minutes sooner than I expected........but no problem we were ready to go. We're riding along and I start to think something isnt quite right. We seem to be traveling farther south. Once we pass Foster High School in Tukwila I decide to ask the bus driver where the bus is going. SOUTHCENTER! Not good! For a second I contemplated continuing to the mall and doing some shopping. We got off the bus at the next stop and crossed the street to catch the bus going in the opposite direction. As it was Sunday, the bus route was only scheduled for 1 time per hour, and of course we had about an hour to wait for the next bus. It was quite breezy at the stop so we decided to walk along the bus route to stay warm.

Eventually the bus arrived and we boarded. As we're sitting on the bus, I put my arm around Raymond and kind of zoned out a bit until we approaching our ORIGINAL bus stop near our home. As I was about to point the stop out to Raymond, I realized my arm that was over Ray's shoulder was stuck in between a metal safety bar and the top of the seat. The seat is a very hard plastic with no "give". Close to panicking, I discretely got Ray's attention and he directed me in how to twist and turn my arm out of the predicament. Could you imagine if my arm was still stuck when it time to exit the bus? Embarrassing!!! We finally arrive at 16th and Roxbury, our 1st stop. At the most it was about a 10 minute bus ride from our house to 16th and Roxbury, but we'd been out of the house for over 2 hours now. Then we proceeded to a bus stop a block away and had to wait 30 minutes for the next bus. By this time Raymond was pretty much turned around, confused, and tried to board the next bus that stopped, which wasnt the one we needed. Anyway, we finally arrived at Savannah's school and then took the bus route back home. Eight dollars and 5 hours later we were back at home. Raymond is on his own tomorrow! I'm done with riding the bus!

We picked up Ray's Visa

Let me describe the experience. We were notified to be at the Embassy at 8 am to pick up the Visa. So we awoke at 5:30 took a taxi to the Embassy and arrived by 7:30 am. About 150 people we're picking up their Visa's that day, student visa's, tourist visa's, and immigration visa like Ray's. We were all told to wait outside in a particular area with about 10 benches. So about 5 to 6 picked crammed onto each bench but most were left standing. Thankfully we had a spot on a bench. Around 8:30 they called about 40 names from a handwritten list, but not Ray's. We found out a bit later that it's not good to be on the first list because it means the Embassy has reviewed your case and wants something in addition.

So the rest of us were just waiting and waiting in the hot sun. We werent allowed to have any food or water with us, so I was getting parched. Not to mention completely sweaty. After 2 hours, Ray asked me to wait inside the embassy(air conditioning) because they cant turn me away from my own Embassy right? SO I finally decide I dont want to get heat stroke and I go into the Embassy and take a seat in the lovely cool room. I'm only sitting for a couple of minutes when a guard asks me to go to window #1. A nice man at the window asked how he could help me, and I explained I was too hot waiting outside. He said he would get Ray's visa right away. I sat down for another 5 minutes and I was called up to the window again. Everything was ready and he gave me Ray's file, I didnt have any ID on me or anything. And he apologized that I was uncomfortable waiting outside in the heat. Amazing! I walk in and within 10 minutes I have the Visa, while over a hundred Ghanaians are waiting outside for hours on end. Why do they say to be at the Embassy at 8 am and then wait the people wait hours and hours. One guard was saying those people could be waiting all day long.

I touched an alligator!! OK, only with just one finger but hey I touched it! We traveled to Cape Coast for 3 days it was really beautiful. The best part.....the roads were all concrete to increase tourism. We toured Elmina Castle which was built in 1482 by the Portuguese. It was the first trans Atlantic slave castle built. We had a very good tour guide and he explained all the horrendous details of the slaves lives in the castle. We both agreed it was a very good experience but also very disturbing. The Dutch took over the castle, and then the British, Ghana has only had control of the Castle for 52 years.

We also went on a canopy walk over 600 feet above the ground! Two Canadian men built it in the 90's for tourists. Well, I didnt really think about it but to get up to the start of the canopy you've got to hike in the Tropical Rain forest. First off, I was wearing flimsy flip flops, and second it was ridiculously hot. The higher we climbed the hotter it became. The ground is an orange damp clay dirt which I was mastering with my flip flops!!! The path was also filled with large rocks and fire ants. There were about five different times on the hike that fire ants were crossing the path. I've only ever seen that many ants on TV nature programs. When we arrived at the start of the canopy walk I was the very first one to start the walk because I was so hot I figured , the first one to start is going to be the first to get out of the tropical forest. The planks were about 12 inches wide and a netting material went up about 5 feet from the planks. I admit the view was beautiful but it was torturous in the heat. I cant say it was fun but it's definitely something I wont ever forget. I have lots of fun pictures, plus a lot of butt shots of me because Ray was carrying the camera. Afterward we went to Hans Cottage restaurant which was built right in the middle of an alligator swamp. This is where I met my friend the alligator.

Joan, you better be saving some diet coke for me! Or I'll arrive on your doorstep at midnight on the 2nd straight from the airport! I miss you all but most of all my little Savannah! I cant wait to see her again.

I want to come home...NOW!!!

What can I say about Ghana? I think I can say I'm a wimp. I cant stand the heat, the roads, the noise, and so much more!! Too many people all the time!

I made a stupid mistake! I ate some donuts from a street vendor. I dont know what I was thinking! The donuts had been roasting in the hot sun all day percolating all kinds of bacteria. Needless to say I've been sick for the last few days. I couldnt go far from the toilet. The American medicine I brought with me didnt work, wasnt powerful enough. Raymond had to get me some super strength medicine from the pharmacy. I'll not feeling 100% but I feel good enough to leave the apartment. We're going to a movie tonight and tomorrow we'll travel to Cape Coast to see some of the beautiful country.

The roads!!! I will never complain about the roads in Seattle again. The government has tore up miles and miles of roadways to put in a super highway. Ray said the roads have been torn up for over a year. The government only hires a small amount of construction workers and pays them very little. Ray says the workers dont want to work very hard because they hardly get paid anything. In the meantime the Ghanaian drivers have created roads on the side of the construction that seems like we're driving in ditches. Plus there is no traffic lights or stop signs, etc. Accra does have some main concrete roads with lights but the traffic on the roads is TERRIBLE.

The food. I'm so SICK of fried chicken and rice. I havent eaten one vegetable or fruit since I've been here. I'm craving a nice big salad and veggies. Can you believe it? Me craving veggies? I do drink pasteurized juice each day for some fruit.

I feel bad that I'm so crabby about this place. These are Raymond's last few days here so I want him to enjoy them and have good memories. By the end of my stay in Ghana, Ray may not want to come home with me.

I went to Raymond's church last week. It was beyond belief. Nothing you could possibly imagine. The pastor was screaming into the microphone. For the first 15 minutes I kept jumping in my seat each time he shouted. My ears were on fire, I've never seen or heard anything like it. Then the pastor started performing miracles and healing people. It become too much for all of my senses and we had to leave. It took me a couple of hours to recover from the experience. Definitely a different world over here.

Thank you for the kind comments! We are so happy we are going to be together for the rest of ours lives. It's going to be a challenging time getting to know each other but we can handle it. I miss everyone. I had a dream about going into a store and buying a diet Coke, a candy bar, and a lollypop! This is a sure sign I'm ready to come home! Love all.

My Husband is coming home with me!!!!

We are overjoyed! We just came from the embassy and Raymond's visa has been approved!! We pick it up Friday the 28th! I wish you could see our smiling faces! We'll be arriving home late on Sept 2nd. I'm so glad he'll be with me for the flight home. The flight to Ghana was miserable. The entertainment system wasnt working so we had no movies or music for the entire flight!

Raymond is soooooooooooooooo excited to meet Savannah He's talked to her on the phone many times but never met in person. He cant wait!

We are staying in a nice apartment with air conditioning and a nice bathroom. Tomorrow we're taking a trip out of the city to the Central region. It's a big tourist area. The weather is pretty tough, although it's much cooler than my last trip. There is a nice breeze but it's still terribly humid. I'm having some problems with the food as we knew I would. BUT..........last night Raymond took me to a continental restaurant and I had a HUGE cheeseburger! And I had a chocolate milkshake! It's very expensive so we cant eat there every day, but we'll be back to try the pizza next time.

There is a nice movie theater here, which I didnt know about. They were playing Obsessed(Beyonce movie) and Hangover. We watched Hangover, it was pretty funny.

I cant for everyone to meet Raymond. He is so sweet, I know he'll be liked.
We're going out to dinner and to a movie tonight to celebrate Ray's homecoming!!YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Batter Blaster!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought I found the perfect short cut to making pancakes! Batter Blaster in a can! It's pancake batter in a can like whipped cream. Now, everyone pretty much knows I dont like to cook. I cant stand grocery shopping, planning meals, cooking, and cleaning. Basically everything about cooking makes me tired. I enjoy eating pancakes but never make them. So, this Batter Blaster should be great for me, right? I follow the directions; oil pan, spray batter, and cook on medium high heat. DISASTER!! It took me over half the can of batter to realize that I need to cook the pancakes on medium low. I was exhausted by the time I had a couple of edible cakes. Anyone want to come over for breakfast? Cold cereal is my specialty.

I just returned from the store. I bought every kind of over the counter medication I could think of to take on my trip. Pepto tabs, Imodium, laxatives, gold bond skin screen, lip balm, etc. I also picked up hand sanitiser, which I dont normally like to use but it's a necessity in Ghana with no bathrooms. I bought ramen noodles and some dried soup. Raymond's feelings were hurt when I told him I was bringing some food items with me. He said he's going to cook each and every one of my meals for me with fresh ingredients. I told him I am still bringing some food in case he became tired of cooking. On my last trip, I dont think I became sick from the actual food, but possibly from someone that prepared the food, so no restaurants for me. But what do i do when his Mum cooks a meal for us?

My landlord installed the cat door for me but the cats dont want to use it. I guess if they want to go outside while I'm gone they'll have to figure it out. Buddy is set to go to the kennel, Savannah is set between Grandma and her Dad just need to get her packed. I'm almost ready!

Foster/Adoption

Hi Friends! Friday morning I met with the regional adoption placement coordinator. The next children we have join our family I want to have the good possibility of adopting them. She showed me profiles of lots of children! We're looking at adopting an African American sibling group of 2, ages anywhere between 0-9. There is no timeline for us but I'm thinking they would join us by the end of the year. I'm taking a few of the profiles with me so Raymond and I can talk about them.

Some people have asked me why I didn't want to adopt Juliette. I have several personal reasons that are private. But one reason is purely statistical. Caucasian children are the highest requested race of families choosing to adopt foster children. I knew that Juliette would have several families interested in giving her a forever home. African American children are the least adopted children from the foster system. Plus, as everyone knows I have natural skill in doing their fancy hairdo's!!! I'll never forget the teachers from the preschool laughing and teasing me because I took an African American hair care class, especially Angela. Thanks to a private lesson from Angela my skills improved greatly.

Later in the day Friday, I received a phone call from a CPS worker stating I was under investigation for abuse toward Juliette. I was not surprised since her parents had made multiple complaints about me. The CPS worker asked if she could come to my house that day and meet. I was surprised of the short notice but since I have nothing to hide I made an appointment for her to come over. Geez!! This is only my second complaint in five years, I hear that is a really good record. When the woman arrived at my house Buddy greeted her(BARKING and JUMPING) as usual. She said said she was very allergic to animals so I advised her that we meet outside. With 3 cats and one fuzzy dog, our house in infiltrated by animal hair. Well, we had a very short conversation and she pretty much closed the case. She had to investigate the complaint because the parents made very serious charges against me but she had already visited Juliette at the daycare over a month ago, and took pictures and everything. Needless to say, I'm very glad it turned out to be so simple. The woman didn't even want to do a walk through of my house!

Only 7 more days until my trip! I'm slowly but surely getting prepared for my trip.

Savannah and I went to the Moclips, Wa last weekend, with friends. It's right on the ocean about 30 minutes North of Ocean Shores.

My friend brought her 14 yr old niece, Alyssa, whom Savannah was glued to the entire trip. During the trip I heard Alyssa say several times to Savannah "You sure do ask a lot of questions". I had to laugh! On the trip I made a scrapbook for Juliette to have when she's older. This is the first scrap booking Ive done of any of my past foster kids, much less an album for a child. I was emotionally drained afterward and didn't get much sleep that night.

Juliette's last day with us was on 7/24 and Beatrice's last day was 7/29. They both are now living on Vashon Island, so they may see each other again. I've been enjoying the time with no little ones. I wont take anymore until after I'm back from my trip in September. I'm going to try not to take any kids until after Savannah's birthday in October, but I may not make it that long!! I cant stand the thought of children in harm.

Raymond is counting the hours until I'm in his arms again. He's been fighting a skin infection for about 2 months, and he's also being treated for intestinal worms. His skin isn't getting better because the cost is about $100 per week just for the medication. Since knowing Raymond I've learned about the terrible conditions for people living in Ghana.

Supposedly, no one is refused medical care in Ghana. They have public hospitals and private hospitals, and no Dr's offices. The public hospitals are extremely understaffed because the Dr's do not get paid and they are tired of using sub par medical equipment. Raymond told me it's a death wish to go to a public hospital. He said many people go in with one ailment and die in the hospital of a completely different ailment. The private hospitals are better staffed and better equipped to help patients, but they still severely lack what we are used to here in the states. And of course they are much more expensive because the Dr's can charge whatever they want to charge the patients. Nothing is regulated, and there is no such thing as health insurance. I regularly follow up with the news in Ghana to feel closer to Raymond. The other day I read a story of a terrible car accident on one of the busy highways in Accra, Ghana. It took over an hour for an ambulance to reach the accident and several people had died while waiting. Two people were taken to the nearest hospital which was a private hospital. The hospital refused the patients because they had no assurance of payment. So the ambulance turned around and returned the accident victims to the scene and left. later the two people died on the side of the road while family members were trying to reach them. I can not get this story out of my head, it haunts me that these people would have had a chance at life if they hadn't been refused care. Over a year or so ago, I was speaking to an American from the US Embassy about some medical concerns that were going on with Raymond. The worker was so smug and righteous sounding when he told me no Ghanaians are ever refused health care. Obviously the Americans don't have a clue what the people of Ghana live with. Ghana is only one small country in the world that is in complete poverty. Millions of people live in poverty and it's not their fault. They are born into it and have a very slim chance of escaping to somewhere livable.

I'm happy to report I have a job!! I'll be starting at White Center DSHS on Sept 16Th, M-F 8-5pm, as a Financial Services Specialist. This is the perfect job for me! I still get to work with clients and families, and I still get to work with finances. I am grateful and blessed to have gotten this job! I've been told it's really difficult to get hired by the state. Plus, they have not hired for this positions in over two years, so the timing was just perfect for me.

I'm hoping to buy a townhouse in the Delridge or Highland Park area by the end of the year. And if Raymond comes home with me in August, that will be the icing on the cake!! I'm planning on updating the blog while I'm in Ghana, so you'll know if Ray gets his visa or not.I miss you all!

I survived my first interviews!!

On Monday we went and visited beautiful Kelsey Bowes. She is so tiny, I always forget how tiny newborns are. When I took this picture Kelsey was starting to get hungry so we left soon after the photo op. Samantha looked good, a little tired but she was still glowing.

I had 2 interviews this week! A little nerve wracking to say the least. Both interviews were for the same exact job but in different offices. The position is for DSHS as a Finance Services Specialist. This involves meeting with clients in the office, over the phone, or working the front desk at the office, to determine if clients are eligible for state assistance with food stamps, cash, medical, etc.

My first interview was at the White Center office with a 3 person interview panel. The interview was pretty relaxed and the interviewers were joking a little amongst themselves and I was able to crack a couple of jokes. After the interview I was given a test, and I was given 30 minutes to complete it. OMG! The test had long story problems about complicated family situations and I was to determine what each family was eligible for. Okay, first of all, we all know the computer system calculates all this stuff for us! Second of all, the questions were designed to trick me!!! And me only!!! For each problem I would finally come up with an answer, and then it wasn't on the list of multiple choice options! On some problems there was the option to chose none of the above is correct, but we all know that sometimes those are designed to trick us! So then I would redo the calculations and come up with the same answers, so reluctantly I chose the none of the above answer. I hope I didnt completely flunk!!

My second interview was at the MLK office with a 4 person interview panel. The tone of this interview was quite different than the previous one. it was dead silent in the room!! No chatting among the interviewers, NOTHING! I attempted to crack a few jokes to liven things up because I myself was becoming a bit bored. About halfway through the interview, I was asked what would my previous supervisor say about me if they contacted her today? I said,"She would say I was awesome!" That produced a few chuckles, but then dead silence again. Then I decided to answer the question in a more complete manner. Another question was, how would you ensure that you do good work? DUH!! And then I was asked, how would I determine if someone was eligible or ineligible? I asked him to repeat the question, then I answered by saying "I would determine eligibility by using your systems" and then he asked how I would do that? I said, "well I'm pretty sure you have a system you use to determine eligibility, it's not like you use enie, meanie, minie, moe!" That produced another set of small chuckles! Lighten up people!!! The good news was there wasnt a test.

I have an interview next week for King County at White Center Public Health. I could walk to and from work!! I'll keep you updated!! Take care everyone!!!

Baa Baa Black Sheep...............

Beatrice singing and Juliette in the background. Isn't life grand? Time has been getting away from me! I can never remember what day of the week it is, everyday feels like Saturday. It used to drive me crazy when I was working at Home Depot and customers could never keep track of the date. I guess now, I understand how people can get off track, hee hee.

So, it appears that I may be the only Lady contributor to our blog! If this is too boring, please somebody tell me, and I'll STOP. The job hunt is going good. I'm able to find about 5-7 jobs per week that interest me. I'm discovering interesting companies each week that may be great to work for. I applied to 3 jobs today: Getty Images, White Center Public Health, and an unknown company for an operations position.

Thank you to Joan for giving me a head's up about the Diet Coke sale at Safeway. Buy 2 get 3 free! Joan said "It's like they are paying us to drink it!". My feelings exactly! I have my first official tower of power, although I'm pretty sure it's a mini version compared to Joan's.

There are currently 2 prospective families interested in foster/adopting Juliette. It's getting sad to think of her leaving and never seeing her again. She's been with us almost a year now, which is the longest we've had a child before.

I stopped by the Y today. It was great to get my 'chat on' with the gals! I really miss the daily chatting, sharing, interest in my life, and OK I'll admit it, the gossip!! My day consists of communicating with; toddlers, a preteen, my dog and cats, my hand therapist, and occasional pleasantries with the stranger at a cash register. I'm gonna be at a job interview and I'm gonna accidentally say 'don't forget to use your words' or 'No more attitude or your going to lose computer privileges!' or 'Quit barking!!!'. I'm really looking forward to my vacation away from children and pets!!! I miss everyone!!!!!!

I'm so excited for my trip!!

At first I was feeling kind of disgruntled about my upcoming trip to Ghana. But as each day goes by, I'm more and more excited to go. I have to admit, I'm still dreading the trip in general, but I'm really looking forward to spending time with Raymond. He paid for an apartment for us today, he said it meets all of my requirements and is in a safe neighborhood. He had already purchased an air conditioner but he decided to exchange it for a more powerful unit. AMEN! He also purchased a small refrigerator for "my food stuff" as Raymond calls it. It's weird that the average home in Accra doesnt have a fridge!! Where do they keep their food? And what about a nice chilled Coke? You cant leave any scrap of food out because the bugs completely infest the area. i learned that the hard way during my last trip. I left some biscuits(cookies) in my bag overnight. The next day the bugs attacked me while I was wearing my bag! Ouch!

Last night I went to Kim's going away party at Talarico's, and then the party moved to the Redline bar. Jason Yano(WS summer enrichment staff) performed with his band, and Alice Kitchen(assoc staff) accompanied him in a few songs. I cant remember what the band is called but they play blues/rock music. The show was great, Jason and Alice have great voices. I havent gone "out" like that in so many years i cant remember when. Thanks to Kim Hood for talking me into asking my babysitter if she could stay later. Debbie T hung for awhile, she MAY think we were a little wild.................... I could have lived without the cat fight that almost happened. It was so ridiculous. I cant mention the participants, but it wasnt me!!! Or Kim!!

My nephew is home from the Army for a visit. His Mom had a barbecue for him today! He looks like a grown man now, he gained about 25lbs in muscle. He said being home was so relaxing and comforting. He thinks he'll be in Afghanistan by the end of August.

On the job front, I'm still submitting my resume to several jobs each week. There are still a lot of jobs that interest me and are in the pay range I'm looking for. Take care friends!

George and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary last night at the Metropolitan Grill over Chateau Briand for Two.

Guess i'm taking another trip to Ghana!!!

I'm starting to think that the only way Raymond's visa is going to be approved is by traveling to Ghana and going to his next visa appointment with him. I'm tentatively planning a trip for Aug 17- Sept 2.

PROS: Spending time with Raymond, good possibility of getting his visa approved, small possibility of Raymond traveling home with me, we would have time to do things we wanted to do, as opposed to last visit his family pretty much dictated what we did, my plane ticket is about $700 less than my last trip.

CONS: What if I get terribly sick again? the agonizing 24 hr flight, the heat, the bugs, the garbage, the smells, the lack of toilets, power outages, the expense, the terrible disappointment if he doesnt get his visa, leaving my kids, missing out on a job interview possibility, leaving my pets, the food, no diet Coke, safety concerns, I could lose a job opportunity when I mention the need to take 3 weeks off in August.

I think, all in all, the pros out way the cons. Raymond is sinking into a terrible depression and he cant take much more of us being separated. I have a few mandatory requirements in place in order for me to travel to Ghana. We will not be staying at ANY of his family members homes. We will be renting an apartment for about $200-300 for a month. This apartment will have air conditioning, with a back up generator, regular shower and toilet, and a refrigerator.

So, now I'm in the process of figuring out my plans for all 3 children, and all 4 pets. YIKES! It's a good thing I'm not working so I can have the time to figure this all out.

My Third Day as an Unemployed Person

I was asked to create a blog for Joan, Jackie, Joyce, and I to update with all the exciting happenings going on in our lives! So, hopefully it doesn't bore anyone to death! Here's a picture of the old(but young) West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA Admin crew at our last luncheon. What a fabulous group of ladies.

Thank you to Molly for hosting our goodbye last Friday! I dont have any good pictures to share but I really hope Joyce can post a picture of Wendy drinking from her flask!!

Regarding my job search: I've turned down one interview, after realizing the job wasnt a good fit. I had a phone interview today with Planned Parenthood! I would REALLY have loved a job with Planned Parenthood but it turned out to be an entry level position.

Today was my first day in sweats all day!!! I could get used to this! I miss everyone!