Wow...time flies!

I just realized that it's almost been a month since my last blog. Wow...time flies when you're having fun! Well, it wasn't all fun, but a lot of it was. Shortly after my last blog, we had a house fire down the street from my house. Fires are always tragic, but this one was especially disturbing. The family who lived in the house lost their oldest son two years ago in Iraq. They'd never owned a home or decent car, and in his will, that is what his insurance money was to go to...new cars for his parents and siblings, and to build a new house. Well, they did both, got screwed by the contractor, lost all their money, and were slowly finishing the house themselves. All the family but the dad were in Washington DC accepting an award in honor of Dan, and somehow a fire broke out in the garage (where all of Dan's things were from Iraq and the Army Base in Utah.) Luckily, the fire was extinguished pretty quickly, but as all of you know, almost everything is harmed in a fire. Between smoke and water damage, I'm not sure what, if anything, was salvageable. We were able to get Dan's medals and the flag that was on his casket out unharmed, but not much else. The house, I'm sure, is a total loss, though from the front it doesn't look that bad. But the fire had spread to the basement, compromising the structure. This same day was a friend's wedding and my 10 year class reunion. I missed the first round of firefighting, but was there when we were called back out just after midnight.

My class reunion was interesting, to say the least. For a small school, my class was kinda weird. We had some definite divisions, but no real "packs." I don't know if I can adequately describe it. I, for one, was a group jumper...I didn't hang out with just one group of people. I'm pretty sure it was because I was easily annoyed, so it was better for me to not be around the same people all the time. I also had a lot more responsibility than most of my classmates, and found their antics immature at times. Not that I didn't act immaturely at times, but they were few and far between. Anyway, I have probably one core group of people I've kept in contact with over the years. We try to get together once or twice a year, and it's always a good time. Thanks to Facebook, it's easy to stay informed on what others are doing. The classmates who showed to the reunion were exactly who I expected to see, but I wish more people I don't often see would have been there. I lost track of some people I really cared about, and haven't been able to reconnect with. I've also decided I must have selective memory, because people were telling stories and I had no idea what they were talking about! And I was a part of the story! High school wasn't much fun for me...I shouldn't say that, but a lot of bad things happened, and I unfortunately have more bad memories than good. I'm envious of people who are still close with HS friends, because I wish I was...they're good people.

I've been in a cleaning/pitching crap frenzy for about a month. I emptied our storage room, went through everything, sorted, repacked and put things away in a much more organized manner. During this time, I found several bins of clothes that were Goodwill bound years ago, and somehow got packed away. I gave some to my pal Ali, who is close to my size, and doesn't have a ton of money for clothes. She was so grateful! And I was happy for the free space! I still have a couple loads of stuff for Goodwill, but am glad Ali got use out of the stuff I gave her. I've still got a few more rooms to go, but have made amazing progress. I finally put out my fall/Halloween decorations also, so right now I'm feeling really great about my progress...well, in control at least!

I went to WI for a week in the beginning of the month. I was only planning on going for a few days, but had to go up a little early for a funeral. Chance's (the autistic boy I used to take care of) great grandmother passed away. I have always felt like a part of their family, and they have done so much for me over the years. When I found out Mimi died, I was heartbroken for those kids. She hadn't really been sick, fell ill late on a Sunday night and was gone by Wednesday. She had a blood clot that had been near her heart dislodge and relocate close to her intestines. It did a ton of damage before they found it (as she had other weird symptoms they were trying to figure out.) She was in renal failure, but they tried to put in a stint to help restore the bloodflow. It didn't work, and the dye they used shut her kidneys down. I'm glad she went fast, as her husband passed away last December and had been sick for over 2 years. She went fast and only had a few bad days.

Chance's aunt, Jenni, is the one who has decided to do foster care/foster-to-adopt. So that means I got to play with the babies for most of the week! She has N., who is a 3 month-old male, and T., who is a 4 month-old female. They are SUPER cute! I have pictures, but am not sure the legality of posting them here due to them being in foster care. Kate, Em and Gail, I'll send you an email. Unfortunately, the babies were both not feeling well most of the time I was there. We had to make some formula adjustments, but now things are much better. But I changed A LOT of nasty diapers! Loose stools = tons of diaper and outfit changes! Do I know how to pick em' or what!!!!

I also got to hang out with E. and D. They are getting so big! D. talked my ear off, explaining how everything he saw worked. Wow. He knows way too much! And E., well E.'s just too sweet. She's so funny! I don't remember what she said, but it was something really ditzy. I looked at her and said, "E., it's a good thing you're cute!" She looked at me with a big smile and said "Thanks, AJ!" Wow, to be four again! I went Goodwill shopping for both of them, and found tons of stuff! They both grow so stinking fast that they don't stay in sizes too long. E. is already wearing 5's, and will probably be in a 6 by the first of the year. She doesn't need it in the waist, she's just got a long body. Long arms, long legs, long torso! We had a great weekend!

Oh, and my big news...*Kayla* is gone! She was placed in another residential placement! Woo hoo!!!!! That's horrible to say, but she was really on my last nerve. She had a new medical "problem" every day. She was creating more girl drama. She was being a bitch to everyone. I hope that she learns something at her new placement. I think she was scared to go, and I even think she thought the judge would let her go home! Yeah, I don't get it. She needs to successfully complete some program. She failed with us and she failed at rehab. Hopefully this place is far enough away from home that she can finally focus on herself. She literally wore me out! So now I've taken a breather and am ready to get back at it!

Well, I guess that's it for me. Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Just busy, I guess. And I needed to get that cleaning done! I hope that everyone is doing well, and here's hoping the next few days will be a bit warmer as the weatherman has said...I've got stuff to plant before hard frost! Take care and have a great weekend!