Flying

I love flying with kids. Especially when it's their first flight. Sometimes they are excited, sometimes they are scared, but I guarantee that there is never a dull moment. I flew with three young men from Lubbock to Dallas to El Paso Friday and will be making the return trip tomorrow. These guys range in age from 8 to a month shy of 15 and had never flown before. When we landed in Dallas the oldest had a headache. Lunch took care of that. The flight from Dallas to El Paso wasn't quite so easy. A storm had moved through the El Paso area earlier and apparently the skies had not quite settled down. There was some up and down movements as the plane hit air pockets. The 8 year old was sitting with me. His stomach started hurting and I just put my arm around him and held him close until we landed. Unbeknownst to us, while this was going on, the 10 year old, sitting with his older brother right behind us, was in the process of...well, to us his words, "I barfed." Now, I know how useful those little white bags in the seat pocket are. But, they recovered well and I left them at their pre-placement visit running and playing. I hope tomorrow's flights are smooth.

Don't judge too quickly

I was mad. I sent in paperwork that to continue the level of care for one of my special kids. I do this every three months and it is important so that he continues to receive the services he needs. The envelope was sealed and taped shut. Imagine my surprise when I receive an e-mail that says a determination is unable to be made due to incomplete information. According to this e-mail, they had only received the request page. Of course I e-mailed back that I had mailed the entire packet, but would resend the packet. I couldn't believe that the whole packet was lost except for the request page. This time, I scanned the packet and e-mailed it to the lady who had e-mailed me. The next day I had an e-mail from her that she couldn't accept the e-mail I sent...I had to send it to the help e-mail address. I also received two e-mails from the help addy with the same information that she had e-mailed me the day before. So, being the good worker I am, I forwarded the e-mailed packet to the help addy. I then received an e-mail that they couldn't open my e-mail because it was too large. Anything over 35 pages has to be mailed in. I, in a fit of pique, e-mailed back that I would mail the packet again, but that I was very concerned that an entire packet could be lost. I printed off the scanned papers so that I wouldn't have to copy the originals again and discovered that the packet was actually 74 pages long. Who would have guessed that we had 74 pages of documentation? I ranted and raved to my supervisor that because of someone's incompetence in Arlington (where the packet is sent), my child doesn't have his service level and they don't even care! Imagine my chagrin when my phone rang this afternoon and the foster mother for this child told me she had just received most of the packet in the mail from the Fort Worth post office stating that the papers had been found loose in the Fort Worth mailroom. Apparently, the machinery used in the post office must have torn open the mail. Odd that the request page made it to its destination, but nothing else did. I had been angry with the leveling agency when all along the mail had not been received by them. The upshot is that I didn't rant to them and was fairly civil in my e-mails to them. The packet has been resent and the child should have his level in a couple of days. Next time something like this happens, I'll not be so quick to judge...or will I???

A girl's best friend

No, it's not diamonds. Not for the traveling girl, anyway. My best friend when I am traveling for work is mapquest. Of course, if someone wanted to give me a portable GPS, I wouldn't say no. It is so nice when mapquest takes you right where you want to go. I have been misled by mapquest before, so this is a serious matter. Today, I took a child to Alvin. I mapquested from Hobby airport in Houston to the placement and mapquest worked like a charm. Usually when I am flying, I run short on time. I rush to the airport praying that I make my flight. I have had some very close calls. Today, I had all the time in the world. I stopped in Pearland on the way back to the airport and had a great BBQ lunch. Once I arrived at the airport, I had plenty of time to browse and buy Dharma and Lauren overpriced gifts from one of the gift shops. They were happy. It is really nice to be able to relax and not worry about getting lost or missing my flight.

Office move

Ok, it's official. We will move to our 'temporary office' next week. I went to the office this afternoon to start packing. Start is the correct word. I will spend several hours tomorrow and probably stay late Monday and Tuesday to have it done by Wednesday. Man, I have the smallest office of anyone on my unit. How did I get so much stuff? Of course, most of it is case files. I have 11 boxes of case files so far. I estimate that I need about 16 more. That doesn't include the files that are in the bookshelf in our hallway. I have case files out there that I don't use now, but have to pack and take to the new building because they go with my current files. They are in the hall because they wouldn't fit in my office. I did get my personal stuff off the walls and packed up. Between my co-workers and myself, we have boxes stacked down the hallway and sore muscles and backs. I'm trying to make sure that I pack files that I don't generally need separate from the ones I have to access on a regular basis. I don't want to unpack any that I don't have to if we are moving again in six months or so. Also, I decided to file paperwork that has been stacking up while I am packing the files. Might as well get it done all at once. I think we should have a party once we get moved. We deserve it.

Procrastination not always bad

Procrastination has a bad rap. But, I found out today that it is not always bad to procrastinate. My unit, along with three other units, is being moved to emergency housing due to the influx of new workers. It has become extremely difficult to find a place to park if you aren't at work at 8:00 AM. My co-worker today commented that only the new workers get here early. They are still in training and aren't working until 7:00, 8:00 or 9:00 at night. So, we have been told to box up our offices and to take all our personal items home. We have to be ready for the movers next week. Everything has to be labeled and ready to go. Some workers have been diligently preparing their offices. An e-mail that went out even commented on how well one worker in my unit has done on boxing up her case files. I read between the lines and decided that the three of us who haven't even taken a picture off the wall yet were being subtly told to stop sloughing and get with the program. The closer it comes to next week, the more e-mails we are getting. Of course, I have been busy doing my visits and documenting. I haven't boxed up anything. I have diplomas, certificates, etc. on my walls and my personal knickknacks around the office. I did bring a bag today to put some things in to take home. I left it at the office. Those of us who procrastinate had resigned ourselves to working on Saturday to get our offices packed and ready to go. At 3:30 this afternoon, we received an e-mail that the move has been postponed until February 19. The ones who have boxed up their casefiles will be unboxing at least some of them as we need the files during our day to day work. The rest of us do not have to work on Saturday. I was on my way to a home visit when the e-mail came. My co-worker, who has been procrastinating as much as I have, called to tell me about it. I laughed and told her that the ones who did what they were told were probably feeling pretty stupid now. So, we figure we have two more weeks to procrastinate. Life is good.

Going home

My time off is almost over. I will be flying home later tonight and back to work tomorrow. I wish I could take more time, but the job doesn't get done when I am not there. It will be hectic for a few days as I play catchup. Oh, well. That's the way of the working world.

Busy, busy

Wow, Summer is here, but I don't feel like I have slowed down for a minute. Today is the first day I've gotten home before midnight in the last several days. Work isn't slowing down and I've had some good times with some good friends. So, I guess I'm not complaining, but I do need to take some me time just to rest and relax. I thought I might mow today, but after picking up tree limbs, the heat of the day was bringing me down. Also, my son called to ask me to come over to see my granddaughter before she heads to Michigan for the Summer. That turned into an all day affair as the three of us did some running around town spending my money. Oh, what fun. But that is a different story for a different day. Have fun in Michigan, sweetie. Your BFF (me) will be thinking of you often.

Adoption

I had an adoption yesterday. The girl was being adopted by her uncle and aunt. They were all so happy. One of the things we do for the kids when they are adopted is let them choose a teddy bear. She chose the biggest one we had after spending several minutes contemplating which one she wanted. When we left the courthouse, she asked me if I could keep coming to visit. I told her that I could stop by and say hi, but that I no longer had to come every month to check on how everything was going. She said she wanted me to come by sometime. Then she hugged me, not once, but three times. This is one of the reasons why I love my job. I have two more adoptions next week. Life is good.

Another Saturday

Here it is, the Saturday before Memorial Day and I can't leave town even if I wanted to. Why? Because I am on call, which means I have to have my cell phone with me at all times and be available in case there is an emergency, ie. a run away is found and needs placement or a placement is falling apart. But, I also am going in to work to monitor a visit for two hours today. The judge has ordered that this family have visits for two hours daily so that the mother can nurse her baby. I think that's great for bonding. Anyway, that's how my work is going today. I also am going to check on my friend's cats as she went to Corpus this weekend for a wedding. I thought about doing some yard work, but since I need to look (and smell) decent when I go in for my couple of hours, I decided against it. The yard will be there tomorrow, you say. Yes, it will, but I'm sure I can come up with another excuse not to do any work. I am a good procrastinator.

April's going

Here it is April 30th and I've neglected my blog all month. I have been very busy working. A 71 hour week and a 77 hour week make it hard to blog. Not to mention the time I couldn't get to my computer because I was in San Angelo. Anyway, I didn't want to get through April without at least one blog, so I guess I will post some random thoughts about my month.
April was an extremely busy month. With the removal of over 400 children in El Dorado, I ended up going to San Angelo to help out twice. I also had three adoptions consummated. I should feel like I accomplished alot, but right now I just feel relieved that April is over. May is looking good.
One of my young friends has started his own blog. So everyone should check out Chris's blog. I have it linked here as one of my favorites. Some of my very good friends celebrated birthdays this month. Happy birthday, my friends!
Sista went back to Canada. While I miss having her here, I know she was glad to get back to the mister and the kids. TORONTO SUCKS!!! GRITS RULE!!! That was for the mister.
Now, bring on May!

Neglect

I have neglected my blog lately. I have some ideas to write about, but I've been busy. I will try to find time to write next week. I am excited because the book I ordered at a conference I went to last month arrived today. It's called "The Myth Of The Out Of Character Crime." So I may have some good crime type stuff to blog about.
I've had 5 kids adopted since the last week of February. That's been keeping me busy along with trying to find homes for some others. So at least I've had a good busy.

Busy

I feel like I have been neglecting my blog. I am so busy at work and stressed with work that when I do have down time, I can't think of anything I want to blog about. My supervisor keeps telling me that things are going to get better. Of course, she usually tells me this right before assigning me another case or otherwise needing me to do something. I was feeling so stressed earlier this month, that I felt like I was about to have a melt down. But I have some wonderful friends who helped me through it. You know who you are, guys. Now, nothing has lessened at work, but I've decided that I do what I can and the rest will still be there tomorrow. I've got to take care of myself also.

Being Flexible

I am a flexible person and that really comes in handy in my work. There are five workers in my unit, although a sixth is being added and interviews are being held next week. Yaaayyyy. Out of the five we have, one is on three month family medical leave for adopting a baby. Because of the specialized work we do, the other four of us are absorbing her caseload instead of parcelling it out to other workers in the building. Another worker was off all this week because her father passed away. It seems like every crisis possible hit this week while we were short handed. I was asked to fly to Dallas to pick up a child that had to be out of his placement on Friday. We had no placement for him when I flew out at 1:50 Friday afternoon. The plan was to meet him at DFW(a staff member from his placement in Fort Worth was bringing him to the airport) and bring him back to Lubbock. We should have been home by 6:00. I get to DFW and they aren't there. Come to find out, because DFW is so big, we were at different gates. My supervisor called and said we had found a placement in Fort Worth, very near to where he had been placed. When I finally found the child, rented a car and transported him to his new placement, it was too late to get a flight back to Lubbock. The last flight was booked. I found a hotel that only charged me four dollars over the state rate. There was a jacuzzi tub in the bathroom (heaven) and a business center. Unfortunately the business center was closed, so I couldn't access the Internet. Man, I've got to get a laptop. My good friend, Ron, told me to pack my toothbrush as I've been stranded in Tyler overnight before. But, me being me, I didn't listen. Thank goodness, the hotel gave me a toothbrush, toothpaste and deoderant. All turned out well and after only an hour delay coming back, I did make it home by noon Saturday. I love my job.

Procrastination

I am the queen of procrastination. Part of my work entails that I see every one of the children on my case load in their placement at least once a month or call the ones that are not in this region. I saw the ten kids that are placed in the Amarillo area before the first week of January was over. I thought I was doing good. Why then, three days before the end of the month did I have eleven kids that I hadn't seen yet and four that I hadn't called. Needless to say, I am making up for lost time. I worked until after 7:00 tonight visiting children and I will get the rest seen the next two days. I hate having to rush at the end of the month. I would say that next month will be better, but I have two less days to see them all.