Decisions, thunder, training, moving Victoria

I left work after the requisite eight and one half hours yesterday so I could take a nap before our scheduled training. When I woke from the nap I realized it was much later in the afternoon than I should have slept. Mama had cancelled the appointment and I was relieved she had. I went back to bed at 8:30 and slept through the night. It was much needed.


She and I seriously discussed the prospect of foster care and have come to the conclusion that it may not be the right thing for us to pursue at this time. Part of the decision not to continue is due to the undue burden it puts on those around us. For instance, if we leave a child in our care for more than eight hours with any person, that person has to have a criminal background check, be fingerprinted and be registered with the foster care agency. Anyone who lives with us who is over eighteen years old must go through the training and maintain their certification during the years they are in our home.

With those restrictions, Chase and Victoria would have to go through the training as would Grandma and Grandpa since we stay with them when we are in Bowie. Any adult who regularly is in our home must go through a criminal background check.. It all seemed like too much to ask. Then there are the home inspections, the financial statements to be recorded, the disclosure of all chemicals and medicines in the home, the disclosure of all firearms in the home, the registration of all pet, etc.

At this point Mama and I are looking at other avenues of ministry which are less personally invasive and do not require the registration of all persons associated with our lives. After joining the discussion, Victoria gave Mama a brochure about helping unwed mothers at a shelter here in Amarillo. Her timing seemed perfect. Mama is going to check into it next week. I do feel a sense of relief in the decision – at least as it stands today.

Last night some thunderstorms rolled quickly through the area and the noise that accompanied them scared Victoria’s little dog to the point of total confusion. After one particularly loud clap of thunder he ran from where he was in the kitchen begging food from his mistress into the living and tried to hide under every piece of furniture in the room. Then he ran to the bedroom and tried to hide there. Finally, Victoria had to pick him up to calm him down. Boy is the spring going to be rough on him. Rosie watched the excitement and barked at him a couple of times while she sat shivering on the couch.

Mykenzie is already progressing in her preparation for marriage. Grant, who has not felt well for the past several days, came out of his lethargy yesterday and began to play with his sister. Cori says Mykenzie was noticeably excited by having her playmate back to his usual self. They were playing something that required jumping over some pillows and having a great time until she got hurt. At which point she turned to her brother and sternly scolded him. “Grant”, she boohooed melodramatically, “Why did you make me play this game? Now I got hurt!” Us males (especially those of us who are married) know that the unspoken portion is “And it’s all your fault!” At four years old she still has several years to perfect the technique, but she is showing real promise.

Mama and Victoria will be packing the van today for her move to Bowie. I get the impression she is more excited now than she was last week. There is not much to do to move her. There is a bedroom already set up for her there. Her car is already there. All we need to do is get her cloths, her books, a computer and some miscellaneous items packed. We are planning on leaving for Bowie after the service on Thursday evening. It will put us in after 1 a.m. but it will give us the opportunity for a fresh start on Friday morning.

Victoria is more worried about how to get internet there than she is about anything else.