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Perhaps it was a tad longer than 6 months…but…the real question is where have we been. Well. Jim and I did a lot of thinking and talking and thinking and some more talking over the past few months and decided to become foster parents to the 16 year old kiddo we (were) mentoring at church…at least until his forever family is found. Mind you, this is a huge and nervous undertaking and we know that; however, we didn’t want to see TCB bounced from place to place until the agency placing him can secure a permanent family for him. We figured, since we’re already like his extended family (and we have a currently unused kids room – we’re still trying folks), we could at least provide that stability for him and also be around to be regular respite providers for him too. Whew…that felt good to finally get this out (he reads the blog and I didn’t want to say anything till everything was figured out).
Yeah…so…wow. Jim and I took the PATH classes (which you have to take to get approved for foster parenting), and had the huge stack of background paperwork to do (background checks, family history, home study, etc.); and we were officially approved last week. On Thursday night, TCB’s current “temporary” foster Mom (a wonderful lady), brought him over and we proposed the idea of him staying with us until his permanency is secured to him. I think he was stunned and happy overall! We promptly went over our little list of Rogers Family Rules and Expectations, and all signed on the dotted line. He’s been with us since Thursday night and we will have him through the holidays. He will officially move in on January 8th. His current plan is to find a pre-adoptive home so if you know of anyone who would be awesome for an intelligent and charming young gent (who is well behaved might I add), then let us know! 
Slowly it’s all sinking in…surprisingly we’ve already had the “dating talks” and “older teen version of the birds/bees topic”…but they surprisingly went well. So…looks like 21st Century Step-dad Man will have to add our link as we become parental units now. Wish us luck and any moral support along the way is certainly welcomed. Much love to all and have a wonderful and amazing Christmas.
My (Anna’s) Dad has been here for a week and it’s been good! However, he originally was supposed to come visit over Thanksgiving (when I had plenty of free time), but he couldn’t understandably (see older post). Back at Thanksgiving, he switched his plane tix for this past week and it’s been tough to juggle. Does anyone else go through this?
First off, my Dad is 74 which means – unfortunately, we don’t have a TON in common unless you rehash family stories (which can be very enjoyable), or dole out the day-to-day life stuff. He’s also been retired for over 10 years so his priorities are different. This week at work there was a lot of high pressure needs – state grants, end of the month paperwork, etc…which meant, even though I tried to take 1/2 days to be with him, I was getting calls and ended up having to work more from home than I expected. There’s this feeling like I need to ENTERTAIN, and I did a piss-poor job at that. My poor Dad was bored…relegated to TV time, naps and helping with the bathroom paint-stripping project. I suck as a parent-hostess.
Don’t get me wrong…I love my Dad. Love him dearly. I just want to do and give more than my current time allows. We did have some good highlights this week featuring: Dinner at Linderhoff (which sadly took 3 1/2 hours – Friday nights are busy), Teaching my Dad how to Wii Bowl (which he was fascinated with), Showing my Dad Paul Potts and realizing that my emotionality comes directly from him – also my worrying comes from him too…yippie. 
It’s just unless I leave the area and go visit him, my work calls me and at times it can’t wait. I wish I had more time…more money…more energy…but I guess we all juggle the best we can.
Btw…Jim’s Mom comes to visit this Friday.
We (okay – I), am SOOOOOOO excited because the Blue Man Group is coming to Knoxville on March 1, 2008! Giddy with delight I am! It was one of THE BEST shows that Jim and I have seen in Vegas and had SOOOO much fun. It’s interactive, silly, groovy and has a monster beat! I informed Jim, with much jumping around and making drum noises that we are GOING to see the How to be a Megastar Tour 2.1! It’s more fun than you imagine…truly, and it’s great for all ages. My suggestion…GO!
In case you don’t know who the BMG is/are (and you’re ready to venture out from under that rock you’ve made all homey), here’s a bit of info: Blue Man Group is best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts which combine music, comedy and multimedia theatrics to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. The blissful party atmosphere created at their live events has become the trademark of a Blue Man Group experience.
Need more convincing – read more about them at their website: www.blueman.com!
(And yes, that’s us…bottom right – wee!)
Okay, so it sounds more elaborate than it really is right? This is our little slice of internet nonsense, which basically is our on-going effort to keep our friends and family up-to-date on our lives, our love and our continuing pursuit of pomegranates. In this modern age of movement, we’ve realized that distance is not an excuse to not keep everyone posted, so please - stop by anytime - in person or internet-ly and know that you are all never far from our thoughts.
