My Best Friend's Wedding

:)
So, Kendra and Aaron got married! 
 I was so blessed to be part of the wedding. As expected, it was beautiful and a lot of fun.

Saturday we took pictures. Don't worry, they were mostly inside. We took a few outside later in the morning when it had warmed up. Ha. It was still freezing. But, we had fun and the pictures (on my camera at least) turned out pretty good. 

do we look cold??? :)

Saturday night Nathan and I went to the Rehearsal Dinner. It was a lot of fun. We got to sit by Troy and Ellie, and the other bridesmaids. :)

what an awesome group :)

Sunday, Kendra and us bridesmaids got dressed over at the condos and waited in the World Relief room until we walked in. 

Kendra giving me a cheesy smile.

The disaster a few minutes until we walked in. 

Wendi cut her finger and bled all over her dress. Our moms came in to save the day. :)

All ready, clean, and nervous. 

Ok, I wasn't nervous, this is old stuff for me, some of the girls were a little though. :)

We all walked in, no one tripped, there was minimal crying, the service was lovely, they got married, we walked out. :) Kyle (my groomsman) had to slow me down on the way out though. Aparently I was dragging him a little. oops. :)

After the service we went straight to the fellowship hall.

aww :) 

the car...at least it is decorated some. 

and away they go! :)

The weekend brought back a lot of memories of our own wedding. Even the exhaustion. :) 

I'm so happy for them and excited to have Aaron in the family.  :)

In Christ
~Michelle

All about my job

Thank you for your questions! :) They really are great. So, here you go- The Answers:

Can you explain what you do?

Well, Dad *cough*, this is kind of why I did the question format because it's hard to explain what I do.  :) But, I'll give it a shot.

Here is a bit of the basics of who I'm working with:

1. I work with clients between the ages of 17.5-21. 

2. I work with a ton of acronyms. 

DCFS- Department of Children and Family Services

DOC- Department of Corrections

IYC- Illinois Youth Corrections

JSO- Juvenile Sex Offender

SILP- Supervised Independent Living Placement (my program)

ILO- Independent Living Option (they live on their own in apartments)

TLP- Transitional Living Program (a transition from more restrictive residential group homes)

3. Vocabulary:

Emancipation- at the age of 21 my clients no longer receive government funding. They are released from ward-ship and are officially adults. 

Permanency- DCFS wants each client to have a goal of permanency somewhere. All of my clients' goals are to be independent. 

4. I have approximately 12 clients. 8 are DCFS, 4 are DOC. 

5. The DCFS clients usually come in to care through a few different ways.  

They have aged out of foster care.

They are the result of a failed adoption. The majority of my clients. 

They were living in residential- they were unable to be in foster care. 

6. The DOC clients are brought to us if they are released on parole and have nowhere to go. Either they don't have family or their family does not want them back.  A lot of them are JSO and offended against a family member. 

 

So, basically I get one of these clients and I am in charge of their case. 

 Each DCFS client has permanency hearing in court twice a year. I am in charge of writing the court report and testifying in court on their behalf and on behalf of the agency. 

I'm pretty much their mother. I help them get a drivers license, their birth certificate, and social security card. I help them fill out FAFSA and scholarship applications. I help them study for their GED, budget their money, and find jobs. 

And, then there is lovely DCFS paperwork. 

What percentage of your time is spent doing paperwork? Home visits? other?

As of now I probably spend the most of my time in the office either doing paperwork or making phone calls. We also spend a large part of our time in meetings. 

I'm required to meet with my clients once a week. Depending on my week that can take a lot of time or go very quickly. 

I probably only go to court, or other outside the office things, three or four times a month. 

What do you enjoy the most? The least?

First, what to I like the least- the paper work. It is very frustrating to spend so much time on something that helps the clients so little. 

What do I like the most- working directly with the clients. 

I love my clients. They are some of the roughest guys you'll ever meet but they are so sweet and fun. Their stories would break your heart.  

I love it when I feel like I've chipped away a little more at their hardness.  I love it when they respond to me. 

Also, see the next question. 

Do you clients open up about feelings/childhood/why they do what they do?

Some do open up.  But, most just try to forget their past. 

 It is very hard for them to open up to me, even if they trust me. They have had so many case worker's that they are afraid that they will get attached and I will leave. The first thing one of my client said to me was: " A you going to leave me?"  from a 20 year old, that's enough to break your heart. 

Then there are times when they do open up and it's beautiful. This is what one of my clients said to me the other day: 

"I wish I wasn't so angry all of the time. My former foster parents told me that God could take away my anger. I wish I could believe that. I do believe He could. But, believing isn't enough. I know I'd have to do more. You can't just say 'I believe', there is more to it than that.  I just don't think I could ever really believe. It's just so hard. I just want to turn my life around."

THIS is what I love about my job. 

I hope I answered all of your questions to your satisfaction. :) If you have more, feel free to ask. This makes great blog material. :)

In Christ

~Michelle

*the opinions, attitudes or ideas stated above are purely opinion and are not meant to portray the values of my place of work*- necessary legal disclaimer.  

Questions?

I've been trying, ever since I started working at the Children's Home, to write up a post explaining what I do. I just haven't been able to come up with a post that I am happy with.  I'm having trouble formatting  a post.

 I love my job and I love to talk about it. I love to shock people with crazy stories. :)  I decided the best format would be Q&A. So,  what would you like to know about my job? Ask me a question. Comment below, shoot me an email, or text me, and I'll answer the questions in another post. :) 

Or, maybe you don't care at all. We'll see. :)

In Christ
~Michelle

friends since forever ago

I feel like between work, Kendra's wedding showers and prep, and family gatherings 2014 started out full speed ahead. I feel like I can barely catch my breath. (I am so thankful it's not me getting married, Kendra- you'll get to breathe soon, I promise.)

Last week was nuts. Monday I braved the arctic weather and drove in to work.  I was the only one at work for over an hour. I got bored so I came home early. After being snowed in Sunday, I got bored very quickly and made Nathan drive me to the farm. I ran around outside with gussy, like a 10 year-old child, while Nathan stayed inside and read a magazine like a mature adult. 

Tuesday, due to Monday cancellations, I was double booked. Kendra had her Wyss shower, which I attended and helped serve. I cut out early and drove home just in time for a bunch of my friends to arrive. Joy, Janelle G, Jessica W, and Larissa came for a night of games. It was great fun. 

Thursday night, I had a final dress fitting for Kendra's wedding. I love the dresses. *sigh* They are so beautiful. 

Friday was Kendra's Personal Shower. I went there pretty much right after work and didn't get home until midnight. It was a great night with friends and I think everyone was far kinder to Kendra then they were to me. I didn't take any pictures...:( 

Saturday morning I got up early and drove with Haley to Oakville to be with my school friends. Katy, Joy, and Emily had gone out the night before. I've been friends with these girls for a very long time. Emily and I practically grew up in school together and Joy was my Tumbling friend. We've changed a lot over the years but we've all stayed close. :)

                                          

                                           Then:

Senior year of high school

                                               Now:

(thanks em. for the picture)

Poor Nathan. He barely saw me last week. :)

In Christ
~Michelle

One year ago

*This was actually going to be my New Year's post, but I decided to go with something more lighthearted and save this for later.  'One year ago' refers to January 1st 2013. *

One year ago today my life changed forever.

One year ago today I got Nathan's proposal. Looking back on the past year is difficult but incredible.  I would never have chosen a lot of where I am today. Last year was hard.

Before I start: I say these things only because our marriage is wonderful. I say these things because no one else talked about their hard engagements. I say these things because God's work is so evident to me. I say these things for His glory.

The three months I prayed about Nathan's proposal were a struggle. I remember God's overwhelming peace through the whole process, but I feel sick just thinking back to where I was.  I would lock myself in the bathroom at night and cry for hours, so my roommates wouldn't see.  I knew what God wanted for me but I was far too afraid. I was terrified that if I took a leap of faith that I would jump off the wrong cliff.

Once we were engaged the relief carried me for a while. But, I began to doubt and I felt lost. I felt like I was wearing a mask. People kept telling me engagement was a wonderful time, asking if I was off of  'cloud nine' yet, and telling me how lucky we were. I would smile back, unwilling to reveal that it wasn't wonderful, that I never was on cloud-nine,  and I felt so incredibly stuck. One day my mom asked me if I could turn back time and redo the whole year, would I? For the first time since I was a young child I sobbed in my mom's arms. I wanted more than anything for everything to be a bad dream.

It was in those moments, crying out to God on my bedroom floor, that I felt God's presence the most I have ever felt.  I remember feeling His arms around me.

 And, God answered my prayers in very real ways. God spoke to me through sermons, through hymns, and through my own personal reading. One evening,we saw a rainbow in the sky, a promise from God, and we believed.  Finally, feelings began to grow and last, things fell into place and I could look forward to our marriage without fear.

While in the midst, I knew God was with me, I knew he would glorify Himself, I knew He would provide, but it didn't make it any less hard. While it was hard it was beautiful. 

Nathan and I both know there was a spiritual battle being fought over us, and I have learned that fear is a sin- a weapon used by the devil.

On Marriage:
I get asked quite often how marriage is going. Marriage is going great. :) It's fun. It feels normal. There weren't any hard adjustments. He's goofy. I'm goofy. It's great. :)
We also are asked a lot if reality has set in yet. I think we got a huge dose of reality while we were engaged. Our heads never were in that proverbial cloud.

Today, I would not turn back a thing. God has blessed me beyond measure with a wonderful, amazing husband and an awesome job. God knows what is best for his children. It may not be what we want but in the end it is far better than anything we could have chosen for ourselves. 

Last year I posted this:

"I don't know where God is going to take me next year. I plan on graduating in May and then I don't know what's next. But, I have learned that God will provide.  
So, the next year doesn't look scary at all. It looks so incredibly exciting.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jer. 29:11-13

Bring on 2013. Here goes stepping off into the unknown. :)"

I didn't know how prophetic my own words would be or how much I would lean on that verse. 

God is good. 

In Christ
~Michelle

Wyss Christmas and Cousins

It's really starting to get fun in the Wyss family. A lot of maturing has happened in the past few years and we all seem to be in the same stage. Troy, Trent and Tate hosted our second Cousins' Night last Saturday. We played games, ate food, and stayed up far too long.

Monday was the great Wyss Christmas. This day rivals as my favorite day of the year. One long day of food, presents, family, and fun. :)

waiting for presents...

for some reason everyone watched Ned open his gifts

game time :)

As always, it was a great day :)

For New Years, Matt and Lena invited the family over.  So, after church services we all headed over. Once again, we ate food, played games and generally had a wonderful time. :)
We played a few rounds of a game called psychiatrist. It was great fun. Poor Tate and Aaron had no clue why I was snorting like a pig. :) 

settlers 

I've really enjoyed the time spent with cousins. They're a pretty cool group of kids. :)

In Christ

~Michelle

A year to remember

This year has been a crazy year. 

• I got engaged
• I graduated from U of I
• I volunteered at a foster care agency
• I got married
• I got a job at the Children's Home

Here are some highlights in pictures:

Reynosa Mexico 

secret sister-in our moms' wedding dresses

engaged

Wyss vacation

wedding!

honeymoon

   

friends :)

tornado cleanup

  

eh...cheese.

Yes, 2013 will be a year to remember. Through it all I have learned many things.

God is good. God is faithful. God will provide. God will protect. Do not fear. God is Good. 

Happy New Year!

In Christ

~Michelle