six-monthiversary

This is just a little behind.

Nathan's Birthday is on Valentines day. Our sixth month of being married fell on the 4th. So, we celebrated our valentines day on our six-monthiversary. Nathan pampered me. :)

He got me my favorite kind of doughnuts for breakfast:

This is what i'm talking about. Old fashioned doughnuts. Yum.

When I got home from work these were waiting for me:

:) so...I may have squealed a ton, jumped up and down, 

laughed, clapped my hands, ran around the house...and made a general excited ruckus over the flowers. 

After my performance,I don't think Nathan will ever second guess if flowers are a good idea :)

Now, if you remember, the 4th of February was the day that huge snow storm was supposed to hit, except it really didn't. But, Nathan and I, as crazy as we are decided we'd go out to eat. We made it to Peoria and back just fine and had a nice quiet meal at Biaggi's. 

It was a great day. :)

For Nathan's Birthday, I made him choose between his two favorites: lasagna and strawberry shortcake.  I also bought him a few boring presents. 

And, randomly, Here is a picture from one of the really cold mornings this winter. 

notice the bright patches to the side? :)

It's a sun-dog! :) 

closer up

In Christ

~Michelle

New Boots and a Water Main

Today I had a meeting at DCFS. 

On my way down  Adams I realized that there was a police road block. I quickly cut down a side street to avoid the area. As I crossed Jefferson I noticed a ways down there was another police blockade right in front of the DCFS office. Thoroughly confused, I  found my way through a neighborhood and came up on Jefferson again, and found another road block.  I took another side street, got lost and found myself back on Adams going away from where I needed to be.  So, I made my way back though the neighborhood, back to the police road block where I began to plead with the police officer. 

 “I have an appointment at the DCFS office, I need to get there.”  

“M’am, the water main broke, there is water everywhere we can’t let you drive through there.” 

“Ok, can I pull through and park? Can I walk there?” The officer gave me a confused look but waved me on through the road block. 

here's a map of where the DCFS office is.

The Adams/Jefferson one-ways made the jaunt just that much more exciting.

So, picture this. Me. Walking down the middle of the road in down town Peoria with my important little black file folder in my brand new black suede  boots. Water is gushing everywhere. Freezing cold icy water. By this time I’ve nearly fallen three of four times, my binder flying halfway across the street.  

Two blocks down the street I find the DCFS office and the broken water main. But, now there is a four inch deep river of water gushing between me and the DCFS office.  So, I walked up to the officers who were manning this side of the road block. “excuse me... Excuse me.” They  turn around with a shocked look on their faces. “is there a way to get into the office?” They look at me and the water and the street and the office. “walk.” They say clearly confused with where I came from (and, probably more concerned with the amount of water spurting on to the street)  I look at the water and my boots.  Alright. And, so, I walked straight through the water to the DCFS office.  :) My inner farm girl puddle jumping self was grinning all the way. 

Here's a picture from the Journal Star.

There is also a video here.

Inside the DCFS office, no one could believe I was there.  One woman told me “you better have you supervisor on speed dial ‘cus if you slip and fall I ain't comin’ to get you and it’s a rough neighborhood- you’ll get beaten!” :)

About fifteen minutes later the police closed down the DCFS building because they had deemed it ‘unsafe’ so, we rushed through the meeting and I was back walking down the street to find my car. 

Once I reached the safety of my car, without falling down or getting beaten, I realized I was stuck now between four police barricades.  And, the roads were sheets of ice, running with water and covered in huge chunks of dirt.

So I snuck (yes, I was being sneaky in my car, however that works) down a side road and on to Adams again.  When I came to the fourth road block I again snuck past the police car and was free. :)

I do believe the whole police force and DCFS think that I am crazy.

In Christ

~Michelle

Things I never thought I'd do

The past week or so was a pretty full work week. 

Tuesday I was supposed to go to Chicago for a meeting and Wednesday I was supposed to go to Decatur for court. Both were canceled due to the weather. I don't know how I would have gotten every thing done if I would have had to go. 

The week also came with a  few firsts.  When I started the job I never would have thought they  were part of my job description.  I took one of my clients in to the police department to register as a sex offender. 

And, the other day I sat with one of my clients in the ER because she was threatening to commit suicide.  I sat through her psych screening and learned that she had attempted suicide last month and had been hospitalized more times than she could remember. 

On my drive home I couldn't help thinking about the heaviness of the things I deal with at work.  I was shocked how much it wasn't affecting me. 

But, I realized, God has given me the strength to deal with things I never thought I could and never dreamed I would. 

I can only thank Him for that strength and ask for your prayers. I hope that I can shine some light for Christ in this dark world. 

In Christ

~Michelle

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