what's in a name?

So, at work part of my daily routine is to check the Commitment Report, which shows the local arrests from the previous day. I check it to make sure none of my clients have been arrested. :)

Anyway, my coworkers and I have a grand time laughing at some of the names.  Below I have listed real names that some real people are really named. Now just for the record- these names are from all different races. I promise. 

Oh, and try to say these out loud. I dare you. 

Females:
Cloryne (...meet Bleach) 
Archissa
Astonishing (Shocking, I'd say)
Brittney Sexione (um, eek what if she was not so good looking?)
Shetoria
Latillery
Latisharaie
Scinquala
Preshus (Eek, I know I can't spell, but at least use spell check before you sign the birth certificate)
JanishaBo
Tetreanna Lascheal
Lasashai
Candreain
Titrasha
Fredtasia (Maybe they were hoping for a boy?)
Datitanna
Shiketra
Shontay (isn't it sad when this begins to sound almost normal?)
Johnnice (what about John not nice?)
Shaniecia Tanyka
Shesna

Males:
Jawaun
Demon  (seriously, you would name your child this!?)
Dicqtric (I still struggle pronouncing this)
Jacari
Dericco
Tyjavious (let's hope he just shortens it to Ty)
Quotae 
Danathe
Quinterius
Tarawa (try saying this)
Bentarious
Dejarual Laquette (yikes, that is a mouth full)
Cassanova (Oh, really)
Ketorius

I hope you have been thoroughly amused. :) Please, please, I beg any future parents to think before you name your child. It may seem cute now, but next too a mug shot...it's like "no wonder they turned out that way." :) tehe

In Christ

~Michelle 

Our Exciting Announcement

*tehe*
So, We bought a car. ;)

The car I have been driving isn't mine. It actually was my parents and they have just been letting me drive it for the past 6 years.  Since I'm all married and moved out, we thought it was about time to get a car of our own.

Farewell to the purple Lumina, and hello Impala. :)

Kary was our lovely and wonderful sales woman. When she showed us this, I may have been nearly drooling over it in the lot. And, then when the salesman showed us the price, I could barely keep from jumping up and down right there (I may have done so at home).

God provided for us. It was on the low end of our price range, and we were able to pay in cash. Plus it's super cool and shiny.
Ooo. And it was an old police vehicle so it has a cool red button that allows you to leave the car running without keys in the ignition. :)

In Christ
~Michelle

and the crazy life continues

Work has actually settled down, but the craziness seemed to shift to our evenings around here. 

The past few weeks we've rarely had a calm evening.
  I went to Brooke's baby shower (which was a lot of fun :) I got to catch up with her and meet little Shanna). Nathan had a church brother meeting the same night which worked out well. 

I got to spend one evening recording for the Zion's Harp project. I have done it before and loved it. It's wonderful to see so many people come together and sing beautiful songs of praise to God.

 Nathan and I went out to Princeville for a chili supper at his siblings school. It was a much over due visit. His Aunt isn't doing well with health issues so we visited her as well. 

We spent one evening at a visitation for Sally F.  Since we were out, we turned it into a date night and went out to eat. 

I got the privilege of taking Cecily ice-skating. She loved it. She wanted to go faster and do "tricky axles." So, I pulled her off the ice and spun her around a bit, which she loved.  I was quite sore from stooping over for an hour and a half. 

Iskates :)

wanting to get away and ice-skate on her own

oh and see those orange cones way in the background. She nearly had a meltdown when I wouldn't let her play with them. :)

'keep going shelly'

Saturday and Sunday, Nathan and I had a group of U of I alumni over. We played games, talked, had a few 'U of I silences', and of course ate food.  We had Greg and Diana over night and Jake got to keep Tristan. 

Sunday morning

 It was great to catch up with everyone and have the group back together. 

 Sunday,  after church, Nathan and I went with Aaron and Kendra to Brittney and Chris A's wedding reception.  It was great to see her and meet him again, but I also got to see Vince and Breana F. and their little guy. 

I'm thankful work has been quiet, or else I may have gone a little nuts. Of course I probably have already anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered. :)

In Christ
~Michelle

love the crazy

After this week I think I've decided I might be an adrenalin-junky. :)
This week was nuts...and I loved it.  The crazier my job is, the more I love it. 

Story #1
I have a client who ran away (aka went on run) to Chicago a few weeks after I started. He's been living in a shelter in Chicago ever since.  Because he's been on run, my responsibilities for him have been less than they would be for my other clients.  He is refusing to come back to Peoria so we've been looking for a more permanent place for him in Chicago. This week I was mediating between him and a possible placement (he couldn't get a hold of them).The hard part is he recently went on run from the shelter, has been sleeping on trains, and has to use random stranger's cell phones to call me.  

Story #2
One of my clients is pregnant. She is also in a very abusive relationship with her boyfriend. She called her therapist the other day crying that he had been locking her in the apartment, throwing her, beating her, and he stole her glasses. During the phone conversation the therapist heard he swallowing pills. I tried calling the client and she did not pick up. So, the therapist and I drove to her apartment to check on her. She was alive, thankfully, and said she had only swallowed two pills. But, we stayed with he for an hour making sure she was ok and not suicidal. I eventually went through the apartment and confiscated all of her medication before we left. 

Story #3
Thursday I took my client to court in Lake county (north of Chicago). It was supposed to be a routine court with the Judge checking in with him and seeing if I was doing my job right.
I wasn't feeling well  and was hoping for a smooth day. Ha. :)
 On the way there I realized I was going to the wrong address and my GPS quit working.  The map I had printed no longer was taking me to the correct place. So, I called Nathan and had him help me figure out where I was. 
Here's the picture- I'm  driving 70mph in Chicago rush hour traffic, with a fever, in a rental vehicle with terrible blind spots, talking on the phone (hands free) to Nathan, with a client who is borderline some-mental-illness-that-is-socially-awkward and who keeps trying to turn my radio on to rap, and running completely out of money trying to pay the tolls.  
um. yah. I may not have been enjoying the adrenalin then. 
We finally made it to court and settled in to wait to be called.  In court my client threw me a curve ball. He asked to be released from DCFS guardianship, and the Judge released him. I pretty much sat there speechless. We got it all worked out though. He went home with his grandparents, and I headed back to Peoria. 

The drive home was much better though. I started feeling better and got to listen to my own music, and sing along very loudly. :)
I got home in plenty of time to get ready for potluck. Yup. I hosted potluck that night. Really though, It was a great night and  a wonderful way to end the day. We had Troy, Ellie and Cyrus, Kendra and Aaron, and Wendi and Daniel.   

Friday, I got back to work to crazy amounts of work due to all 3 of the above stories.  But, as usual it all fell together and by the end of the day I was on top of things again. 
On the way home I picked up Kayla and then Carli and Kandace joined us. :) Nathan was going to be gone for the night so I took the opportunity to have a girls night. It was great fun. I realized I am getting older as I can't stay up til 2:30 as well as I used to.

Saturday we broke out our ice skates and I skated for the first time all year. :)

:) ice skates

That's my crazy life these days. :)

In Christ
~Michelle

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