A few weeks ago, we had an air conditioning company do some work in the office. While fixing a circuit breaker, they forgot to put the electrical panel back on the box. Instead of letting me put the two screws in, that hold the panel in place, I was told to call the company back out. I was mortified.
The technician the company sent out was 115% understanding. Took him less than a few minutes to put the panel back together.
I get the principal of holding a company to their work… but I wonder where the line of entitlement and laziness meet. Maybe I’m too practical? Either way, I say screw it.
We started our PRIDE Classes in April. With severe weather pushing the 40 hours of training right up against our vacation to California in early May. Our home study was turned into the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services as of yesterday. By all accounts, listening to others who have gone through this adoption process, we are moving through the required steps quickly.
Hurry up and wait seems to be the mantra. We’ll go for weeks without hearing anything and then get a phone call that forces us to drop everything and complete a task. God has been good to us during this period of waiting, preparing our family for who is to come.
Wyatt was recently singing in a church service with our children’s program at church. As Tabitha and I watched him sing, I thought to myself, we could soon be watching someone else too.
The lack of an outward indicator that someone is coming, say a stomach growing due to the baby inside, is odd. So are all of the details we do not know.
BUT, we are getting closer to that day when our family grows from three to four. So many changes ahead… and we have to temper our excitement like a kid before Christmas.
Woke up to a video of a family brawling at Disneyland. Reminded me of an odd incident that happened to us when we visited the park in May.
While standing in line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a man started yelling. Cursing who knows who, he unloaded a rapid volley of “adult” words. As this is happening, I heard someone behind me say, “Please move.” Disneyland Security had arrived.
The man kept cursing and stalking about the tightly packed line. His body language matched his words: 1) unstable (maybe drugs?); 2) threatening. I wasn’t sure what he was going to do. So I used my body as a shield between him and my family.
Disneyland Security tried to calm the man down. Everything they did was in an effort to de-escalate the situation. At one point, a security member looked at the guy, who was dropping f-bombs, and said, “Really, come on man.” Eventually, security escorted him away from the attraction.
This was Wyatt’s first trip to Disneyland; his first time riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. He didn’t want to ride after listening to this man. But I encouraged Wyatt to ride and it ended up being one of his favorite rides in the park.
In all my years of visiting Disneyland (as both a former pass holder and Cast Member), I have never felt nor witnessed a situation quite like this. Of course, psychotic Disney guest happens to share his anger on my son’s first day. Talk about Disney magic. People need to chill.
While out in California, I had a chance to spend some time with my youngest sister, Rachelle. She got telling me about how her and her husband watch Korean soap operas together. They enjoy the dramatic stories that are clean, content-wise. Shell gave me a list of shows to check out on Netflix that included:
Abyss
Beating Again
Man to Man
Romance Is a Bonus Book
Tab and I were bored one night. All of our regular TV shows are on hiatus for the summer (NCIS, Hawaii Five-O, Madam Secretary). So we decided to check out what my sports-loving brother-in-law is cool with watching with my sister… I just can’t picture him watching THIS:
A gifted writer who’s the youngest editor-in-chief ever at his publishing company gets enmeshed in the life of a former copywriter desperate for a job.
Overall, Tab and I have been surprised by the show. I have found the story of a 38 year old woman going back into the workforce, after taking time out/off to be a mom/wife, to be both sweet and sad. Reminds me that life does not always go the way we plan… but the key here is the way the main protagonist reacts to her diverging path. She has hope and doesn’t think menial tasks to be below her.
I have loved listening to the Korean language while reading the subtitles. Super relaxing! The biggest personal drawback, for me, has been that the episodes are a little over an hour long. I like my shows to be within the 45 minute range. Allows me to often watch two shows, back-to-back, sans guilt.
If you are looking for something completely different, looking to switch up your media buffet, I suggest trying out Romance Is a Bonus Book. You’ll end up experiencing a new culture without having to step a foot outside your house.
We were towards the end of our PRIDE training when our PRIDE Trainer dropped a news bomb:
“If you are thinking you are going to adopt a baby, you need to quit thinking that. If you want to adopt a baby, you will have to foster.”
With no prior mention or warning, in all of our 40 hours worth of state-mandated classroom training, we were all stunned! One of the adoptive couples (our class was mostly made up of adoption only couples with but a few couples looking to foster/adopt) started to cry. Our trainer continued talking about how her supervisor wanted her to make that announcement (CPS pushes for foster families… I get it.). She went on to talk to us about how the system works, etc. But the baby bomb had been dropped.
Abortion has been the political ice cream flavor of the month lately. With news pieces on:
Or even as a point of discussion in the recent Democratic Party debates.
The couples in our foster and adoption classes reminded me that there are MANY couples out there who want to adopt; couples who would love to adopt the baby of the disabled woman in the above linked article.
We have the choice to be a culture of life. A culture that fights for those who cannot speak in the womb. A culture that embraces adoption and gives life a chance.
You never know who that baby is going to grow up to be.
JohnnyBGamer 