spring situation update

If you've ever visited Greensboro during the spring, you know that it is full of blooms. Everywhere you look different colors catch your eye, from the dogwoods to the azaleas to the daffodils and the tulips. It's a challenge to those with allergies, and my car was dusted yellow from the pollen last week, but the rain washed it off.

Over the weekend I wandered around the yard with my camera, taking pictures. I even climbed a ladder that my husband had outside to take pictures of the dogwood tree blossoms from the top. The ivy in my yard makes me supremely happy, twisting and turning, catching the raindrops and making my yard sparkle. People complain that ivy takes over, but I love the way it quietly reaches out, with little faces that turn up to the sun.

Our mostly ugly backyard has one bright spot... dogwoods. There are four small dogwoods in a bed near out patio and create the only piece of beauty back there. I have taken pictures of them in every season and each time I find something to catch my eye.

This is one of my ladder photos. I was careful, I promise. The colors turned out really well and I like the composition. I did tweak it a little bit on picnik, which is such a fabulous website that allows you to edit your photos and then save them on your computer. My husband keeps telling me that I should learn photoshop, and I have, but that program is designed for serious people, and picnik is really just more fun. I can't help it.

Anyway, other than these photos, and the book fair going on at school, life has been calm this week.

Last week, however...

I mentioned weeks ago that there was a potential adoption situation that I was interested in online. There was a posting on this adoption website that I visit about a teenage girl due with a baby girl in June and the cost was reasonable. It was right up our alley, in accordance with cost, race, and gender. Now, I don't have to have a daughter, but we do have mostly girl stuff at this point. In talking with my husband about it, and he was a go. To register with the site we needed to send in a copy of our home study and several copies of our profile book.

The next day I copied the home study. I made two copies.

Charlie needed to print out the profile books, since he has the color laser printer at work. He needed to tweak a couple of things on the pages that I created in photoshop (see, I use it!) and then print it out.

I wanted it done ASAP. PDQ. Right now.

He didn't understand that I wanted to submit for that situation. Somehow we got our wires crossed. He thought that there was no way we could even be considered for that situation, even if we got our stuff in quickly and that there wasn't any hurry.

About two weeks later, I asked him about it. I didn't want to be a nag, so I asked him when he planned on doing it, and he had it on his agenda. Okay.

Not.

Then Easter came along, with lots of work for Charlie. Then we had one night when the power went out, thus making computer work impossible. The next night Charlie had a migraine and was throwing up. Something came up each night until I had to step in and tell him that our month deadline was almost up.

So he worked on it all day last Wednesday, getting frustrated with my limited photoshop skills and got it printed out. He wanted me to come to his job after school, get it, and take it to the post office. This was at 4pm. But I needed to go home to get the home study, then run to the bank for the check, then go get the stuff from him and get to the post office...all in an hour. Not happening. I checked my old emails and found out we had more time than I thought, so I wasn't going to have to do it that day, but would take it the next day.

So the next morning I went to the bank ATM to grab money for the money order, only the drive up ATM wouldn't give me cash, but only told me that after I entered my pin number and pressed withdrawal and entered my amount. Argh. Luckily, that bank also has a walk up ATM also, so I was able to get my money.

After school I went to Walmart to get the money order and some report covers to put the profiles in and while there I called the agency to let them know the package would be coming. I had already labeled the box and had it in the car, all ready, but if I wanted her to sign for it, it would need to go to the street address, not the PO Box. Argh, times two. So I dig around in my purse while standing in the stationary aisle and find a pen and write down the new address for my already labeled box. Foresight had prompted me to bring tape and scissors to tape up the box, but I had no marker. So I bought a Sharpie with my report covers and my page protectors.

Then I went to the Customer Service counter and bought my money order. I drove over to the UPS store, since Charlie did not want me to use the postal service since he likes UPS' tracking system and we were mailing money. I sat in the car and put together my profile booklets, relabeled the box, included the money order and a hastily scrawled note then taped it up and took it in the store.

The street address did not exist. I am not kidding. Somehow I heard the woman wrong and the street I thought she said did not come up on the computer. It was after 5 pm and I could not reach the agency, and UPS does not have the internet so I could look it up. I called Charlie, but he was nowhere near a computer.

So I took my package home.

I was able to look up the address and label it appropriately, then Charlie mailed it the next day. I called again and let them know it was on the way, and the lady told me that she allows for some grace with the deadline. Good to know.

I got an email today telling me that our paperwork had been received and that we were now able to be considered for any situations that come along. Sadly, the situation I was initially interested in is no longer available. Charlie did apologize for the fact that he procrastinated and I appreciated that, since it was not my fault. I was disappointed to be sure, but this agency gets lots of birth mothers through, so I am still happy we are registered with them.

And that is the story of the aforementioned situation.