Let Fall Break Begin!

This is the best day of fall break. At this point, I still have two full weeks of nothing to do stretched out in front of me. Of course, in reality, my "nothing to do" time is almost as busy as when I work.

On the schedule for this week:
Monday - Deb has a counseling appointment at 10:00 AM. It will take a little over an hour to get there so we leave a little before 9 and won't be home until after noon.
Tuesday - Cori has a counseling appointment at 5:00 PM. I've been "invited" to sit in on the first part of this one. (With this particular counselor, "invited" means she's going to tell me what I'm doing wrong with this child. She means well, but she's young and inexperienced and this foster daughter has her totally snowed. Everything is my fault.) Anyway, that appointment is also over an hour away and won't be home until after 7, at which time Deb has already started her baseball practice, after being delivered by my friend. We'll come home and go straight to the ball park and won't get home until 8:30 PM.
Wednesday - Deb has another counseling appointment at 2:00 and, you guessed it, it's an hour away in another direction. We should be home (just barely) in time to get Beth to her counseling appointment at 4. I'm glad her counselor is local. Of course, to get it local, I'm paying cash for it, as no local counselors deal with the state's version of Medicaid which DCS kids are on.
Thursday - We are leaving for a few days vacation. We are headed to visit a former foster daughter and her family. She's all grown up and makes me so proud. She and her husband have two beautiful sons and are doing so well. It hasn't been easy but they are making it! Her husband is in the Air Force and they are stationed a few states away on a beach. I'm really looking forward to catching up with them and enjoying the scenery. (Confession - I'm also looking forward to a few days without Deb, who will be staying in a respite home here. She can't handle the unstructured time of vacation. I took her to two different beaches over the summer and she made me miserable both times. This is my Deb-free time. I've earned it. My other kids have earned it, too.)

Before vacation and around the above appointments, I also have to get my van worked on. It's making an ominous clicking sound when I turn sharply. The brakes feel a little soft, too. And, it's been way too long since the last oil change. My mechanic is notorious for taking forever. If I had the cash, I'd just put it in the shop while we are gone and rent a van for the trip. I also have to find a respite home willing to take Deb while we are gone. I've called a couple (ones that have had her before) and they aren't willing. I guess the afternoon will be spent calling/begging.

Next week, the kids will have the same appointments plus, I've offered to drive Cori and her bio sister to a small town 4 hours away to visit with their other sister who is placed there. The three of them haven't been together since their mother's funeral almost two years ago. They need this visit and I don't mind taking them. I offered to do it. I'm just dreading the eight-hour round trip with the one sister who lives near us. She's mentally retarded and mentally ill. It will be hard to occupy her on the road. It will be worth the effort, though. These girls have been in custody over 5 and a half years. Their bio mother died after her parental rights had been terminated. They've had adoptive placements during that time but only one has had an adoption finalized. Then, her adoptive mother died unexpectedly and her adoptive father placed her back in foster care. So, the three are headed for their sixth anniversary of being wards of the state. Bless their hearts!