Determination

Well, again, it's been forever since I updated - I'm so bad! I'm really going to be better at this now. I've been reading a lot of other blogs lately that have inspired me to start blogging more regularly.

My grandmother passed away in early September. She died peacefully in her home with my mom and aunt there, holding her hands. I miss her so much.

After lots of hassle (you know the economy), her house was sold last week to a doctor, his wife and their three young children. This is significant because when Gran moved there, it was with my grandfather (also a doctor) and their young children.

The buyers told my mom that she can come visit her childhood home anytime she wants.

We moved into our new house a few days after Gran died. We are still trying to get everything organized and decorated. Our new friend Joe who owns Quality Paint & Wallcovering finished removing all the ugly wallpaper and re-painting a week or so ago - it looks so good! All the walls are neutral colors except for the two spare bedrooms, one of which is still painted a bold blue and the other is wood paneling. We'll be painting them shortly, along with the living room which has stucco (and not nice stucco) walls that I cannot wait to have skim-coated and re-painted.

We're also going to be ripping up the stained carpet that covers the second floor and having laminate wood flooring put in.

I did work for State Farm from when we moved here until mid-December when I was let go (again, the economy). This was shortly after I became fully licensed in Property & Casualty, Life & Health and Annuities. I suppose what's meant to be will find a way and I wasn't meant to be a salesperson, that's for sure. But, I enjoyed working there for the time being.

Now I'm working two part time jobs as a secretary for two different businesses: a hardwood flooring company and an APRN near where I grew up. I'm also volunteering two afternoons a week at Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut. I thought this would be a good way to get some social-work related work onto my resume (see two paragraphs down about career plans).

Rod and I both enrolled at Ashford University online in October. Students at AU take one five-week class at a time, and because both Rod and I had credits transferred, we expect to receive our Bachelor degrees in mid 2012. Rod is majoring in Social & Criminal Justice, and I'm majoring in Psychology.

I've decided once and for all that I want to be what I've considered several times in the last ten years and finally settled on...a social worker; not a clinical social worker and not a DCF worker. I don't want to take children away from their homes, I want to put them in their homes - I want to be an adoption caseworker. I plan to continue on to an MSW (Master of Social Work) after I graduate from AU. My ultimate goal is to work for an adoption agency, hopefully one that participates in both domestic and international adoption. International adoption has fascinated me lately, specifically Ethiopia adoption. This is mainly what the blogs I've been reading are about.

I highly recommend this book to you:



...written by the authors of this blog:



This is just one family that has inspired me. I still want to have biological children - or try for them - but I definitely want to adopt at least one child, as well. I don't know when or from where, but having been adopted myself, it has always been part of my plan. Lately, reading about Ethiopia adoption just tugs at my heart in a way that not much else ever has, and not just because of the unfortunate, poverty-stricken population, but because it feels right in some way.

Anyway, we're not planning to start a family for another couple years, so don't overreact.

Speaking of biological, I did meet my bio-mom. She's awesome and one of my great friends now. I actually just had lunch with her yesterday. I've also met many of my bio relatives, including aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, second cousins once removed, second cousins TWICE removed (I think that's what that was...my second cousin's kids?), etc. I've learned a lot about my bio father, too, but nothing I can post here because I still haven't had much contact with him besides one e-mail.

The next step is having Cheryl meet my parents. It's been an idea for a while now that hasn't been put into place yet. I should try and schedule that soon.

I'm in the process of ruining a casserole dish of baked ziti right now, so I will continue this later. Maybe tomorrow I'll take some pictures of the dining room, which is the only room that's remotely close to being decorated and finished.