Adoptions, Relationships and Squatters

Well, things are continuing to cruise along in life. There's nothing happening with my adoption. I know it will. Someday. Maybe even someday soon! Actually, I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but it might be on its way. According to the yahoo! spreadsheet, there's only one family ahead of me with a similar request. That's not to say others don't exist, but I can only see one which is encouraging.
I'm actually a little anxious about it, because I'm in the middle of a sort of transitional time in my life, and I'd like to not be in limbo when my request comes. After many many months of applying for jobs, I had an interview for a position in a decent-sized town, closer to the family. I'd only be an hour from my mam's house, 45 minutes to the boyfriend. That'd be a nice change from the three-hour drive I'm currently enduring. I sucked that interview like no interview I'd ever sucked before. It was enormously frustrating, but I hold out hope that they see some promise in me. It's not a rocket scientist position; I'm sure I could pick it up. Sigh. They emailed the next day to get my CRIM and CYIM checks done, and I thought that was probably standard, but then a little birdie (a couple actually) said that it was not standard. So then my hopes are up. But my references have not been contacted, so then my hopes are dashed. Sigh. They said they'd get back to me in two to three weeks, and today is three weeks (boo). But it is government and government sucks at working in a timely matter (hope?). Sigh. Whether or not I have a job in or close to town by the end of the school year, I intend to move home (or closer, anyway) over the summer. I officially hate where my life is at: on pause. It's been on pause for years and I'm tired of it.
Things with the boyfriend are okay. We generally get along and enjoy each others' company very much, but we have areas of conflict that we are working through too. I suppose it's a pretty normal sort of thing. It would be nice, too, to live close to town so we can date like regular people rather than not seeing each other for days and then having super-concentrated weekends. We had a good chat a few weeks ago and recognized that we need to slow down a bit, but my definition of "slow down" and his are not the same. His falls more into the category of "reverse" it seems. So admittedly, I've been frustrated with how things are going. After beating to death the topic in numerous conversations, I think we've come to an amiable compromise. After a couple of weeks of terminal annoyance over the situation, I think we are good, and on the upswing.
What else? Oh, I have squatters. They are like bedbugs, only they take human form. But they're equally difficult to get rid of. They started as renters who didn't pay on time, ever. Then they were given an eviction notice, but refused to leave. So they remain. Squatting in my house. And the police will not support me in escorting them out, so I have to take them to court. But I don't live in town so I had to wait until I was sick enough to take a day off before I could file paperwork at the courthouse. Oddly, today I am thankful for strep throat. I'll file today. It seems odd to me that they have the right to stay and I have to pay to take them to court, but if I throw their stuff into the front yard, I'd be guilty of a crime. Ridiculous. They shorted me $900 in December, and didn't pay any rent in January (because they are no longer renting, just refusing to go). Jerks. The methods of revenge that have crossed my mind are wicked and varied. I'm mighty annoyed. Anyway, it'll be dealt with soon.
My favorite guy is creeping up on his sixth birthday. Wow! It's wild to think. And he has such a good heart. The other day when we were driving into town, we were talking about good guys and bad guys and we started talking about people in jail (i.e. "bad guys"). And I told him that most people, even those ones, are not usually bad. They just have made poor choices. And Jonah's response? "We should pray for them." And so we did. I love that my boy is turning into this very loving, thoughtful, faithful kid. It's an awesome and exciting thing to witness.
If anything changes, I will update, otherwise feel free to assume my life continues in its painful monotony.
An an aside, a HUGE congratulations to Malia's Mama, and Chad and Laura on their adoptions... it thrills me to see great things happening for you all!! Blessings on you and your children.

Christmas is coming, The goose (not me) is getting fat

So life goes on. Congrats to the several families who have had referrals made in the past month or so. Exciting to see families coming to completion. One of those referrals was similar to my own, so I have two families with similar requests ahead of me (that I know of). This is good news.

Christmas is coming and I'm getting ready. I'm done shopping for my son, and my nieces and nephews and one of my sisters. Two sisters, one brother-in-law, and a mother left to shop for and we are good to go. I highly recommend the Melissa & Doug puppets -- well-made, and fairly priced. Caucasian-looking, although the skin is ethnically obscure, and the few with dark hair could pass for other races. When did I start shopping like this???! I don't care. It's good to be aware. I bought one for each of my sister's kids.

The boyfriend and I are going to choose a show or concert or something (maybe dinner theatre), and buy that together. It'll be fun; we both like getting stuff to do over stuff to have, and we're still not at a place where we are sure of what to buy each other. That part of my life is going very well. Very well. I'm super-pleased, and I think the family will eventually see him as I do. Sigh. Life is ooooookay.

See Ya Ticker Baby

Well, there she goes again. Well, in all fairness, I got rid of her, knowing it was coming, so technically she didn't fall off. But it's past two years of waiting. Whatever. She'll come when she comes. Would I like to meet her? Absolutely. Is she becoming dimmer as I look down the pipe of my future? Well, yeah. There will come a day when she is clear and bright. There will come a day that we will finally meet her. Someday. Just not yet. I still hold to hope that it will be soonish, but I know better than to hope too much. I don't think I'm going to go with the name I'd originally chosen for her. It's been so long. It seems like that girl is gone. I have another name in mind. It's a good one too. Any guesses? I'll give a couple of hints: Biblical, four letters, not common, but not unheard of. That's three good clues. Someone will probably guess.
Things are going well with the new fellow. Except that he is not a Christian, which is certainly a concern. Especially when he could be someone with huge influence on my kids. My family hates that I'm with him, because of that. My sister has nothing nice to say about it. My mam is worried that Jonah will be hurt if he attaches to him and things don't work out. But they don't know him at all, and this man is amazing. With the exception of that one (admittedly MAJOR) thing, he is so the guy for me. And not only is he not anti-Christian, like some non-Christians, he is curious and open to hearing about my faith. We discuss and debate the possibility; he prays with us at meals, and is coming to church on Sunday.
Arg. I hate that I can't tell my mam and sister, who are the people I'm closest to, about this guy. They don't want to hear. It's just caused a fracture in the family. But honestly, I'm so frustrated with them. Because it's not up to them. It's not their life. And they don't know anything about him or us, because they don't want to know. They can be so black and white. I would love to see him come to Christ, and truly, I think he will. Should I walk away from him because he's not? I know it is unwise to date a non-Christian. But I guess I'm holding on to hope. For him and me.