The Blizzard of 09

It all started while we were in MD this weekend. K3's trip to the inauguration was upon us. We heard stories of snow, but they were all up there! Monday I get a text from my friend warning me of the dangers that lurked at home... 4-6 inches of snow... in NC... on the coast no less! It has been at least 5 years since we have seen more than just random flurries. The debate begins on whether to wait to drive home until Tuesday, or start the journey home Monday afternoon and get a hotel if it gets bad. I decide to go ahead and head home Monday afternoon. Afterall, I have work Tuesday and have already been informed that they will hunt me down in a 4 wheel drive! All in fun though, they were concerned about our safety and told me to take my time. So about 4 pm Monday night, we begin the journey home. Traffic was light, the skies were pretty clear, then some clouds, but no snow or ice in sight. After our usual stops (dinner and Starbucks in Emporia VA) we made it home around 11 pm. It was still 40 degrees outside... snow... what snow??!! After unloading children and luggage from the car and getting everyone in bed, I set my alarm for 6:15 a.m. I have to be at work at 7, unless the roads look bad. 6:30 a.m. the phone rings and school is now canceled instead of a 2 hour delay. I am out the door by 6:45 a.m. and it is still 40 degrees but now it's raining. I am a little sad, I was excited for the snow! And the sleeping in part would have been nice too! Work goes on, prints are printed, packaged, and mailed, then the excitement starts... flurries! Yay! But it doesn't look like much... oh ye of little faith.... the snow did come! We closed at 3 and it was already coming down pretty good by then. The kids had called excited and were playing in the snow. It finally came... about 2 inches or so!!



Notice the difference in picture 6 and 2.... 6 was taken right when I got home... light snow... a HOODIE and SOCKS for gloves... that's K4!! After mom has her say... heavy jacket, hood, gloves, and the reward of more snow ;)

Had to reassure K4 the snow will still be there tomorrow when he gets up! He is worried about that and sad that it will melt tomorrow... but not til after he gets another chance to play LOL!!

You have to SEE it....

So, we had some theft of prescription medications from our home during the time period of May 2008 - August 24, 2008 (when the culprit was confirmed). K4 is on medication for ADHD. I have learned through all of this:
ADHD meds that K4 takes are considered a Class 2 Narcotic
Teenagers let people in your house repeatedly without your permission (I really did already know this)
Children are way too trusting of some people and are wiling to look the other way, but not really aware because they are still innocent and don't put two and two together until its too late :(
People addicted to prescription drugs are sneaky and will do just about anything.
Seriously addicted people will SNORT ADHD meds up the nose to get high.
They will go to different doctors to get prescriptions for the meds they are addicted to.
They will take anyone with them... even if they aren't their children....
They will ask several different people if they have pain medicine... often in the same day... with children who are not theirs in the car.
They ask the children to lie about where they've been and what took so long... to that person's spouse and the child's own parents..
They act like friends, not parents....
They disrupt your family life without care or concern... letting you believe, against your better thought or gut feeling, that your child may be taking, giving, or even selling the medications...
They play children like pawns... even if they aren't theirs...
and of course... it's NEVER their fault...

The number one thing I learned today after being in court from 9 am to 1:15 pm and being told that if I leave to do my required car pool that I could be arrested because I was subpoenaed and then having to make emergency car pool plans, including taking half the car pool children out of school while on the lunch break from 1:15 - 2:30, and being back in court by 2:30, was that if you don't SEE them take the pills (I mean really how many people will steal the pills while you are watching????) then it basically didn't happen... not even if another child's prescription bottle is found in the perpetrator's possession... but you didn't SEE them take them, then all the other stuff - like proof that the pills were missing, dates, lists of people who were in your house every single time pills went missing (btw, only two people met that - K1 and the perpetrator) SEVERAL different families coming forward once you reported your case... yep... if you don't SEE it happen, then well, it must not have happened... so the case gets DISMISSED...

2:35 pm

plenty of time to pick up the car pool kids

so apparently, the DA doesn't read the case before it gets called..... surely they knew they were going to dismiss before we got up there....but no... they were waiting til the end of the day because it was going to be a trial.... already did the prelim stuff the month before where they decide whether to take it to trial or not... yep... a trial....that never happened

what a wasted day in my already too full life!

THANKS a TON!!!! To my wonderful friend Karen who was going to pick up the 2nd part of my car pool and of course my friend Tracy (just started a new job and can't leave early and her hubby is in Iraq) who let me check her kids out early so I didn't get arrested!!!! LOL!