That Just Happened!!!!

I had a pretty low key day just lounging around the house bra-less in a tshirt and athletic shorts doing random odds and ends.  Five o'clock comes around and I decide to throw on a movie and contemplate making popcorn as I wait for my sister Quinn to bring over some leftover Papa John's pizza for us to munch on.  A friend texts saying she's coming over to pick up a package thing and I give her the go ahead.  Since she was coming I decided to get fancy and put my bra back on just to be more socially acceptable for her visit. 

I had just put my dogs out in the back when I hear a knock on the door.  I yell come in and no response.  I hear another knock so I open my front door and there stands two women I've never seen in my entire life with giant smiles on their faces.  I open my screen door and ask if I can help them and they introduce themselves as being with our county foster care program, the one our new resource manager and the other a new employee shadowing her.  I may have looked like I just saw a ghost because the women asked me if everything is ok and I tell her I had scheduled with our home study social worker for a meeting with the two for next Thursday since they wanted Brian and I there and he's out of town now.  She profusely apologizes but wouldn't leave my door so I did the only thing I could do, say a quick pray, smile, and invite them in!  I apologize that I didn't know they were coming otherwise I would have tidied up more and the two went on and on about how beautiful my home was as they walked into the family room then through the kitchen to the kitchen table as I tried to use my body as we went hiding all the dusty surfaces and kicking dog toys out of the way! 

I may or may not have heard her entire twenty minute spewing of information but no worries she left her pamphlets with me to look through.  I sat there in disbelief with a minion toy in front of the one and my big calendar scheduling board in front of the other.  They didn't seem to mind at all but I was just sweating bullets.  In came my sister announcing she brought pizza and I inform her a sudden meeting is going on and she smiles and darted off to the family room.  Soon after my girlfriend shows up and I introduce her to the woman too and send her on her merry way with her package.  I apologized for the circus that seems to be going on and the two smiled and said its great to see a lively home and to know I have the support of friends and family.  Then the home inspection came, which ahem I didn't know would be happening let alone that they'd be here today at this very moment!  Suffice to say all went well and we passed on every accord even with dusty dog hair floors, dust everywhere like a dusted crime scene, and random things out of place everywhere!  They loved both our children rooms and even took a peek into our bedroom just to make sure we didn't have any chains hanging from the ceiling or anything our resource manager joked.  Yup she didn't say a thing about our unmade bed or the mountain of clean clothes piled on the floor still waiting to be folded and put away.  They didn't raise an eyebrow or bat their eyes at anything except our wedding pictures that the two gawked at in great depth and our family wall tree that the two just loved. 

So yes while I may be still recovering from the minor heart attack and panic attack that just happened, all is dandy and she gave us a big check.  Our new resource manager will be the person working for us.  She is our go-to person replacing who our home study social worker was.  She can help us locate available children that fit our parameters for adoption if we wanted which at this time we don't.   When we have a child(ren) come into our care she will visit within the first 7 days of placement to make sure the child and we are doing well and have everything we need (usually plans to come the same time the child's social worker comes so one big visit instead of people parading through at different times).  Each child or sibling group will have their own social worker that works for them, but our resource manager works for us as part of our team and will stay the same as children and their social workers come and go.  She's the one we will schedule our ongoing training classes with, she will check in on us monthly when we have a child in our home, and she will be there 24/7 to answer any and every question we have.  She said she is like our mentor and will get us whatever help is necessary and help guide us through everything and the ever changing rules. 

For being our first unexpected visit I got a great read off of her!  She seems genuinely nice and invested in seeing foster parents succeed.  She also happens to live on the other side of our city right by my parents so is close by which is a plus!  We look forward to seeing her in the future and forming an ongoing relationship with her....just with better planning and more of a heads up next time!