Am I Too Old For This?

Spielberg, Pitt, Bullock, Crow, Flockhart, Aniston (oh come on, it's just a matter of time) are just a handful of the well knowns that have adopted (or considered it) at a, errr, "seasoned age". I have yet to hear any guffaws over their choice to adopt at this particular phase of life. It is all butterflies and warm fuzzies in the media and public at large. As it should be. I have to wonder, has anyone had the gall to question them if they've done the math?

Because I've sure been asked...

DH and I are well aware of our ticking clock. We started this journey later in life but are far from porch sitters. Yes, it has crossed my mind that when Little Buddy is old enough to vote, I'll be old enough to receive AARP discounts. When Sweet Pea is rockin' her 21st birthday, DH will be considering Social Security options.

No need to remind me, m'kay?

As you all know, at times I struggle with self doubt (especially when my age is pointed out by others). I know some of you may be considering taking the leap into foster care but don't follow your heart because of your age.

So how old is too old to make a difference in a child's life?

A story that really spoke to me was that of county singer Jimmy Wayne. His life started out rough. Really rough. In and out of his birth mother's life, foster care and group homes, he was headed down the wrong path. How could he not? What got him back on the right track was the love and support of a couple in their 70's, Russell and Bea Costner.


At age 16, after mowing the Costner's lawn for a time, Jimmy was invited to live with them. From the People Magazine article from January 21st, 2010 : "I'm here because someone helped me. Amazing things happen when you give a kid a chance.."

For the first time he felt safe. He finished high school, went to college and was later discovered in Nashville. He would go on to tour with the likes of Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley and his star continues to rise.



Not only is he an amazing singer/songwriter, he is a champion for kiddos in foster care. In 2010 he launched Meet Me Halfway (a post to follow about his amazing organization) and walked from Nashville to Phoenix, raising awareness about foster children and their plight as they age out of the system at the age of 18.

Jack, Jill, Mannie, Sunshine, JuneBug, Little Buddy and SweetPea will probably never aspire to some celebrity status. However, no matter where their lives take them, I know we made a positive impact and our time together will continue with them on their journey. Our memory has surely faded for some of our past little angels but their souls will never forget. Did they see us as a number, worry about the extra wrinkles or care about our age? Is there still air in my lungs and room in our hearts and home? How old is too old?

What do you think Mr. and Mrs. Costner would say?

Miss Harley Jo ~ Another Great Save!

This is the little 5 year old female that was on death row with only days left at the shelter. She had been surrendered because of barking complaints from neighbors. We were told she had gotten nippy with kiddos but they were bugging her to the point she finally gave them the what-for.

Min Pin Style

I was thrilled to discover she is crate trained (let me tell ya, a non trained dog in a crate makes for a looooong hour and a half transport.. no joke..). She was quiet and slept through most of the trip, undoubtedly relieved to be out of shelter with all the big, scary noises and smells. Harley Jo is sweet, sassy and cuddly and has the most beautiful soft, silky coat ev-er.

I transported our little Missy to her new foster home last night... her new mommy fell in love with her at first sight. She's just that darling, y'all!

SO, if you're in CO and looking to adopt a wonderful miniature pinscher companion, please go to IMPS CO and check out ALL of our darling babies (Harley Jo will be posted soon).

Not in CO and interested in a min pin? Do not fret, IMPS is a National Rescue.. go to our Dogs Available Page, find your state and fall in love.

You know what they say.. Min Pins are like Pringles.. you can't have just one..

Headed To The Humane Society.. AGAIN!

But this time it's a GOOD THING!

I'm pulling a minpin for our rescue (a 5yr old black&tan) that is on death row. We had a volunteer step up to foster her.. YAY! She's gonna stay with us tonight and I'll be transporting her to SW Denver tomorrow. Another great save by IMPS.. WOOHOO!!


Yes, we foster 4 legged loved ones, as well..

:o)

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things..

Since starting this little ditty, I've immersed myself into the world 'o blogs and (like everyone) have many that are my daily "must reads". I thought it would be cool every so often to do a shout out for them and encourage others to surf on over and check 'em out.

One of my hands down, absolute favorites is "Postcards From Insanity": http://afostermamaslife.blogspot.com/ It is wonderfully written by a woman that not only investigates child abuse but was also a foster parent for years. Her posts are from several years back, taken from entries in her journals and she also gives wonderful advice for us newbies. I recommend starting from the very beginning to get caught up with current posts. She has her "cast of characters" on her sidebar to help keep everyone straight.

She no longer fosters (something major happened that we have yet to read about) but still has awesome words of wisdom. If you are considering adoption, are a foster parent who can relate or just want to read a blog that will make you laugh, cry, shout out in anger and shout for joy it's a must read.

A warning.. it's not for the faint of heart but neither is the reality of being a foster parent.

Hello? Is This Thing On??

So last Wednesday was the big day and we officially received our certification. Our Home Study Worker finally returned my call late that night with the good news and advised that the next round of workers would be calling very soon. Apparently they still needed to nail down a few specifics to get a clearer picture of what we think we can and cannot handle behavior and health wise (even though we filled out their gazillion page form that pretty much says it all).

We chose ages 3 and under, 1 or 2 children (sibs) and are willing to work with a host issues that occur with neglected and abused children (with guidance from the county on educating ourselves on whatever the kids placed with us suffer from). We both work full time are somewhat limited to what we can handle (especially time wise) and needed to be honest with ourselves. It sure would have been great to take on a bit more and if I was a stay at home our choices would have been different.

If we can handle our 2 without completely losing our minds (they're half gone as it is) and do adopt, I am thinking we may continue to foster since we have room and the need is so great. It is definitely nothing we can commit to yet as we're going into completely uncharted territories but is something I'm considering to propose to DH down the line. I'm famous for biting off more than I can chew and am trying to be a grown up about this whole process (not an easy task). Note to self: Baby Steps.

That all being said, I've checked our phones repeatedly (they're in fine working order) but we have yet to hear from anyone. Perhaps we're at the "bottom of the list" because we're out of county? It's not like we're half way across the state for crying out loud.. we're right next door. We can't get "The Call" if they aren't 100% sure about what we're capable of handling, right? From what I've read on other blogs, it's a sure sign of things to come so I 'spose I'll keep working on that silly old patience thing I keep hearing about. Blah.

Next time I'll have them define what being called back "very soon" really means so there's no confusion on my part again. ;o)

Crossing The Border..

Why in the world did we decided to work with the county adjacent to ours, rather than stick with our own? It was simply a matter of a returned phone call..

It all started when I quizzed one of our vets on her adoption experience. We've taken our dogs to her for years (when you have 5 mutts you're on a first name basis, believe me) and she went through the program with our county and had a very positive fost/adopt experience. So much so, she spoke for them at various functions, assisting them with their recruiting efforts.

Unfortunately, by the time our adoption plan went into effect, the program and the wonderful workers that had been there for years had completely fallen apart. Word has it there was major drama, people walked, they were understaffed and everything was nuts. I called the recruiter, would leave messages, waited... and waited some more. I left a message every day for one gentleman only to be called a week later and told that he no longer held that position, applauded my tenacity and gave me yet another name and number. I spent another week leaving messages until I finally gave up. We know we're going to be at the bottom of the pecking order when we're certified, but hello? Being that ignored so early in the game sent up huge red flags.

I called my vet, disheartened. She recommended I try The Other County and gave me their phone number. Within 45 minutes of leaving a message I got a return phone call and was signed up for the Family Share Night the following week. Weeks later in training when asked why we had chosen to go with them and not stick with our own county, they loved my little story. Cindy, the main recruiter (a foster mom that had adopted a very challenging 13 year old who now in her 20's and in college) self high 5'd herself. She was very pleased to hear her persistent efforts paid off. She still emails regularly and was thrilled to hear we're --> <-- close to being certified. When we finally have children placed with us, we will be required to take them to weekly supervised visits with their birth parents and to other various appointments. If we were in county, they would provide transportation to and from the day care we have them in. Since we're not, it's on us. Well, me as I'm closest (DH has a commute that is well over an hour away). Thank the Good Lord the company I have worked for for the past 12 years is family owned, are 100% behind us and will accommodate my future goofy schedule (my boss gave me away at our wedding.. we're all pretty tight and I love them dearly).

The only downside to all this.. there is going to be A LOT of running around to do, I drive a gas guzzling suv and suffer from leaden footitus. If someone with half a brain drove it properly, my little go cart would probably get 16 mpg.. I probably average 12 (on a good day). At almost $4.00 a gallon here in CO, it will be costly (but it's oh so worth it!!).