So nothing I do ever seems right.  I wonder why I even try.  You do the best that you can, but still in the end, it's never good enough.  I am officially taking the weekend off, and holing away with my parents.  Those dear friends in Fredericton who read this, please do not take offense when I say that I just need these next couple of days to myself, so please, no phone calls.  I will dare to be selfish and spend the weekend as I see fit.  I will provide a more detailed update next week after my thoughts have been collected. 

And so I attended criminal court this evening in support of a mom who is applying for a peace bond against her no-good ex-partner.  And one of the sherriffs caught my eye - a beautiful black man and I was certain I had seen him before.  And then I remembered - he had escorted my dad from Dorchester Penitentiary to the permanent care trial earlier this month.  I commented on this of course, and remarked that I was a little more plainly dressed tonight, sporting blue jeans and a casual top.  And then he says: "Mmm mmm . . . you were lookin' so fancy then . . . but you still look good tonight!"  Well of course I blushed, and he escorted me to the door, remarking that he would be sure to run into me again.  I almost ran back into the court house with my business card!  Haha.  Definitely worth the overtime tonight!!

 

I should mention that I interviewed today for a permanent . . . and it went exceptionally well!!  I'm holding my breath and keeping my fingers crossed!!

Last Thursday afternoon, I received another referral on one of my more unsettling cases, and made the decision on Friday morning with my team to apprehend the two children.  Mom was all smiles when I arrived at the door, and then she spied my colleague with papers in hand, and started screaming.  Truth be told, her tears didn't phase me.  Oh I felt bad enough for the two little ones but even they took the whole event in stride.  They understood why I was there, and didn't argue when it came time to exit in my vehicle.  Unfortunately we were not able to find a foster home that would take both siblings, but they both settled in well with their respective foster families.  And now they are both placed with family members, and the work can begin with mom around services.  She's had extremely poor follow-through, so we'll see how she gets along

 

After a long day of snatching children, a person needs to unwind.  And what better way to accomplish this than head downtown Halifax for the World's Largest Pub Crawl!  Such fun!!  Suffice it to say, drinks were raised, and laughs were exchanged.  And we kicked Australia's ass!  Word on the street is that they are already starting to organize an event in retaliation to reclaim their spot in the Guiness Book of World Records.

 

This week, I've been training with fellow social workers and law enforcement officers in child sexual abuse investigations.  Intense to say the least, but I have a great partner to work with.  Kinda sexy in a television cop kinda way.  He works with the internet child pornography unit - he's the guy who pretends to be a 12-year-old girl in chat rooms and then sets up sting operations.  Very cool. 

 

Miss Melanie is due to arrive tonight.  Cannot wait to see her!!  We'll be up to some trouble no doubt.  Michelle where the hell are you??

And so the judge (as predicted) ordered permanent care today.  He was quite direct with both mother and father, stating that they had made their choice, and child number six is now in the permanent care and custody of the Department of Community Services.  Now it's time to move little one into a home as quick as we can.  We have an out-of-province family placement that are currently being assessed as an adoption home.  It's funny.  While I'm happy we were successful in our application, I feel like shit.  Now it's off to Hudson and Alison's for some much needed self-care.