off to atlanta

yesterday the girls left for atlanta to stay with the douglas's. they are saints for taking them and we are INCREDIBLY thankful. i have to go to west africa next week and lindsay is out of town for family reunions and stuff. the girls are out of school for the month and it was just going to be impossible for us to care for them. so thank-you douglas's. we will love you forever for this kindest of jestures.

the night before they left was horrible. it is quite personal for the girls, but suffice it to say the magnitude, intensity, and power of the abuse they experienced was revealed (at least in part) and it was troubling. i believe that we have some good help for them and i believe that this time at the douglas's will be awesome.

the girls were super duper excited to go to atlanta and fly on the plane by themselves. their plane was delayed by 2 hours which gave me just enough time to show them all of my magic tricks, help them understand that i couldn't reveal my tricks or i would be kicked out of the alliance, and eat some really nasty chicken (well the girls did) at ranch1. we had a ton of fun at the airport running the opposite way on the moving sidewalk, watching planes and all the fun people watching.

i learned that i had to wait until the dang plane was "airborne" before i could leave. in an effort to insure that i would stick around, the gate guy didn't let the girls board until the very end. i was so frustrated because i was really looking forward to sushi with my friend caroline adn i was already 2 hours late. as they left, i was so glad to be able to get out of the airport that i kinda forgot that they were leaving for so long. i just waved goodbye and turned around. then i remembered and made them come back off the runway (as the door was closing) and give me hugs. i got a little teary. they noticed and kinda laughed. then they left and i got really sad and cried. i was just standing there when the door opened again because the gate guy forgot something. they came out and gave me another hug. jennifer asked why i was crying. and the truth was i didn't really know. paulette guess that it was because i would miss them? i said yes.

i cried all the way home, incredible trouble by the fact that this situation is so sticky and tricky. i love them and want them to be happy. it is clearer and clearer that this current situation -- them living with 2 roommates -- is not sustainable. lindsay and i just can't do this until they are at college. for all the obvious reason and also because they have also been severely traumatized. i guess i got a glimps of what it will feel like when they move away for good.

i came home to a number of messages on my home phone from their mother shelia. she had decided earlier in the afternoon that they were not going to be able to go to atlanta. fortunately sarah was able to convience her to let them go. she apparently changed her mind while i was at the airport and was livid that they were leaving. "i am the mother and though i appreciate what you are doing, they cannot go to atlanta". they had gone already. so i didn't return the call.

i am sure this is going to be awesome.


--kimberly