News Day Tuesday

Several current events have caught my attention today... thought I'd share a few of them with you.

From our local news sources... Let me first explain how we get our local news. The "local" news on tv is based in Atlanta and rarely shows anything happening here in the far Northeastern corner of Georgia. We have a local weekly paper that we get on Thursdays but it is several days old by the time it comes out. It's interesting to see the local police blotter and school events, etc but it's pretty light on actual "news". There is a website for the local radio station that often has news stories... www.wrwh.com Currently headlining there is a bicyclist receiving a DUI for a crash between himself and a Jeep the other day. You can read the story here. There are a few local Facebook pages which generally give the most up to date information on things happening around the area. There's a lot of bickering back and forth between folks which I find quite amusing and entertaining. There's a currently long thread on the White County Community Group about dogs wandering in the road in front of a school bus. It's pretty intense. I think these may be the same dogs that used to wander up to my bedroom window and torture my cats when we lived in the apartments and I think I know who owns the dogs. There's another long discussion about school bus vs. parent drop off at school. You really can find out a lot in a small town just by staying plugged in to Facebook.

In personal news... we finally got a date for Cosette's mediation that had to be rescheduled due to Tasha's lawyer's unavailability on the original mediation date. It's not until late September. I'm hoping our attorney can get some visitation awarded for Austin before then. We go to court on Monday which will hopefully complete the legitimation process and that that point we can ask for time with the baby. Public Service Announcement: if you father a child in the State of Georgia and are not married to the baby's mother you have zero/zip/nada/nothing in the way of rights even if you are on the birth certificate, even if you completed the parental acknowledgement form when the baby was born and EVEN IF the mother testifies under oath that you are the father. Unmarried fathers are the lowest on the totem pole and it's quite frustrating. They can be made to pay support but they have no visitation rights unless they go through the process of legitimation. Which is costly. SO getting the legitimation completed is only the first step but it is a step in the right direction and I'll be happy once that's done.

We met with the lawyer today, it wasn't scheduled but we had a few questions so he had us come in. I'm feeling better about the process now. Austin is feeling better. So although I didn't get my "two whole days in a row at home"... it was worth it. Learned a few new things about our case that I unfortunately can't share yet but I will when we're past this. It gets crazier and crazier. Cody has Disney emojis in his text. I got an "angry Mickey" regarding the latest. It all will come out in the wash but it's a frustrating process.

In Sports news OTHER THAN THE OLYMPICS... I see that Tim Tebow is going to pursue a career in pro baseball. Timmy. Honey... I loved you as a Gator. You're an amazing man. Hope that you're still saving yourself for marriage. But baseball, really? You're meant for greatness, I have no doubt. I just don't think that greatness is in playing sports. That's all I'm saying.

In Olympic news... watching the beginning of the US vs Columbia women's soccer match... women soccer players canNOT sing. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put a mike near those girls during their respective National Anthems was not doing those ladies any favors. Wow. I'm watching this game and then the women's gymnastic stuff until I fall asleep and then I'll catch up on what I miss tomorrow morning.

I have watched zero political news today. I just can't handle it. I'm in my happy Olympic bubble. Is there a way for me to stay in that bubble for say... the next four years? No?

The photos with today's blog entry are just a few of the ones Cody posted on Ollie's iCloud folder last night. For the three babies in our family (Cosette, Oliver and my nephew) we have an iCloud folder that family members can see. My nephew is on complete social media blackout so I can't share his pics - but let me tell you, he is one beautiful boy! His mom is faithful to share lots of pictures every day and we feel like we've watched him grow up via iCloud! I can't wait to cuddle him! I haven't had many of Cosy to share lately and Cody's been slacking on Oliver but seriously, they got some really adorable ones of Ollie so I thought I'd share one or two or a few. HOWEVER... I just dozed off while posting a picture and woke up to find my blog at 175% size. Ok... so maybe I'm more sleepy than I thought. Not editing this so please... my teacher friends.... don't correct the grammar. I just wrote that as "please don't rack the g... " never mind. Goodnight friends. Love an hugd. Tilll tomroww