Visitation???

Many of you have asked if Patty has visitation with Steven. As far as we know she will have the same visitation she has always had. She will have Steven for one month during the summer and she will get Steven for some of the holidays. Naturally we dread those visits because Steven has to be "de-programmed" each time he comes home. There will be another hearing soon to address the "contempt of court" charges Keith filed against Patty--and the contempt charges she filed against him. (She claims he has not paid his share of Steven's medical bills. Those are the bills incurred when she tried to have Steven committed to the mental institutions and hospital. Those bills are still pending with the insurance companies so Keith will probably not be in contempt until the insurance companies have made their final payments.) So far the hearing has not been specifically scheduled but Judge Hartert hoped to have it in April. And on it goes . . .

And the Ruling Is . . .

Dear Friends,
After 12 LONG YEARS of worry, hope, prayer, anguish, anger, fear, more prayer, and many, many sleepless nights, we finally have a ruling from Judge Hartert. Beth and Keith now have full time custody of Steven for the very first time.The ruling came in last Thursday. I do not have the details as of yet, but will surely post them on my CRUSH website as they come in. I'm only aware of a couple of statements in the ruling. Judge Hartert said that "When Steven is with Dad--he wants to stay with Dad. When Steven is with Mom--he wants to stay with Mom. When he's with Mom, he cries, he whines, he cannot (or will not)talk. When he's with Dad he's articulate, speaks up freely, and appears well." He also said, "Mother's dialogue is indicative of the problem." Whenever she speaks of Steven's "illnesses", she speaks in the plural (a.k.a. "We" had this illness, "We" had this treatment, "We felt . . ."). He believes that Steven's "illnesses" are truly those of the mother.

HOW AWESOME IS THAT??? We've been trying to get someone to listen to that line of thought for at least 6 years, and they finally heard us! The most interesting part of this whole ruling was Steven's reaction.

Keith came home and talked with him about things in general. He then said that the judge had made his ruling. Steven started to cry (normal for Steven). But this time he was nearly hysterical. Keith asked him why he was so upset. "Because I'm afraid I'm going to have to go live with my mom . . . And, they're going to make her go to jail." (We can only hope.) The minute Keith told him that he was staying in Utah and would be living with them, Steven stopped crying, started smiling--was downright "giddy"! And he's been happy ever since. He has not been the same boy for several months now and we all assumed it was because he truly wanted to be home with his mother. We felt he was just "marking time" until the day he could live with his mom again. Not so. In reality he's been living under the dread of having to return to Florida. Now that he knows he's staying in Utah, he a different kid. Amazing! (FYI: Steven is doing extremely well in school. His report cards are mostly A's & B's--and that is on grade level. He's also only been sick once since Keith got him. He had a light case of the flu for two days.)

Are we happy? You know it! We know that there will most likely be an appeal--Patty may not truly want Steven, but she wants to WIN! So for now, we're going to enjoy the terrific victory and keep moving forward with this young man.

I want so much to thank all of you for your interest, your prayers, and your kind words since I published the book. I've heard from people all over the world. Some are adults who have "lived" Steven's childhood. They've encouraged us to keep fighting and often expressed they wished that someone had fought for them when they were victim to their own Munchausen mother. Those words give us strength to keep going and help us to know that fighting for Steven is the right thing to do. Thank you all so very much!

Most Happily!
C.B.

P.S. Just a small footnote: Patty's attorney is out of the office until April 5th. Just think--she's can't even yell at her attorney for another week. Sometimes God does have a sense of humor! Love it!

Time Passes!

Wow! I can't believe it has been over two months since I made an entry on this blog. Probably because . . . there's nothing new to add to the story. Closing arguments had to be submitted by the end of January. And we're still waiting. Hopefully, the ruling will come soon. Steven believes that he will be returning to Florida to live with his mom. Patty made it clear to him that if he stayed in Utah it meant he didn't love her. Therefore, she would no longer love him. He worries about it all the time. He doesn't understand that his mommy's idea of "love" is warped--to say the least. As soon as I hear anything I'll update the blog and the website. Thanks for reading!
C.B.

Not Yet--Thank Heaven!

People always ask me if Patty has found out about the book yet. Absolutely not! And do you know how I know this to be true? Because I haven't been sued yet! In previous court hearings Patty and her attorney have frequently referred to the infamous "munchausen letters" that I wrote to Steven's doctors. Nothing comes of it but it still "irks" them. If Patty knew about the book, I guarantee we would have been bombarded with accusations, lawyers, and threats. There are people who live in Patty's home town who have read the book and BLESS THEIR HEARTS--have kept the book under tight wraps! Thanks guys! I owe you B.I.G.T.I.M.E. I want to thank you all for reading and for checking in on the blog. Have a wonderful holiday and from the whole Barker clan we wish you a Merry Christmas!
C.B.

"Daddy's Gonna Kill Ralphie!"

You know the movie . . . A Christmas Story! It's become a holiday favorite in our family--lines from the movie are quoted on a regular basis. The day after Thanksgiving I popped the movie into the DVD player in hopes that the grandkids would sit down to watch it and the noise level would diminish to a tolerable level. Steven looked at me a little sheepishly and announced that he's not allowed to watch that movie. "My mom says there are bad words in it, so I can't watch it." Now under normal circumstances I always defer to the judgement of *the mother.* But since this particular mother has no judgement, we all sat down and watched Ralphie, Randy, Flick, and of course . . . Scutt Farkus. Hence the new poll! I'll be very interested in the results.

She Did What?

Last Friday Keith had an appointment at the middle school to attend Steven's I.E.P. (Individual Education Plan). The meeting was supposed to be at 7:15 a.m. but the school called and rescheduled for 1:30 p.m. No problem. Keith arrived at the meeting and sat down with the faculty from the school. Principal Petersen began the meeting by saying, "I've instructed my staff that if she comes, they're to usher her into the room." Keith was confused--he said, "Beth isn't coming." Principal Petersen informed him that Patty had called the special education teacher and told him to reschedule the appointment for after lunch because she was flying in to attend this I.E.P. "I've never missed one of these," she told the educator. Once again Keith's jaw dropped to the floor, then he burst out laughing. "She's not coming," he informed them. Principal Petersen is a cousin of mine and is very familiar with our Patty. The other educators are new to the situation, but I'm sure they'll be up to speed in no time. Patty loves C.O.N.T.R.O.L. She knew good and well that she was NOT going to fly 2,000 miles to attend a 15 minute meeting, but was successful in upsetting the schedule of 5 different people. All this is merely an attempt to put herself back in the game! Pathetic--life is too short!
BTW: Steven's I.E.P. was fantastic. After evaluating him on several levels the school came to the conclusion that he was functioning completely within the realm of a normal 5th grader and no further special attention was required. Naturally, this is music to our ears! With the help of dad and that wonderful step-mother of his, he's been able to catch up in a little over a year. Now that's PROGRESS. Thanks for reading!

And . . . ?

Keith and Dad have spent the last two days in Florida for Steven's custody hearing. The first day was spent, once again, with Patty's attorney trying to muddy the waters arguing over past rulings. They attacked Keith and his decisions regarding his job and family, they attacked Keith's attorney, they attacked Steven's attorney (Gloria Winston/former Guardian ad Litem), they attacked the principals at the school and questioned the validity of testing done on Steven. They attacked the testimony of doctors and psychologists who have treated Steven while in Utah. They went after everyone and anyone who felt that Steven might possibly be better off with his dad. The hearing ran long and was very tense. As time was running out on the second day, Keith and Dad had resigned themselves to the fact that this hearing could not be completed in the scheduled two days and a third hearing was inevitable. The judge thought otherwise. He said, "Let's get 'er done." The courthouse was locked up with the exception of one door and the hearing continued well into the evening. At the conclusion, the judge told the attorneys that they were to submit their closing arguments in 3 type-written pages (he even specified the font and size) and have them to him before January. Patty's attorney argued that she couldn't possibly do it in less that 20--he growled, "You've got THREE." So . . . the ruling will be handed down some time in February. I know it's frustrating as we all wanted a ruling now but we believe this is a good time for patience. This judge is taking his time and making sure every thing is legal and properly documented. Once all these legalities have been carefully scrutinized and covered, there will less likely be a reversal upon appeal--which is inevitable. I promise to update my website with more details as quickly as I can. Thanks for your interest and God bless!
C.B.

FYI: Patty was caught in one lie after another. The judge himself caught her in several lies that neither attorney caught. Her own exhibits and claims were filled with discrepencies and this sharp old retired judge didn't miss a thing. We love him!

Hearing Starts Today

I realize that I have not provided many updates to this story. Most of the details are rather boring, infuriating, and just more of the same. This will continue until Steven turns 18 years old and is no longer under the jurisdiction of the court. Patty's "standard operating procedure" is still the same.

Keith--during this economic crisis--lost his engineering job. One of his main concerns has been the impact that fact would have on this custody hearing. After seven long months of unemployment, he was able to secure a position with a government facility, has moved his family back home, and purchased a new home. Being the Grandma--I love this. The grandkids are closer, which affords them easy access to cousins, friends, and "home".

The custody hearing begins today and I have no idea where it will lead. Here are a few of the facts being presented at the hearing:

Steven's reading level (in one year) has gone from 2.2 to 4.8. He is reading at grade level and some of his reading skills are at a 7th grade level (Steven is in 5th grade).
Steven does extremely well in math and science but struggles a bit with spelling. He has transitioned into this new school with no problems whatsoever. He visited with his attorney and reported that he wants to "see" his mother but wants to live with his dad. "He needs to live with his dad." (his own words) He is active in scouts, has made lots of new friends in the short time since the move, he loves his new school and teacher. Steven is no longer taking the FIVE medications he brought to UT with him. His weight remains constant. Other than the "pull" to mom, he's a happy, healthy, normal 11 year old boy. BTW: Patty has not paid her "back child support", does not call Steven (the judge made provisions for one call a week), and other than an occasional package has made no attempt to contact him. She has however "stalked" the principal at Steven's last school--did an internet search on him, called his private cell phone number at his home on the weekend, and placed persistent calls to him at work. This continued even after Steven was pulled from that school and placed in his current school. When the principal questioned Keith on this behavior, Keith just grinned and said, "Welcome to my world."

I'll be sure to keep you updated as soon as I have anything to report. Say your prayers and thanks for your interest.

C.B.

No News

I've been receiving questions regarding updates to the custody hearing. Another hearing was scheduled for the middle of October but was only scheduled for ONE DAY! After the last hearing where Patty's lawyer used up all the time with "legalese", Keith requested that a TWO day hearing be scheduled. The earliest that can be done is the 5th & 6th of November (I believe). So that's where it stands for now. It's pretty quiet on the home front but that will change about a week before the hearing. Will keep you posted if anything new develops. Thanks again for all your interest. Say your prayers folks, we're going to need them.
C.B.

Good News from the Barker Family

Well, even though it isn't about the custody hearing, there is good news from the Barker family. Keith's former employer went through massive "downsizing" the first of the year, and Keith was one of those cuts. On Friday he got a call asking him to come in for what Keith "assumed" would be an interview. It was no interview--they were hiring him. Apparently they'd seen his resume and wanted him now. He was so confused. He thought he would go through the interviewing process but when they started processing paperwork on him--he was stunned! He was picked up this morning in a government car (he won't have his security clearance for months) and driven to his new place of work. His head is spinning but he's so thankful. We know that this will work in his favor when the second (of who knows how many) custody hearing begins. Of course we're all on our knees thanking God that he finally has a job. It's been a long, stressful seven months but things are looking up a bit. Maybe we'll be just as lucky with the next hearing. Thank you so much for your interest and your prayers. Keep 'em coming--they're working. God Bless!
C.B.

Our Legal System at it's FINEST!

Well, no surprises here! The hearing was an amazingly big waste of time, money, resources, tax-payer dollars, and energy. I cannot express to you how livid I am at this moment. After months of legal wrangling, untold amounts of money spent, and an extreme amount of emotional stress, we are back to square one! The hearing was only scheduled for one day. Half of that day was spent arguing over whether the hearing was "legal" or not. Can you believe it? Patty's attorney felt her client hadn't been given her "due process" in the hearing held last October. Most of the morning was spent trying to decide whether this hearing was "legal". Ridiculous! The judge kept telling her that she was arguing about things that had already been ruled on but she kept at it. I believe "legal gobble-dee-gook" is the technical term for it. During the afternoon Keith spent most of his time on the witness stand. Patty's attorney wasted most of the time with trivial "legalese"--therefore there was no time to get to the "real" issues at hand. Basically, there was nothing decided! The only new ruling that came from the hearing is that Steven now has his own attorney. Gloria Winston, the former guardian ad litem on the case, is now the attorney of record for Steven. So Steven is "lawyered up", Keith is "lawyered up", and Patty is "lawyered up". As Beth said, "Oh good! Another attorney on the payroll." Since Gloria is now Steven's attorney, a new "Guardian ad Litem" was assigned to the case--hence we start all over with a new player in the game. They scheduled another glorious hearing the first week in October. More $$$!

Is anyone besides me totally fed up with how our government works today? There is not one person in the case who doesn't know exactly where Steven should be placed! But we play the game! A very costly, non-productive, and insane game! If you think that these types of cases do not affect you--think again! We ALL pay for these court cases. They tie up our legal system, waste your tax dollars, and suck our system dry!

Where is Steven now? He's spending the morning visiting with his mom, maternal grandparents and his new attorney and guardian ad litem. This afternoon he will do the same thing all over again with his father, paternal grandfather, his new attorney and the new guardian ad litem. And what will we have accomplished! Absolutely NOTHING! Sorry folks! Wish I could give you better news--and I wish I could be more optimistic about our legal system. I think Shakespeare said it best: "First thing . . . lets kill all the lawyers." Seems their reputation has been around for quite some time--and it's not going to change in the future.

My brother (who went through a nasty divorce) had a cartoon framed and mounted on his wall. In the middle of the cartoon was a big cow--the wife was pulling on it's head; the husband was pulling on the tail. And the lawyer was sitting in the middle . . milking the cow! Pretty much says it all!

BTW: Steven's Uncle was found "not guilty" on the sexual charges leveled against him. Another shining moment for our legal system. I have no doubt he was guilty! Keep your children close!

Flying East--No Vacation!

Well, the custody hearing is TOMORROW! As I blog, my husband, son and grandson are flying east to participate in this most important hearing. There has been lots of last minute legal maneuvering (which I hate), depositions, conference calls, and anxiety this week. Steven's doctor and psychologist were both deposed over the phone yesterday. On the other end of the phone was Keith's attorney, Patty's attorney, and Gloria Winston--the guardian ad litem. The depositions were scheduled to take approximately 1/2 hour each but ended up running over five hours. Naturally Patty's attorney attempted to discredit Steven's doctor and therapist but was unable to do so. This new attorney is still under the assumption that her client is telling her the truth. Can't wait to see what happens there. One of the newest stories to come from Patty's attorney is this: Patty told her that when she brought Steven back to Utah this summer she fell on an escalator in the airport. Although others gathered round her and insisted that she go to the hospital to be checked, she knew she had to get her son to his dad so she continued on her way. We happen to know this is bogus because there is NO escalator in the area of the airport in which she supposedly fell. Had this happened Steven would surely have told his dad--he was upset at having to "leave" his mother because she had no one to take care of her. (He's 10 years old and feels he needs to take care of his mother.) Patty lays a heavy dose of guilt on Steven's shoulders each time she sees him--verifiable by Steven's psychologist. The hearing starts at 9:00 a.m. eastern time on August 20, but the judge doesn't have to make a ruling until the middle of October. It's frustrating I know, but we want to make sure he has all his "ducks in a row" because this will certainly go to an appeals court. Thanks once again for your interest.

BTW: On the latest poll, Patty said ALL of the items on the right. She promised her son that if he said all the things she wanted him to say, she'd buy him six Siberian Huskies and they would race them. When asked if he really thought she would do that he said, "No, I don't think we have enough money to do that." It's coming--very slowly! Where does she get this stuff?

UPDATE

FYI: The Florida Supreme Court threw out Patty's motion to remove Judge Hartert from the case--which is TERRIFIC! Judge Hartert will preside over the custody hearing which is scheduled for August 20.

Steven just returned last night from a one month visit with his mother in Florida. Naturally, he came home messed up again. He had also gained ten pounds while there. When asked what he ate he said, "Donuts, pop . . . and some green beans." Keith feels like he's constantly swimming upstream. He's got ten days to undo the damage before they return to Florida for the custody hearing. Of course, Keith will document as much as he can before the hearing, which means trips to doctors, psychologists, etc. The weight gain is one thing, but what this mother does to her son's head is quite another.

I omitted an incident from my writings as I believed that it did not necessarily have any bearing on Steven's progress. I must include it at this point to demonstrate how Patty uses any situation to twist her young son into knots.

Last summer Steven's 27-year-old Uncle Clint (Mandy's husband), a former corrections officer, was arrested and charged with "gross sexual imposition" in an incident with a 5 year old girl--a "friend of the family". Now, I have no idea what that means, but I know it isn't good. At that time the police had in their posession a pair of pajamas, blankets and one boxed rape kit. I also know that his own 5 year old daughter was removed from the home at that point and was placed in foster care--where she will stay until after the trial (which incidentally is the same week as the custody hearing--the Jenkins' are going to be one busy family). When Steven was told that Missy was in foster care, his loving mother Patty also told him that Missy was in foster care because Steven was in Utah. If he lived in Florida, Missy would be allowed to live with her mommy and daddy again! Believe it or not--she had him convinced of this. No matter what happens in the Jenkins family, if it's bad, it's because Steven lives with his dad.

What would you do if you were Keith? How do you combat all those lies? Steven loves his mother, and no child wants to believe that his mother lies to him. How do you get to the truth without putting Steven on the defensive where his mother is concerned? It's quite a balancing act, and Keith is living it everyday. Say your prayers--especially for the judge! His wisdom is crucial in this custody battle. Thanks for your interest.

C.B.

If Uncle Clint is found guilty of the charges against him I will post all the newspaper information regarding this case. Stay tuned!

Updates Forthcoming!

I have been receiving lots of request for updates to this story and I promise I will get them posted as soon as I have correct facts to post. Ms. Carole Barker has had an extremely busy year. We moved into a different house, just had a wedding for our last child, and have been trying to put in a garden, yard,and trees, etc. So folks--it's coming! I must be getting older and I'm definitely getting "slower". Catch ya later!

C.B.

Custody Hearing "POSTPONED"

Well, I have lost track of the number of motions flying around for this upcoming custody hearing. But the BIG ONE is the motion to remove Judge Hartert from the case. This motion has to be heard by the Florida State Supreme Court. ERGHHH! As of today, three days before the hearing was supposed to have taken place, we just received word that the hearing will be postponed until the Florida Supreme Court has had a chance to rule on whether or not Judge Hartert will be removed from the case. Once again, Patty has a slew of people "on hold" while she spins, manipulates, maneuvers and plays her little games. This could have been filed months ago but she waited until the last minute--putting everyone on hold. Judge Hartert, Gloria Winston, Tess Woodward, Deena Gooding, not to mention Keith, dad, and Steven (who have already purchased plane tickets totally over $1800.00) are all now left wondering when this hearing will take place.

Without realizing it, Patty unintentionally also postponed her month-long visit with her son. Judge Hartert had previously ruled that Steven would be allowed to spend one month with his mom AFTER the custody hearing. Since that has been postponed, so will Steven's trip to Florida. He was really disappointed as he was anxious to go "home" and see his family and friends. But what does that matter? Nothing matters but the fight. Optimistically, we're hoping that the supreme court will make it's ruling quickly and that the hearing will be scheduled within the next month. But who knows? Just try to figure out how much money, time and effort will be wasted on the legal maneuvers. Where does she get the money? I will never understand it! Keith and Beth are barely able to keep their heads above water with their legal bills mounting. Steven will never know how hard his father has fought to protect him. Nor will he ever understand the amount of money time and effort has gone into protecting him from his mother. Is that a good thing or not? I don't know.

FYI: Keith's attorney has filed approximately SIX "contempt of court" charges against Patty; including failure to pay child support, failure to refund Keith's "overpayment" of child support, and others regarding her complete disregard for Judge Hartert's court orders. Don't you hate it? I'm thinking a little jail time would go a long way in teaching Patty that rules ARE for her! Our legal system is a complete mess and you and I are paying for it! But that's just MY opinion!

Motions So Far . . .

Ok kids! Sixty-six percent of you guessed that Patty would have six or more motions for this upcoming hearing. So far we have a total of four! They are:

1. Motion to terminate temporary custody
2. Motion to appoint an attorney for Steven
3. Motion to disqualify Judge Hartert
4. Motion for (and this is my personal favorite) all parties, spouses and child, to receive a psychological exam.

Yep! That's right! She thinks Keith and Beth need psychological evaluations. She's offered to undergo an exam herself in order to get that motion carried through. As for Steven, he's had several already, and he's passed with flying colors.

No surprises here--Patty's attorney is on the attack! She wants Tess removed from the case because she's "impartial--therefore, ineffective"; Gloria Winston is also impartial and can no longer be objective. She claims that while Ms. Winston was in Utah to evaluate the Barker residence, Gloria had dinner with the family and it was a social event. She's in for a surprise when Ms. Winston testifies. According to Keith, Gloria would not even accept a drink of water for them. She was merely there to observe and remained "on the job" for the entire visit. They also want to remove Judge Hartert . . . I suppose he's impartial as well. One thing that was totally absent was any concern regarding Steven's "medical issues". This has been the biggest "weapon" Patty has held over Keith for years. For a child so chronically ill, she no longer seems concerned about Steven's health--how odd! So, we'll see what happens. We have no idea where this is headed but it's obviously clear that Patty's attorney is trying to change the playing field. She's going from defense to offense. If they can put EVERYONE on the defensive end, it will serve as a smoke screen for the real issue of the case which is--as we all know--Patty's inability to make wise/safe choices in regards to the care of her son. Say your prayers please. It terrifies me to think that Steven will once again be placed in Patty's care and all the progress this young boy has made to this point, will be undone within a few days. Please pray!

P.S. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the professional people helping with this case. They are "personally" unknown to me but I thank God every day for their dedication, their strength, and their determination to do their jobs and protect this young boy. God bless you all!

And so it begins--again

Things have been relatively quiet since Steven's last visit with his mother during Spring Break in March. Since that visit Steven has not received one package from his doting mother. Patty also decided to terminate her phone calls with Steven as they were costing her too much money. (True situation: She was court ordered to make the phone calls from the Visitation Center where she cannot manipulate Steven or the staff. What's the point in that?) But now that the custody hearing is scheduled for July 6th & 7th, she has requested that the phone calls begin again. She has set up her first phone call for next Monday afternoon (even that was not without a battle with Tess at the center). Here's the real story: The custody hearing is in three weeks. She's hired a new attorney (femi-nazi--hates men) who practices in Miami (Patty's no longer able to hire within the county--must travel 1.5 hours to find an attorney who's never heard of her). I suppose this attorney has informed her that she must at least "appear" to take an interest in Steven. They've filed a motion that the judge appoint an attorney to represent Steven. Apparently they feel that the G.A.L., Gloria Winston (an attorney herself) is not able to adequately determine Steven's best interest. She also filed an emergency motion with the court that Patty be allowed to retrieve Steven by June 11 in order for him to attend a family reunion. Some emergency! Motion denied--the judge ordered Keith to bring Steven to Florida with him for the hearing the first week in July. Are you confused? You should be! You should also be outraged. This is the kind of garbage that ties up our courts and costs you money! Who has an emergency family reunion? No one!

Yes, the battle lines are being drawn and things are definitely heating up. Each day there's a new development, each day some ridiculous claim or request, and the attorneys representing both parties are gearing up for the fight ahead. Naturally, Keith feels he has the best chance at full custody, but you never know what a judge will do. The facts regarding Steven are these: Steven's weight is down from 125 to 104 (that's a lot of weight on a 10 year old). Steven is doing well (three A's, one C) in the 4th grade--no longer in resource. Steven is no longer on any medications and has never once had an attack of any kind. Steven's psychologist says there's no need for her to keep seeing Steven as he's doing amazingly well. Steven enjoys being part of a larger family and loves to do things with his sisters. I could go on but those are the most important facts. Keep posted as I'm sure there will be new updates from now until the custody hearing. Thanks for your interest!

C.B.

An "interesting" sidenote: Steven's Uncle James (a corrections officer and husband to Patty's sister Mandy) was arrested for "gross sexual imposition" with a 5 year old girl. He's pleaded innocent and the pre-trial hearing is set for the exact same day as the custody battle. Who would have guessed?

In-consequential poll!

I thought we'd all like a little light-hearted break from the "heavy" subject matter of "crazies, socios, sicko's" and legal gobble-d-gook! So here's a poll for you! It's a poll regarding your shopping likes and dis-likes. I for one, stand four-square against these "self-checkout" lanes at the stores. I must not be the only one as most of those lanes are EMPTY while I stand in line behind a mother with seven screaming kids and a grocery cart that would feed the Green Bay Packers! Rather than fumble with my items, punch a picture/button system only understandable to a two-year-old, and a "money" system with a dozen slots, dispensers, swipes, and confusing directions, I'll wait my turn for a real cashier. SHE knows what she's doing.

Gotta' Take a Break!

I know I've been remiss in writing for my Crush Blog--but sometimes a gal just has to take a break. Things have been relatively quiet on this side of CRAZY, so there hasn't been much to write about. You've once again proven yourselves to be pretty smart as 77% of you were correct on the last poll. Pseudologica Fantasica presents itself in ALL of those characteristics. Charming, eh? And our girl fits that category to a T. On to the next challenge which is the custody hearing which will be held July 6th & 7th. Keith and Dad are flying back and will spend two days in court trying to persuade the judge that Keith is the better parent for Steven. Say your prayers and keep your fingers crossed for them! I'll post on my website as soon as anything happens. Thanks for checking in!

C.B.

P.S. The book sales have helped quite a bit with expenses for this next court hearing, so I just want to give all of you a tremendous THANK YOU for your support, friendship, and concern!

ASK ME!

I certainly enjoyed visiting the book clubs in Billings Montana. It was fun, entertaining, educational, and I enjoyed it immensely! If you have a book club and would like to discuss the subjects of sociopaths OR Munchausen by Proxy, feel free to contact me and we'll see if we can arrange something! I found it quite to my liking and would love to share the little bit of knowledge I've gained during the last 11 years dealing with Patty. Have a good one!
C.B.