i'm alive!! and this is a long post!

so apparently my blog doesn't update itself.  lame.

seeing as it has been forever since i last wrote i will start the long process of updating ya'll on my exciting life!  first things first...the long awaited court date post!  here we go...

we (my siblings, brother in law, dad, mom and uncle)  all got there about the same time and walked into the fourth district courthouse together.  we were greeted by my two aunts and two of my other uncles.  we said our hello's and realized that we had about 15-20 extra pairs of eyes on us.  it was like the land of misfit toys who just happened to be 'friends' of my dad and susan.  which means that susan rounded up all the crazies that she could and brought them for 'moral support' for my dad.  lame.  well our main objective for the 15 minute wait was to keep these misfits away from my dad and especially keep susan away from him so that he wouldn't get upset and have an episode and not be able to calm him down in time.  we failed horribly.  these people were relentless and kept pushing their way through our family to say hello to james.  he would smile, shake their hand and stare at them.  i was so mad.  my blood was boiling.  i was so mad that i was literally shaking.  katie was also getting really upset and decided to humiliate the misfits by asking my dad if he knew that person to which he would reply yes, so she would ask their name, to which he had no reply and would stare at the person.  katie would then ask the person to leave him alone and to walk away.  it was awesome.  finally my brother in law nate and uncle clair flanked my dad on either side to keep them away.  i happened to look over as susan was placing her hand on my dads cheek telling him that everything was going to be okay and that she was there.  i yelled to my uncle to get her away.  he turned my dad's face away from her and edged his way between her and my dad.  it was awesome.  it was at that point that the bailiff yelled for the two parties to separate until we went into the courtroom.  the misfits contested with 'we're his friends just trying to say hello'...it was ridiculous.

we finally went into the courtroom and again surrounded our dad so that she couldn't get a hold of him. now let me just clarify.  from the time that my dad last saw susan and this day he had never asked about her and would say on multiple occasions that he just wanted to find a woman.  he didn't once remember that he was married to susan.  moving on.  we all filed into our seats and court was in session.  my katie and my brother matt were seated at a table with their lawyer and susan was seated at the opposite table with her lawyer and also my dad's 'lawyer' and his assistant.  the judge started and my dad's 'lawyer' requested a brief counsel with his client.  his request was granted and on they went.  it was a brief 5 minutes or so and i wish i could have been there.  you see my dad's 'lawyer' has parkinson's and my dad has alzheimers...must have been a riveting conversation!  i'm so rude.  anyway.  the judge asked for witnesses from kate and matt's lawyer and kate went first.  she did an awesome job and got her point across with just the right amount of sass and maturity.  it was fantastic.  i was so proud of her.  then matt's turn and again he did such an awesome job!  i was also really proud of him and so grateful for the sacrifice he has made for the last 3 years living with my dad.  of course susan's lawyer cross examined and proved that he was a jerk.  my dad's 'lawyer' would ask questions and due to his ailment it took him a really long time to say things and then he would get lost in what he was saying.  it was painful to listen to him talk.  

finally it was susan's turn to testify.  i was literally on the edge of my seat to hear how she was going to testify.  i mean she was under oath and obviously she was going to tell the truth right?  well not exactly.  she went on and on about how she 'loves james dearly' and how they 'have a special relationship' with each other.  again my dad didn't mention her for 3.5 months...interesting.  she talked about my dad telling her that we all just wanted his money and that he would cry to her because we wanted to put him in an 'institution'.  and this is the real kicker for me...she brought up a conversation with me in which i supposedly 'adamantly stated that we were going to put him in an institution'.  her words felt like a slap in the face and a punch in the stomach all at the same time.  i was so upset that someone was lying about me and there was nothing i could do about it.  and lying about me in front of my family!  who did this women think that she was?  i put my head in my hands as the sting of tears filled my eyes.  my aunt buffy began to pat my back and i stewed in anger for the rest of her testimony. 

the judge called for a recess and i bolted for the door to get to the bathroom.  my aunt and i got to the bathroom and she took the last stall.  i sat and waited as a few of the misfits sauntered in.  they looked at the stalls and i said 'they're full'.  they then kept looking in all of them and i said once more, 'they're all full' through clenched teeth and they just ignored me.  i was fuming at this point.  my aunt came out and ran to the stall and locked the door, dropped my purse and broke down.  just then i heard the misfits seeing if my stall was in use...seriously crazy people just go away!  i silently cried in the bathroom for a second, composed myself and walked out with my head high.  there was obviously nothing i could do about susan telling lies about me in court.  i was just praying that the judge could see through susan's lies and this would all be over.  i sat back down and kate and matt's lawyer motioned that he wanted to talk to me.  he asked if i remembered the conversation that susan was referring to, i said yes.  he asked if what she said was true and i said no.  he nodded and sat back down at his table.  i knew i was in for it now. 

the judge called the court back to order and asked kate and matt's lawyer if he had any more witnesses to call to the stand.  sure enough he called my name.  my heart started racing and my palms got sweaty...something that never happens.  all of my many hours spent watching crime dramas were actually becoming my reality!  i was testifying in court...something i never thought i would be able to say.  i held my hand in the air and swore to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me god.  actually i think it was more that the testimony that i was about to give was the truth.  same thing.  so kate and matt's lawyer asked me to talk about the phone conversation with susan.  what really happened was that she asked me what our plans were for our dad and i told her it was none of her business.  SHE was the one to bring up this 'institution' that she kept talking about.  i told her that they weren't called institutions, that they are assisted living facilities and that we didn't know what our immediate plans were for our dad.  so somehow in all of that she got that i 'adamantly stated that we were going to put him in an institution'.  am i crazy or are those two different things?  anyway.  then susan's lawyer gets up there and twists everything that i said.  'well why did you correct her on what they are called if you weren't planning on sending him to one?'  well you see sir, in the off chance that she ignored the fact that i asked her to not talk to our dad about his future care that she would at least call it by it's correct name and not make it sound like a loony bin!  seriously i just wanted to yell in their faces how ridiculous this whole case was!  my joy ride on the stand ended and then they called susan's friend to the stand.  this quack job claimed that she was in the car with susan when this conversation happened and that i was on speaker phone and she also heard that i adamantly stated that we were going to put him in an institution and that i berated susan for 30 minutes on the phone.  it got really good when kate and matt's lawyer said, 'well if what alyson said is true that would mean that you are committing perjury?', 'no!  alyson is the li...she is the one committing perjury!'  awesome.  i'm now a perjurer according to ms. quacky mcquackerson!  

the witnesses were done and the judge asked for closing statements.  the judge talked for a bit about the legality of his decision and then granted kate and matt temporary guardianship for the duration of the permanent guardianship trial.  wa.freaking.hoo!  he then called for an hour lunch and we would come back to go through the 8 motions.  we exited the courtroom last and noticed that the misfits were congregated at the bottom of the handicap ramp.  so due to the my dad's muscular dystrophy the handicap ramp is vital to him exiting a building.  also vital for two of my uncles that were there.  so we decided that someone would have to go ask them to move.  i volunteered.  char hesitated but i assured her that i would be 'nice'.  you know me.  i'm not one to take any crap from anyone, especially after being called a perjurer.  so i command the stairs in my black patent leather pumps and say 'excuse me, we need you to all clear the ramp so my dad and uncles can come down.'  silence.  not a one look at me.  yeah that wasn't going to work for me.  so i raise my voice, place my hand on my hip and say 'EXCUSE ME, you all need to get out of the way!'  they looked at me stunned and i heard 'well we're just trying to figure out rides.'  or my favorite was, 'you people are being ridiculous.'  from a man with what looked like a flat top.  'you people'...'you people'?  we are his kids you jackass!  you are some misfit who thinks that you are in the right by supporting a lady who is clearly unstable and kidnapped my dad!  i just looked at him, hand still on my hip and just nodded at him and said, 'okay, really?  okay.'  i was sort of a b(*&^ i will admit it.  well by that time the police officer who was eating an ice cream shake came out to push the misfits under a tree.  

it was pretty awesome!  we went to zupa's for lunch with my family.  i sat with my aunts whom i love dearly.  my aunt buffy posed the question of what are we supposed to be learning about this, why were we being put through this?  my aunt marci said what i couldn't...we are being put through this to realize how much we all love my dad.  he doesn't have to learn anything from this, it was for us to appreciate him and learn that we would do anything for him.  after lunch jake took my dad home cause he was getting restless and he didn't need to be there for the motions.  i honestly can only remember a few of the motions.  one was to reunite my dad and susan, that was denied.  one was to have visitations with my dad, that was denied.  one was to have a third neuro-psych evaluation from the dr. who helped diagnose him 4 years ago, that was granted.  but susan had to pay for it...ha ha!  another was to combine the annulment hearing with the permanent guardianship hearing so that we wouldn't have to drag this out any longer, that was granted.  and the last one i remember was to have my dad's 'lawyer' removed from the case and that was granted!  all the motions were basically in our favor which is a really good thing.  

we were there from 10-1 and then 2-5!  court is tiring and i have a whole new respect for judges!  we go back for the final hearing on thursday and will see who gets permanent guardianship...which i'm almost positive will be matt and kate.  they will also cancel the marriage that day when we win.  then we will be done with susan!  except when she pays all our expenses for this ridiculous mess.  i secretly hope this all end in a restraining order only because it will make for a better ending to my book!  

but seriously.  it will be so glad to have this all over and move on with our lives.