Soooo.
The conference on the 19th had pretty much the outcome I feared it would. Hoss' outbursts and need for additional attention got to be too much, and they can no longer allow him to stay at Our Lady of Perpetual Annoyance. I cried way more than I intended to, and was much more polite than I wanted to be (Princess is still a student at OLPA, so I'm not burning any bridges.) Technically, we have withdrawn him as opposed to his being expelled, but seriously? I'm living with the knowledge that my little man just got kicked out of school.
I was walking through the airport a mere fourteen hours later, hauling my extra laptop (for use for presentation during the meetings, since my laptop would be used for notetaking) and an extra suitcase (full of handouts that were not finished in time to be shipped to the hotel in advance of the meeting) as well as my week's worth of luggage. My phone beeped at me when I arrived in Missouri, with a message that my Chair had taken ill and would not be able to come to the meetings. My arrival at the hotel was relatively uneventful, and the afternoon consisted of a bit less work than planned, since the many boxes of materials for setting up the staff office and registration desk were not delivered on Friday as planned. (This glitch was techncially not my problem, since I am not part of the meetings staff, but I certainly shared the frustration of the people who did bear the responsibility.) My meetings themselves went OK. Not quite as contentious as they could have been, but with some added meetings that took away some of the down time I had hoped for.
After my Board responsibilities were done on Monday night, I put on my "meetings peon" hat and put myself in the hands of the people who actually know how to run a conference. The crates of materials had arrived by mid-afternoon, so we had a very full night of set-up so that the registration desk was up and running smoothly as promised on Tuesday morning. I spent the remainder of the week putting on a happy, helpful face, and appreciated being so busy that I didn't have to think about how much work Hubby was having to do at home to transfer Hoss to his new school situation.
Hoss himself if pretty much unfazed by the change. He will miss his friends, but anticipates that he will get in less trouble. An email exchange with Dr. Z and a talk with Hoss and Princess' regular therapist yielded some comfort, as both of them spoke highly of the pscyhologist and special education staff at our neighborhood school. Apparently, ours is one of the better schools county-wide for children with emotional and psychological issues as well as learning disabilities. There are still a series of hurdles, including getting Hoss registered for before and afterschool care (the pediatrician did not complete the paperwork necessary in time for me to hand carry it to the community association who runs the school age program, and faxed registrations are not accepted) but in the long run, this is the best situation for everyone.
Today was also my sister's surgery for her thyroid. It sounds as though it went well, and the prognosis is good. So, as soon as her throat heals, I will be grabbing some wine and cheese to have a "you don't have cancer!" party. BIL continues to be sick with his virus, and the family is also facing the impending loss of an elderly relative, but I'm coming to terms with my total inability to do anything to mitigate those worries. My in-laws will be wringing their hands and hanging their heads, even if I had a way to save the world.
So, I am facing a slew of notes that need to be finished, as I always do the week I return from a meeting, but have the added weight on my mind of my personal issues. I do, however, have two beer tasting parties coming up in October, and a good supply of ears to listen to my bitching. One of my friends just told me yesterday that I should stay strong until I need to be weak, and somehow the knowledge that I have some people on hand to catch me when I fall apart makes keeping it together a bit more of a possibility.
