The Next Step

Steve called last night to let us know that his attorney received the anticipated papers from Tracy's attorney. (This is all so foreign to me...I can't believe it as I write it. Surely this is a nightmare and I'll wake up soon). Steve sat down with the children and went over the papers, showing what she's requesting and talking about statements she's making. These kids have had to grow up very fast in a very short time. She claims that Steve is turning the kids against her when the kids say she has done this to herself by continuing to put them in situations with her and her "boyfriend" that make them very uncomfortable. She has even shown the kids where she and Peter sleep and the closet and bathroom they share. I know that God is in control and will watch over these children, but sometimes I feel like I need to help Him out a little. I'm so thankful that Todd and Julie are there to offer loving support to the kids and Steve.
Please continue to remember us in prayer!

Will This Never End?

I've been home now for 2 weeks. California seems so removed from this quite little life in Ohio. It seems like it's a world away. We had a call from Todd Thursday night at 11:30 saying that Steven had been arrested and was in the Bakersfield jail. That was all he knew, except that the kids were with Tracy and Peter. (horrors!) We immediately jumped to all the wrong conclusions...Steve had done something stupid to get in trouble...he'd run into Peter or Tracy and had an altercation...he'd been picked up for ...almost anything and everything was running through our minds. A little later, Todd called back and said that all the cars were still at PMC, and Steve had managed to get a phone call in to Todd asking that he go to Steve's house to turn off the oven. That indicated to us that something happened while on the hill and he was taken from there. Todd pointed us to a website which showed the actual booking time, his booking # and the complaint, which was a misdemeanor, and not a felony. It said the reason was "breaking a court order" and said bail was set at $5,000.00. He was to appear on Monday, 4 days later if he could not meet bail. We were devastated since we didn't know how he would come up with the money and we had no idea what was going on with the kids. It turned out that Tracy called the sheriff and said Steve had broken the "stay away order" by contacting her (even though she has done it many times) but this time, Steve was upset over the way she had promised to take Rachel with Sissy and Jake, but at the last minute changed her mind, and had all the kids in tears when she took off with them. Steve called and left a message on her answering machine saying "Tracy, what were you thinking??? You left Rachel standing out in the street and the kids were crying...what are you thinking??? She called the sheriff and said she'd been harrased by Steve and he'd broken the stay away order. (this was all done on the phone, not in person) After that, Steve put his dinner in the oven, sat down to watch a hockey game on TV, and within 20 minutes, 2 squad cars pulled up in front of the house, the cops came in , handcuffed him and wouldn't even let him turn the oven off before taking him away. When Tracy had the sheriff listen to the message, he said she had 3 choices...to let it go, they could go talk to Steve and remind him not to call, or have him arrested. She chose to have him arrested, then lied to the kids that Daddy was going to be staying with Frank Lloyd for the night. They thought that sounded funny since Daddy always watches Survivor with them on Thursday night. She told the kids that they would be having their first sleep-over at her house and they both cried. Through a very long turn of events, Frank Lloyd posted the 5,000 bail and he and Todd drove to Bakersfield to get Steve out of jail. Frank is like a big brother to Steve and he has taken this as his mission...to help Steve through this. Rick and I went through almost 30 hours of agony, not knowing what was happening, how the kids were, and how Steve was holding up. He is the only person I know who can make the best out of a horrible situation. Now that it's nearly over, he tells such funny stories about how his jail time was and all the characters he met. It seems like he would have grounds for false arrest if things were fair, but we know in this life things are not always fair. We are trusting the Lord to watch out for him and the dear children. It seems like Tracy is digging her own grave and she wants to take as many people with her as she can.

Coming soon...the road (or tracks) home!

Today is March 28! I can't believe that I've been here for more than a month, I'm totally exhausted. I miss my husband so much, but we are in touch usually twice a day. I've been staying at Steve's for the last 2 weeks. It's been good to be with the kids and see the routine that they've settled into. Steve will do a good job when I go home. I feel so bad that this awful thing has happened to them. Sin. What a horrible thing once it gets hold of you. Tracy is so bitter and she looks so hard. I've only seen her once, and she was very hostile. I can't believe it's the same girl who just spent Christmas with us. And she thought this was going to make her happy? The restraining order hearing went totally in Steve's favor. The judge pretty much gave Tracy a verbal spanking for wasting the court's time. Now Steve is in touch with a divorce attorney. He's going to Bakersfield today to sign papers. Tracy will be served some time early next week. Steve is seeking full custody, and I'm so thankful. The kids want to be with him and they hate when they have to leave to be with Tracy and Peter. How she could have done this to those children, I'll never know. I leave on Monday to go home. I'm ready!
More later.

Light at the end of the tunnel???

Oh my! What a roller coaster of a weekend! I arrived Friday. Steve, Todd, Elizabeth and Jacob met me at the train station. It was a sweet but tearful reunion. We went to breakfast at Denny's in Valencia on our way up the hill. Julie and Cody met us there just a little bit later. Cody had just gotten his braces off and he was finally able to eat anything he wanted. I went home with Steve and the kids for a little bit. The house is in need of a very thorough cleaning. The kids have clothes everywhere; Jacob still has socks and underwear in his drawers from when he was 2 years old. Nothing has ever been taken care of. When they move, they just pack up all the drawers and take everything as is. The kitchen needs a lot of work and the bathrooms...well, we won't even go there! (Today is Monday and I still have not seen Tracy. I don't intend to.) We all came up to Todd and Julie's and had dinner and a nice visit. Just as we were getting our coats on and opening the door, there was a knock and a man presented Steve with papers. We thought it was divorce papers, but it turned out to be a temporary restraining order against Steve. It was totally unexpected and totally without warrant. It just felt like we'd been kicked in the stomach. We all decided to stay at Todd's and have a sleep-over. Jacob said "this will be the best sleep-over ever!" We just all needed to be together and it was a wonderful time of bonding and praying for Tracy and Steve and the kids. We are all accepting that this will result in divorce, so now we are just praying for Tracy's salvation. She has to be living with such guilt...she can't stand to be around any of us. She told Steve she hates that we're all together up here "judging her". That's the farthest thing from the truth. We are concerned for her and praying for her. The guilt she's feeling is because she knows she's done the most wrong thing she could do as a mother and wife. Now I'm praying for Steve and that some day things will get better for him. He deserves so much better. I feel as if I've aged by 80 years. I'm physically and mentally worn out, but know it can't get worse. It can only get better from here.

Hearts are breaking

The worst scenario has happened. Tracy has moved out of their house and has a guy, Peter Green, living with her. He moved out on his wife and little daughter. Such selfishness I can never understand. I think we have been going through all the stages of grief as if she is dead. In way, she is...the Tracy I thought I knew is dead to me. How dreadful! My heart is breaking for Steve and the children. I am leaving in the next day or so to go to California to be with them and offer any help I can. I still don't know how she can do this...our whole family has lost her, but everyone is soooooooooo supportive of Steve. I know he will be able to come out on top of this.

One of my favorite days

This is a beautiful day. It has snowed off and on all day. It's one of those wet snows with big flakes. The ground looked all muddy and squishy yesterday. We'd had a good bit of rain for a few days. Then this morning everything was beautiful and white. Reminds me of my sin covered by the blood of Christ. I talked with Steve a little bit this morning. Things seem to be going pretty good in California. I know it must be hard for both of them, but they are trying. Steve said he thinks Tracy's heart is softening, so I'm glad for that. I keep praying that God will cause this dear family to stay together.

A New Year

Well, this is hardly the beginning of the year, but not too much time has gone past. We had a wonderful (what I thought was wonderful) visit with Steve, Tracy, Elizabeth and Jacob. The kids were great. I was able to spend lots of time with them and not worry about the house and things I should have been doing...cleaning and laundry. We played lots of games, watched lots of movies and spent lots of time watching the Gilmore Girls DVDs. Rick got a Wii game for downstairs and we spend lots of time playing games on it. We had a restful Christmas Eve. Then I had my folks over for Christmas breakfast and we opened gifts with the kids. Later in the day, Deana and her family came over for dinner and the "big people's" gift exchange.

Tracy and I had time to do lots of good talking and so did Steve and I. I thought things were going pretty well while they were here. There was always an undercurrent, though. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on. One minute Tracy would seem good, and the next time you saw her, it seemed like she was in the corner texting someone or on her computer with email to someone. It just seemed odd. I didn't say or do anything about it.

It was hard seeing the kids leave. It's one thing to have all this free time here with us, then to have to get back to the reality of day-to-day life and schedules and all the pressing things that happen.

Steve called yesterday to tell us that just when he thought things couldn't be worse, the were. It turns out that Tracy did NOT have the affair she said she did, but was masking another relationship she had been having for quite some time. It's with a married man at PMC who Steve knows but has never cared for. He has an 8 year old daughter. According to Tracy, it never became physical, but she wanted it to be. I think she would have left Steve for this man if he would have left his wife.
Steve confronted him (scarey) and Tracy...it turns out this is the guy she'd been texting and emailing while they were here. After all is said and done, I think they are getting on the right track. Steve is meeting with his pastor today and as for Tracy...I'm not sure.

I have mixed emotions. Part of me is glad that there was no affair. Part of me feels like I've been betrayed. Tracy let us all go through the pain and hurt of thinking there had been an affair. All this for what??? To get back at Steve? Time will tell...I just have to keep trusting the Lord to know how to react to all this. What a soap opera!

I'm going to add some Christmas pictures to this post.