Britni update...

My heart is heavy as I write this, it has been a rough morning, week, month...

About 2 weeks after Britni moved out, she was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. GHB. Yes, that is the "date rape" drug... Apparently one can take a very small amount and feel tipsy, however, it is a chemical cocktail that contains among other things, floor stripper, it is considered one of the new "designer drugs", you never know what exactly is in it or how strong it is, every batch is different. One of the dangers is that if you accidentally take too much you will pass out, sometimes for hours. It is a substance that isn't screened for in drug tests, which makes it popular in the "drug free" workplace. It seems to be popular with the young professional urban crowd and the gay community.

She knows a group of people who sell the drug. They were always offering it to her. She resisted many times until the one day that she said "yes". Anyway she became addicted to it in a very short time. No one knew... She had just picked up a new batch that morning. It was stronger than she expected. She was on her way to work when she stopped at a convenience store. Before leaving (actually before pulling out into traffic) she decided to "take a cap" as they call it. The dose is usually a half to a whole chap stick lid full. She was found passed out in her car, slumped over the steering wheel by an off duty police officer. The car was running, in gear, and her foot was on the brake. I showed up on the scene. You can not imagine the anguish of a mother watching her beautiful (almost successful) daughter crying hysterically in the back seat of a police car, mouthing the words "I love you mom" through the back window. She went to jail and the car was impounded. I had to move her out of her house and store her clothes and personal things in plastic containers. We had to pay big bucks to get the car back. This was BIG trouble because it was a violation of probation. We hired a lawyer. She was looking at prison time. Our intention was to try to get her into drug rehab instead. Unfortunately the state prosecutor had other ideas. They decided that she needed to be punished rather than rehabilitated. Adult time-out, so to speak. She had two charges, possession and violation of probation. She received 1 year in county jail for each charge, the judge had compassion and is allowing her to do them concurrently. She will be in jail for a year basically. However, she will get credit for time already served. Plus she is a "Trustee" meaning that she works and she gets"time off" credit for every day worked. She will also get time credit for completing the "in-house" drug rehab program. Her attorney thinks she will actually serve about 8-9 months. This morning in court was intense. My parents, her dad and her friend Aaron showed up. We were allowed to stand with her before the judge. The judge was angry, he was yelling at her, threatening 15 years in prison. She was crying the entire time, I was crying, my mom was crying. I felt like I was going to throw up. When it was over, all I could do was come home and go back to bed for the day. I'm not looking forward to a year of visiting Britni in county jail, where they treat the visitors like criminals, and put us in a room of echo's where we have to yell through a thick piece of plexi-glass to communicate with her...

Mission Call for Jordan!

Jordan has been called to the West Indies (not sure which Island yet). He will be leaving August 26th for his missionary training in Provo, UT where he will learn to speak French! So far we have a Portuguese speaking returned missionary, Jason... a Tagalog speaking returned missionary, Aaron... and an Italian speaking returned missionary, Nathan. It is one of George's fantasies to travel to the places his son's served their missions where he will have his own private interpreter, he can go to Brazil, Philippines, Italy and now the West Indies!!! We are excited for Jordan and the adventure of Spirit unfolding before him these next 2 years...