Three Days

Three days until the Les Miserables movie comes out, which I am super excited about! (And the rest of the post will have lyrics interspersed from that musical... just for fun!)

The time is near!
Let us welcome it gladly with courage and cheer

Three days from today is Christmas Eve, which officially starts Christmas celebrations at my parents' house. I have been spending a large portion of the day baking for Christmas this year, and Monday is slated to be another big baking day. I literally have not wrapped a single present yet, and the time to do that is running out, but this year has been so off between Ghana, the adoption and Blake's injuries, it just hasn't happened yet (much like our Christmas lights).

COSETTE
Every day
You walk with stronger step
You walk with longer step-
`The worst is over.'

Three days from today Blake gets his stitches out. We are again so thankful and grateful that it wasn't worse. He went back to work yesterday, and they had to ask him some questions, and while he was there he got to see some pictures from last week... and let's just say God was protecting him, in a major way.

[FOREMAN]
At the end of the day you get nothing for nothing
Sitting flat on your butt doesn't buy any bread
...
[WORKER TWO]
And you're lucky to be in a job
...
[WORKERS]
And we're counting our blessings!

Three days is how long the California rules say that you have to be out before you get any money for being injured on the job. We are learning way more than I ever wanted to about Workman's compensation thanks to Blake's adventure. So, the three days that Blake was home from work to recover, he doesn't get paid, and those days will apparently come out of his paycheck. Crazy. Oh, and if he had to be out longer, he would only get paid 2/3 salary for each day after the three days until he returned to work from workman's comp. This is a big reason (the other being that he felt better) that he went back yesterday, even though he can't do his normal job, so that he could start earning his salary again. I find it really strange that our system is set up this way. If someone gets injured while they are doing their job, you would think that they would continue to earn their salary, it isn't like they wanted to be hurt and not working. On the other hand, I understand that they have to do something to prevent people taking advantage of the system (any more than they already do) and employers can't afford to have people out long term, pay someone to do their job (for companies this applies to) AND continue paying the employee full price. It is just interesting to learn about, and be thankful that it hasn't applied to us before.

MARIUS
In my life
She [Grace] has burst like the music of angels
The light of the sun
And my life seems to stop
As if something is over
And something has scarcely begun.

Three days is also how long I have left as a teacher for the indefinite future. Things with Grace have been going faster than we had initially expected, and though we are currently slowed down by a lack of a passport for her, it could easily be early to mid January that she comes home. My work has been excellent about understanding when I had to leave for Ghana, or appointments, etc., but they need a definite date for my last day. It would be too hard on them and too hard on the kids to have me maybe here, maybe not, maybe this is my last day, maybe it gets delayed etc. So when I should have been learning about Blake's accident, I was in a meeting with them, finding out that what they decided to do (and I think is a good plan) is have me teach with my replacement for the first three days after break, and then have me just be done, and be at home, waiting for when I become a full time mom. It is exciting and scary all at the same time, and Blake and I are looking closely at our numbers to figure out how to make it work, but the plan for now is that I stay home with her until she is preschool age, and then I go back to work.

All this to say, life is exciting these days!