Legal Fee\'s for Child Custody Case
Here is my story:
If you are reading this and have a facebook page, I would really love it if you would share my GoFundMe URL in your status to help spread the word for me. Thank you!! http://www.gofundme.com/48xqw
Several years ago I went down a path of self-destruction. I made some very poor choices in life that I will regret for a lifetime. However, although I don't usually speak about my life, other than with my Sisters and my Father, in light of some recent events, I feel compelled to share some of my story. I want to tell "my side" of the story.
My Mother has a legal guardianship over my two children in Las Vegas. It is true that I voluntarily gave this legal guardianship to her. It is true, that at the time that I signed the legal guardianship papers I was not in a position to be a good Mother to them. I own that, I take responsibility for that. During that time in my life, I was married to a very abusive man (the children\'s father) and chose this road of self-destruction to cope with life at home -- not a good choice, I understand that and take complete responsibility for that. However, since 2006 I have been free from the lifestyle that led to the guardianship. In November of 2006, I moved to Idaho Falls, to get away from the negative connections that bound me to Vegas, something I needed to do. My sister Sheila and her husband Scott took a chance and let me move in with them. Sheila and Scott had guardianship of my youngest son Robbie at that time. Once I was to Idaho Falls, I got a job and in June of 2007, Robbie and I moved out and shortly after that I was granted sole legal and physical custody of Robbie. It was shortly after then that I began trying to talk to my Mother about regaining custody of Chandler & Summer. I have never had a supportive or loving Mother and she vowed to fight me tooth and nail. My Mother receives a lot of money from the State for my two children and she has a history of abusing the system. She has made her way through life using the system as a means of support. When she resisted my request for terminating the guardianship I was angry but I backed down because I knew a fight would be terribly expensive and I didn't want to further cause problems with my relationship with my Mother as I know how vindictive she can be, as evidenced by our current proceedings. Not only that, at that time I still felt a lot of shame for what I had done. During this time, my first year in Idaho Falls, I went back to Vegas to visit the kids in January of 07 and then again for a short visit in April 07, then again at Christmas 07, Easter 08, a short visit in June of 08 and then again at Christmas of 08. In August of 08 I began working as a Manager of a Restaurant, which required me to work long hours and since it was a new job, I did not have the option to take any time off to go to Vegas. My plan was to spend Christmas 09 in Vegas as that would be the first opportunity to do so. In the beginning of December of that year, the restaurant that I was managing at closed its doors due to the economy and I was laid off. With no job comes no money so I had to cancel my Christmas vacation in Vegas. Subsequently I moved to Washington State to be closer to Sheila and Scott once again. Although I had been laid off and was out of work I wanted and needed to go visit the kids, so at Spring break of 2010 I drove to Vegas and spent 8 days there with the kids. In May of last year I took a job with a major Hotel chain as a Sales Manager, where I am still currently employed. This last Christmas I spent another 8 days in Vegas visiting the kids. In between the visits I have maintain regular weekly telephone contact with the kids as well as texting Chandler on his phone. So as you can see, I've never not been a presence in my children's lives, visiting as often as money and my job would allow. I\'ve also called the kids often, over 90 times in the last year alone and now I call them or Skype with them daily.
Last November I approached my Mother about changing the visitation schedule to reflect me living out of state since the current order was outdated and reflected supervised visitation on Sunday's only at her house. Since I no longer live in Vegas and my act was cleaned up I thought this was a reasonable request. Apparently she thought different. I sent several emails to my Mother, always civil, non accusational and simply stating my request. I wasn't prepared for what I got next:.a series of extremely mean emails, accusations. Not something you would think your own Mother would send. Not long after requesting reasonable visitation, the bombshell:.I was served a court summons from an attorney out of Vegas:.My Mother is suing me for complete legal custody in addition to the physical custody she already has. What's worse are the lies and downright dirtiness of it all. The summons alleges that I am still living the lifestyle that I once lived and that she doesn't know where I live. Complete lies. I have been amazed at the lengths my Mother has chosen to go to. It has been heartbreaking that she has elected this route. Her actions have not only devistated the little relationship that I had left with my Mother, but it has torn my Family apart. Neither my sisters nor I currently have a relationship with her at this point. My children are suffering. They are being alienated from their family and being denied the right to have a quality, loving relationship with their brother or any other family member other than those my Mother see\'s fit. Recently my Father requested to spend time with them and has been denied. During my last visit I was \"allowed\" to take them to dinner with my Father and the children acted afraid of him and were fearful that my Father would drink too much. Where on Earth would they get that from? My Mother has filled their heads with so many negative things about their family, it\'s just devistating.
My point of this letter is not to sway anyone's judgement one way or the other. My point is that I've sat back for so long not saying anything because I do harbor guilt for my past actions. But now it has come to a point to where I absolutely do not feel I have a Mother who is supportive of my accomplishments, who accepts and loves me for the person I am and who is there for me, no matter what the situation. I have not done anything malicious to this woman, I have been compliant and I have been respectful. When I signed the guardianship papers my Mother told me "As soon as you get back on your feet, you can have them back". Well I've been back on my feet for 5 years now and I still don't have them and she is dead set on fighting me to make sure I don\'t get them. She is not thinking of the best interest of the children.. She is not willing to work things out amicably, rather she would prefer to drag two children into a lengthy nasty legal battle this is bound to leave scars on them for the rest of their lives. She has told them things that aren't true and lately no matter how hard I try, my relationship with the children seems to be deteriorating. She makes zero effort for my children to have a relationship with me:.none. They have no relationship with their brother Robbie except the one I initiate. She makes no effort to have a relationship of any kind with Robbie and has hurt his feelings on more than one occasion. In fact, she makes zero effort to have a relationship with any of her grandchildren or even her own children. She has pushed all of her own children away with her deceitfulness. I feel very sad for her that she will grow old and none of us will want to be there for her. I feel very sad that we feel the way we do. This is truly a tragedy. None of us hate her, but we only feel apathy for her.
None of this is baseless. I have emails, texts and other documentation to back up every claim I make. I am willing to share them with anyone who asks. Anyone reading this letter can ask me for any emails, texts or other correspondence to back up what I am sharing and I will provide it. I realize that this is very personal information but I needed to tell my side of the storiy because I am very aware that things have been shared about my life that I have not ever responded to. I am no longer hiding from it, I am no longer ashamed. I am proud of who I am today and my accomplishments as a person, as a Mother and I continue to grow and have learned so much from my past mistakes. My sole goal in life is to be a good Mother, to teach my children the right things so that they will become well adjusted adults and to let them learn from my mistakes.
I appreciate what my Mother did by taking in my children when I could not take care of them. I have a lot of gratitude for her doing that. But, quite frankly, I am able and willing to take them and take care of my responsibility. I made mistakes and I own them and I take full responsibility for the actions that created them. But I've also made huge strides in correcting the mistakes and I now only move forward. I do not stay in the past and I can only be the best that I can be. I love my children more than anything in this world and am willing to do whatever it takes to see to it that they have a healthy outlook on life and that they know and understand the bond between a family. That is something that doesn't exist with my Mother. There is no Motherly instinct :. Only hate and revenge to her.
Since the custody case was initiated we have had numerous court procceedings, filings, countermotions, oppositions, etc.... anyone who is interested in helping can email me and I will be more than happy to provide you with copies of documents from family members and friends attesting to the changes I have made in life, emails, text messages etc. Before these court proceedings began, my Children were eager, loving and willing to talk with me. Since the proceedings began the children have been alienated from me by my Mother and manipulated to the point to where they don\'t talk to me. A little glimmer of hope was that during the first court appearance the judge ordered the children to spend their Spring break with me and that we Skype every night at 7. The first few Skypes went great and the
My Mother\'s goal is to financially exhaust me with court filings, so far she is doing a good job. I have racked up attorney\'s fee\'s way out of my reach and still need to find the money to get to Vegas for Court hearings. (I would be more than happy to share my financial disclosure form with anyone interested in helping).
If anyone out there wants to help or learn more about this case, please feel free to contact me at my email [email redacted] or you can call my attorney\'s office directly and request to make a payment on my behalf. Her name is Audrey Beeson with Webster & Associates and her number is [phone redacted].
Again, thank you for reading my story.
"Love is patient; love is kind
and envies no one.
Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude;
never selfish, not quick to take offense.
There is nothing love cannot face;
there is no limit to its faith,
its hope, and endurance.
In a word, there are three things
that last forever: faith, hope, and love;
but the greatest of them all is love."
