And now.... the REST of the story

Well, I'm sure as you probably guessed..... everything turned out just fine. Will may have been escorting a few foreign dog hairs on his trip home, but other than that he was unscathed - and happy! I have to admit, I was incredibly anxious on my way there to pick him up - I just wanted him back already! And this time, before approaching the property, I took a minute to put on my rose colored glasses.

While I still saw this on the outside,

I tried really hard to see something different on the inside. I kept my head down as I burrowed through the porch to the door, making an effort not to notice anything more than I already had. Inside, I tried to focus on the people living there, NOT the conditions of which they were living. Birthday Boy's mother happily greeted me and answered all of my questions about bedtime, etc with a smile. Two sisters were busy in the kitchen trying to make a 'special surprise' birthday cake for their brother while mom stood guard to block his view - that was pretty sweet. And as I peered in the other room looking for Will, (really trying to ignore the wire pen surrounding the wood stove which was heaped to the top with junk) I was happy to see the Birthday Boy enthusiastically playing with the present we'd brought for him. Will was grinning ear to ear as he repacked his bag to go home. We all exchanged our thank-you's, bid each other good day, and out the door we went. I quizzed Will a bit more after he got in the car, and other than the part where he told me they dined on bacon from a pig that Birthday Boy's dad had shot, it all sounded like a typical slumber party. I slowly backed out of the driveway with my kid and a heavy conscience in tow.

*ugh*