2017 Saturday -- Reunion

Justin and Jade -- Daddy and daughter

These two haven't seen each other (except by FaceTime on the phone) since early August, about 3 1/2 months. Justin is our grandson-in-law and Jade is our 2-year-old great granddaughter.

Our granddaughter, Desiree, has been here in Southern California all this time fighting a custody battle -- to gain back custody of her son Tristan. She got notice mid-summer that Tristan's dad's former girlfriend was going to court to get "official guardianship" of Tristan. About three years ago Desiree lost custody of Tristan to his father Nick when Desiree filed in San Diego court system for custody of Tristan.

Desiree lost custody of Tristan because several years previous to that Des had a couple of DUIs (driving under the influence). Nick used the history of those driving tickets in count against Des, and she lost the custody case because Nick convinced the judge that she was an unfit mother because of those DUIs. Tristan was awarded to his dad Nick, who is basically an unemployed bum, who represented himself well in court.

Nick's girlfriend, Nichol, who is the mom of Tristan's half-brother Jaxon, was with Nick in court that day. Even though she's not been married to Nick, when Nichol & Nick broke-up sometime during the next year, Nichol kept Tristan (she has a home and a job and Tristan's little half-brother, and Nick doesn't).

Meanwhile Desiree has moved to Joplin, Missouri, with her new husband who is a recruiter in the U.S.Navy. Because she is living out-of-state, she felt the court would not rule in her favor for taking Tristan to Missouri. She also knew that Nick & Nichol would lie about their break-up, because neither Nick nor Nichol wanted to lose Tristan to Desiree.

Then, this past summer Nichol filed for guardianship of Tristan and had to reveal in the paperwork that Tristan's dad Nick, is basically a "dead-beat dad" who has no job, has gotten a DUI, and been in a couple drug-rehab programs. That was the factual evidence Desiree needed to re-open the custody case in San Diego. If Desiree did not contest Nichol's request for guardianship, Desiree would lose visitation rights and any chance for custody of her son Tristan (at least that is what Nichol has led Desiree to believe). So Desiree retained an attorney and the battle began.

In August Nichol hid Tristan and would not give him to Desiree even after the San Diego court ruled that Tristan belonged in Desiree's custody. A sheriff had to go to Tristan's school the first day of classes and get him and take him to Desiree.

The court ruled in August that Desiree had full custody, but she had to stay in SoCal for three months so Tristan's dad could make a gradual transition to losing custody of Tristan, who would be moving out-of-state. Nick has had Saturday "supervised visitations" of Tristan at Desiree's maternal grandmother's house, where Desiree, Tristan, and Jade have been staying since August. The "supervised" visitations were because Nick (and Nichol) hid Tristan after the court ordered that Tristan be with his mother. (What a mess!) Nick lives 30 miles from Desiree's grandmother's home, and he has to get a ride there because he has no driver's license because of his driving violations.

Nichol filed her guardianship case in Riverside County, so the San Diego Court's ruling (for some reason) did not over-rule the guardianship case, even though the San Diego judge ruled that Nichol was not to get near Tristan. So Desiree had to go to court in Riverside on November 2 for the "guardianship" case. That case did not get thrown out, but the judge ruled in favor of letting Nichol have her day in court to state her case. That day in court will not be until 2018.

So, Justin flew out from Joplin to spend the Thanksgiving week here and to take his family back to Joplin the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Then sometime in early 2018 Desiree will have to come back for the court hearing in Riverside. We can't even imagine what privileges the judge will award Nichol, who has never even been married to Tristan's dad.

But tonight none of that mattered in the airport when little Jade got to see her Daddy for the first time in 3 1/2 months. The video of that reunion was a tear-jerker!

Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol