Johanna Faith Lucia for real

This morning Johanna and I were scheduled for a hearing before Judge Sanders for her legal name change. My sister Brenda was going with us so we were going to pick her up at her husband's new coffee shop. As Johanna and I were walking the sidewalk to the coffee shop a nicely dressed gentleman came out. He stopped to say hi to Johanna and asked if she was going to get some coffee. I told him we were going to court. The gentleman asked what for and I told him a name change. He replied, "Oh, you will be before me." Yes, it was Judge Sanders. We talked for a few minutes and I told him about the adoption.

The "hearing" was really nothing. Judge Sanders called us to a small table and read through the paper I had filled out. He also looked at Ana Lucia's birth certificate from Guatemala and checked for my name. I had to write out Johanna's full name for him. He wanted to make sure he wrote it correctly so we "won't have to do it again."

When we were finished Judge Sanders said he wanted to show us something in the hall. I couldn't imagine what is could be. He pulled a rubber duck from his pocket for Johanna. He said he hadn't brought enough for everyone and there were two other children in the court room.

That was it. I really wanted something formal and ceremonial. Oh well. Johanna fell asleep on the way home . . . with the duck.