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TL;DR: My divorce is final.
The nitty gritty: I hustled to get ready and take the bus down to the King County Courthouse, and arrived about half an hour early. I was told to go to the Family Law Facilitators' office for document review at 1300 before the hearing at 1330. If you'll recall, it was the FLF that freaked me out about my petition a few months back. The dude at the FLF was perfectly pleasant (and maybe gay?) but he did point out something that made my heart skip a beat: there are two places where we were supposed to put that Ex* gets the house, and Ex, who filled out the form, only filled in one of them. I was envisioning losing $374 and over three months, but FLF Guy said that if the judge spotted it and didn't like it, I should come back, and ask for him by name for an "add-on".
Then more waiting, this time right outside the courthouse door. There were, I think, seven other cases that afternoon. A fun fact that I'd forgotten is that judges typically order everyone in their courtrooms to turn off their cell phones. If you go to court and you need to wait, bring a hardcopy book. The first case the judge heard was a lady who needed an interpreter for Spanish. I felt so sad for her when the judge said he couldn't grant her decree because there was no signed proof of service or joinder. I overheard later, though, that he'd just missed it in the thick stack of paperwork. Whew.
I was the second case. The judge swore me in, asked me my full name and a few other easy questions, read my completed findings of fact & decree at a speed that surely only lawyers can muster, either didn't see or didn't care about the missing bit about the house, and signed them. They asked me if I wanted copies**. There's only one right answer to that question ever, so I sat in the lobby & waited for another half hour with everyone else. That's when I nearly cried with relief.
In retrospect, I think the FLF is designed to scare people into getting their paperwork right so the judges can cruise right through it. Sheesh. But I'm done. I. Am. Divorced!
I called Ex from the bus home. She's dealing with rat damage to the house she's about to sell. She's split up the photos. I asked her if she wanted to have a Happy Divorce Dinner with the Wendling & me, but she said she was tired and would rather we just brought back dessert. How... metaphorical.
You know what's next, of course: my Happy Divorce Party will be at the the Wildrose (yeah, again) at 2100 on Saturday, January 23rd. Be there!
ETA SFDs:
*I love typing that. I think I'll type it again. Ex! Ex! Ex!
**Bring cash. They charge an extra $1.49 for card transactions. Ex gets the copy I bought. Since I work so near the courthouse, I can get more easily.
The nitty gritty: I hustled to get ready and take the bus down to the King County Courthouse, and arrived about half an hour early. I was told to go to the Family Law Facilitators' office for document review at 1300 before the hearing at 1330. If you'll recall, it was the FLF that freaked me out about my petition a few months back. The dude at the FLF was perfectly pleasant (and maybe gay?) but he did point out something that made my heart skip a beat: there are two places where we were supposed to put that Ex* gets the house, and Ex, who filled out the form, only filled in one of them. I was envisioning losing $374 and over three months, but FLF Guy said that if the judge spotted it and didn't like it, I should come back, and ask for him by name for an "add-on".
Then more waiting, this time right outside the courthouse door. There were, I think, seven other cases that afternoon. A fun fact that I'd forgotten is that judges typically order everyone in their courtrooms to turn off their cell phones. If you go to court and you need to wait, bring a hardcopy book. The first case the judge heard was a lady who needed an interpreter for Spanish. I felt so sad for her when the judge said he couldn't grant her decree because there was no signed proof of service or joinder. I overheard later, though, that he'd just missed it in the thick stack of paperwork. Whew.
I was the second case. The judge swore me in, asked me my full name and a few other easy questions, read my completed findings of fact & decree at a speed that surely only lawyers can muster, either didn't see or didn't care about the missing bit about the house, and signed them. They asked me if I wanted copies**. There's only one right answer to that question ever, so I sat in the lobby & waited for another half hour with everyone else. That's when I nearly cried with relief.
In retrospect, I think the FLF is designed to scare people into getting their paperwork right so the judges can cruise right through it. Sheesh. But I'm done. I. Am. Divorced!
I called Ex from the bus home. She's dealing with rat damage to the house she's about to sell. She's split up the photos. I asked her if she wanted to have a Happy Divorce Dinner with the Wendling & me, but she said she was tired and would rather we just brought back dessert. How... metaphorical.
You know what's next, of course: my Happy Divorce Party will be at the the Wildrose (yeah, again) at 2100 on Saturday, January 23rd. Be there!
ETA SFDs:
- red turtle neck
- vintage black taffeta & velvet skirt that belonged to
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cupcake_goth & domestinatrix - red & black diamond-patterned tights for warmth
- tall, black riding boots, also for warmth
- all-MAC makeup, designed to make me look younger & more innocent
*I love typing that. I think I'll type it again. Ex! Ex! Ex!
**Bring cash. They charge an extra $1.49 for card transactions. Ex gets the copy I bought. Since I work so near the courthouse, I can get more easily.
