Eulogy for " Little Red Truck"

"Little Red Truck”
June 01, 1996 – March 28, 2007

“LRT” passed on after complications from a motor vehicle accident on March 27th. It was a beloved automobile that was able to provide comfortable travel for many. It was used in countless moves, whether it was for college, to a new apartment or home, or just a random Saturday garbage haul. Its bed was able to transport everything from mattresses, to chairs to office equipment. “ LRT” ran most morning, only needing a few jump starts, battery changes and new tires. In the past year, mostly in recent months,it has be showing its age, needing frequent visits to the shop, but after some minor “surgery” it was back to normal. The sudden passing of this loved Ford, will be greatly missed.

“LRT” is survived by its parents, “The Silver Bullet” and “SSCHMEA”. Siblings “Fluffy”, “Blue-Sun”, and” New Kia”……..along with countless “extended” family

Visitation will be for the next 24 -48 hours at Clive Maaco, then “LRT” will be laid to rest next to “ The G-Ride” and “ Green Lumina”.

Some Bling... and a Crash!!!

So I have been talking about getting engaged for a while now, but with all the stuff going on with Skinny, we have put it off till we were getting to the end of the process. Now that we have talked to his counselor and pretty much know he will be coming home in the next few months and probably will not be going to a half way house..... we can start looking at marriage again. It kind of started about 3 weeks ago, when Skinny got his bonus and his refund.... we had talked about what he was going to do with it..... and maybe it would go towards a ring. It probably wouldn't be enough for the whole thing but close or at least more than half. So jump up to last weekend, we made an appointment to look at rings.... granted we looked at rings last year and I thought I knew what I wanted. But then on Saturday when we went, the jeweler pick out something a little different and I fell in love with it. So now it was just having Skinny put the money down and then having the ring finalized. Which is being done now.....Skinny just needed to speak with my parents. In most cases Skinny is pretty much a "do-it-no- matter- what" kind of person, if he has his mind set to do something. But in the case of us getting married, he wanted to sit down with my parents and ask, kind of old-fashion, but I think it was nice since my parents have done a lot for us in the past. Which he did on Sunday...he was a little nervous and he needed to wait till everyone left from dinner. But about 1/2 an hour before we needed to leave he was able to sit down and talk to them... along with give them a little detail on what we had in mind. So we are really set now to get engage. Now I just have to wait to see when he gets down on one knee and asks me. I'm hoping it is soon.... like by my birthday... which would mean I would only have to wait 21 days. I guess we will see....cause i'm not really that paitent when I know something big is coming.
On a different front.... I got into a car accident yesterday. I was on my lunch break and had a craving for a milk shake so I headed over to McDonald's. I was getting ready to turn into he parking lot and was hit.... it took off my grill and the passenger side head lights.... along with bending the bumper into the passenger side front wheel. No one was hurt and the other car had a little less damage. But still the whole thing was scary. Now I'm just waiting to see what the insurance company will say about getting the car fixed. You see it is a 1997 Ford Ranger, so it is only worth a couple of thousand dollars.... now the damage might be more than that. I just hope they want to pay to fix it and not just to totally it... so I have to get a new car or new insurance. I guess we will see. Still this is the first accident I have ever had... and I have been driving almost 20 years... so that it not too bad.....One thing that did bother me is that it took the police 45 minutes to an hour to show up. I mean... yes... no one was hurt but we were blocking traffic in the parking lot and you would think that on a Tuesday afternoon, they wouldn't be busy.... but who knows. I guess our little problem.... was not that important. I guess I should complain, since after the police left, I still had to wait another 45 minutes for the tow truck to show up. Once I got the car to the auto body shop.... I was just happy and relieved to be done with the day.

Surgery in on the horizon

So I have been talking about it for a year now, that I'm going to have jaw surgery. First was the load of appointments to make sure it would be a good thing for me, then it was making sure that my insurance would cover it, next it was making the time to start the process. Well in the last 12 months I have gotten the braces to get my teeth ready, lived through nights of pain and days of not wanting it eat anything but jello, along with hearing how much better I will feel when it is all over. Now there is finally light at the end of the tunnel....... about 2 weeks ago I went to my oral surgeon, since I'm almost ready to have the surgery, he hadn't seen me since last Feb. The first thing he said was, " you have lost weight and look good" , which made me happy since there is something good coming out of it now... even before the procedure. Next he looked in my mouth and confirmed that it was about that time, to set the date. He still wanted to look at the molds my orthodontist sent him, but still he was sure in the next month or so, it would be time. As I said that was 2 weeks ago, when I left the office, he promised me, I would hear back from him in a few days. So I waited, Thursday rolled around ( I had seen the surgeon on Monday), still nothing and I had an appointment to get my braces tighten. When I walked into the orthodontist's office, the first thing he said was, " I'm so sorry about the mix up" To which I replied,"what are you talking about?" He then told me that he had gotten the molds ready and sent them to the wrong office, but that they were with my surgeon now. Which then explained why I still hadn't heard anything from Dr. S( surgeon). So i waited again, thinking I would get a call early last week, nothing, so last Thursday I call Dr. S and a bubble girl gets on the phone and tells me that everything was reviewed but since the insurance was confirmed last year and we are in a new benefit year, it needs to be done again. "side Note" I work with insurance and I hear how people go crazy with getting things like this set up... now I know the feeling. Anyway, the girl on the phone told me I would get a call later that day or the next for the " insurance lady" once she confirmed it was a go with the carrier. Come Monday morning I didn't hear anything, so in the afternoon I called. Got the "insurance lady" or the person who was confirming my plan, she said she hadn't gotten around to calling the carrier yet. So again I needed to just wait a couple of hours and I would get a call back. Jump ahead to yesterday... which was 2 days later... I finally get a message saying, yes my insurance is approving the surgery and now they just need to set the date..... only problem....the surgeon is on vacation this week and I will have to wait ( again) till next week for the date. This waiting is killing me.... but at least I know now that everything is set..... well almost everything. Once I get the date of the surgery, I still have to make a pre-op mini physical with my regular doctor, have a pre-op appointment with the surgeon, get the paperwork in for STD and FLMA, plus make sure that my family can take care of me, since Skinny will still be in the Fort, probably. Hopefully I will have the surgery in Early may cause if I wait to much longer... it just might run into when Rands will be having her baby. Not to mention that THE MOTHER, has decided to have her foot surgery, she has been putting off the years.... at the same time. It will be great... I won't be able to talk and she won't be able to walk. I sure hope Howie is ready for this and has a lot of valium.

Mini Me.......

In my last update I told you that Rands and The Beau are waiting for the arrival of their little bundle of joy... who is going to be a girl. But the canine stork has also brought them a little boy as well. He is the mini version of Louie, their older dog. Actually this new one has come from the exact same breeders and for that matter the exact same mom and dad as Louie. Let me tell you he is a carbon copy of his older counterpart. Rands took pictures of him and you could interchange Louie's puppy pictures with Fred's ( that is the puppy's name). So anyway they picked him up on Sunday and he is a little bundle of fun. Now Louie just has to get used to him. I kind of think my sister is crazy for getting a puppy now, but then again hopefulyl it will help Louie calm down for the new human baby. It was funny, Skinny was home from the Fort for the weekend and he even said we could have taken him, if Rands didn't want the puppy. Problem would have been that our apartment complex does allow dogs. But then again we could have started to look for a new place. We both know we want a dog when we move, so it is only a matter of time now.
To change the subject, I thought I would talk get a issue that I have been rolling around in my head for the last couple of days..... you know that A.B. got married a few months ago and he is going to have a baby. Well his wife or maybe he is on his own starting to change ideas of how this baby is going to be raised. When he first started dating Big L., he supposedly told her, he wanted to raise his children Jewish, then when she got pregnant he said it again.... of course I was not there for this talk but that is what he is telling us ( his family). So in January they find out that they are having a boy.... and names start to be thrown around.... specifically using my brother's middle name as the baby's middle name, which in the Jewish religion is a BIG NO-NO. My brother says he didn't know this.... but he was brought up just like my sister and I, so I have no clue how he didn't know this. It has been a point of contention with our family since Jan, but nothing is being said till they really decide on names. Although there are a big freud back in month or so ago when The mother found out and kind of freak out on Big L., which in turn made A.B. freak out on The mother. It was a big deal, but has died down, since everyone is busy. But there are other issues that are starting to arise.... like having the baby circumcised in the hospital, instead of a bris ( a Jewish ceremony). This is basically the start of many things the child will go thru to be raised Jewish, but is something that They( A.B. and Big L.) ae not going to do...... It is just very weird that all these things that A.B. said he wanted a year ago are being changed. I know I don't have kids, so I'm not the best to be speaking.... but it seems like he says one thing and is doing a totally different thing. I just wish he would be honest with us... instead of trying to sweep it under the rug. I know he doesn't want to cause waves with his wife or with his family, but if he doesn't stand up for what he wants, then he might just lose a part of himself that is extremely important......and will never be able to get it back. I just hope he realizes what he is doing before it is too late. I want to sit him down and say something.... but I'm afraid he won't take me seriously..... guess we will wait and see what will happen.

1 year ago.........

So a year ago I started this blog.... and I have talked about food, money, weight,fashion.... and the lives of my family and me. Looking back there has been a lot discussed.... some funny, some sad and some just informational. All in all it has been a good year. I can truly say I am in a better place then I was last year and I think most of the people around me are too. I figured I would just give a quick update for those who need it:

"As the World tilts"............... it has been a few months since our last episode.... but we join the SMCMc family in the month of March.... the weather outside is getting warmer and things inside are calm for the time.... The Mother and Howie are working through the last weeks of tax season, they have many long nights ahead of them. But know that with the money coming in it will be Grandparent time before they know it and have lots to spend on the little tykes. The mother has put her knitting on hold till the April 15th, but she will be back with vengence getting those baby blankets done , so those new borns can be wrapped up cute. Rands and The Beau are excitedly waiting the arrival of their first child.... after a couple of years of trying. They will be welcoming a new little girl in 2 months or so. On a whim, they have also decided to add a new little boy to their family.... yes he is four legged and furry but will be loved just as much as their other children. Amid the excited and winter weather, Rands has broken her foot and tail bone.... she is coping pretty well... with everything. Thank goodness she only has 4 more weeks of tax season, then she can focus on all baby stuff and puppy training. The Beau is dragging his feet on household projects, but he know that his time is limited as the due date for the baby gets closer. Hopefully he will get help from his brother in law. Speaking of A.B., he and Big L., they are also getting prepared for a bundle of joy. They are having a bouncing baby boy. It will be nice to have one of each in a matter of months. They have been frantically fixing flooring and pulling up carpet. They are almost ready for painting and then a huge deep clean of the place.... all will be done before the baby is born. Big L. has a list for each weekend..... and A. B. is working his best to have everything done by the first of April. You will have to stay tuned in to see if he makes it. I have a feeling there will be a lot of late night painting, cleaning and fixing "parties" to meet the deadline. Skinny is getting to the end of his Fort time.... with entering into Phase 3, he has probably 2 more months to go. Which means our prediction of a May graduation will come true. The last big huddle should be tonight, with our meeting of the dread counselor. He will decide whether Skinny comes home right after the fort or he goes to a half way house. We are hope for a smooth transition home... but we are getting ready for any surprises. I'm in the final stages of getting ready for my jaw surgery, after suffering for 8 1/2 months of braces, I'm to the point of making a date for the hospital stay.... and.... it will be here before we know it. I really can't wait to get it over with, it just seems like such a long time that I have been working on it.
So as we wrap up this update..... the world is not so tilted today... rather...... spinning in control for the moment.... but stay tuned... you never know when it will start sliding to the left or right again.

Doggie Sitting

So I have talked about how much we think our dogs are furry people..... so the Mother, Howie and Rands are on a business trip to NY and then the Beau is in Boston. Since A.B. and Big L..... are busy.... I got picked to watch the furry "children." It's been awhile since I have watch Murray... and I haven't had the chance to watch both Louie and Murray at the same time, so I looked at it as an adventure. I got to the parentals on Saturday and the "baby sitting" started. It's like I have 2 kids, Louie follows me around and must be with me every moment, then Murray is more relaxed....since it is "his" house but can be very demanding. As I told you before Murray was sick and he is getting better. Although now he is on a very specific schedule..... for eating. He has to get fed 4 times a day, a little wet food and a little hard food. now since Louie is here.... he has to get fed at the same time... or there are issues. Only problem is they have to eat different food... so it was little scary the first time I put the food down. But then I figured out that if I make both bowls at once and put them down at the same time.... everything is fine. We have been doing pretty good.... only one accident.... which I think was cause Murray ate a tissue yesterday, then again who knows. Plus I tried to sleep in a little on Sunday morning and didn't fed Murray at his normal time, so he got sick on the bed.... good thing The parentals have more then 1 washer and dryer. But after a load of 2 everything was back to normal
Last night I got the great idea to take the "boys" for a ride in the car, when I had to take Skinny back to the fort..... BIG MISTAKE.... Murray was fine ... he loves riding in the car... but Louie.... was a different story. He hates small spaces, so I figured he would be good in the Mother's van... so he could walk around. He was fine for a while...but he has doggie ADD....so he was running around the back of the van, then when the car stopped at the fort he tried to claw his way out. Good thing we got there early and had a leash for him. skinny got out of the car to smoke 1 last cigarette and talk to me for a little bit more before he had to go inside..... he took Louie and let him run around for a little bit. Which did work,since once Louie got back in the car he was fine..... well until we were about 3 minutes from the house.... then he started to freak out again....he was pacing and crying..... he tried to climb on top of Murray to see out the window. it was insane.... how fast he got crazy. I really don't know how Rands does it all the time. I think I might get him some doggie ritalin. Also I get the wonderful pleasure of sleeping with the dogs.... you would be surprise how much space 2-35 lbs. animals take up in a bed. There is almost no room for me.... and it is in a queen size bed..... I have been woken up a couple times a night.... when they need to move. Not to mention they bark at everything.... i will be happy when the Beau comes home on Thursday... so then I only have to deal with 1 bed hog.... then. Still the whole thing has been easy, I don't have cable at home,so at the parentals I have been able to watch some cool stuff... and there is a ton of food...so I didn't have to worry about grocery shopping. All in all it is a pretty good gig.
On another front I went to the oral surgeon.... and thought I was going to be able to schedule my surgery..... but they couldn't find my mold of my teeth that the orthodontist sent over last month... so once then find them and look at them.... then I can schedule..... still shooting for late April/early May. I did find out I will only have to be out of work for 2 weeks maybe...... that's if everything goes as planned. Right now Dr. S is planning on only having to move my top jaw, and not have to wire my month shut... then I would have my month rudder banded... and should be able to start talking after a day or so. Only 1 night in the hospital... hopefully too. But it will all depend once he gets into my month and see what he needs to do. Now the worse case, would be.... he would have to move my top and bottom jaw,plus my chin.. then wire my month shut.... so I'm hoping for the easier surgery and only 6 weeks of liquid or soft food. I guess we will see how the surgery goes and also once the doc has a little more information.
Skinny has 48 hours now for his furloughs..... but we haven't really been able to spend more then a night together...since I have the doggie watching thing.... but then again we will have a bunch of weekends to do that. I just talked to him and he took his Phase 3 test... and passed... so He is just that much closer to graduating. He tells me that most people are only there another 2-3 months once they get into Phase3... so it looks like the plan of graduating in the end of May... really might come true... I guess we will see.