SuperDaddy
...or, My Life Bites
I guess it's only fair. However, it still came as a shock to me when Spanky decided this week, during his stay at MUSC, that he preferred Daddy over Mommy. When did this happen?! As best as I can tell, it went something like this...
Jan 11 - Spanky turned 13
Jan 11 + 3 seconds - Spanky decided Daddy was the parent of choice
Now this was a difficult thing for me. Let's face it: I've always been the favorite. (Before you start sending in nasty comments, SH would agree with this point, so it's not like I'm stating anything but fact there.)
Anyway, Spanky never really went to sleep after his surgery Monday night. He rested when they gave him pain medicine, but he never really slept. And when I tried to send SH home for a nap and a shower on day 2, Spanky really threw a fit. He allowed SH to leave, but under much protest. Then the nurse came in and suggested we change his gown. Bad idea. I tried talking sense to him. I tried consoling him. Nothing. Then he said something that almost made me laugh. Or cry. Or cuss.
"I need Daddy. He has EXPERIENCE with this sort of thing."
EXCUSE ME?!?!?
In my ever sweet, loving way, I asked my son who the heck he thought took care of Daddy when HE has surgery. Then came blow # 2. "He takes care of himself." OUCH.
It really took everything I had in me not to lecture him right then and there. He was incapicitated, so he would have had to have listened. I opted for a mere "Kid, you need to face reality" and moved on. Still, it stung.
Spanky has been at MUSC since Monday afternoon. Yes, for those counting, that's 4 days - for a normally 24-hour operation. I have had plenty of time to wallow in self-pity this week concerning the things my child has said to me. I am quite sure he never would have done that if he'd had surgery before he was a teenager.
Meanwhile, he probably gets to come home tomorrow, providing his colon wakes up. All other signs of "issues" have left the Spankster, so we're well on the way to "normal" (whatever that is!)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Like Father, Like Son
Let's cut to the chase: right now it is 1:30 a.m., and if you know anything about me, you're wondering what on earth I'm doing up at such an ungodly hour. Well, I'll tell you. We've been at MUSC all day with Spanky - having his appendix removed.
Honestly.
It all started about 2 hours after he returned from a weekend youth retreat at church. Apparently Scott can take him away for a week at a time, three years in a row, but give him to Mike and Ernest for 48 hours and he comes back in need of having parts removed.
He came home and was starving. So we fed the boy. We're good parents like that. A couple of hours later, he's laying on the sofa, moaning. He is nothing if not a Drama King. SuperHubby banished him to the upstairs because, frankly, the moaning gets old pretty quickly. An hour later, he barfs all over the bathroom (walls, tub, floor, you name it. It was ugly. And no, I did NOT clean it up. That's SH's job. My job is snot.)
Then Spanky goes to bed. Forever. He doesn't move. This is not good. I figure he's just really tired from barfing all that nastiness up and being awake all weekend on his retreat. But this morning, he fell asleep on his floor and didn't move. All day. I explained to SuperHubby my fear: because of the moaning and major showboating, I have always had this fear that the child will have appendicitis but we'll think it's just a hangnail and ignore it. And we almost did.
But we called the doctor and they saw him; then they sent him to MUSC to "rule out" appendicitis. Three doctors later, they'd ruled it IN and were planning on surgery. The big problem? I was stranded at home because SH had taken my car - because his car was in dire straights. Now who wants to be a Fitzgerald?
I called everyone I knew. I couldn't get anyone on the phone. And frankly, I was a little frantic. Not nearly as calm as when its SH on the table. I finally got the Smurf and she came and ran me to the ER and took FrogBoy to spend the night with her. Then we spent the next several hours waiting through a gunshot wound and a pediatric heart transplant, which pretty much bummed me out.
Other than the resident who felt compelled to discuss the possible complications of surgery while standing over my 13-year-old's bed, the entire staff was fantastic. Spanky did great and came through like a trooper. I was really proud of him. And man, did he look like his daddy. If SH hadn't been sitting next to me, I would have sworn it was him in that bed.
And so ends another exciting day in the Fitzgerald household. It is January 21 and we have met our $5500 family deductible already. I discovered that my son can be very brave when he has to be, and I am extremely proud of the way he handled himself throughout the whole ordeal. And like I told him earlier (when he was still dopey and probably won't remember it) - he can hold this over our heads for the rest of our lives. We kind of thought he was just being dramatic.
Let's cut to the chase: right now it is 1:30 a.m., and if you know anything about me, you're wondering what on earth I'm doing up at such an ungodly hour. Well, I'll tell you. We've been at MUSC all day with Spanky - having his appendix removed.
Honestly.
It all started about 2 hours after he returned from a weekend youth retreat at church. Apparently Scott can take him away for a week at a time, three years in a row, but give him to Mike and Ernest for 48 hours and he comes back in need of having parts removed.
He came home and was starving. So we fed the boy. We're good parents like that. A couple of hours later, he's laying on the sofa, moaning. He is nothing if not a Drama King. SuperHubby banished him to the upstairs because, frankly, the moaning gets old pretty quickly. An hour later, he barfs all over the bathroom (walls, tub, floor, you name it. It was ugly. And no, I did NOT clean it up. That's SH's job. My job is snot.)
Then Spanky goes to bed. Forever. He doesn't move. This is not good. I figure he's just really tired from barfing all that nastiness up and being awake all weekend on his retreat. But this morning, he fell asleep on his floor and didn't move. All day. I explained to SuperHubby my fear: because of the moaning and major showboating, I have always had this fear that the child will have appendicitis but we'll think it's just a hangnail and ignore it. And we almost did.
But we called the doctor and they saw him; then they sent him to MUSC to "rule out" appendicitis. Three doctors later, they'd ruled it IN and were planning on surgery. The big problem? I was stranded at home because SH had taken my car - because his car was in dire straights. Now who wants to be a Fitzgerald?
I called everyone I knew. I couldn't get anyone on the phone. And frankly, I was a little frantic. Not nearly as calm as when its SH on the table. I finally got the Smurf and she came and ran me to the ER and took FrogBoy to spend the night with her. Then we spent the next several hours waiting through a gunshot wound and a pediatric heart transplant, which pretty much bummed me out.
Other than the resident who felt compelled to discuss the possible complications of surgery while standing over my 13-year-old's bed, the entire staff was fantastic. Spanky did great and came through like a trooper. I was really proud of him. And man, did he look like his daddy. If SH hadn't been sitting next to me, I would have sworn it was him in that bed.
And so ends another exciting day in the Fitzgerald household. It is January 21 and we have met our $5500 family deductible already. I discovered that my son can be very brave when he has to be, and I am extremely proud of the way he handled himself throughout the whole ordeal. And like I told him earlier (when he was still dopey and probably won't remember it) - he can hold this over our heads for the rest of our lives. We kind of thought he was just being dramatic.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
That's AUNT GOOFBALL, Thank You Very Much
Somehow I have gone from being a cute, sassy, queen-of-it-all to being a giant gooberhead in a single week. I expect geekdome from The Professor; I really didn't think I'd be joining in at such a young age.
I tried to figure out when it started. I think it may have been last week. SuperHubby was unable to take Spanky and some buddies to see I Am Legend for Spanky's birthday. I figured that wouldn't be an issue. I really wanted to see the movie myself, so I invited The Professor to join me and we just punted. No biggie.
Until I mentioned it to Spanky. Apparently it was okay for Daddy to sit in the same auditorium as the boys, and it was fine if Uncle Larry sat in the same ROW as them, but when I mentioned I was going, the child thought I was smoking crack. I finally had to promise to merely fork over about $100 for their tickets and snacks, then act like I didn't know them for the next 2 hours. I could feel the love.
Then on Monday of this week, SuperHubby's younger sister had a baby. For those keeping track at home, this makes me an aunt for the 11th time. As of a year and a half ago, I am also a great-aunt. Now I realize that the major factor in this is SuperHubby and his weirdo family. There are 5 kids, with a 17-year age gap between the first and the last, which makes for a lot of nieces and nephews. With the Salleys, 2 kids was a big family, so I'm still a little amazed that I have 11 little people calling me Aunt Lori.
Then last night came. The final straw. My oldest nephew from my brother and sis-in-law was in his school's middle school play. Actually, he was the main character. Other than Annie, but I think that was just an oversight. They play really should have been called Daddy Warbucks and some Random Orphan. But I digress.
So we go to the play, he's amazing, and everything seems fine. I mean, I teared up a few times during the play, but I regained my composure pretty well. Plus it was dark, which always helps when you're about to embarrass yourself.
After the play, we all gathered around to tell him how great he did. And somehow, at that moment in my life, I went from totally cool to totally NOT in 0.4 seconds flat. I started bawling like a baby. I couldn't talk. Poor kid was patting me on the back and telling me it was okay and probably wondering what the heck my problem was. I tried to compose myself and just lost it again completely. I'm misting up even now.
I think the problem started when he allowed me to hug him. In public. He's 14, so that alone explains that statement. But somehow, when I watched him on that stage and then later told him how proud I was of him, the only image I could conjure up in my mind was April 8, 1994, when SuperHubby and I drove to Columbia and I held my brother's hours-old firstborn child.
Our kids are growing up. Spanky is already 13 and FrogBoy will be 10 in June. What I wouldn't give for a magic pill that would allow them to stay little forever.
Somehow I have gone from being a cute, sassy, queen-of-it-all to being a giant gooberhead in a single week. I expect geekdome from The Professor; I really didn't think I'd be joining in at such a young age.
I tried to figure out when it started. I think it may have been last week. SuperHubby was unable to take Spanky and some buddies to see I Am Legend for Spanky's birthday. I figured that wouldn't be an issue. I really wanted to see the movie myself, so I invited The Professor to join me and we just punted. No biggie.
Until I mentioned it to Spanky. Apparently it was okay for Daddy to sit in the same auditorium as the boys, and it was fine if Uncle Larry sat in the same ROW as them, but when I mentioned I was going, the child thought I was smoking crack. I finally had to promise to merely fork over about $100 for their tickets and snacks, then act like I didn't know them for the next 2 hours. I could feel the love.
Then on Monday of this week, SuperHubby's younger sister had a baby. For those keeping track at home, this makes me an aunt for the 11th time. As of a year and a half ago, I am also a great-aunt. Now I realize that the major factor in this is SuperHubby and his weirdo family. There are 5 kids, with a 17-year age gap between the first and the last, which makes for a lot of nieces and nephews. With the Salleys, 2 kids was a big family, so I'm still a little amazed that I have 11 little people calling me Aunt Lori.
Then last night came. The final straw. My oldest nephew from my brother and sis-in-law was in his school's middle school play. Actually, he was the main character. Other than Annie, but I think that was just an oversight. They play really should have been called Daddy Warbucks and some Random Orphan. But I digress.
So we go to the play, he's amazing, and everything seems fine. I mean, I teared up a few times during the play, but I regained my composure pretty well. Plus it was dark, which always helps when you're about to embarrass yourself.
After the play, we all gathered around to tell him how great he did. And somehow, at that moment in my life, I went from totally cool to totally NOT in 0.4 seconds flat. I started bawling like a baby. I couldn't talk. Poor kid was patting me on the back and telling me it was okay and probably wondering what the heck my problem was. I tried to compose myself and just lost it again completely. I'm misting up even now.
I think the problem started when he allowed me to hug him. In public. He's 14, so that alone explains that statement. But somehow, when I watched him on that stage and then later told him how proud I was of him, the only image I could conjure up in my mind was April 8, 1994, when SuperHubby and I drove to Columbia and I held my brother's hours-old firstborn child.
Our kids are growing up. Spanky is already 13 and FrogBoy will be 10 in June. What I wouldn't give for a magic pill that would allow them to stay little forever.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Spanky Update
A couple of days ago I posted about Spanky getting in trouble at school. He's been sweating bullets ever since. After torturing the kid for almost a week, the school finally called me today. It was all I could do to remain calm during the conversation with the woman who called me.
Apparently, several 13-year-old boys were doing what 13-year-old boys do: they were talking when they were told specifically not to talk. Okay, I'm fine with that. I'm even 100% fine with punishing them for their crime. However, I think the school may have gone just a bit overboard.
There are 5 possible punishments when you receive a referral. They are:
1. Lunch detention
2. After school detention
3. Saturday school
4. In school suspension
5. Out of school suspension
I knew there was no way they'd go nutso and suspend the boys, so I figured I'd flow with whatever punishment was doled out. Then the office clerk called me. She made the crime sound very serious. She even sounded a little disappointed when I told her that Spanky had confessed the entire thing to us last week. I think she was hoping to get him in trouble.
Then she said, "Since I don't know who did what, I'm punishing them all the same. I didn't want to give them ISS (in school suspension), so I'm giving them all Saturday school. This Saturday."
Okay, the kid broke the rules. He talked when he wasn't supposed to. But Saturday school? For that?! Seriously, aren't there more serious things happening in school that deserve that punishment? What do they do when they catch someone doing something BAD? I mean, this was his first infraction, and not all that serious, by the way, and they act like he committed a cardinal sin.
I promptly informed the office clerk that he would NOT be serving Saturday school this weekend, as he is going out of town with his church youth group. I did agree to have him serve the next time they have it, which is in 2 weeks. I figure maybe he'll learn his lesson and we can prevent this scenario from repeating itself.
Meanwhile, I tell SuperHubby about it and he wants to know if we can appeal the ruling. This is only humorous if you know us, since I'm usually the one arguing for the boy and SH is usually the one saying "MORE PUNISHMENT!!"
Spanky's biggest complaint wasn't Saturday school...it was that they ALSO said he dared another kid to bite his finger. And so ends another dramatic evening in the Spankster's life.
A couple of days ago I posted about Spanky getting in trouble at school. He's been sweating bullets ever since. After torturing the kid for almost a week, the school finally called me today. It was all I could do to remain calm during the conversation with the woman who called me.
Apparently, several 13-year-old boys were doing what 13-year-old boys do: they were talking when they were told specifically not to talk. Okay, I'm fine with that. I'm even 100% fine with punishing them for their crime. However, I think the school may have gone just a bit overboard.
There are 5 possible punishments when you receive a referral. They are:
1. Lunch detention
2. After school detention
3. Saturday school
4. In school suspension
5. Out of school suspension
I knew there was no way they'd go nutso and suspend the boys, so I figured I'd flow with whatever punishment was doled out. Then the office clerk called me. She made the crime sound very serious. She even sounded a little disappointed when I told her that Spanky had confessed the entire thing to us last week. I think she was hoping to get him in trouble.
Then she said, "Since I don't know who did what, I'm punishing them all the same. I didn't want to give them ISS (in school suspension), so I'm giving them all Saturday school. This Saturday."
Okay, the kid broke the rules. He talked when he wasn't supposed to. But Saturday school? For that?! Seriously, aren't there more serious things happening in school that deserve that punishment? What do they do when they catch someone doing something BAD? I mean, this was his first infraction, and not all that serious, by the way, and they act like he committed a cardinal sin.
I promptly informed the office clerk that he would NOT be serving Saturday school this weekend, as he is going out of town with his church youth group. I did agree to have him serve the next time they have it, which is in 2 weeks. I figure maybe he'll learn his lesson and we can prevent this scenario from repeating itself.
Meanwhile, I tell SuperHubby about it and he wants to know if we can appeal the ruling. This is only humorous if you know us, since I'm usually the one arguing for the boy and SH is usually the one saying "MORE PUNISHMENT!!"
Spanky's biggest complaint wasn't Saturday school...it was that they ALSO said he dared another kid to bite his finger. And so ends another dramatic evening in the Spankster's life.
Friday, January 11, 2008
13
Today is Spanky's 13th birthday. There is no possible way that this can be true, and yet that's what the calendar tells me.
For those who don't know the story, I had a seizure when I was 35 weeks pregnant with Spanky. Never had one before, but boy did I do it right the first time. I went into labor. When we got to the hospital (I was at work, and they weren't exceptionally bright people, so it took a few minutes) I had another seizure...and we both stopped breathing. We almost died.
After an emergency C-section, I spent the next 2 days in la-la land. When I woke up, I didn't even remember being pregnant (it came back to me after they told me I had a baby). Spanky spent a week in neonatal ICU. It was a rough week. Poor SuperHubby had to deal with all that and family too.
So this year, as I wallow in self-pity over how old I must be to have a 13-year-old, I have to thank God that He saved us. I tried saving some pix but apparently I'm not smart enough to make my computer work; sevearal weeks ago I screwed it up and things haven't been the same with posting since.
Anyway, happy birthday Spanky. I will show off your baby pictures another day.
Today is Spanky's 13th birthday. There is no possible way that this can be true, and yet that's what the calendar tells me.
For those who don't know the story, I had a seizure when I was 35 weeks pregnant with Spanky. Never had one before, but boy did I do it right the first time. I went into labor. When we got to the hospital (I was at work, and they weren't exceptionally bright people, so it took a few minutes) I had another seizure...and we both stopped breathing. We almost died.
After an emergency C-section, I spent the next 2 days in la-la land. When I woke up, I didn't even remember being pregnant (it came back to me after they told me I had a baby). Spanky spent a week in neonatal ICU. It was a rough week. Poor SuperHubby had to deal with all that and family too.
So this year, as I wallow in self-pity over how old I must be to have a 13-year-old, I have to thank God that He saved us. I tried saving some pix but apparently I'm not smart enough to make my computer work; sevearal weeks ago I screwed it up and things haven't been the same with posting since.
Anyway, happy birthday Spanky. I will show off your baby pictures another day.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Trouble with a Capital "S"
Spanky really stepped in it this time, friends. He comes home from school this afternoon, and with the most serious face he can muster, tells SuperHubby, "I have something to tell you." Uh-oh.
That's when the waterworks started. There was major snottage. He cried like a little girl. (Later, when I pointed this out, he told me he cried "like a man." I had to remind him that men don't cry like that - ever.)
Seems the Spankster got a referral at school. Two days before his big birthday. Not good timing. The best he can tell us is that he was talking in class when his teacher was out and she says she warned them that if they got written down for disobeying the substitute, they would get a referral. So his very serious reasoning for the referral was "But I didn't hear her say that!"
The child was hysterical. I thought he might hyperventilate. We asked what the punishment was. He had no idea. So I called the school. Apparently it can range from lunch detention to full-blown suspension. And my child, who has never been in BIG TROUBLE at school, is completely confident that they are kicking him out. For talking in class. Four months ago. (Yes, this happened at the beginning of the year, and the teacher is just now doling out the referrals. I don't quite understand that, but she just had a baby - 4 months ago - so maybe she's sleep deprived.)
Being totally awesome parents, SH and I informed Spankarooni that he would have to serve his punishment - because he did break the rules - but that we were sure the school wouldn't go overboard with said punishment. SH - in a great moment of parenting - asked what lesson had been learned. Spanky said he learned not to talk in class. Not wanting to leave well enough alone, I chimed in and asked what OTHER lesson he'd learned. Apparently he'd learned to give his mother a blank stare. I finally shared with him that he should obey the rules, whether he's reminded to or not. He and SH both looked at me like I had barfed up a unicycle on the living room carpet, but I thought it was good. SH took my first answer anyway.
So goes another day in the Fitzgerald household. I'm still waiting on my call from the school to tell me about my child's horrible infraction against humankind. I hope I can act upset when they call.
Spanky really stepped in it this time, friends. He comes home from school this afternoon, and with the most serious face he can muster, tells SuperHubby, "I have something to tell you." Uh-oh.
That's when the waterworks started. There was major snottage. He cried like a little girl. (Later, when I pointed this out, he told me he cried "like a man." I had to remind him that men don't cry like that - ever.)
Seems the Spankster got a referral at school. Two days before his big birthday. Not good timing. The best he can tell us is that he was talking in class when his teacher was out and she says she warned them that if they got written down for disobeying the substitute, they would get a referral. So his very serious reasoning for the referral was "But I didn't hear her say that!"
The child was hysterical. I thought he might hyperventilate. We asked what the punishment was. He had no idea. So I called the school. Apparently it can range from lunch detention to full-blown suspension. And my child, who has never been in BIG TROUBLE at school, is completely confident that they are kicking him out. For talking in class. Four months ago. (Yes, this happened at the beginning of the year, and the teacher is just now doling out the referrals. I don't quite understand that, but she just had a baby - 4 months ago - so maybe she's sleep deprived.)
Being totally awesome parents, SH and I informed Spankarooni that he would have to serve his punishment - because he did break the rules - but that we were sure the school wouldn't go overboard with said punishment. SH - in a great moment of parenting - asked what lesson had been learned. Spanky said he learned not to talk in class. Not wanting to leave well enough alone, I chimed in and asked what OTHER lesson he'd learned. Apparently he'd learned to give his mother a blank stare. I finally shared with him that he should obey the rules, whether he's reminded to or not. He and SH both looked at me like I had barfed up a unicycle on the living room carpet, but I thought it was good. SH took my first answer anyway.
So goes another day in the Fitzgerald household. I'm still waiting on my call from the school to tell me about my child's horrible infraction against humankind. I hope I can act upset when they call.
If Ignorance is Bliss...
...then the people at my drugstore must be absofreakinlutely giddy.
We just went to a high deductible health insurance plan at the church. That means that we have to pay for our prescriptions and/or doctor visits, etc. until we reach our deductible. So of course, last night I had to refill my prescription.
You would think this would be an easy task. Not so. Following is the actual conversation I had with the pharmacy tech...
Pharmacy Tech: "Do you have insurance?"
Me: "Yes, but we just changed to a different plan, and we don't have the cards yet."
Pharmacy Tech: "We don't have any record of your insurance."
Me: "Right. It's a high deductible policy, so I have to pay for the prescription."
Pharmacy Tech: "Well then you're going to have to pay cash for it."
Me (thinking): Why would I have to pay CASH? Could I not give them my debit card? And didn't she just repeat what I just said?
Me (out loud): "Okay. How much is it?"
Pharmacy Tech: "Well, we didn't really have all of your prescription."
Me: "How much do you have?"
Pharmacy Tech: "20 pills."
Me: "I take 300 pills a month. That's only 2 days worth."
At this point, the Pharmacy Manager came over, because apparently I had used up my allotted time in the drive thru.
Me: "I need to know how much my prescription costs."
Pharmacy Manager: "Oh, I can't tell you that until I bill you."
Me: "Okay."
Pharmacy Manager: "I can't bill you until I have the full amount of your prescription. It's the law."
Me: "Okay. Can I get the 20 pills you have. I really need the prescription."
Pharmacy Manager: "Okay."
Me: "And can you tell me how much it will be each month?"
(This was apparently the wrong question, as he looked like his head might explode.
Pharmacy Manager: "Well, I really can't tell you until I bill it, but I'd guess about $300 a month."
(Okay, so now we're just guessing. Nice.)
Me: "Online it said it would cost about $200 a month."
Pharmacy Manager: "I dunno."
Me: "Okay. Can you at least increase your monthly order to include my prescription. I have been coming here for several months and you never have the full amount of my prescription. In fact, you usually only have a couple of days worth."
Pharmacy Manager: "I dunno. I guess I can try to up the order, I'm not sure."
(Okay, seriously, who made THIS GUY manager?)
Bottom line, I ended up leaving the pharmacy with 2 days of my prescription, in a very aggravated state, and realizing that because they didn't have what I needed, I won't be able to file the $300 or $200 or whatever my prescription actually ends up costing with my flex spending for reimbursement until after this week's cutoff. Which means I'll have to wait more than a week to be reimbursed that money. And we generally don't have an extra $200 in the budget.
Meanwhile, I really hate this pharmacy now, but it's really close to our house, and it is 24-hours, which is something that often comes in handy in our house. So I'm stuck.
At this point, I can't decide who I despise dealing with more...the drugstore or the insurance company.
...then the people at my drugstore must be absofreakinlutely giddy.
We just went to a high deductible health insurance plan at the church. That means that we have to pay for our prescriptions and/or doctor visits, etc. until we reach our deductible. So of course, last night I had to refill my prescription.
You would think this would be an easy task. Not so. Following is the actual conversation I had with the pharmacy tech...
Pharmacy Tech: "Do you have insurance?"
Me: "Yes, but we just changed to a different plan, and we don't have the cards yet."
Pharmacy Tech: "We don't have any record of your insurance."
Me: "Right. It's a high deductible policy, so I have to pay for the prescription."
Pharmacy Tech: "Well then you're going to have to pay cash for it."
Me (thinking): Why would I have to pay CASH? Could I not give them my debit card? And didn't she just repeat what I just said?
Me (out loud): "Okay. How much is it?"
Pharmacy Tech: "Well, we didn't really have all of your prescription."
Me: "How much do you have?"
Pharmacy Tech: "20 pills."
Me: "I take 300 pills a month. That's only 2 days worth."
At this point, the Pharmacy Manager came over, because apparently I had used up my allotted time in the drive thru.
Me: "I need to know how much my prescription costs."
Pharmacy Manager: "Oh, I can't tell you that until I bill you."
Me: "Okay."
Pharmacy Manager: "I can't bill you until I have the full amount of your prescription. It's the law."
Me: "Okay. Can I get the 20 pills you have. I really need the prescription."
Pharmacy Manager: "Okay."
Me: "And can you tell me how much it will be each month?"
(This was apparently the wrong question, as he looked like his head might explode.
Pharmacy Manager: "Well, I really can't tell you until I bill it, but I'd guess about $300 a month."
(Okay, so now we're just guessing. Nice.)
Me: "Online it said it would cost about $200 a month."
Pharmacy Manager: "I dunno."
Me: "Okay. Can you at least increase your monthly order to include my prescription. I have been coming here for several months and you never have the full amount of my prescription. In fact, you usually only have a couple of days worth."
Pharmacy Manager: "I dunno. I guess I can try to up the order, I'm not sure."
(Okay, seriously, who made THIS GUY manager?)
Bottom line, I ended up leaving the pharmacy with 2 days of my prescription, in a very aggravated state, and realizing that because they didn't have what I needed, I won't be able to file the $300 or $200 or whatever my prescription actually ends up costing with my flex spending for reimbursement until after this week's cutoff. Which means I'll have to wait more than a week to be reimbursed that money. And we generally don't have an extra $200 in the budget.
Meanwhile, I really hate this pharmacy now, but it's really close to our house, and it is 24-hours, which is something that often comes in handy in our house. So I'm stuck.
At this point, I can't decide who I despise dealing with more...the drugstore or the insurance company.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Have a DE-Lightful 2008!
This morning, as I was driving to work at 6:45 (because my stupid internal clock doesn't realize that when the boys sleepover at my aunt's house, that means I should get to sleep in), I noticed that there was a very upsetting trend occurring in Mt. Pleasant. There are many, many houses, and many, many neighborhoods, that still have their Christmas lights up. Tacky.
Before I get all sorts of grief over this, I'm all for having a festive wreath on your front door. I have a seasonal wreath for every month of the year. (I know what you're thinking: of course I do.) I am also not at all offended by those folks who decorate in a very subtle fashion for Christmas and then leave the lights up for the better portion of January. Key word being SUBTLE.
What gets me is the people who still have plastic nativities in their front yards. Christmas wreaths adorning every single window in their house (which frankly is a bit much in December, but that's not the point right now). And if the lights you have out are red and green, its time for them to go.
My sis-in-law is planning on leaving her lights out a bit longer. That's cool. They are small and white. No problem. And there's a house on my way to work that decorated their palmetto trees with lights...which would be really cool if they didn't give them purple trunks. I've lived in Charleston my whole life and I've never seen a purple palmetto tree. But when you pass a house with reindeer still in the yard and blinking mismatched Christmas lights on the porch, friends, that is just unacceptable.
I've heard that it's bad luck to leave your decorations up past December 31. You're not supposed to hit January 1 with the stuff still up. I don't know the origin - maybe someone with good taste just said it once and it stuck.
Anyway, after you get your decorations down, I hope you have a Happy New Year!!
This morning, as I was driving to work at 6:45 (because my stupid internal clock doesn't realize that when the boys sleepover at my aunt's house, that means I should get to sleep in), I noticed that there was a very upsetting trend occurring in Mt. Pleasant. There are many, many houses, and many, many neighborhoods, that still have their Christmas lights up. Tacky.
Before I get all sorts of grief over this, I'm all for having a festive wreath on your front door. I have a seasonal wreath for every month of the year. (I know what you're thinking: of course I do.) I am also not at all offended by those folks who decorate in a very subtle fashion for Christmas and then leave the lights up for the better portion of January. Key word being SUBTLE.
What gets me is the people who still have plastic nativities in their front yards. Christmas wreaths adorning every single window in their house (which frankly is a bit much in December, but that's not the point right now). And if the lights you have out are red and green, its time for them to go.
My sis-in-law is planning on leaving her lights out a bit longer. That's cool. They are small and white. No problem. And there's a house on my way to work that decorated their palmetto trees with lights...which would be really cool if they didn't give them purple trunks. I've lived in Charleston my whole life and I've never seen a purple palmetto tree. But when you pass a house with reindeer still in the yard and blinking mismatched Christmas lights on the porch, friends, that is just unacceptable.
I've heard that it's bad luck to leave your decorations up past December 31. You're not supposed to hit January 1 with the stuff still up. I don't know the origin - maybe someone with good taste just said it once and it stuck.
Anyway, after you get your decorations down, I hope you have a Happy New Year!!
Friday, December 28, 2007
The New Phone Books are Here! I'm Somebody Now!!
I couldn't fall asleep last night. I wanted to; I just couldn't. I tried everything in my arsenal. I said all the states in alphabetical order. I said all the state capitals in alphabetical order. Then REVERSE alphabetical order. NOTHING.
It was time for the big guns. I counted backwards from 1299 to 0. Twice. Still nothing. By now it was midnight and I was just a little cranky, frankly. I started listing 5-letter nouns - in alphabetical order. (Yes, I lack imagination). STILL NOTHING.
Somehow I came up with the thought of that game "Six Degrees of Separation." I figured if everyone is connected to Kevin Bacon by 6 degrees or less, then they must be connected to me in the same way. Surely I'm as popular as Kevin Bacon.
It didn't take long (seriously, about 5 minutes) before I made a 2-degree connection between me and Oprah. That's not something I'm proud of, but it does help where I'm going with this. See, in my former life as an insurance agent, I worked at a company with a branch in Columbia. And one of the employees that I mingled with every Christmas for 5 years had a daughter who just up and vanished one year. It was huge news here. And he managed to get on Oprah to talk about it. And you know what that means...
I am only 3 degrees of separation from every single person who has ever been on Oprah. Hello, Will Smith. Hello, Harry Connick Jr. And most importantly, Hello, Jon Bon Jovi!!!
(Let's all just reflect for a moment on the hotness that is Jon Bon Jovi. OK)
Needless to say, this little exercise didn't do much to help me fall asleep. But it sure made me feel important for about 3 minutes.
I couldn't fall asleep last night. I wanted to; I just couldn't. I tried everything in my arsenal. I said all the states in alphabetical order. I said all the state capitals in alphabetical order. Then REVERSE alphabetical order. NOTHING.
It was time for the big guns. I counted backwards from 1299 to 0. Twice. Still nothing. By now it was midnight and I was just a little cranky, frankly. I started listing 5-letter nouns - in alphabetical order. (Yes, I lack imagination). STILL NOTHING.
Somehow I came up with the thought of that game "Six Degrees of Separation." I figured if everyone is connected to Kevin Bacon by 6 degrees or less, then they must be connected to me in the same way. Surely I'm as popular as Kevin Bacon.
It didn't take long (seriously, about 5 minutes) before I made a 2-degree connection between me and Oprah. That's not something I'm proud of, but it does help where I'm going with this. See, in my former life as an insurance agent, I worked at a company with a branch in Columbia. And one of the employees that I mingled with every Christmas for 5 years had a daughter who just up and vanished one year. It was huge news here. And he managed to get on Oprah to talk about it. And you know what that means...
I am only 3 degrees of separation from every single person who has ever been on Oprah. Hello, Will Smith. Hello, Harry Connick Jr. And most importantly, Hello, Jon Bon Jovi!!!
(Let's all just reflect for a moment on the hotness that is Jon Bon Jovi. OK)
Needless to say, this little exercise didn't do much to help me fall asleep. But it sure made me feel important for about 3 minutes.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Top 5 Things That Jingled My Bells This Christmas
1. Spanky got a TV video game "thing" that is like a bad Wii...but it's still pretty cute. It has boxing, baseball and tennis. Watching the kid try to beat the video boxer had me on the floor in stitches this morning.
2. Every single time FrogBoy opened a gift, regardless of whether he knew what it was or not, he exclaimed, "OH, THANK YOU!!! It's just what I've ALWAYS wanted!!"
3. We had 4 generations of my family - the tapestry that makes it up on the holidays - sitting in my aunt's den watching "The Best of Weird Al Yankovick" videos. THAT was awesome!
4. I got the best card ever from Zach. It was a Hannakuh card. He carefully went through and replaced "Hannakuh" with "Christmas" to make it holiday-appropriate.
5. I got furry lined Crocs. VERY nice.
Last year, my grandmother was in the hospital, so we couldn't all be together at my aunt's. Thanksgiving, Spanky and SuperHubby were home sick. Today we were all together - and relatively healthy - so that was superb.
On the way home, I decided to stop by my mom's house. Her husband worked all day, so she'd been alone. We managed to surprise her and it was PRICELESS.
And we saw SuperHubby's mom and grandpop...which we normally do, but on some other day than Christmas Day. They came to our house this morning.
So it was a very busy day, but very wonderful, and I'm super-thankful for all my family, even though most of them drive me nuts on a regular basis. If it weren't for them, what would I write about?
1. Spanky got a TV video game "thing" that is like a bad Wii...but it's still pretty cute. It has boxing, baseball and tennis. Watching the kid try to beat the video boxer had me on the floor in stitches this morning.
2. Every single time FrogBoy opened a gift, regardless of whether he knew what it was or not, he exclaimed, "OH, THANK YOU!!! It's just what I've ALWAYS wanted!!"
3. We had 4 generations of my family - the tapestry that makes it up on the holidays - sitting in my aunt's den watching "The Best of Weird Al Yankovick" videos. THAT was awesome!
4. I got the best card ever from Zach. It was a Hannakuh card. He carefully went through and replaced "Hannakuh" with "Christmas" to make it holiday-appropriate.
5. I got furry lined Crocs. VERY nice.
Last year, my grandmother was in the hospital, so we couldn't all be together at my aunt's. Thanksgiving, Spanky and SuperHubby were home sick. Today we were all together - and relatively healthy - so that was superb.
On the way home, I decided to stop by my mom's house. Her husband worked all day, so she'd been alone. We managed to surprise her and it was PRICELESS.
And we saw SuperHubby's mom and grandpop...which we normally do, but on some other day than Christmas Day. They came to our house this morning.
So it was a very busy day, but very wonderful, and I'm super-thankful for all my family, even though most of them drive me nuts on a regular basis. If it weren't for them, what would I write about?
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Super Support
So yesterday, as I was driving SuperHubby home from physical therapy, because I am a kind, considering, caring wife that way, I told him about something I was thinking about doing. A little writing venture that I felt like God might want me to take on. And do you know what the love of my life did?
He laughed out loud.
Guess who's walking next week?
So yesterday, as I was driving SuperHubby home from physical therapy, because I am a kind, considering, caring wife that way, I told him about something I was thinking about doing. A little writing venture that I felt like God might want me to take on. And do you know what the love of my life did?
He laughed out loud.
Guess who's walking next week?
Monday, December 17, 2007
ShopFest 2007
Every year, a month or two before Christmas, my mother-in-law (The Smurf) and I spend a good portion of the day shopping. Sometimes the boys go with us (we don't get much accomplished when that happens); other times, it's just the two of us, which is a glorious thing.
This year, we didn't get to do our annual shopping until this past weekend. That's right, the second weekend before Christmas, and we were out in the craziness. What's worse was that I had no choice...because of SuperHubby's physical therapy schedule, the Mom Taxi has been running overtime up and down the highway, which meant no time to shop. You can't exactly buy presents for your kids when they're always with you.
So Saturday we left at 8:15 a.m. First I went out and got my family breakfast (donuts and coffee for SH, munchkins for the boys) and a newspaper. I picked The Smurf up at 8:15 and we hit the ground running. We shopped. We thought we would drop. But we didn't. Long story short, we got home at 9:30 p.m. - and neither of us was even slightly tired. I think I could have gone for several more hours, but at that point I was done.
Yep, I managed to put off 90% of my shopping until the week before Christmas, and I got it all done in one day. We even hit some super sales. Who knew? I'm usually done with my shopping in August, so this was a whole new experience for me.
To all those who still have shopping to do, I feel for you. It's crazy out there. I don't plan on going back outside until December 26. But I will say ShopFest 2007 was a raging success. And a new tradition may have been born.
Every year, a month or two before Christmas, my mother-in-law (The Smurf) and I spend a good portion of the day shopping. Sometimes the boys go with us (we don't get much accomplished when that happens); other times, it's just the two of us, which is a glorious thing.
This year, we didn't get to do our annual shopping until this past weekend. That's right, the second weekend before Christmas, and we were out in the craziness. What's worse was that I had no choice...because of SuperHubby's physical therapy schedule, the Mom Taxi has been running overtime up and down the highway, which meant no time to shop. You can't exactly buy presents for your kids when they're always with you.
So Saturday we left at 8:15 a.m. First I went out and got my family breakfast (donuts and coffee for SH, munchkins for the boys) and a newspaper. I picked The Smurf up at 8:15 and we hit the ground running. We shopped. We thought we would drop. But we didn't. Long story short, we got home at 9:30 p.m. - and neither of us was even slightly tired. I think I could have gone for several more hours, but at that point I was done.
Yep, I managed to put off 90% of my shopping until the week before Christmas, and I got it all done in one day. We even hit some super sales. Who knew? I'm usually done with my shopping in August, so this was a whole new experience for me.
To all those who still have shopping to do, I feel for you. It's crazy out there. I don't plan on going back outside until December 26. But I will say ShopFest 2007 was a raging success. And a new tradition may have been born.
Friday, December 14, 2007
How Smart Are You?
This is a quiz for people who think they know everything. These are not trick questions.
My mother sent me this quiz. I was really impressed with myself because I got most of the questions right. I only missed two.
How smart are you? Extra points if you can guess the 2 I missed...
1. Name the one sport in which neither the participants nor the spectators know the score or the leader until the contest ends.
2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?
3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?
4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?
5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?
6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters "dw" and they are all common words. Name two of them.
7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?
8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked or in any other form except fresh.
9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter "s."
I told my mother not to send this to The Professor. If he gets more than me, I'll cry in my cereal until morning. However, I really don't see that happening. Without the incessant ticking of the Jeopardy clock, I believe I may have him beat!
This is a quiz for people who think they know everything. These are not trick questions.
My mother sent me this quiz. I was really impressed with myself because I got most of the questions right. I only missed two.
How smart are you? Extra points if you can guess the 2 I missed...
1. Name the one sport in which neither the participants nor the spectators know the score or the leader until the contest ends.
2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?
3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?
4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?
5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?
6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters "dw" and they are all common words. Name two of them.
7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?
8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked or in any other form except fresh.
9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter "s."
I told my mother not to send this to The Professor. If he gets more than me, I'll cry in my cereal until morning. However, I really don't see that happening. Without the incessant ticking of the Jeopardy clock, I believe I may have him beat!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Christmas List
A friend of mine sent me one of those emails where you answer the questions and forward it to all your friends...then hopefully they'll do the same...and you'll all learn something new about each other. I don't have that many friends, so I figured I'd just put my answers on my blog and maybe some random stranger in Michigan might read it. How fun.
This is a Christmas dealio, hence the blog title. Here we go...
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both
2. Real tree or artificial? Real - although one year I tried to convince SH and the boys we could just paint one on the wall
3. When do you put up the tree? 2-3 weeks before Christmas
4. When do you take the tree down? Before January 1, preferrably December 26
5. Do you like eggnog? GROSS
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't recall any specific gift, but my grandparents and aunt used to give us an ornament every year on Christmas Eve. I still have all of those.
7. Have a nativity scene? Yes - at my aunt's house. I get to visit it every year until she dies - then I get it back.
8. Hardest person to buy for? My grandmother
9. Easiest person to buy for? FrogBoy - Legos all the way
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I had a boyfriend in high school who gave me a board game called "Intimate Commands" - in front of my parents - as a joke. It wasn't funny.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? REAL cards - the only way to go - with pictures!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Scrooged, with Bill Murray. If you can get past the language, it's a great story.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? August
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No...that takes all the fun out of it
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Used to be Grandmama's stuffing...now it's Aunt Linda's stuffing...someone probably needs to teach Ann how to make it eventually
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored
17. Favorite Christmas song? It's a tie between Joy to the World and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home - everyone's here, so it's great
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? OF COURSE
20. Angel on top of the tree or star? Angel
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Just 2 options? Seriously. We have Christmas with my mother, my family on my dad's side, Adam's mom (all before Christmas) and then at our house Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Vendors accosting me in the mall. I'm a get in, get your gift, get out kind of gal.
23. What I love most about Christmas? Watching my kids open their presents.
24. Best Christmas dessert? Grandmama's boiled custard.
I think that's about all for this little quiz. Sorry there's nothing overly interesting there...but that's what gets it for me at Christmas.
A friend of mine sent me one of those emails where you answer the questions and forward it to all your friends...then hopefully they'll do the same...and you'll all learn something new about each other. I don't have that many friends, so I figured I'd just put my answers on my blog and maybe some random stranger in Michigan might read it. How fun.
This is a Christmas dealio, hence the blog title. Here we go...
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both
2. Real tree or artificial? Real - although one year I tried to convince SH and the boys we could just paint one on the wall
3. When do you put up the tree? 2-3 weeks before Christmas
4. When do you take the tree down? Before January 1, preferrably December 26
5. Do you like eggnog? GROSS
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't recall any specific gift, but my grandparents and aunt used to give us an ornament every year on Christmas Eve. I still have all of those.
7. Have a nativity scene? Yes - at my aunt's house. I get to visit it every year until she dies - then I get it back.
8. Hardest person to buy for? My grandmother
9. Easiest person to buy for? FrogBoy - Legos all the way
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I had a boyfriend in high school who gave me a board game called "Intimate Commands" - in front of my parents - as a joke. It wasn't funny.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? REAL cards - the only way to go - with pictures!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Scrooged, with Bill Murray. If you can get past the language, it's a great story.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? August
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No...that takes all the fun out of it
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Used to be Grandmama's stuffing...now it's Aunt Linda's stuffing...someone probably needs to teach Ann how to make it eventually
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored
17. Favorite Christmas song? It's a tie between Joy to the World and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home - everyone's here, so it's great
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? OF COURSE
20. Angel on top of the tree or star? Angel
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Just 2 options? Seriously. We have Christmas with my mother, my family on my dad's side, Adam's mom (all before Christmas) and then at our house Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Vendors accosting me in the mall. I'm a get in, get your gift, get out kind of gal.
23. What I love most about Christmas? Watching my kids open their presents.
24. Best Christmas dessert? Grandmama's boiled custard.
I think that's about all for this little quiz. Sorry there's nothing overly interesting there...but that's what gets it for me at Christmas.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Help Needed
I have somehow managed to screw up my blogger settings - again. I can no longer choose which font I want to use, and whenever I try to bold something, it inserts a little dealio that I can't even copy here, because then I get an HTML error.
So if anyone know what the stink I've done, please help me.
I have somehow managed to screw up my blogger settings - again. I can no longer choose which font I want to use, and whenever I try to bold something, it inserts a little dealio that I can't even copy here, because then I get an HTML error.
So if anyone know what the stink I've done, please help me.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
I love Thanksgiving. It is by far my most favorite holiday. You get all the great food (usually) with all the great family time, but where we live, you can still wear shorts. That's nice. You don't have to rush around to a million places (at least we don't), and you don't have to schlep anything with you but your kids and whatever dishes you signed up to bring to the meal. Again, very nice.
But the best part of this time of year is that I get to start organizing for the NEXT year. Oh baby! I have to hold myself off from August to November, but once we hit Thanksgiving, all bets are off. At least in August I can appease myself with new school supplies and the joy that comes from (a) smelling and (b) organizing new pencils and packs of notebook paper. But I digress.
The thing that really makes my heart sing is gearing up for a new year. I get to have all new, fresh, unwritten-on file folders. My Quicken program starts on a new year. Two words: NEW DAYTIMER!!! A new year is a thing of beauty.
I know, most people dread filing away the old and starting over with the new. But I crave it. So does my brother. (It may be inherited.) I have finally managed to convince Spanky to let me help him organize his room by telling him that we have to make room for all the Christmas gifts he's going to get. Oh, like you never lied to your kids just to get some simple enjoyment out of cleaning their room?
FrogBoy is pretty well organized. He likes his Legos just so...and before he goes to bed at night, he fills the 8 (yes, 8) boxes back up and stacks them neatly on the storage cubes in the corner of his room. I guess that's a huge blessing of autism...even if he doesn't really like to do it, I only had to tell him a couple of times and now it's a routine...so he's going to do it. It's ingrained in his innermost being. I love that!
If you need me between now and January 1, I will probably be sitting at my desk organizing my papers - with a huge grin on my face (commonly referred to as the Salley grin). Oh happy day!
I love Thanksgiving. It is by far my most favorite holiday. You get all the great food (usually) with all the great family time, but where we live, you can still wear shorts. That's nice. You don't have to rush around to a million places (at least we don't), and you don't have to schlep anything with you but your kids and whatever dishes you signed up to bring to the meal. Again, very nice.
But the best part of this time of year is that I get to start organizing for the NEXT year. Oh baby! I have to hold myself off from August to November, but once we hit Thanksgiving, all bets are off. At least in August I can appease myself with new school supplies and the joy that comes from (a) smelling and (b) organizing new pencils and packs of notebook paper. But I digress.
The thing that really makes my heart sing is gearing up for a new year. I get to have all new, fresh, unwritten-on file folders. My Quicken program starts on a new year. Two words: NEW DAYTIMER!!! A new year is a thing of beauty.
I know, most people dread filing away the old and starting over with the new. But I crave it. So does my brother. (It may be inherited.) I have finally managed to convince Spanky to let me help him organize his room by telling him that we have to make room for all the Christmas gifts he's going to get. Oh, like you never lied to your kids just to get some simple enjoyment out of cleaning their room?
FrogBoy is pretty well organized. He likes his Legos just so...and before he goes to bed at night, he fills the 8 (yes, 8) boxes back up and stacks them neatly on the storage cubes in the corner of his room. I guess that's a huge blessing of autism...even if he doesn't really like to do it, I only had to tell him a couple of times and now it's a routine...so he's going to do it. It's ingrained in his innermost being. I love that!
If you need me between now and January 1, I will probably be sitting at my desk organizing my papers - with a huge grin on my face (commonly referred to as the Salley grin). Oh happy day!
Purse Ponderings
Let's get something out of the way right up front: this blog is 100% about purses. If you're a guy, you may not be interested...but I bet you'll keep reading anyway.
I've been pining for a leather Fossil purse for quite some time now. Since I can in no way afford a leather Fossil purse, I snuck it onto my Christmas list, thinking there was no way I'd ever get it. There's a puppy on that list too.
Anyway, my aunt and my grandmother decided that if that's what I really want...which of course, it is...they would give me money toward a leather Fossil purse. It is my job to find the purse of my dreams. And while that sounds like a relatively simple task, given my love for purses, in reality it is almost as difficult as deciding what to name my children.
This past weekend I was at the Fossil outlet store in North Charleston. I don't normally like the outlet mall, but remember, I needed Fossil, and I can't afford it without it being from the outlet store. So I dealt with it.
Now I've been drooling over several bags at this particular store for quite some time, but never paying much attention, because I knew I couldn't afford anything. This time was different. This time I was checking every tag. And I found my dream purse. Hallelujah. The angels sang.
Of course, they only had one left in the style and size I want. And it is tan. TAN. What a lovely non-color. Wouldn't you think, if you were going to make the perfect bag, that you would offer it in an array of colors? Like red, mainly? But no. They have TAN.
So I've been mulling over my decision for several days now. Do I go with the perfect bag in NOT RED, or continue looking for a red bag and possibly never find The Perfect Bag again? What to do? Sometimes life just isn't fair.
Let's get something out of the way right up front: this blog is 100% about purses. If you're a guy, you may not be interested...but I bet you'll keep reading anyway.
I've been pining for a leather Fossil purse for quite some time now. Since I can in no way afford a leather Fossil purse, I snuck it onto my Christmas list, thinking there was no way I'd ever get it. There's a puppy on that list too.
Anyway, my aunt and my grandmother decided that if that's what I really want...which of course, it is...they would give me money toward a leather Fossil purse. It is my job to find the purse of my dreams. And while that sounds like a relatively simple task, given my love for purses, in reality it is almost as difficult as deciding what to name my children.
This past weekend I was at the Fossil outlet store in North Charleston. I don't normally like the outlet mall, but remember, I needed Fossil, and I can't afford it without it being from the outlet store. So I dealt with it.
Now I've been drooling over several bags at this particular store for quite some time, but never paying much attention, because I knew I couldn't afford anything. This time was different. This time I was checking every tag. And I found my dream purse. Hallelujah. The angels sang.
Of course, they only had one left in the style and size I want. And it is tan. TAN. What a lovely non-color. Wouldn't you think, if you were going to make the perfect bag, that you would offer it in an array of colors? Like red, mainly? But no. They have TAN.
So I've been mulling over my decision for several days now. Do I go with the perfect bag in NOT RED, or continue looking for a red bag and possibly never find The Perfect Bag again? What to do? Sometimes life just isn't fair.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thank-Full
After a very strange Thanksgiving, I am finally getting around to updating my blog. Normally I'd be too bloated to blog for at least 2 days after turkey day, but this year, my family tried something a little different...bizarro Thanksgiving.
You know how every year someone manages to screw up the dish they're bringing...so you just do without that particular food item that year? Okay, that was this year...except it happened to EVERYONE. Which meant that my meal consisted of stuffing and corn casserole.
On top of that, SuperHubby was still suffering from severe vertigo, which meant he felt terrible and wasn't going to go to my aunt and uncle's for lunch. Turned out that was okay, because Spanky woke up, ate breakfast, and promptly puked all over the place. So it was just me and FrogBoy as far as Fitzgeralds went this year.
Then my dad, who always adds a little levity to the situation (usually not intentionally), managed to knock over a vase, which shattered into a million pieces. And my grandmother's husband knocked into a shelf, which deposited knick knacks on his head. Oh my.
Still, I managed to come up with a list of things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. Here, in no particular order, I give you...
After a very strange Thanksgiving, I am finally getting around to updating my blog. Normally I'd be too bloated to blog for at least 2 days after turkey day, but this year, my family tried something a little different...bizarro Thanksgiving.
You know how every year someone manages to screw up the dish they're bringing...so you just do without that particular food item that year? Okay, that was this year...except it happened to EVERYONE. Which meant that my meal consisted of stuffing and corn casserole.
On top of that, SuperHubby was still suffering from severe vertigo, which meant he felt terrible and wasn't going to go to my aunt and uncle's for lunch. Turned out that was okay, because Spanky woke up, ate breakfast, and promptly puked all over the place. So it was just me and FrogBoy as far as Fitzgeralds went this year.
Then my dad, who always adds a little levity to the situation (usually not intentionally), managed to knock over a vase, which shattered into a million pieces. And my grandmother's husband knocked into a shelf, which deposited knick knacks on his head. Oh my.
Still, I managed to come up with a list of things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. Here, in no particular order, I give you...
- School holidays. Yes, I know I'm not in school. But I love it when my kids don't have homework and can just enjoy themselves for a couple of extra days.
- Horse therapy. This has been an amazing thing for FrogBoy the past couple of months. Today I asked if he wanted to go feed the horses at my aunt's house and he said "SURE!" On the 4th of July, they dragged him out there kicking and screaming. And that hasn't been the only change...he has gained incredible confidence and skill in riding. It has truly been a blessing.
- Caller ID. Remember what I said about my dad?
- Purses. Daytimers. Boxes and bins and rubbermaid storage totes. No explanation necessary.
- My aunt's stuffing. Previously known as my grandmother's stuffing, until my aunt took over making it. Even this year, when it was a little runny and I forgot to bring home the gravy for my leftovers. The only thing I don't like about it is that I only get it twice a year.
- Fantastic hair. We all know I have it, but now it's out there.
- My job. I was talking to the Smurf (my mother-in-law) last week, telling her that Geoff (boss #1) was back from India, and how glad I was about it. She gave me a quizzical look. I told her I couldn't help it, but I miss my boss when he's away. Then I mentioned that Shawn (boss #2) would be out the entire week of Thanksgiving...and I would miss him too. She told me I had always enjoyed my job way more than she could understand. I started thinking about that and realized that I do love my job, but I also really enjoy the people I get to work with. And that is a really cool thing.
- Jon Bon Jovi. Oh my. What can I say? JBJ is quite possibly the most gorgeous specimen God ever created. He's extremely talented, has been married to the same woman for a bazillion years, and doesn't do stupid stuff, at least not so the media gets ahold of it. And did I mention he's gorgeous? And he knows he's hot...but in that precious, little boy way, not a cocky way. That makes him even more hot.
- Gifts. Not presents, gifts. When Geoff came back from India, he brought me a gift. Shawn recently pinky-swore (in front of witnesses) that I would be the first person not involved in his book to read his book. Gifts are from the heart and tell me the person was thinking about me, even if it was extremely brief and fleeting. I'm not big into presents. I love gifts.
Of course, I'm also thankful for my family, mostly because they give me something to blog about...but also because they really are a lot of fun. Thanksgiving is the best holiday - it gives you time to reflect on what's important - like family. And Jon Bon Jovi.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Skinny Jeans
What a giant load of crap. A total misnomer. There is no such thing as skinny jeans.
Their name suggests that skinny jeans make you skinny, or, at the very least, make you look skinny. This is simply not the case. Skinny jeans are the jeans fat girls wish they could wear. The jeans skinny girls already wear. Which they call jeans.
It is just not necessary for these flightly little stick people to call them "skinny" jeans. It's not like I call my jeans "whale" jeans.
Let's not point out the obvious, people.
What a giant load of crap. A total misnomer. There is no such thing as skinny jeans.
Their name suggests that skinny jeans make you skinny, or, at the very least, make you look skinny. This is simply not the case. Skinny jeans are the jeans fat girls wish they could wear. The jeans skinny girls already wear. Which they call jeans.
It is just not necessary for these flightly little stick people to call them "skinny" jeans. It's not like I call my jeans "whale" jeans.
Let's not point out the obvious, people.
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