Thank you Michael !

Michael finished planting the flower bed a couple weeks ago. the plants look great, now all I have to is remember to buy the mulch before winter hits.

Figured out our security was too good

This morning after Mike left for work I headed upstairs to check my E mail and print off a copy of our dental insurance number to take to the appointment with me. Try as I may I could not get online. I called Mike on his way to work to ask if he had a clue what was happening. He didn't.He did however give me a couple things to do to get back online. I tried his idea, or so I thought , to no avail so I called our high speed Internet provider. At first I was asked if my bill was paid. Yes I replied and even gave them the confirmation number that I received when I paid it by phone last. ( Good thing I didn't pay it online or I wouldn't have had access to my number :-) After the rep was satisfied that I was not intentionally shut off, she connected me to tech support. Habib ( I think was his name) assured me that my modem check was OK and started asking me to go into Mike's settings and change things. Now those of you who know Mike know that you just don't mess with his computer settings. You can rest assured that they are the way that they should be and never , I mean never question them unless you have hours to hear him explain why the settings are what they are and need to be there.( Did I mention that even after hours of his explaining, you will still be clueless as Mike looks at you like you don't speek his language) I politely told Habib that I would bet anything that the settings were fine and thanked him for the modem check before I hung up. I then talked to Mike , who called to check on the status of our sickly computer, and realized that I had not understood what he first wanted and tried it again the right way. Sure enough I got online but it was on the settings that my computer was at over a year ago. This meant that I had no links to the blogs that I follow. Not even the one where the parents of a critically ill baby keep those praying for her updated from the hospital. I was able to find the insurance information and copy it but even updating my blog with this connection was impossible so I gave up.I talked to Mike again and we discussed that I did get on but on this old connection and he said he would look at it when he got home.On his way home I got another call. He had the answer to my problem. It seems that a firewall that we use and Mike puts on most computers that he works on had did an automatic update which was so secure that it would not let anybody online. He figured this out when his voice mail was full of people who he does computer work for's messages asking him to call them because they couldn't get online. Mike had a guy from church check his settings and sure enough that was the problem.Upon returning home, He called others as he fixed mine.So on behalf of all of us computer illiterate people who would probably be computer less without Mike, Thank you . We truly appreciate you !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know why I get so agrivated !

This morning Cindy had an appointment with the oral surgeon. Just the fact that she had this appointment annoyed her to no end. I shared only a small part of her annoyance as we prepared to leave the house for this appointment however by the time we walked out of the office I had far surpassed Cindy's level of annoyance and was bordering on down right livid.

This whole thing started back in June when I made sure that Cindy seen our dentist for a cleaning and exam . I did this purposely before she graduated or turned eighteen so that there would be no question from the insurance company as to her eligibility. Even though Cindy is planning to attend nursing school in September and will remain on Mike's insurance until she graduates or quits .( I so pray that she does the former) I am no stranger to the world and know that one person who doesn't have a clue can check a wrong box on a form that can cancel her insurance and an "Oh we're sorry" will not set things right. Anyway on this visit, our wonderful dentist ( OK the only dentist that I have been seeing for years now and he has yet to hurt me)had Cindy call me and ask me to come in for a consultation. This is never good I knew but what he said did not make me happy. He has been seeing Cindy ( and everyone else in our family)twice a year for many many years and had been taking x rays every other visit and never mentioned her wisdom teeth other than five years ago when he said that they were forming great, had plenty of room and that she would not need to have them extracted. Now over five years later, when insurance matters exist, and Cindy works four days a week, and Cindy is accepted into an accelerated nursing school which she can not just take a week off of, he mentions impaction and need for removal in not one wisdom tooth, not even two or three, but in all four ! The kicker is that he used an x- ray from a year ago to determine this.
I held it together pretty much at the consultation because I didn't realize that he had shown me an old x ray. Today, however at the oral surgeon's office I almost lost it. It all started when I walked in and signed Cindy in ,the receptionist shoved a clip board at me with a amazingly rude" fill this out PLEASE". I did and returned it. Meanwhile she was not satisfied with our dental coverage because we have a ppo plan and no card just a phone number and name . She caught Cindy and complained that I had not given her the needed info . I stood up and confronted her as Cindy had a seat. The confrontation ended and I sat down. This woman screamed to another employee that she could not read my handwriting and had the other woman loudly read it to her(funny the other woman could read it fine )This info included Mike's social which had me ready to wring her neck. Then I find out that six people were scheduled for the same appointment time as I was setting there for an hour listening to this woman complain about an elderly lady and how her benefits number was not the right one either. Finally Cindy went back and the surgeon looked at her then called me back.Yep all four need to come out , great ! I was told that they will get a pre-certification ( a 30-60 day wait)and then schedule a surgery day. I tried to calmly explain that there was no way that this would work as it has to be done and over with by the end of August. ( congratulate me for keeping my head from exploding OK congratulate me from keeping from making one of the staffs heads explode:-) )Anyway , with the doctor's OK, they reluctantly scheduled me and I left without incident.
So now I am home and trying to analyze and work through my anger.
First of all why could nobody see four impacted teeth years ago ?
Second of all, why do all great Dentists, doctors, and surgeons have a staff full of rude , obnoxious, people who down right beg for me to.... welllll I guess that this is not the way that a good Catholic Mom like myself should be writing so I think I will end with this.

Dear God, help me to tolerate all of the mean, hatefull, rotten, wretched people who you have felt the need to put into this world. I do not necessarily understand your motives but help me to accept your will anyway.Amen


BTW, this post started out as a post to ask for prayers for Cindy's surgery on August 12th. Mike had many complications while having a wisdom tooth extracted ( he still has three impacted) so we are all on one last nerve. Thanks for your prayers !

New Fishing equitment

Because my boys have been going fishing with Pops quite a bit,I thought they should have the latest and greatest fishing rod.I seen these (http://www.amazon.com/Fogo-Rocket-Rod-Cast-Fishing/dp/B000CCEVGU/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1215395291&sr=8-1) on TV awhile back and though Mike thought they were a waste of money, I found one at about half the retail price at a bargain store.I can't wait to hear how the boys like it .

Happy 90th Grandma !

Last week was Mike's Grandmother's ninetieth birthday. The family held a huge party in her honor. The turn out was amazing ( someone said over 200 attended)as Grandma has touched so many hearts in her ninety years. Mike took one hundred and eighty some pictures which we haven't even gotten to look through yet. I just uploaded them to Walmart.com and had one copy of each printed and sent to Grandma's address in NC where they will be waiting when she gets back. I wish that Grandma's visit could last longer but that is how it goes sometimes.
Happy Birthday Grandma,we love you and hope that you have at least ninety more years !

Things that we learnt on our Trip

Red Robin.....Yuck !

Yes Cindy, Sonic really does exist !

It is very possible for an amusement park buffet to have wonderful food

It is possible for a family of five to eat at an amusement park buffet for under $100

If the hotel beds are hard enough to cause you to be up most of the night, sleeping in a beach chair off to the side of kiddie land water park is not only possible but very comfortable.

It is obvious which kids at amusement parks are disciplined by being spanked and which are not

with ninety degree temperatures it is well worth buying the ten dollar souvenir refillable cup to get free ice water all day long.

Avon sunscreen with adds bug repellent is one of the greatest inventions around.

Were Back !

We got home yesterday afternoon about four o'clock. We would have liked to have spent a few hours in the park yesterday morning but the doggy resort that we use has only a couple time frames during the day for drop off and pick up and the last window ends at five thirty. So instead of making the dogs stay another night, we decided to skip the park and head home after breakfast.
Upon arrival I noticed a voice mail from my Aunt Barb.She is asking for prayer for my cousin Joyce who was in a accident yesterday early morning. It seems she was the passenger on a motorcycle that was hit by a truck. Praise God she is not injured as badly as she could be but she has already had two surgeries on a severely broken leg and it appears that a third surgery is going to be necessary. Please pray for her recovery.
I will try to post some pictures from both Grandma's party and our trip a bit later but for now I gotta go do some post trip fun AKA laundry, unpacking, etc.
More later !