Hail Storms Across Texas

Texas has been getting plummeted by weather lately. Between floods and hail, insurance companies are bogged down with claims. Up until last Saturday we had a run of good luck avoiding damage.

Early Saturday morning my husband bolted from our bed. I could hear thunder and hail pounding our home. Then crashing and cracking noises filled my ears. It was evident when lightening lit up the sky, our home was suffering.

In the daylight we found both skylights cracked. Three sides of our vinyl siding destroyed. And the roofs on all three structures on our property are done for. All three cars got pelted and we lost two windshields.

The insurance adjuster came out yesterday. Homeowners does not cover the damage to the vehicles. Guess what? We just canceled the full coverage auto a few months ago. Go figure. 

Well, the next few weeks there's going to be a lot of construction activity around here. But that's okay because our home deserves to continue to look good. I just hope the contractor we hire does a good job.

Half Price Books: My Experience Selling

Yesterday, I went to Half Price Books to sell some books, CDs and electronics. I had some good stuff Suze Orman, Suzanne Summers, among others for books (about 10 of them). Some new-age talk tapes and lower ranking motivational books that I threw in the batch. I put about 20 pop, rock, and rap CDs in the mix (Brittney Spears, Kesha, and Coolio et. al.). And, Some great Leap Pad and Leapsters games and consoles that I even still had the boxes and paperwork for.

Everything was in better than good condition, most of it was "like new".

$10.50

Yep, that's it, ten dollars and 50 cents. I had decided before I went in, I was taking whatever they offered. Otherwise, the stuff was going to the Salvation Army.

My assumption about that place is they give you about 10% of what they are going to sell the stuff for. Had I the time, or want to, I would have sold the stuff on Ebay or had a garage sale.

But, it is what it is.

If you just want to get rid of your old books, you're only going to get pennies on the dollar and Half Price Books. If you want more, you're going to have to put some effort in it and sell the stuff yourself.

Who are You?

We have decided that aliens have abducted our youngest daughter and replaced her with and evil clone. Now, this is not our first rodeo with a pre-teen. But, this time around I swear we're dealing with needing to get an exorcist.

The other day, after one of many arguments, I looked at her and she gives me the deer in the headlights stare. I told her, "I don't know who you are, but would you please bring my daughter back?" 

She laughed. Does that mean she is a clone?

Here with Grandpa

(The good old days)

Soup 'n' Sam-itch

After yesterday's post, I made a dish pinned a lot on Pinterest called Carrabba's Sausage and Lentil soup. Lately, I've been serving up a, what we like to call, "Soup 'n' Sam-itch" night. (Spelling issues are purely intentional). The whole Sam-itch thing came about watching an episode of Duck Dynasty and Godwin called a Sandwich, a Sam-itch. 

My spelling may be off, but the phonics aren't. He actually said what sounded like "Sam-itch." If you've ever watched the show, you know what I'm talking about.

Anyhoo, my oldest daughter had actually wanted me to make it. She had tried the soup at Carrabba's and sought out the recipe. She made it and said it was delicious! (I don't know how her version could have been good, she omitted all the good stuff).

It's called Carrabba's Sausage and Lentil soup. The copycat recipe is on Food. So, I made it and there were all kinds of good smells going on in the house all afternoon!

I read through some of the comments and ratings for the recipe and opted to make some changes to the original recipe. I will definitely make this soup again on a future Soup 'n' Sam-itch night. 

Next time I'm going to take a lot pictures so I can post my recipe changes on my Family Night Dinner Ideas blog. 

 Yummy!

*Note: the picture I took was right after I threw all the ingredients in the crock-pot. I had to take a picture to text my daughter to prove I was making the soup. I didn't take anymore pictures after it was done because we sat down to eat our Soup 'n' Sam-itch!

Bon Appetit!

Piles of Paper

Spring cleaning continues in my world. How does one accumulate so much stuff? I think secretly I'm a pack rat.

This week I've been tackling paperwork. Since hubby had to do the taxes, I figured I'd do my part too. It's long overdue. What do you keep? Well, who knows? For instance, bank statements. Please don't ask me why we still get these, I've wanted to go paperless for years. Some say keep bank statements for three years. Some say one year. I decided to be safe and do three.

Tax returns seven years. Jeez that's a lot of paper to keep around for that long. When you're young, childless, and single you're looking at a couple of pieces of paper. When you grow a family you've got to keep seven book thick bundles of paper in your file cabinet.

Medical statements. Do you have to keep these? I've been holding on to stuff from twelve years back! Enough is enough, I decided to let them go. From now on I'm only going to keep medical stuff for one year to make sure insurance and payments are processed.

Mortgage statements. We've got a lot of those. Every single one from the first payment we made on the house. Plus, we've got another batch starting from a land purchase. We're keeping all those. Why? Because we heard a Clark Howard radio show saying you should. You must keep every single statement and payment receipt (stapled together) just in case. His theory: on the day you pay off your house, what if they come back and say you missed a payment? You'll have proof.

Funny how when you hear stuff like that you remember it forever.

Anyway, I'm off to the store. My paper shredder blew up.

 

Wow! I haven't seen This place in a while!

I started spring cleaning. I'm doing the usual, you know, cleaning. I've made it my mission to change a few things in the house and my life. Today I've been focusing on my computer stuff.

...Wait...

Let me catch you up. Here's the short list:

• Husband is fine now and back to work.
• The little one is growing up and in middle school now.
• I took a long break from any writing so I could get the youngest into and through elementary school; and, the oldest on to graduate not only high school but college too.

There it is, the short list. Now, one might ask, why did those things keep me from writing, releasing whatever I'm thinking about on paper, um, blogging, or whatever? I just found myself always having something else to do.

Well, everyone has to have an excuse. Back then, I found myself using this blog as more of a technical journal. Something to link everything else to. Anyone can see what was going on. I was writing on AC, Shared Reviews, Squidoo...Trying ever so hard to learn all the ropes about SEO, html, and such, I lost myself.

Then the accident happened--the wake-up call. You just never know when those life-changing events will occur. A moment in time that you get a notion you have so much on your plate that things better change or you brain is going to explode.

Then there's my beautiful little girl. I wanted to enjoy watching her grow up. I wanted to be the mommy helping at the class parties, going on field trips, and volunteering in the library.

We did all the cool stuff: aquariums, costumes, dollar summer movies, museums, and zoos! You name it, we probably did it.

All that kid stuff was a fun ride!

So, I'm back to where I started, spring cleaning...Yesterday I sorted through clothes, today I sorted through my blogs, tomorrow is another day. I'll let you know how it goes with my spring cleaning...

The Saga Continues...

It's been awhile since I've been here. I thought I better post a little update on my situation. My husband is still suffering from complications of his injuries. Surprisingly, the broken clavicle is healing swimmingly. Though the plate the surgeon installed has lifted.

The plate lifting was my husband's fault. He felt he was up to replacing the hubs on our truck. While working on the second hub, he lifted the tire too quickly, twisted, and felt a pop. The surgeon took Xrays and discovered the plate screw on the outer part of the clavicle pulled out some.

Of course the doctor scolded him. I also had a few choice words for him. The end result is the plate is still in, though not seated. At some point in the future he may have to have it removed. This is not causing him any pain.

On the other hand, his foot is giving him a lot of trouble. The ankle was getting better and suddenly it started swelling again. It is almost unbearable for him to walk on. Since he works on his feet all day, every day, he is having a lot of issues. I took him back to the doctor and they say the bone is fused and looks good. This does not go along with what he's feeling.

We are frustrated. We are looking at another doctor to check his foot out. On my last post, I received a comment from a fellow blogger about how they had to get operated on twice for their broken foot. I hope this is not the case for my husband.

At this point, he is missing about a day of work a week. Thankfully his employer is sympathetic and he has some vacation. He is thinking about getting a desk job...

The teen is a licensed driver now. We bought her a car, a Honda Accord, and she seems to be doing quite well. However, I only let her drive to and from school and on school related activities. She also must call me upon arrival and departure.

I cannot believe I survived teaching the teen to drive. My heart is doing well and my blood pressure is pretty much back to normal.

I really miss keeping my blog and reading all my favorites' posts. I hope to get back to normal after we see the new doctor.

I hope everyone is doing well. Take care!

My Crazy Life

I'm living a crazy life right now. Not only have I been dealing with teaching the teen how to drive, I'm stuck with a husband in a wheelchair.

In the early part of August my husband had an accident. He broke his clavicle in three places, his ankle in three places, and his big toe. He's in a wheelchair because you can't use crutches with a broken clavicle.


He's had two surgeries since. The first put his shoulder back together. The scar is nasty and big.

The second surgery put his foot back together. He was in a cast for the first two weeks but they decided to put him in a boot for the remainder of his healing. He hates the boot and never wears it unless we have to leave the house. He says it irritates him.

The Xrays are my husbands. The clavicle is pretty obvious, but I still really don't see what's up with the foot. I suppose the doctor knows what he's doing.

Anyhow, he's slowly recovering.

Needless to say, he is home from work. He can't do what he does for a living from a wheelchair. Between having him home and dealing with every aspect of home life and keeping it all together I'm going crazy.

The wheelchair will hopefully be traded for crutches in two weeks. Since this occurred, we discovered our home is NOT handicap accessible or friendly in any way, shape, or form. If anything were to happen to us in our golden years we would have to make some major changes around here or move.

Driving with a Teen

Saturday, July 18, marked the official end of class instructed Driver's Education for our teen. She scored an 86 in class. (Is that good enough? I am beginning to think: NO!) Now we have to complete the required 50 hours of her driving with us before she can get her license.

So far we have ticked off about 10 hours. In those 10 hours I think my heart has stopped at least twice. The first incident occurred turning off a major thorough fare onto a rural road. I told her way before the turn what she had to do: Slow down enough to execute the turn but do not stop unless there is oncoming traffic.

There was no oncoming traffic but there were vehicles coming up behind us. She took the left turn at about 40 mph. The truck almost flipped. My heart stopped beating for an instant.

I explained to her what she did wrong. Do you know how annoying it is to hear "I know, MOM, you don't have to tell me!" I try to give her constructive criticism and I get that. All along, I am sitting in the passenger seat wondering if I wet my pants and checking to see if my heart started beating again. Well, at least she knows what she is doing, yeah right.

In the same driving session, we arrived at our destination. I told her to park. Her first attempt failed. She was over the line and crooked. I let her do it her way that time. I told her to back out and try my way.

I explained, for a straight in spot you should pull out a bit left or right then swing in between the lines using the center of the hood and the lines as your guide. Sure enough she did it my way and parked just fine. Then she proceeded to accelerate rather than brake and drove up over the curb and almost into a light post.

This was the last straw for me. I took over the wheel and vowed my husband would ride shotgun for the remainder of her hours with us.

Stay tuned for my next installment: Driving on the highway

Driver's Education

My teen has begun driver's education. Woe is me. We were going to do self-taught but decided to put her in the school classes at the last minute. We found out that insurance companies offer discounts to teen drivers that take the classes.

Having a kid in these classes ride in a car with you is trying on your patients. The other day she was telling me about her friend taking her driving test, which she failed the first go around. She said one thing she did not do is signal when she turned into a parking space.

My lovely teen pointed out to me I do not signal when I park. I said, "I do when there is a car behind me." Her response, "NO, you don't ever signal in a parking lot! You're supposed to." I told her again that I do, but she must not have seen me or noticed.

Now she watches every move I make when I am driving. Considering this, I am doing everything from signaling when there is not another car in sight, stopping completely at every stop sign, and putting my hands at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel.

For the last year or so, I have been enlightening her on specific traffic laws. For instance, there is a little known law that requires you to have your headlights on if your windshield wipers are on. I did not know about the law until I heard it on the radio. Apparently, the DJ was pulled over and got a ticket for it. So, I guess it's a good thing to know.

I hope I can survive driver's education. We are coming to the end of the second week with two more to go. She is getting her learner's permit next week. God, help me!

The 2009 Spelling Bee

Do you remember your first spelling bee? I kinda do. It was nothing like the 2009 event won by 13 year old Kavya Shivashankar. She won a whopping $40,000 and a huge trophy. I think I got a ribbon and a cookie.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is an annual event. It has been running for 82 years! Check out some of the past champions and their winning words. I was looking over the list and my jaw about dropped as I perused the winning words.

Kavya Shivashankar won the 2009 spelling bee with: Laodicean, which means indifferent or lukewarm, especially in matters of religion. How interesting! I mean, ironic, with all the religious turmoil everywhere.

Since I have two girls, I am always interested in expanding their horizons. The oldest is going to driving school this summer, so she has lost interest in a lot of what I have to say outside of driving.

Now, the little one I still have tuned in. We have been working on writing and spelling. I know words like cat and dog are not spelling bee quality, but it is a start. Everyone has to start somewhere.

The other day my youngster brought me a letter. It read: NO ME HONOMO GO. There were also some cute little drawings of a couple of creatures holding hands and walking on a beach. I asked her to read it to me. She said, "Mom, take me to the pool please!"

So, with the illustrations I could have, maybe, gotten that. I really think I have a future spelling bee winner on my hands.

Dealing with High Blood Pressure: The Continuing Saga

A few posts back I mentioned I have high blood pressure. On Tuesday afternoon I went for a follow up and got my blood test results. The doctor was impressed with how healthy I am. He said, "I wish my blood looked like yours".

He thought my tests would come back indicating I have high cholesterol. Nope, don't have it. Both my good and bad cholesterols are perfect. I don't have diabetes or anything wrong with my kidneys, liver, and (get this) my thyroid is perfectly within normal range. So, there you have it, I'm as healthy as a horse.

This is mind boggling information. "How come my blood pressure is off the charts"? I asked him. He said he did not have a clue.

I'm beginning to think I might be a freak of nature.

I'm working on losing the weight he wants me to drop because that's all there is left to do. I'm not that over weight. Sure, I'm not within those chart guidelines. But, I'm not 20 years old and I've had two kids.

Then we started going through the changes he wanted to make in my medications. He's taking me off the Procardia and increasing the dosage on the Prinzide. While he was writing this up, I asked him if he could prescribe a new inhaler for my asthma. I had a horrible attack over the weekend and no inhaler (long story, I won't go into it here).

He asked me what I had been doing since my inhaler ran out. "Oh, I've been taking Primatene", I said. "I need something faster acting though. The pills are not cutting it".

He about fell out of his chair.

Primatene has Ephedrine in it. Ephedrine makes your blood pressure go up. Well, of course I knew this. However, I never considered it a contributing factor to my high blood pressure since I only take it when I need it.

He cursed Primatene and stated he cannot believe it is still being sold. He said it is the worst drug ever!

When I got home I threw the Primatene in the trash.

I'm to continue monitoring my blood pressure at home. He wants to see me again in a month. The way I see it, the Primatene is the culprit of my high blood pressure.

The moral of the high blood pressure story: Tell your doctor everything. You never know if one small thing you are doing is causing your body harm. Given my background, one would think I should know this. I guess not. Live and learn...

Swine Flu Reeks Havoc

All schools in our district are closed until May 11 due to the Swine Flu epidemic. We heard this yesterday while watching AFV (America's Funniest Home Videos). Apparently, there are three suspected cases in our school district alone.

The Swine Flu claimed the first US victim in Texas yesterday, a 23-month old baby. The child traveled with family to Brownsville, TX from Mexico and died in Houston. Read "Toddler in Texas Becomes 1st Swine Flu Death in US." The Swine Flu gripped Mexico first claiming about 159 lives.

The past weeks San Antonio has been celebrating Fiesta, which is a big party that brings masses of people together for a week and a half long celebration. I've heard many relatives of San Antonio residents come in from Mexico for Fiesta events. Additionally, many San Antonio residents travel to Mexico to work, shop, visit family, and vacation. This leads me to believe the Swine Flu will only spread around here.

Up until the Texas death, most of the cases here have been mild.

After reading reports about this, my concern levels have risen. I started looking in to what we can do to prevent the disease from passing our doors. Swine Flu can live on surfaces for an extended time after placement and spreads hand to mouth.

• Wash your hands frequently with antibacterial, hand sanitizing soap
• Avoid letting people invade your personal space-keep them further than arm's length away
• Do not interact socially

So, the kids and I are going to be hermits for the next week and a half. My poor husband has to go to work. I told him to get a face mask, not to touch anything, and avoid all of his co-workers. He told me that's impossible. If he comes home coughing, feverish, or otherwise ill, he will be banished to the garage.

Curious as I am, I wanted to know how this Swine Flu darkened our path. It comes from "intense exposure" to pigs. Pigs can get the flu. (No wonder those creatures always look like they have snotty noses.) However, you can not get Swine Flu by eating pork.

How do we get rid of this?

• The disease must be prevented in pigs through vaccine-they're working on this strain.
  
• Transfer to humans from pigs must be prevented-this has to do with environmental and cleanliness conditions at the pig farms.
• Passing the flu from human to human must be stopped-wash your hands and avoid sick people.

Now, I was wondering if this ever growing situation could be some sinister plot gone array. I'm thinking germ warfare. There is a lot going on in the world today.

• The borders of Mexico are exploding with stories of horrible acts by drug-Mafia types.
• We still have situations overseas here, there, and everywhere.
  

Well, I'm not going any further with my list. Unless you live under a rock, you know what's happening.

Know this, we are on the verge of a pandemic. All people need to protect themselves and their families from contracting Swine Flu.

My High Blood Pressure Follow-up Appointment

Yesterday afternoon I went for a follow-up appointment for my high blood pressure. The doctor prescribed another medication besides Procardia. He wants me off Procardia. I am glad because Procardia costs about $40 bucks a month, even with our insurance.

He gave me Prinzide. It's an ACE inhibitor combined with a diuretic. The generic form of Prinzide (Lisinopril, Hydrochlorothiazide) is only $5 a month.

I have to get some blood work done tomorrow morning. I will be fasting tonight. No coffee for me in the morning...I do not know how I'll go without it, but you can be sure I will have some when I get home.

The doctor and I were discussing my medical history. It's a long one. I won't bore you with all the details. I will mention about ten years ago I was diagnosed with mild hypothyroidism, which I had gotten under control taking prescribed medications and herbal remedies. I was able to eliminate the prescription after a time. Maybe hypothyroidism never goes away?

Well, as I am, I quit taking the supplements that were keeping me in check. I really need to stop doing that. After I post this, I'm pulling out my supplement bible to figure out what it was I was taking...

He is thinking my thyroid is acting up again and causing my blood pressure to flare. This would be best I think. Of course we will not know anything until I get my blood work done.

I did a little hypothyroid search before writing this post and I don't think my thyroid is the case. I do not have any of the noted symptoms. Okay, maybe I'm a little irritable sometimes...

The doctor will also be checking my Cholesterol, kidney and liver functions, screening for diabetes, plus a few other things that escape my memory. (Darn Vampires!) Wait, memory loss is a symptom of hypothyroidism too!

He told me he wants me to drop a few pounds. I think I look pretty good, but whatever. Hmmm, unexplained weight gain is a symptom too!

Shesh, can a thyroid malfunction cause a person's blood pressure to go that high? I guess we will soon find out.

He gave me the standard spiel of cutting salt, caffeine, and monitoring my diet for good and bad stuff. I don't know if I can handle cutting out my coffee. I quit drinking sodas years ago and coffee is all I enjoy.

I have to monitor my blood pressure at home for the next few weeks. I've been doing that anyway, but now I have to keep a record for him.

As soon as my ankle is healed, I will be returning to my walking regimen and I am going to increase my exercise routine. By the way, he said my ankle looks really good.

I'm not going to let this high blood pressure stand in my way.

If There's a Matchstick, I'll Trip Over It

Yesterday I lost my footing and tripped. I felt my ankle go and I went down to the ground to pull off my shoe. The pain radiated up my leg to my hip. I began to cry. I rarely cry.

First, I was wearing shoes. I think this was a mistake on my part since I usually wear sandals. In fact, I always wear sandals. I just happened to put on my shoes so I could help my husband cut down a dead tree. I will never wear shoes again.

My husband proceeded to help me into the house. He was asking me what happened and I could not really say anything except there may have been a matchstick in the driveway that tripped me.

He wanted to take me to the emergency room. I hate going to the emergency room, especially on the weekend, I refused.

This morning my ankle is three times it's normal size and black. I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I crawled because I could not stand the pain when I walked. This morning I slid down the stairs on my rump because stairs and a hurt ankle don't mix. I wish I could crawl around downstairs but the wood floors hurt my knees.

I broke my ankle marching in the Battle of Flowers Parade when I was a teenager. I think tripped on one of those round yellow bump things in the road. All I can really remember was tripping. I marched the rest of the parade in pain. When I got home my father saw my ankle and rushed me to the emergency room.

My ankle looks pretty much the way it did back then. However, this time I hope it's only a sprain.

I'm waiting here for the clinic to open so I can get an X-ray done...


UPDATE: We went to the clinic. The doctor was more concerned about my blood pressure than my ankle! I do have high blood pressure. She said this was too high: 245/180. I explained to her I was, and have been, in an incredible amount of pain. She said she would give me a point or two for pain but not this much.

They gave me a dose of Clonidine to lower my BP. I was told at this point they would not release me until my BP went down.

Then she looked at my foot. She said, "Ouch, that looks painful!" Then she started pushing on it! I about jumped out of the chair.

She then told me it looks broken but they would take X-rays to be sure. I had to wait for X-ray because there were two ahead of me. It didn't matter much since I could not leave anyway.

I sat and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally the nurse came back to take my BP. 193/130. The doctor made me take another dose of Clonidine.

X-ray came to take pictures of my ankle. I was returned to my cubical to wait. My husband and little girl joined me there. Why should I have to sit there by myself? The little one was not too pleased to be there. In the waiting room there was toys to play with.

My husband was upset about my BP being so high. He wanted to know why I hadn't gone to see the family doctor to refill my BP meds. Well I have a reason, it may not be good for some but I have one, he retired.

The doctor came back with good news about my ankle, it's only a sprain. This was a relief. I could not imagine wearing a cast for weeks on end.

I still had to wait for the second dose of Clonidine to take effect and have my BP checked before I could leave. The nurse came back with a pair of crutches and a splint for my ankle. After he got me fitted and braced I was told I had to wait a bit longer, 20 minutes.

In a small cubical, with an impatient child, and a worried husband, 20 minutes is like an eternity...

The nurse came back and took my BP. 166/113. He left.

The doctor said since there was improvement, I could go. She prescribed Procardia, which I had been taking before my doctor retired. Really, I wanted a new doctor closer to home anyway. She referred me to another doctor up the road. She warned me I could have a stroke or heart attack with BP that high.

I realize my heath is important. I take pretty good care of myself. I take vitamins, exercise, and eat right (for the most part). I don't understand the high BP. I guess it's not for me to understand. I just have to take care of it.

Before I get chastized for not going to the doctor for the BP, I have been feeling pretty good. I monitor it at home and it's been high but not like what it was at the clinic.

Perhaps the sprained ankle was a warning sign. Thanks to it I'll be heading to another doctor for a follow-up...

Here's my poor ankle, this is after three days of ice and elevation. Granted it is a lot better than it was.

Here you can see the difference in size, still three days. I wish it would just go away.

Spring Cleaning and Planting time!

March 20 is the first day of spring this year. Spring Break is upon us so my teen will be home and underfoot this week. Though we're not going anywhere, we do have plans to get some things done around the house.

Every spring I like to purge. I started my spring cleaning a little early this year. I cleaned out my closet and donated 3 huge bags of clothes to Ronald McDonald House. The teen will be doing her closet this week. I'm sure here clothes will be a bigger help to the charity since hers are more stylish.

After the closets are finished I'm going to rearrange some of my planter beds. The yard is in desperate need of attention since we've had little rain. I'm looking to plant a few trees in the center of the yard. We found out recently there will be a house built across the street. We want to keep our view as natural as possible and trees should block the building nicely.

Okay, the truth is, I want big, fast growing, thick trees. When we moved here we knew a house would go up on that lot eventually. We've seen what's been popping up in the neighborhood. People are moving to the country, leveling the lots, and making our quaint area like city plats. It's crazy.

I'm thinking about planting Austrees . They are not indigenous to our area, but they look like exactly the effect we want and they're supposedly non-invasive. We're still doing research on them.

I've also thought about planting a run of Oleander, which is indigenous. However, I don't think these bushes will be enough for blockage. We have several established in the yard already and they seem stubby and short, but the flowers are nice. One big benefit of the Oleander is the deer don't eat them.

I wish the people who built our home would have left more trees in the yard. There are still remnants of stumps and roots where they leveled the lot. We've been working on clearing those, what a pain.

I hope everyone doing spring cleaning and planting this week enjoy it as much as I do.

Happy Spring to all!

Social Security Administration Observations

Yesterday I went to the Social Security Administration to get a replacement card. My Social Security card was accidentally torn. This will never happen again, believe me. Why you cannot laminate these paper beauties is beyond me.

I have a few observations about my visit:

1. It is against the law to kill, kidnap, abuse or otherwise harm a Social Security Administrator while they are performing their duties. Funny, I thought it was illegal to do this period. Well, just so you know, this warning is posted on the wall.
2. Make an appointment if at all possible. This will cut your wait time down to one hour. If you try calling in advance for information or to make an appointment, expect the direct line to be busy. Call the 1-800 number so you can speak to the computer and get nowhere.
   
3. If you walk in and wait, your estimated wait time is well over 2 hours, even if they tell you it will be approximately 90 minutes. And, whatever you do, don't leave the room once you check in (even to use the restroom). If they call you after you've checked in and you don't respond, you will lose your turn. Also, consider bringing your own seating as there are not enough chairs to accommodate everyone.
   
4. Don't bring your kids. Children cannot sit and wait patiently for hours on end. The Social Security Administration does not provide entertainment for kids nor do they appreciate your children using the water fountain as their personal sprinkler toy.
5. Don't bother bringing your camera to take candid images of your experience. This is posted on the entrance door: "No Cameras or Photographs Allowed!"
6. Even though there are several service windows, only one will be open at any given time. You will, however, see many Social Security Administrators conjugated beyond the walls and wonder why they are not assisting people.
7. You cannot obtain a Social Security card for any person other than yourself, if they are not infants or incapacitated, even with their identification in hand. You must apply in person. Three "customers" tried to do this while I was waiting.
8. Proper identification is your state issued driver's license or identification card, military ID, green card, or passport. Your library card does not qualify. If you provide ID other than the above accepted, you will be turned away and have to return for another long wait time. This happened twice during my visit.
   
9. Even though there is a television in the waiting room to help pass the time, don't expect it to be on.
10. The Social Security Administration has a security guard to keep people in line and assist you. However, they are uninformative and allowed to ignore you while they play on their cell phones and surf the Internet on their provided desktop computer.
11. When you visit the offices, don't be shy. Expect to gain some lifetime friends, or perhaps a new partner, when you conduct business there. With the tight quarters, limited seating, and long wait time you will become too close for comfort and have your personal space invaded.

Of course, before I went to the office in person, I had an online encounter with the Social Security website. Posted everywhere in the office are signs telling you to conduct most of your Social Security business online to save time and hassle. Sadly, you can only get a new card in person. Here's some of my online observations:

1. The website has links that give you 404 messages.
2. The pdf links to forms are as slow as molasses.
3. The office locator does not allow you to directly zoom or expand the map and the written directions are rather sketchy.

More about the office locator, I live outside of San Antonio, which is a fairly large city. When I plugged in my zip code the office locator said my local Social Security office was in Seguin, which is over 100 miles from my home.

In San Antonio there is only one office to get a new Social Security card. This office is located downtown in the center of the city. It is also over 75 miles from my home-not very convenient. I would think Social Security, as big as it is, would have more service centers especially in a city the size of San Antonio.

I searched the office locator with several different zip codes hoping to find an office closer to me. I had no luck plugging San Antonio zip codes, only the downtown office popped up. You can only search for offices by zip code, by the way. But they do have a link for you to look up zip codes if you need to, and you will.

Finally, I went outside of the box and plugged in some zip codes from surrounding towns and found an office about 35 miles from my home.

In the end, my business with the Social Security Administration is done. I can expect my new card to arrive in the mail in 4 to 6 weeks!

Wait, I just had a funny thought, you can go to the office of Vital Statistics where you were born, or died, and get a certified birth or death certificate immediately. Why can't Social Security cards be printed immediately?

Also, in the office, they have signs posted about identity theft prevention and to guard from throwing your Social Security card in the trash. I can expect my card in the mail, regular mail, that is placed in a box that sits unguarded on the side of the road. What's to prevent someone from pilfering my Social Security card from my mailbox? I mean, if they'll dig in the trash to steal an identity, surely they'll steal mail too.

How to Make Things Happen: Visualize

I've been creating change in my life and making things happen. I've always followed simple rules, beliefs. One is you can make things happen if you see it as a fact already, visualization. How they say, if you see it, you can be it.

I'll give you an example. The past year my husband has been itching to get a new motorcycle. All his buddies at work have bikes and ride together on the weekends. They tell stories of their adventures and really make owning a bike like nothing else. You know, Live for the Ride.

Last year the group went to Sturgis. This year they're going to Daytona Bike Week and Pike's Peak. So my husband has been moping about.

We really couldn't afford to make a purchase like this. I also have some trepidation about bikes. But I want him to be happy. So I told him, just start looking. So he did. The last year he's been scouring the cycle magazines, the Internet, and various bike shops.

He found a bike he really wanted, a Honda Shadow Sabre. They will discontinue the model, I think 2008 is the last, according to the dealer we spoke to. So he really gained interest in it. I guess it has something to do with how the bike runs and looks. Possibly it's because of the nostalgia of it. Who knows?

Anyhow you can see it here.

Then he decided he really wanted the exact model with the flames and all. Well, it does look cool. By this time, about 6 months ago, I'm thinking, isn't it a little early for a mid-life crisis? And, shouldn't you be wanting something like a Corvette?

His obsession with getting this bike became more intense when a local bike sale shop got one in on their show room floor. The bike is a 2007 model with only 200 miles on it, just like new.

He started visiting the bike on a regular basis. I said, if you really want this bike you should make it happen, create change in your life to make owning the bike a reality. Visualize yourself getting the money, going to the shop, and buying the bike. Then see yourself riding it.

He did. Now the bike is sitting in our garage. I've been warned by some of the other wives of this man group, you better get used to your husband being gone all the time. Personally, I don't see that happening, he put a sissy bar on it for me.

So, you can make things happen if you visualize.

Here's the new toy:

Can Negativity Squash Hope?

I was reading an article by David Servan-Schreiber about hope and healing that got me thinking. Is positive belief and hope enough? Can negativity squash hope?

The article started out telling a story of an HIV positive man who escaped AIDS much longer than expected. When asked of his treatment protocol he said he took natural supplements, ate right, and exercised. A doctor told him he had many patients following that regimen die. Then, sure as sunset, the man died. His hope and determination were squashed by some neggie nelly nay sayer, a doctor no less. At the end of the article Schreiber said patients should help themselves and instill hope in their bodies. This will do more than medicine alone.

Many years ago I had an experience with a negative person myself. My husband had bladder cancer. He went in for surgery and came out beautifully. His doctor was very optimistic about his recovery and survival.

My husband's ex-wife was a floor nurse at the hospital. She butted her head in his care when she found out he was in recovery, not her unit or specialty. I found her checking his IV and administering medication to him. My husband asked me to have her removed. After a heated discussion with the staff she was barred from initiating any care to him.

When he was moved to a private room she showed up for a visit. She walked in and told me, "we need to talk." I walked into the hall with her. She said a lot about nothing and then spouted out, loudly, "you know, he's going to die!"

I'll never forget that moment. I felt my chest get heavy and my heart sink into my stomach. I told her to leave. Thankfully she didn't come back. However, she planted the negative seed.

My husband heard her words. We did not discuss the conversation except he told me to ignore her. But I guess her statement was one he could not ignore himself. Less than a year later he was gone.

Growing up my parents taught me to think positively. They told me: "Think can do and keep not out of your life." I get it now, but then I thought they were bonkers.

Positive thinking is the mainstream for success, health, and happiness. Every day I see something that reminds me of the power of positivity.

Hope and positivity go hand in hand. When confronted with something, or someone, negative we should turn tail and make it positive. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No.

One Way to Celebrate Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is a holiday made for lovers. Couples celebrate the day exchanging tokens of love. Many couples have chosen this day to celebrate their love by getting married.

One legend, as told on the History Channel, said Valentine's Day was initiated when a priest named Valentine was put to death for performing secret marriages. As the story goes, in about 270, Claudius II had banned all marriages in an effort to recruit soldiers into service. Unmarried men were allegedly more inclined to sign onto service. When Claudius discovered Valentine's disobedience he ordered Valentine's death sentence.

Today my husband and I have chosen to celebrate Valentine's Day, our love and commitment to each other, by renewing our vows.

We decided to do this in honor of Dad. For the last two weeks I've been in a frenzy trying to put this together. Getting dinner reservations for 10 is not an easy feat on the most active couples dining night of the year. I could not get the exact restaurant we wanted, but I did get second best.

Organizing the venue: As luck would have it, for 20 years San Antonio has hosted a free Valentine's Day Mass Wedding. This will be their 21st year performing the ceremonies. Last year they held the ceremonies at the Arneson Theater on the Riverwalk because of construction at the courthouse. They will be using the venue once again this year. Frankly, I think they should use it from here on out.






The Arneson Theater is a beautiful spot located in La Villita on the San Antonio River. Spectators sit on one side of the river on rock and grass seating to view whatever performance is happening on the stage across the river.

Couples will gather and line the spectator seats while the officiant performs the ceremony. You can see images of 2008 Valentine's Mass Wedding on San Antonio (TX) Daily Photo.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!