Government, Shut it down...We Are A Great People!

From Being American by GO- Facebook page

Yes I can, and according to a vast number of people who commented on the Facebook page where I found this photo a lot of people feel the same way.

I love my Country... I am not happy with my government!  

So what exactly will happen if the government shuts down?  Well I can tell you this, the world will not stop turning and I, like many of you will still get up and go to work on Oct. 1st. and so will many of those who work for the government. 

Contrary to what the propaganda wants you to believe, there will be little effect on our everyday lives as all essential services will continue. Your mail will still be delivered, garbage will still be picked up (unless you live in Washington DC), the court houses will still hold trials, the jails will still hold prisoners and the military will still protect us. The government will continue to collect taxes. Because these are either essential services or they are funded by a stream of money that will not be effected.

Again I ask, what exactly will happen if the government shuts down? Well, lets see, non essential services... some federal employees will be furloughed (think of it as they get an extra holiday). If you remember the last shut down, they were paid retroactively after everything settled down. Furlough = paid holiday. 3/4 or about 1,265 of the presidents 1,701 member staff will be sent home. By the way... the president and vice president are exempt from furlough but of the 90 people who maintain the president's family living quarters, only 15 will continue working to provide minimum maintenance and support.  Yes, the president has a staff of 90 just to maintain the family living quarters. I think he can get by just fine with 15 for a while since most of us don't even have ONE! Oh and the National Parks will close. Remember the sequestration... that already cut white house tours.


I still cant see what vital services that Americans depend on will be shut down.  Oh, there is one, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will be effected. So that gun permit you applied for... it will take a little longer then anticipated.  Ha, since Obama scared everyone with gun control, if you are a proponent of the 2nd amendment, you already have you CCW.   Never mind.  Social Security checks your ask, during the last shut down SSI checks were still sent, although there may be a delay in processing new applications. I think we can deal with that considering they have waited this long to even qualify.

Think back to the Clinton years and when the government shut down. Nothing but a big scare tactic for political maneuvering. The BIGGEST concern I can find is, according to a recent CNN/opinion research poll, 51% of Americans will blame the Republicans if the government closes its doors. This, perhaps, sets up a scenario for influencing the next election.

By the way did you know we have not really had a budget since 2009. You heard me correctly, NO BUDGET PASSED .  The only thing this administration has done is continue to pass appropriation bills to raise the debt ceiling to keep spending money and Obamacare... that goes into effect even if the government shuts down.

Oh, by the way, sorry about your trip to Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, your going to have to figure out a plan B vacation. We need to stop the blame game and feel a little pain if we are going to get things back on the right track.

Lets get back to...

Life is Simple... Enjoy the journey!

Tomorrow... more pumpkin, it's that time of year!

Amendment Number 28... Obamacare and More Pumpkin.

I did say in the title... disjointed ramblings of an old lady...

 Amendment 28

Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States .

GOT YA!...      There is no 28th Amendment...

  

   But I want to know the who, what, when, where, and why of Obamacare...

How is any average working American going to read and understand all of the BS to make an educated healthcare insurance choice. 

 We're not...  As Sweet Brown would say "Ain't nobody got time for that". 

We are doing the daily, making ends meet, paying bills and raising families so we are going to depend on the mis-information, half truths, propaganda and lies that are spun by 1) The media 2) The health care industry 3) The politicians that are promoting it. We are doing exactly what the government wants us to be doing...

But if you find time... (maybe bathroom reading material) here are the links to the full text and reconciliation.  

I will warn you ahead of time, the certified reconciliation Act is 55 pages and the certified version of the affordable Care Act is 2409 pages.  

Read the Full Text of the Affordable Care Act

• Full Text of the Affordable Care Act and Reconciliation Act (PDF – 2.6 MB)
• Certified Full-Text Version: Affordable Care Act (PDF – 4.27 MB)
• Certified Full-Text Version: Reconciliation Act (PDF – 282 KB)

Now when you are done reading that...

If you go to the Web site for the Federal Register and search "Affordable Care Act"  you will find the following related articles by type: 

• Rule 5,662
• Notice 3,282
• Proposed Rule 2,463
• Presidential Document 116 

They want me to believe that healthcare will be affordable for everyone.

The following Quotes are from: (http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-health-insurance-exchange.php):

Quote: Part of the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) is focused on providing "affordable" health care. This means that those who can pay more do, but most of us will qualify for discounts to help pay for health insurance premiums. While most Americans will pay less, some will not. However, the Affordable Health Care Act doesn't promise "cheaper insurance for everyone." It promises "Affordable, quality health care for everyone."

I say, since all the rhetoric about Obamacare our insurance premium has increased close to $300.00 per month, on a policy we have had for 5 yrs. We now pay almost $800.00 a month for insurance that has a $5,000.00 deductible for each of us. Then pays 80/20 until an OOP (out of pocket) of $15,000.00.  Oh, and neither one of us has any health issues or take any prescription medications.  I have heard from people that are paying over twice this amount who do have health issues. 

Two things occur to me, it appears that, they (it's always the infamous they) think we are part of the ones who can afford to pay more, and the insurance industry is already trying to subsidize this health care act. Maybe they know something we don't...

I can get health care coverage on an exchange. 

Quote: If you make between $11,505 to $46,021 you can buy subsidized private insurance in the state-based online marketplaces. If you make less than $15,302 you may qualify for Medicaid.
You may qualify for discounts to help pay for premiums if your income is from $15,302 to $46,021 for an individual and $31,155 to $93,700 for a family of four.

Wait... read that again...  if you make between $11,505 to $46,021 you can buy subsidized private insurance; and if you make less than $15,302 you may qualify for Medicaid. So which is it?!?!?! And, why, if I qualify for medicaid would I purchase the insurance...and what about families of two and  three or five and six? Do I divide the family of four income or do I subtract the individual amount from the family of four and then divide by three and then add that back on to see what my income needs to be...
Lets see, then that is 93,700/4=24,425  then the individual amount of 46021+24425=70446 if I am at the top of the income bracket. Now how much of a discount will that give me?  Crap I did it wrong... I need to take 93700-46021=47679 47679/3=15893 add that to the individual max amount of 46021+15893=61914 and that gets me a discount of how much? 


Hang on there should be a note here somewhere about the paperwork reduction act and how much time this should take to figure out...

What if you don't get health insurance?  

 

Quotes from: http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-individual-mandate.php

Quote: The individual mandate goes into effect January 1st, 2014. The penalty will be applied to your taxable income for each month you don't have health insurance. The fee is 1% to 2.5% of your taxable income or a set amount, whichever is greater.

So now my government... the men and women who I have elected to office are telling me I have to get health insurance or they are going to fine me, and... they can't even tell me how much the fine is!
Wait, Wait, Wait a minute... here it is... it is not a fine, it is a "Tax".

• The "mandate" to have insurance is officially a tax as declared by the supreme court on June 28, 2012. 

Oh wait, or is it a "FEE"?

Your tax penalty (shared responsibility fee) for not having insurance is paid on your taxes at the end of the year. If your taxable income is below 133% of the FPL you are exempt from this tax.

2014 = $95 per person per year or 1% of your Income
2015 = $325 per person per year or 2% of your Income
2016 = $695 per person per year or 2.5% of your Income
2017 = Tax Penalty will increase by the rate of inflation going forward, or 2.5% of your Income. The total penalty for the taxable year cannot exceed the national average of the annual premiums of a bronze-level health insurance plan offered through the health insurance marketplaces.

But didn't it say I would be "Taxed" for each month I didn't have insurance and this says per year... Which is it?!?!? Okay, let's see if we can be exempt... to be exempt, the FPL (Federal poverty level) for an individual is $11,490 *133% = $15281.17

Hum, that amount seems awfully close to the threshold for medicaid.

This is only a fraction of what needs to be considered with individual healthcare insurance. We haven't even looked at what the changes in coverage will be and if you own your own business and have employees... good luck figuring that one out! 

Maybe they should just shut down the government till we can all figure this out or better yet... we can all quit our jobs go on food stamps, medicaid, let the government support us and not worry about it.

My head hurts...

Here is some more fun with Everything pumpkin!

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

Ingredients

• 1 pumpkin, about 3 pounds
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 pound stale bread, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1/4 pound cheese, such as Gruyère, Emmenthal, cheddar, or a combination, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 2–4 garlic cloves (to taste), split, germ removed, and coarsely chopped
• 4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and chopped (my addition)
• About 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives or sliced scallions (my addition)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (my addition)
• About 1/3 cup heavy cream
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment, or find a Dutch oven with a diameter that's just a tiny bit larger than your pumpkin. If you bake the pumpkin in a casserole, it will keep its shape, but it might stick to the casserole, so you'll have to serve it from the pot—which is an appealingly homey way to serve it. If you bake it on a baking sheet, you can present it freestanding, but maneuvering a heavy stuffed pumpkin with a softened shell isn't so easy. However, since I love the way the unencumbered pumpkin looks in the center of the table, I've always taken my chances with the baked-on-a-sheet method, and so far, I've been lucky.

Using a very sturdy knife—and caution—cut a cap out of the top of the pumpkin (think Halloween Jack-o-Lantern). It's easiest to work your knife around the top of the pumpkin at a 45-degree angle. You want to cut off enough of the top to make it easy for you to work inside the pumpkin. Clear away the seeds and strings from the cap and from inside the pumpkin. Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper, and put it on the baking sheet or in the pot.

Toss the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, and herbs together in a bowl. Season with pepper—you probably have enough salt from the bacon and cheese, but taste to be sure—and pack the mix into the pumpkin. The pumpkin should be well filled—you might have a little too much filling, or you might need to add to it. Stir the cream with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper and pour it into the pumpkin. Again, you might have too much or too little—you don’t want the ingredients to swim in cream, but you do want them nicely moistened. (It's hard to go wrong here.)

Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours—check after 90 minutes—or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. Because the pumpkin will have exuded liquid, I like to remove the cap during the last 20 minutes or so, so that the liquid can bake away and the top of the stuffing can brown a little.

When the pumpkin is ready, carefully, very carefully—it's heavy, hot, and wobbly—bring it to the table or transfer it to a platter that you'll bring to the table.

Serving
You have a choice—you can either spoon out portions of the filling, making sure to get a generous amount of pumpkin into the spoonful, or you can dig into the pumpkin with a big spoon, pull the pumpkin meat into the filling, and then mix everything up. I'm a fan of the pull-and-mix option. Served in hearty portions followed by a salad, the pumpkin is a perfect cold-weather main course; served in generous spoonfuls, it's just right alongside the Thanksgiving turkey.

Storing
It's really best to eat this as soon as it's ready. However, if you’ve got leftovers, you can scoop them out of the pumpkin, mix them up, cover, and chill them; reheat them the next day.

Bonne Idée
There are many ways to vary this arts-and-crafts project. Instead of bread, I've filled the pumpkin with cooked rice—when it's baked, it's almost risotto-like. And, with either bread or rice, on different occasions I've added cooked spinach, kale, chard, or peas (the peas came straight from the freezer). I’ve made it without bacon (a wonderful vegetarian dish), and I’ve also made it and loved, loved, loved it with cooked sausage meat; cubes of ham are also a good idea. Nuts are a great addition, as are chunks of apple or pear or pieces of chestnut.

Reprinted courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.

Everything pumpkin... it's that time of year!

Ahh, it's fall or autumn, depending on where you live.  The "holiday season" is upon us, which I never quite understood. It implies that Valentines day, St. Patrick's day, Independence day and any number of other "Days" are not holidays...
 
For those like my granddaughter in law Dani, (that just sounds wrong) who LOVE candy corn, my daughter Andrea and son Chris, with their various pumpkin fetishes this is the best time of year!

Me, I miss living in our old house this time of year. We had such fun decorating for Holidays, especially Halloween. I still have boxes and boxes of stuff in the attic. Spider webs made of rope, torches, head stones, over sized rats, misc. body parts, grim reaper outfits, fog and echo machines. Back then we even had a full size coffin.

Lone Grave-Col. James C. Vanderipe

The best part was having a grave right across the street, the huge old oak trees and the nearest street light was a block away. We would set up a spot light to reflect off the branches of the old oak tree, Andrea would dress up in my wedding dress dance around the grave to spooky music.



 
 I wish now that we had video cameras set up.  It was such fun. Year after year the same people would come back to see what we had added. Even people who moved out of the neighborhood would come back to visit us. Over the years as the kids grew up they would come back with there kids.

But alas...the ebb and flow,  life moves on, things change. Where we live now, no one trick or treats. It may be that the houses are two far apart or that there are many other places that have events like trunk or treat.

I wonder, does anyone participate in Halloween like we used to, by going door to door? 

For Andrea and Chris... Everything pumpkin...   

Pumpkin Bread

 Life is simple... enjoy the journey!

100 days+... the search continues.

1928 racing schooner Niña

The 85-year-old staysail racing schooner Niña, left port on May 29 bound for Newcastle, Australia. The Capt., David Dyche and crew including, his wife and son, Rosemary Dyche and David Dyche IV, Evi Nemeth, Kyle Jackson, Danielle Wright, and Matthew Wootton were on board. They were last heard from on June 4th 2013 after weathering two storms.



Yesterday I watched a trailer from the new Robert Redford Movie, All is Lost, and it made a lump raise up in my throat.  ALL is NOT lost...






It has been over 100 days since the sailing schooner Niña has gone missing in the Tasman sea. 100 days is a long time... but not the record.  There has been no evidence that the vessel sank suddenly, no wreckage, floatsom, nothing.

The search continues...  family and friends know the captain and crew are survivors. ( read about the top 10 Sea Survivors here.)

Image of Life raft found on Tomnod

As I understand it there are over 8,000 people who are or who have searched on Tomnod to find what looks like either a boat or life raft. There was what appeared to be a life raft that was found, and we are trying to locate it on newer images.  Current images were posted from Sept. 9th. We need more eyes to help the search.

If you can spare a few minutes, please help us search these Tomnod images.



There is also a petition to have the government use the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) to acquire, and analyze, satellite imagery of the appropriate areas to detect a small boat or life raft.  This is equipment our government already has and it sounds like it would be a rather small matter for them if they would do it.  I understand that it would be a huge asset in finding the Nina!

Please take a moment and Sign The Petition



We need to keep the Niña in the forefront of the media and on google until something is found.


Join the search at  Holding Hope for the Niña,

Follow the progress at Bringing Home the Niña and Her Crew.

Or

Texas Equuinsearch Nina Updates page

Donations can be made at the following: Donate to Search for the Niña

If you do nothing else, share this post and any other information you see about the Nina and her crew and those of you who have tweeter, please tweet the hash tag  #ninarescue.

PS. IF Any one knows Robert Redford, or the director J.C. Chandor or anyone else related to the production of the movie All is Lost... please forward this to them directly.  Thanks!


and please think about this, while you are taking a hot shower, drinking your morning coffee or eating your Friday night pizza...  the 7 lost at sea can't... until we find them.

Life is simple... enjoy the journey!

I know how to fix the problems...

 I know how to fix the problems.

Yes, all of them, all of the problems, every single issue we have.

Not just the ones here in the U.S., all of them, the world over.

It will stop all war, all big government, all corporate greed, murders, home invasions, and any other violent act.

It will solve the problems with Social Security, welfare, health care, homelessness, jobs, education, inflation and taxes.

There will be no more need for  NSA, Homeland security, or the military.

We won't have to worry about racism, illegal immigration or human trafficking.

It will stop pollution and the depletion of the natural resources.

By Damn it will save the earth!

Every concern, every issue, every debate,  every, every thing.

If you can name, this solution will fix it.

And when I tell you, your going to hit yourself in the head and say " I should have had a V8"...

There are draw backs...


It will not be easy, will likely take a while and...

will take a tremendous amount of self control from all of human kind (which we do not seem to have).

It is so simple I am surprised that the liberals have not demanded it.


Oh wait,

Damn,

... like everything else, someone already thought of it, never mind, I'm about 22 yrs behind the time.

It appears we as humans can't handle a solution this drastic.

It really was a brilliant idea though, it really will fix everything.

Maybe, when we are ready for it, it will catch on.

I hope it won't be to late...

Life is simple, enjoy the journey!

Civic duty... a different view of the world

Yesterday was jury duty day. So, I spent the day downtown doing my civic duty. This to some may seem like a burden, but to me, it is part of what makes this a great country, and I am honored to have the opportunity.

If you have never been through the process it is quite interesting. It has changed since the last time I served, and not only is it now in the new judicial center,  the court also picks all jury's for the week on Monday. As it turns out, if you are not selected by the end of the day then you have done your duty until you are summoned again.

I was going to write a long diatribe about the whole process, but decided it was going to be to boring. I am sure it would be more fun to tell you about the people watching and the yellow shoes, but I will save those for another day too.

I will however, tell you about the few things I learned.

I learned the term- Voir Dire. As explained by the judge who swore the group of us in, it means to speak the truth, and in lay terms, jurors are sworn to truthfully answer all questions that they are asked during the selection process. Trust me... there were some answers that had a whole lot more detail then the court probably needed!

I learned that without a reasonable doubt only applies to criminal cases, unlike a criminal case, preponderance of evidence is the standard of proof that must be meet in a civil case.

I learned that only 7 people are selected to sit on a jury unless it is a capital case, then they will select 12.

...and I learned that hypothetically you can have a criminal trial without a defense.

Because the defendant is innocent until proven guilty, the state must prove first that a crime has been committed and then prove that the defendant committed the crime...

The defense is there to create reasonable doubt...

Looking East on SR 64

...but most of all I learned that the city I live in looks a whole lot different from the 6th floor of the county judicial center. 

Looking across the Manatee River over the Post office

I spent a few minutes in the present and was in awe of how different our once small town looked.  It gave me a different perspective of Bradenton, if only for that moment.




...and as I looked around at the other people, who like me were waiting, some were texting, others talking on their phones, a few playing games... I wanted to scream...

HEY! look up, look out the window... look at the beautiful sky... did you know there are water towers out east... look out at the town we live in... look out at the world!

This morning as I sit here writing, I wonder, how many other people took the time to look out the window while they were waiting on the 6th floor...and how many people noticed the yellow shoes...

Life is simple... enjoy the journey!

These are the good ole' days and jury duty.

You wonder what these two things have in common...
well actually nothing at all.









It just so happens that I have been called for jury duty, yet again. Don't get me wrong, I believe in civic duty, I just wonder how they "randomly" pick the people who are selected to appear for duty. 


You see in the last 15 yrs I have been summoned for jury duty four (4) times. Once I spent two days at the court house and when questioned, was dismissed because I had a teenage son and the case was a statutory rape case. The second time I was picked to sit on a jury for an domestic assault case. The third time, I called the night before and was dismissed without having to show up. Today is my fourth summons.  Bill, on the other hand, has never received a jury summons while living in Florida.

So, how random is random...  I guess I should be the one picking the Lotto numbers!

The other title topic...



Think about it, these are the good ole' days. Why you might ask, because we are making the memories today, that we will cherish tomorrow.

Yesterday, I took Bill by the hand, we went outside and danced naked in the rain...

Damn it was cold rain too!


 
The places we go, the friends we spend time with... these are what make the memories that become the good ole' days.  Cherish today... make the memories for tomorrow.

Yeah and you thought today was just another day...

Life is simple... enjoy the journey!

The Lost Bounce

Bounce... bounce... bounce , I have lost my bounce

Because that's what Tiggers do!

 I told Bill that I had lost my bounce, you know like Tigger has a bounce because that's what tiggers do. Tiggers are very passionate about their bounce too!
I have had different bounces, I had bounce when I was a mom raising a terrific family, being involved with the PTA, school and sports stuff, I had bounce when I worked in the fire safety industry, I had bounce building houses, I bounced all over, ask anyone who has worked with me. I never remember losing the bounce. I just bounced right on to the next thing to bounce to. But this time, I feel like I have lost that bounce, yes it is true, I have lost it. I tried to find it, I looked here, there and a few other places, but it has been eluding me. Bill even tried to help find my bounce, but as you must know with bounces, no one else can find yours, only you can.

Bill understands, he misplaced his bounce once.  He bounced all over the pharmacy he owned, and then one day he realized his bounce was gone. So, he sold his pharmacy and moved to Florida looking for his new bounce.  You know what... he found it, and when he lost that bounce he found another one and along the way he also found me! I think that is a wonderful thing.

Don, my first husband had bounce.  He had his bounce for a very long time! Sometimes he bounced higher than others, but he stuck with his bounce for 3 decades and that is a long time to do the same type of bounce.  But alas, "they" won't let him bounce that bounce anymore... I guess he is looking for a new bounce too.

So, for now my bounce seems to be gone. Oh, I still try to bounce, just not as high and not as far, and my heart just isn't in it. When you realize that you have lost your bounce, it can be a very sad thing.  I am going to find a new bounce, I know I will, one that will help me bounce higher. I don't know where or when I will find it, but if I keep trying and keep looking... I will find it!  Because tiggers have to bounce, that's what tiggers do! 

The wonderful thing about Tiggers
Is Tiggers are wonderful things!
Their tops are made out of rubber
Their bottoms are made out of springs!
They're bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy
Fun, fun, fun, fun, FUN!
But the most wonderful thing about Tiggers is I'm the only one
I'm the only me!

911, The day we will never forget...

I will never forget... On September 11, 2001, I was working for a local builder as a superintendent. I was in the construction office that was located in the garage of one of the model homes.  I was doing morning paper work, the radio playing in the background... I heard the host mention something about a plane crash... not paying much attention, planes do crash from time to time after all... but after several minutes of half listening, something he said got my attention.  I remember thinking, Oh ya, this is one of the jokes they play on people.  My son was working there also, I said, "Hey Chris, are you listening to this, I think a plane crashed into the world trade center."   as I got up and went into the model and turned on the TV.  We stood there watching the replays, then the tower coming down and people jumping from windows, We stood there in disbelief.  I was stunned.  I remember the day taking on an eerie silence as I drove around checking on jobs, keenly listening to the radio for more news. Most work had stopped that day, as the tradesman were listening and talking and wondering... what's next... when will it stop.  

In the days that followed, American's banned together, we stood tall, we showed our unity and patriotism... We flew our flags and we wanted to kick some ass!




 

I also remember thinking about all the people that went to work that day, never knowing they would not be going home to their loved ones that night...





My second blog post was about a song by The trailer Choir.  The song tells a story about a group of miners that were trapped and a note that someone wrote, The title is, What Would You Say...  If you haven't heard it, I recommend you do. I also hope that each of you takes some time today for reflection.  Remember those who lost there lives, realize that, event though the United States is considered a superpower, there are countries in the world that hate us and we are still vulnerable... but most of all take time today... take time to say what you would say ... if you were down to minutes.

Because...

sometimes we don't always say the things we want to...

.

sometimes it is to late...



here are some of my lines that I want to say... some of them are too late...



My brother David... I will never forget the lines you left on my page. Your work here was done. Thank you for being the best big brother a little sister could ask for.  I love you and I miss you, someday I will see you on the other side.

Mom and Dad ... You  started my page, you gave me values, ambition and the fight to get through life for that I thank you. You are a big part of who I am today. I Love you both and Mom I miss you everyday.

Grandmother Nellie... You taught me that everyone is the same, some just hide it better than others, you taught me to wait and see because everything works out just the way it should. In a dream you gave me a string of pearls... one day I will find out why.

My first husband Don, you taught me that love and marriage are two different things and that you can still have love after a marriage ends. You share with me three wonderful human beings that I love dearly with all my heart. I am glad you are still my friend.

To Rob, my oldest son.  You taught me to hold my temper when you stood firm and would not eat your vegetables. You were so stubborn and I got so angry that I slapped you on the face.  I was never so horrified that I could let my temper get the best of me. You stood there strong and turned your face as if to say here is the other cheek. You are my rock. I love you!

To Chris, my birthday baby, You taught me to let go, that moms can't control or fix everything. That I have to let go so you can make your own choices, so that you know that you are a very capable young man. I am proud of you and so sorry that I held you back for so long. You are my Eagle, it is time for you to believe in yourself, you have so much to teach people and so much life to share! I love you!

To Andrea, my baby girl, You are proof positive that if you want something, really, really want something from the bottom of your heart and with every breath you take, with every ounce of your being, you can have it. I have you, and you know that you are every wish, every dream, every hope and EXACTLY what I wished for in a baby girl. Now you are following your every wish...You are my dreams come true! I love you!

To Bill, you are my strength, my wisdom, my sanctuary, my mentor, my friend, my husband and the reason I want to grow old. You cherish each of these things in me, as I do in you. AMLAML


To all my other friends and family both here and gone, near or far, each one of you has left your mark on my page, each one has helped build my story and for that I thank all of you. I hope that I have left some useful marks on your pages as well...

People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When you know which one it is, you will know what to do 

When someone is in your life for a REASON it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty...

To provide you with guidance and support…

To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually…

They may seem like they are a godsend, and they are.

They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die…

Sometimes they walk away…

Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand….

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled…

Their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has now been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON.

Because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.

They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.

They may teach you something you have never done.

They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.

Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons.

Things you must build upon to have a solid emotional foundation.

Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, 

and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind, but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life…

Whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime

~ unknown author

Life is simple... enjoy the journey... 

... but wait, there's more!

Regions Bank has really hit an all time low.  Since the local branch does not deal with online banking, I had to call the 800 number again... you know the drill.




I spoke to Phyllis, explained the situation and after she verified my account information and accessed my account, her first comment was, "Well, I understand you can't see the information but did you ask anyone to cancel any of the scheduled payments."  WAIT! what did she just say?!?!? Yes she did, she broke the first cardinal rule of customer service, she tried to put it back on me.

Oh and it gets worse, remember the payment that was returned because there was not enough money in the account... they automatically paid it, AGAIN!  When I was speaking to Phyllis, the payment showed as pending in my account. As I understand it, pending means it has not yet processed, so I asked her to cancel it, her response... Oh, we can't do that.  "You WHAT! wait let me get this clear", I said to her, "you are in online banking and you can see all the transactions on my account, even the ones I can not see or adjust, correct?" "That's correct" she responded. " but I can not cancel that payment, because it was originally processed on the 4th." 

There was quite a bit more minutia that transpired and finally I said to her, "Look your system screwed up and I had no control to make any changes on  my account, here is what I expect you to do... cancel any and all scheduled payment that are on my account, credit any and all over draft charges as a result of this issue and send me a letter for my records that states I did not overdraft my account... that it was a system error."  

It is funny that they ask if they can put you on hold... like I really have a choice and so Phyllis puts me on hold for "two to three minutes". When she comes back, she informs me that she has successfully canceled all future payments on my account and has credited the overdraft charges, but, she can not send me a letter and to her credit offers to transfer me to a supervisor. 

Here we go again, thankfully this time it doesn't take as long. I gave the supervisor a short synopsis of what the situation was and she advised me that she will put in a request for the letter. "A request?" I said, "are you telling me that you can not say for certain that I will be sent a letter stating that the overdraft was due to your systems error." "That's correct" she replied.  OMGOMGOMGOMG, I am over this... Fine, I will go back to the local branch and ask them to write the letter... while I wait!

Regions Bank is a prime example of an organization that has gotten so large and overloaded with polices that they can not and will not empower their employees to make a decision that will foster goodwill toward their customers.  Before it's merger, our accounts were with AM South, which employed a total of about 12,000 people.  After the merger with Regions Bank, there were about 1700 branches and 28,000 employees. Management has gotten so far out of touch with what is happening on the local level that they are loosing marked share. I think this is just another little part of what is wrong with America, we have lost the personal touch.

I expect that within the next 24 hours everything that shows as pending in our accounts will have settled out and I can then go and close them. There is probably a lesson that is supposed to be learned here.  I don't know if the lesson is for me, the bank or both. For now, I have my ego back in check and have calmed down.  I am thankful that I don't live paycheck to paycheck and as it's said... life goes on.

Life is simple... enjoy the journey!

Watch out... Here she comes... and she's not happy...

Yesterday I posted about customer service... Here is a prime example of how to lose customers!

but it's not what you really expected!

  OMGOMGOMG as my daughter, Andrea would say!

Regions Bank has screwed up big time and come 9am this morning, they are going to here about it.





 The back story...

I used to be the one who had the ledger notebook with the amount of each bill, when it was due, when it was late, how much I paid last month etc etc on one page and on the opposite page my balance sheet from my bank account. Once a month I would sit down balance my check book and pay all my bills. 

Move to the future... I now use bill pay to schedule and pay several of our bills. It makes life simpler now that we run a business, or so I thought. Until Regions Bank decided to change their on line bill pay system.  I found this out by accident. How you wonder... I needed to change a payment amount on one of the company credit cards.

When I went into bill pay there was a new splash screen and... no payees!  OMG where did it all go!?!?! So on the phone, push all the button, get the recordings, on hold... finally a live person who tells me I have to talk to online banking. Rinse and repeat.   When I get to a person in online banking I again explain my issue and ask "Where is my bill pay". The gal on the phone was quite nice, she explained that they had recently upgraded their bill pay system and due to a glitch some customers accounts did not transfer properly.  They expected to have the problem corrected in 3-5 business days.  Okay, so I will note the calendar and will make my changes in a week. I have time...

Mind you this is not the first time we have had issues. We originally opened our account when the branch was AM South. They were great! Best customer service I have ever had from a commercial bank. Then several years ago they were bought out by Regions Bank. Since then we have watch the service go down hill... Great employees have been let go or have left. They have given Bill a hassle when he has gone to cash a check from our insurance company.  We were given miss information when we asked what happens if you lose a safe deposit box key.  It has just been one minor issue after another... annoying up until this point.

So back to my original rant... a week went by and nothing changed. I called and again had to explain that I needed to get into my bill pay to make a change in a payment. This time I was told that they would have to hand enter all my information and it would take 24 to 48 hours. As you can imagin my frustration level is accelerating. I have also been informed that ALL my bill pay history has been lost and I will not have access to any past payment I have made! OMGOMG!!

I waited the 48 hours.  Again, I went in to change the payment. NOTHING, absolutely nothing had changed! Rinse and repeat. This time online banking told me that I had to re-enter all my payee accounts. Oh no I don't for almost two weeks your department has told me that they would be resolving this issue. After making enough of a fuss, I was told that they would start re-entering my payee accounts by the end of the day and have it completed within 24 hours.

After I calmed down from that episode, we decided to go and open accounts at another bank. We had already been looking around for a bank that was more customer orientated. So the new accounts being opened, we left the minimum amounts in the old accounts. Problem solved... but wait there's more.

I went online two days later (after the 24 hours) and yes all the accounts were listed... but none of the payment amounts or due dates were included and I had no access to the old information.  Well since there was no payment information, a safe assumption was that they did not set anything up. Since I was going to have to look up and re-enter all of the amounts and due dates, I might as well set it up in the new bank and just abandon the Regions bill pay.  I set up everything all pretty just the way it used to be only at the new bank. Done... but wait there's more (this is starting to sound like an infomercial)

The month plays out and I go check the new bank bill pay, everything pays as scheduled, no problem. Wonderful, we will wait another month and close the old accounts.

 In the mean time we get a notice regarding reward points on one of our other business cards. The thought Occurred to me that since we will be closing all the Regions accounts soon, we should go in and take advantage of the rewards on the Regions CC.  We go on line to check the rewards and... you are not going to believe this...

After a month of screwing around with Regions, all the bills I had scheduled to pay in the old Regions Bank bill pay... PAID!!!

OMGOMGOMG YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME AND YOU OVERDREW MY ACCOUNT AFTER YOU TOLD ME ALL THE INFORMATION WAS LOST AND I HAVE NO ACCESS TO CHANGE IT!!!!!!!!!

who me upset... na not a bit...


So... all my regularly scheduled bill payments have been paid twice this month, save one, that was returned for insufficient funds.

There are three things in my life you don't mess with... my husband, my kids, and my money... Stay tuned, this is not over!

Life is simple... enjoy the journey!