Passing Ridiculous .. Next Stop Sublime!!

Meet Consuela.

Isn't she a beauty?

Actually, this isn't Consuela. It's Consuela's hot twin sister Carmen.

Even though they're identical twins, Consuela's been around the block a few times and lived a fairly hard life so she wasn't up to having her picture taken. Not before she goes on Extreme Makeovers.
In all seriousness:

The picture is of a 1978 Dodge Southwind.. a class A motor home. The way it's suppose to look.

We found one on Craigslist for $800.00.

There's a reason why it was $800.00 but even though it was kind of beat up on the outside .. no dents or smashes or anything like that (the inside is a WHOLE other story) .. the engine had ridiculously low milage and Tim was confident that he could redo the inside so it didn't look so ghetto.. so redneck.. so like a bunch of illegal aliens made it their primary residence while floating over the Rio Grande.

Anyway.. when we were going to have the mobile home put on some one's property, a septic tank and a well was going to have to be dug. Since we weren't going to be able to live it in until then, Tim figured that Consuela would be needed for her bathroom and kitchen until we could actually live in the mobile. So we sent the owners half via Western Union (remember THAT whole folly?) and called them on Wednesday to let them know that we'd be up on Friday to give them the other half and change over the title and everything.

The plan was to get RV legal and then stay over at a campsite so that Tim could check it over and make sure it wasn't going to blow up on the 3.5 hour drive home.

Ok.. can I ask you this?

Why the HELL do we ever plan anything?? You think we would learn by now, huh? Nope.

Now.. let me just interject here that there was a issue with the kids because it comes into play later on in the day. The 12 y/o wasn't able to spend Friday night at his mother's place because she had plans. But we had the ducks in a row already so there really wasn't anything else to do but have the 16 y/o watch him. Not the most optimal situation but it is what it is.

Both kids were read the riot act but we really didn't have any big worries. The youngest would be on the Playstation until he fell asleep and the older one would be on the computer until he fell asleep. There was food in the house and enough toilet paper. The only worries I had was that the dogs would go without food and water but since we were only going to be over night, even the dogs would be fine.

It's 9am and we're just about to leave. I grab my cell phone and notice that there's a text message from Consuela's pimp saying that the roads were flooded due to the the torrential rain we had a few days before. Tim called him and left a message saying that we had to drive up anyway so instead of meeting him at 1:30, we'll just make it a little later. We were on the road when he called and said the water should be down in a few hours. Great.

So we spent almost 4.5 hours driving to Shunk, Pa. We had seen a sign the last time in that area that someone was selling lots of land. Tim wanted to go check it out and find out how much they were selling them for. We drive all the way out there and spend a whole 10 minutes learning that the lots were actually part of a development that didn't allow mobile homes and were running around 15g. Ridiculous.

Now it was almost a 2 hour drive west x southwest to Lock Haven.

We get there and finally see Consuela in person.. from across the road. We didn't feel right pulling up onto the property without first talking to the dude. So we called and texted and called again. Nothing back.

We happen to see this little jeep turn into the property so we waited a few minutes and went a head down the drive way. If worse came to worse, I'll go knocking on the damn door.

We pulled next to Consuela and she looked a little more beat up then I thought. Well. A lot more. I kept telling myself that cosmetics aren't that important. Yea. Right. Anyway, Tim got out of the car to give her the once over when this younger then me blond wearing a bandanna comes bopping out of the house.

She's the dude's wife. Annnnnnnnnnnnd she tells us that dude isn't around, he got called into work. AND there's no battery in Consuela (but she would get one) AND the title is with the guy they got Consuela from but never changed the title over AND she didn't have the keys. She could GET the keys.. but they were at her house a half hour away.

She also tells us that the dude with the title is driving back from his job in West Virginia. Niiiicccceeee.

Then she climbs in an open window and unlocks the door so we can see the inside. I wish she hadn't. I mean, you know, I don't want you to think that I was expecting the Taj Mahal .. but it wasn't as good as the bad I thought it was going to be. There was ALOT of water damage. The roof is going to have to be replaced and the cabinets are going to have to have something done to them. I should have taken pictures but I guess my subconscious knew better!

Right then and there, I wanted to just drive the hell back home and do this another day when they got their shit together. But Tim was insisting on waiting it out since we had already driven all that way and that he wanted to get it into a campsite and stay over night. I wasn't objecting to him wanting to check the damn thing out before he drove it. That's just smart. But I wasn't down on spending any money to stay in a hotel or motel or whatever. Spending another 60.00 in gas was better then spending 90.00 for a motel room in my mind.

But no.

Tim wants to see this thing through. So she's going to go home to get the keys while we drive to a campsite 8 miles away (keeping our fingers crossed that they were even open) .. reserve a spot and then go grab something to eat. By that time, she should be back with they keys and if the dude wasn't home from work yet,  we could at least take the thing, stay over night and finalize the transaction the next day.

Remember what I said about planning? Yea. I really need to know better!!

I had found Holiday Pines Campsite on the TomTom. The TomTom that always wants to kill me by making me drive obscenely narrow rodes through mountains.

This time was no different. The 8 miles was smack dab through Bald Eagle State Forrest on a make pretend road that wasn't only narrow, but also covered in snow and ice.

You do know that upstate PA gets snow WAY before we get it down here, right?

Life may be adventure but you know.. I can do without adventure every once in awhile.

The whole way I'm asking Tim if he's sure he can get Consuelo to make the trip down this road.. especially because there were long drops into nothing on either side at some points. But he was confident... possibly stupid.. that he could do it.

We get to Holiday Pines and not only are they open, but they had a spot for us and the couple who owns it were SOOOO nice. I would definitely recommend staying there if you're in the area. The best part was, they told us another way to get back to where we needed to go that did NOT involve driving through the mountain again.

It taked on another 27 miles going AROUND the mountain but at least it would be safer because we wouldn't have to deal with narrow roads, deep falls, ice, snow and darkness.

So we drive all the way back to Consuela. We sit there for another 20 minutes or so until the wife comes out and tells us, GUESS WHAT?? The keys weren't at home.. they were in the car that her husband drove to work.. in the gas fields.

I couldn't stop the words ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME from coming out of my mouth. And I know she felt bad.. I did.. deep down I know that stuff happens for a reason but that doesn't mean it isn't frustrating as all hell.

She offered to up us up at her house until the dude came back from work but I wasn't going for that. Since the dude was expected home around 730-ish.. and it was now 530-ish.. we figured we'd go get something to eat (which we didn't because of the time it took to get to and from the campsite) and hang around Mickey Dee's parking lot soaking up the free wifi.

It was there that I posted this message on Facebook:

Oh.. did I mention that it was snowing? Yea. Me we're talking about, remember?

So this is where all hell breaks loose.

Remember in the beginning I said that we had to leave both kids alone at home? Yea.. well.. we get a text message from their mother going off about us leaving the 12 year old home alone.. and how he's just a little boy.. and how it's illegal and blah blah blah.

Right away I called the 16 y/o's cell phone. No answer. I leave a message telling him to call me ASAP. I text him a message telling him to call me ASAP. Tim texts their mother and tells her that the 16 y/o is watching him and that there is nothing illegal about that.

I call the 16 y/o again.. no answer.. leave a message telling him to call me.. it's an emergency. I text him again and tell him it's an emergency and that he has to call me.

Nothing.

Tim texts their mother again and asking her were the 16 y/o is .. where the 12 year old is .. does she have them?

Nothing.

I call and text the 16 y/o again.. Tim calls their mother. She doesn't answer so he leaves a message saying that she can't text him going off about leaving the kids and then not pick up the phone. He needed to know where the 16 year old was an if the 12 year old was really by himself.

She finally sends a text message saying that he (Tim) knows it's wrong to leave the 12 year old alone and to leave her be.

Leave her be.

LEAVE HER BE???

That's her response. Says nothing else.. won't pick up the phone.. just drop a bombshell and just leave her be.

And you WONDER why I want to move 4 hours away??

We still wasn't able to get through to the 16 year old and they must have unplugged the house phone or let the cordless go dead because we couldn't get through on that either.

So what was there to do. What would you do? The only thing TO DO was to drive the 4 hours back home. Leaving when we did, we'd get home by 10:30.

We call the dude's wife and explain to her what was going on and that we'd be in touch to set up another time and hopefully then, they would have everything they needed and the deal would smooth through.

The way we figured it, the 16 y/o left the house to hang out with his friends. The 12 y/o being bored or just wanting sympathy from his mother, called her and told her he was by himself. Do I think the 16 y/o was going to be out with his friends all night? No .. but he probably left his cell phone with his brother in case we called and then his brother would cover for him saying that he was in the bathroom or something. Or maybe he kept the cell phone and just didn't answer when we called. Either way.. or no way.. it doesn't matter. We had to forgo our payment to the campsite and drive 200 miles at night.

I'm not a good night driver and especially not after driving for 9 ours already.

After about a 100 miles of driving, we stopped to put air in my tire when my cell phone rings. It's the 12 year old. I immediately ask him where the 16 year old is and he puts him on the phone. I ask him where he was all day and he says home but then he said his mother was beeping in so he put me on hold. Tim got back in the car and I handed him the phone. When his son got back on line, Tim laid into him.. wanting to know where he was and why he hadn't answered his phone.. he then told him that we were on our way home and hung up.

Another half hour goes by and the youngest calls. Are we really coming home? Tim said that we were and I'm sure what prompted that call was the older one bitching and complaining and wondering if they now had to clean the house before we got home.

Their idiots. You don't need a blue print to figure them out.

I wasn't saying to much because I WAS PISSED with a capital P. Deep down I know that things happen for a reason but it's the blatant disregard and disrespect that got under my crawl. And I can't express it out loud because I really don't want to hurt Tim's feelings about the bunch of self centered, selfish, manipulative kids he raised. Or the self centered, selfish, manipulative he chose to create them with.

Because really, what mother in HER RIGHT MIND is sooo concerned about her son being left alone in a house and then want to be left alone? If you're that worried, why didn't you cancel your plans and get your kid the way we wound up cancelling our plans and came home?

If you're that worried or concerned, why didn't you CALL instead of being a pussy ass bitch and text and say, ".. hey, what's going on? I talked to our son and he said he was by himself." .. or whatever kind of conversation adults have about their kids.

I wouldn't know.. because she NEVER calls and has an adult conversation. She always texts these bullshit inflammatory messages.. then refuses to pick up the phone. It's like dealing with another kid.

And when we got home, and found the youngest one in the living room watching tv and the older one on the computer with one of his friend's sitting next to him, I went off. I turned off the computer.. turned off the tv and told them both that I didn't care what they had to day because I already knew it was going to be a lie.. it was going to be some bullshit excuse that I'm way too smart to believe. That all they did was prove again that they couldn't be trusted and not only did there antics cost us about  100 dollars we don't have.. but all they're worried about is what's for dinner and getting what they want when they wanted without any regard for anybody else.

Definitely their mother's children.

The older one said that the younger one had his phone all day.. the youngest one said that the phone was on silent and that's why he didn't hear it.

Do I have STUPID on my forhead? A 16 year old who lets his younger brother use his cell phone? A 16 year old that has his cell phone on SILENT??

I told him that his cell phone is NEVER on silent and that I hear it going off all the time. But the best was when the older one said that his mother said that SHE told US that HE was HOME...

And I screamed... SHE. DID. NOT.    YOU. ALL. LIE.    YOU. ALL. MANIPULATE. YOU.    ALL. DON'T. GIVE. A. RATS. ASS. ABOUT. ANY. BODY. BUT. YOURSELVES.

And then Tim went off on them. About disconnecting the phone.. and not trusting them.. and how he didn't care if they weren't able to play their stupid computer game, the phone was NOT to be disconnected. The next time it is, the computer is getting trashed.

This afternoon the older one made a comment about him guessing he wasn't going to get the 20 bucks we were going to give him for staying him and watching his brother. Like, are you kidding me? Told you.. self centered and selfish.

So now the next time we go upstate.. they're coming with us. And I don't care if the older one gets carsick .. and I don't care if the younger one doesn't want to sit next to his brother all cramped up in the back seat.. I don't care that there will be no internet or tv or any modern convenience at all at the camp site. Read a fucking book.

Quest For A House Part 6: .. Or Why I REALLY Need A Reality Show!!!!!

Not Getting THIS house

.. ok, so I think I have to bring y'all up to speed.

See this house on the left? Well.. we had the opportunity to get into a lease/purchase deal with the owners. It was a sweet deal that only comes around once in a lifetime.

But not in my lifetime because when all was said and done  the timing was just off. When the owners wanted the down payment versus when we were going to have the down payment just wasn't going to go hand and hand.

Soo... Tim came up with this idea to get a mobile home. So on the internet we comb and came up with a few that were exactly in our price range. The only thing is that we had to have them moved .. and if you think buying an over sized Christmas tree and shoving it into your car is bad.. imagine a house. On wheels. There are a lot of permits and logics and stuff..

But all that wasn't going to be so bad because someone was kind enough to offer us a piece of their property to drop the mobile on.

So we made a few appointments to go see a few. Well, one. Tim found one on Craigslist that was free. In Elizabethtown. 60 miles from where we needed to have it moved. PERFECT!! We were so giddy that we actually splurge on Dunkin' Donuts!!

We drive out there.. IN A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR.. and you know, sometimes free is just too much to pay. The place was BEYOND anything inhabitable and the kicker was it couldn't be moved. The only thing to really do was tear it down for scrap.

So we turn right back around and start driving the two hours back to where we live.

We were driving down one highway and Tim happened to notice an older model sitting in the parking lot of a business that sells Mobile and Modular homes. It had a "sold" sign on it but he suggested we pull in and see if they had any more.

I rolled my eyes but figured what the hell. No harm in asking, right? So we started talking to the guy and explained to him our situation and he was like, "... yKNOW!! You may just be able to get a new one."

Now, I know all about the things people say when they're on commission but apparently while other business' are tanking, the mobile home business is booming because of people in situations like ours. He said that right now, they were taking half off the down payments and had reduced their credit score criteria.

Hmm.

He took us out to look at one AND O! M! G! .. this place was nicer then my house! And it came with a new fridge and oven AND they gave you the choice of either a 750.00 gift card or a 50" flat screen tv.

I don't think I have to tell you who wanted what and who ISN'T getting what, do I?

The guy suggested I fill out an application.. it was free and the only thing they can say is no. So I did.. and he told me just how to fill it out to maximize my chances and he seemed more then confident that I'd get the loan.

We left really optimistic because the payment would only be around 200 bucks.. and because it would be on private property and we wouldn't have to pay a rental fee, it would allow us to save more money faster.

I honestly felt more settled then I've been in a long time.

Until I got home and read an email from the person who was going to let us use his property.. only we couldn't use his property anymore because someone else thought that something else was going on and it was so randomly bizarre that I was practically speechless. I know. Hard for me.

But regardless of how off mark the assumptions were, there really isn't anything I can do about it except appreciate the offer and go back to square one.

So the last couple of days, me and Tim have been looking for some type of land or property to buy that's reasonable inexpensive. We've found more then few in our price range but the only problem is is that we can't put a mobile home on it .. the mobile home we're justthisclose to buying.

And time is ticking down .. we only have until January 31st to get all this together and it seems that whenever we get one step a head, we're pushed three steps back.

But I'm sure we'll find something.. I do, after all, have hope.

While The Mainstream Media is Diverting Your Attention With WikiLeak Stories..

Sorry to the poor girl who's picture I swiped of the net

First ... two questions:

1.) Do you really believe that the internet provides diversity?

2.) Do you know who Robert McChesney is?

I'm going to go with the assumption that YES, you do believe that the internet holds much diversity. I mean, you can find anything you want to.. different opinions, different thoughts.. you can find blogs that totally fit your mentality. Agree with something? Disagree with something? There are tons and tons and TONS of blogs and websites that fit your needs.

So lets move on to the second question. You may not know who Robert McChesney is so I'm going to impart a little knowledge on who this man is and what this man represents because he's trying to take everything away.

But first, let me offer some of his quotes:

Any serious effort to reform the media system would have to be necessarily part of a revolutionary program to  overthrow the capitalist system itself.

Hmmm...

There is no real answer but to remove brick by brick the capitalist system itself , rebuilding the entire society on socialist principles.

Socialist principles? You mean a completely classless society where the government controls all means of production and distribution of goods? Because, you know, everybody needs to be on the same playing field right? Like "distribution of wealth?" Where have we heard THAT before? Hmm??

We need to do whatever we can to limit capitalist propaganda, regulate it, minimize it, perhaps even eliminate it.

Not to shy about expressing your true feelings, are you Bobby? Well, of course you aren't because that is your First Amendment Right. But like everything else I've been writing about today, YOU can say what YOU want but apparently I CAN'T.

So Bobby used to be the editor of The Monthly Review, an independent socialist magazine and co-founder of Free Press. It's webpage tagline is "Reform Media.. Transform Democracy".

Now, wouldn't you think that an organization named Free Press would want to promote, well.. FREE press? And wouldn't you think that the mission statement for an organization called FREE PRESS would be to make sure our first amendment right TO free speech would be protected??

You would think that, right? Especially since one of it's major donors is the Open Society Institute, George Soros' philanthropy arm. But that's another post for another time.

So we have an active socialist, co founding an organization with a misleading name who used to be an editor of a socialist magazine.

And what's this all have to do with the internet?

Well.. I'm going to tell you.

See, the Free Press has been hard pressing the FCC to implement their Net Neutrality agenda. At first glance, you think that that would constitute everything on the net being neutral.. or fair.. right?

Well, isn't it already? Do you have any restrictions on the internet? Are you being censored in any way shape or form (and please don't give me the child porn argument. That just makes you look like an idiot)?

But remember how Bobby like to play with words? If Free Press is actually the opposite of what it's name suggests then wouldn't it stand to reason that Net Neutrality would be the opposite? You'd be right.

If you do your research (come on, there's only so much time you can spend on Farmville or Mafia Wars).. and connect the dots.. you'll find out that what Bobby and Free Press are trying to do is SILENCE YOU. They are trying to END DEBATE. They want end your constitutional right to free speech.

This on the heels of Cass Sunstein, Obama's Information and Regulatory Czar proposed Fairness Doctrine.. which isn't really fair at all because it's intent is to silence or make libel anything that you can't prove. HIS biggest example is the Obama / Bill Ayers connection. There are many, many, MANY proofs of this relationship but apparently, if you find something out that they don't want brought to light in a global way then guess what? You're blog or website will be targeted .. be shut down.. and you'll get sued.

Geez. Real fair, right?

Oh and how about what Howard Dean said in October 2010 when asked about the media? You're going to LOVE this..

.. we have a strong First Amendment which has served us well in this country but I think I would bring back the Fairness Doctrine... this would be better for the country.. American's don't know what's going on and therefore the media can have their way with them intellectually."

So um.. I'm not smart enough to know what's going on? Actually Howard, I think we are because for an administration that touted transpirancy, there's an awful lot of things that you guys want to hide.. take away.. or stop us from saying.

In a commencement speech that President Obama gave at Hampton University in Viriginia last May, he told the graduating class that there was TOO much information out there.. that they shouldn't pay attention to the barrage of 24/7 news.

Ok.. I got off track,.

The thing is.. that there are people in key position in our administration who want to censor us. There are organizations formed by Socialists who want to silence us. And even though the supreme court has already ruled that what they are trying to do is unconstitutional, guess what? That didn't stop them.

Congress is voting on December 21st on Net Neutrality.

My bet is that you won't  hear about it .. If it's on the news, it will be one of those things barely mentioned at 11:29.

And if it passes? Scratch another freedom away.

Guess I'm Not The Only One Getting PO'd ...

... so I just read a story about a billboard that a group called the American Atheists put up on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel:

If you can't read it, it says You KNOW it's a Myth. This Season celebrate REASON!

Ok. So.... why?
Why does it bother the American Atheists SO much that people believe in Christ. Do they have billboards thumbing their nose at other religions?

So, I checked their website and I found THIS one:

Hmm.. well.. that seems to refer to Christianity again ...

So I kept on looking and found:

Nothing.

I checked their store and found sweatshirts that had these printed on it:

         

Nothing about any other religion or deity or supreme being. Just God.

Now, unless they went ahead and changed the definition of ATHEIST from one who denies the existence of a deity or divine being to one that denies the existence of GOD (well, then, they would be the AMERICAN AGNOSTICS) .. it appears that they are only attacking God, and Christianity specifically.

Anyway... so the Catholic League put up THIS billboard on the New York side of the Lincoln Tunnel:

Now, I'm not down with the Catholics but I had to give them a big kudo for doing this.

But! Guess who got their panties all up in a knot after the Pro-Jesus billboard went up? Uh-huh.

I've scoured the internet and read this story on numerous news outlets and you wouldn't believe the comments from people who are offended by the Catholic League's billboard.

So .. ok.. as long as YOUR VIEWS are able to be expressed then everything is ok. But as soon as MY VIEWS are expressed, there's an issue.

In thinking about it, the only way that I know of to spin their tizzies is to say just four simple words.

I'LL PRAY FOR YOU.

It's CHRISTmas .. SUCK. IT. UP!!

Philly's City Hall

Ask yourself this...

WHY IS IT THAT WE HAVE TO BE TOLERANT OF ALL OTHER RELIGIONS BUT ITS PERFECTLY FINE TO ANYTHING HAVING TO DO WITH GOD, CHRIST OR CHRISTIANITY IN THE CENTER OF A DART BOARD.

I'm sick and tired of it ... SICK AND TIRED OF IT..

LEARN HISTORY PEOPLE!!!!!! Our founding father's were deep believers in God.. The Capital.. The Washington Monument.. every historical building in Washington DC has references or statues or murals or ceiling paintings depicting their beliefs.

The lastest attack on the word CHRISTmas was targeted at an annual event that is held in the courtyard at Philadelphia's City Hall.

The CHRISTmas Village are booths and tents of vendors set up like a medieval village .. they sell all kinds of German food and candy and crafts and CHRISTmas stuff from all over the world.

If you've never been.. the German CHRISTmas ornaments are AMAZING!!

So what's the problem.. A CHRISTmas village selling CHRISTmas stuff..

Well there was a problem.. and the problem was that some people didn't like the world CHRISTmas.. so they called the mayor's office and complained.

Two things here:

1. Do people NOT have anything better to do with their time? and...2. I thought Mayor Michael Nutter had bigger balls

Because as soon as he got ".. a few complaints" .. he had the word CHRISTmas taken off the sign over the CHRISTmas village.

Are you KIDDING me?? A few people complained of being offended. Well guess what? I get offended every single time Christianity is attacked.

But what really set me off this morning is watch a news report where Mayor Nutter ".. caved under pressure" from the national media and is putting the word CHRISTmas back on the sign. And if knowing that he was only prompted because of the media attention wasn't bad enough, someone wanted to know why there weren't OTHER RELIGIONS represented claiming bias.

OK. IDIOT!! DO YOU NOT KNOW CHRISTMAS IS A CELEBRATION OF THE BIRTH. OF. CHRIST????

Do I go to a store selling dreidels for Hanukkah wanting to know why they don't sell Christmas decorations??
Do I stomp my feet about Kwanza??
Should I be offended that Muslim's don't celebrate Ramadan with a big pork dinner?

No .. no.. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't it funny that we have to be tolerant of other religions and beliefs but MY BELIEF is constantly under attack? Where are other people's tolerance?

Ohhh... but I guess the same people who refuse to be educated on the founding of this country also refuse to believe that CHRISTmas is a religious holiday.

So here's my question to those:

Why does God offend you? Why does CHRIST offend you? Why do people with a strong faith in Christianity offend you so?

While I was typing this, there was a story on the news about a high school football player, Ronnie Hastie, who made a touchdown in a semi final game.. knelt in the end zone and raised his finger in the air to give praise to God... something that he has done countless times before.

THIs time was penalized 15 yards for being arrogant, self promoting and offending the opposing team.

Really? REALLY?

Was that really arrogant? Was that really self promoting? And how the HELL did that offend the opposing team? I could see if he jumped up and down pointing at himself.. I can see if he pointed at the other team.. but he didn't. In his own words, he was giving praise to his God.

But being the good Christian that he is .. and being the tolerant person that we're suppose to be.. he said that from now on, he will walk to the side lines after the play and make his acknowledgement there, away from the field.

So maybe that should have been what he did in the first place.. but isn't that something that should have been addressed ON the side lines by the referees instead of penalizing the team?

I could go on and on but I'm not. I think you get the point. But I will say one last thing:

You can attempt to erase all references to God.. to Christ and to Christianity but you will never erase our faith because that is in our soul.

Love Dreams Like This!

My cousin Jill's GORGEOUS kids: Erika, Billy and Rachel
(sorry, swiped the pic from Facebook!!)

So last night, we finally had Thanksgiving dinner at my house. Sort of.

On the actual day itself, the kids went to their mother's and me and Tim had an awesome time at my brother's house.

You KNOW it was good when we are the first ones to arrive and the last to leave!

Anyway, so yesterday we were at the supermarket looking for something for dinner and we came across a 23lb turkey for 14 bucks.

No.. it wasn't all bloated or dented or anything! Wasn't in the manager's special bin either!! LOL!

So we figured for 14 bucks, we'd have turkey.. then turkey soup.. then turkey croquettes.. then turkey salad and whatever else the uber-chef could come up with. Well worth the money, I thought.

Anyway.. so we did the whole turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams and cranberry sauce for dinner. Kids were happy and I was stuffed. Dog's were too. I swear Ernie's belly was extended and he's been asleep ever since!

I started getting sleepy and while watching Chuck (I think).. I wound up falling asleep.

And I had THE BEST dream!

Did you ever have a dream that you remember EVERYTHING when you wake up? Every sentence? Every feeling?

In the dream, I was at my cousin's Jill's old house in the city. But while it was the HOUSE, it wasn't the location.. if  you know what I mean.

But we were there with Jill, her husand Bill, her three kids Erika, Rachel and Billy, my Uncle Al and Dale (Jill's mom and step dad).. and we were just hanging out talking and laughing like my family always does when they're together.

Funny moments:

At one point, I went outside where Bill was selling stuff from a table and he had BIG pigs in a pen and all these little piglets.. Jill wanted to give me a super short mini skirt filled with holes (definitely from our crazy 80's days) and I was like, there's NO WAY it's going to get past these hips and told her to give it to either one of her daughters that are thin enough to dance through rain drops. The look on her face was priceless and I wish it really wasn't a dream and I could take a picture of that look!

I remember thinking in the dream that I had to post a comment on Facebook about how strange it was that I would have a dream of them! Can you imagine!!

But I woke up and I felt so happy and filled with love for these relatives that I only recently spent time with after 20 some odd years.

Jill and Bill had moved out of the city when the kids were really young and as it usually happens, we lost touch. Before recently, the last time I saw them was my uncle and aunt had thrown a wedding reception for me and my psychotic ex husband. Billy must have been 3 or 4 at the time and because it was around his birthday he thought all the decorations and gifts were for him. Funny times.

We finally caught up at a Memorial Day BBQ at my uncle and aunts house and it was like we never lost touch. There's thanks that should go out to Facebook too, I guess!

With all the stress and anxiety going on in my life, I'm glad that I had this dream. It makes you realize what's really important and that's family.

Erika, Rachel and Billy are GREAT kids.. ones that every parent would hope to raise. Jill and Bill did a great job as parents and I'm so so happy that in our family, at least, there is no such thing as 'step' anything.. we may not technically be 'blood' relatives but we're family.

File This Under The YOU GOTTA BE #$%^&* KIDDING ME Category.. AGAIN!!!!

... it just keeps getting better and better!!

So.. if you don't know what happened with the whole Western Union thing, you can read it HERE

Or if you don't have time, then the cliff note version is that I tried to send money via Western Union Online and was told by a customer service rep that they would not allow the transaction to finalize because my cell phone was not in my name and neither is the home phone.

I know.. you just had a WFT moment. I can relate. But the important thing to know is that I specifically ASKED if there was going to be an issue with my bank account because I could not have TWO 400.00+ charges. And it's also important to know that the customer service rep told me that I absolutely.. positively.. had NOTHING to worry about.

Got that?

I'll repeat it again..

In caps .. just in case you're a little hard of hearing:

THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REP TOLD ME THAT I ABSOLUTELY.. POSITIVELY.. HAD NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.

You know me, right? You've been reading this blog and all my other blogs for a while now, haven't you? So you know what's coming, right?

Earlier this evening, I go online to check my account balance. I always do that. At least five or six times a day. When you don't have money, you kind of get anal about keeping track of it. And guess what I found???

See that? It's an overdraft fee for 105.00.

Do you happen to see anything that looks like a negative balance? No.. you do not.

So.. like.. WTF??? right?

I dig a little deeper and find this under the pending transactions:

Ok..

So it's obvious to me that the 438.00 transaction was returned.. or taken off hold.. but not as fast as Western Union originally took it. There was only like.. no more then a half hour.. between starting the first attempt and finalizing the second attempt..

And this was a Wednesday so it wasn't like there was the weekend to contend with ..

So I call my bank and talk to Jamal. Nice guy .. very professional. I explain to him what the situation is and he tells me that TECHNICALLY I did over draft because I authorized the transaction. I told him that it was ridiculous.. and a few other things that I won't repeat here.. and when I asked him if he agreed with me, he said he did. On a recorded phone call. Props to him.

When I said, "... so I'm going to have to eat this?" I already had plans on going to the branch office bright and early and having a *cough cough* discussion with the branch manager. But Jamal told me that I needed to call Western Union.. that they are responsible for reimbursing me.

Oh. Ok. Another chance to go off on them since my first time was cut off by Tim. Cool.

So I call and get some dude that I can't understand. I'm more polite then I think the situation warrants but yknow.. I believe I'm going to have more then enough opportunity to lash out on these people.

I explain what happened and in the middle of it.. Tim comes in the bedroom from taking a shower and having overheard the conversation I had with the bank, HE starts going off about it. Now I have some dude that I can't understand in one ear.. Tim yelling in the other ear.. and yknow.. if you know Tim and how much he HATES when I try to talk when he's on the phone then you'll understand why I was like SHUT THE FUCK UP, WILL YA??

I go back to the call and the dude must have been like ".. uh uh.. nope.. they don't pay me enough for this" because the next thing I know there's a ringing on the line and some chick answers. Her name starts with a B and even though she spelled it for me, I still don't remember it. Bria.. Brianne.. Briar.. something like that.

Anyway.. it's SO DAMN OBVIOUS that's she's reading from a script ".. yes, Lisa.. may I ask how you are doing this evening?"

OBVIOUSLY, not peachy since I had to call YOU on a Sunday night, right?

Yes. I did say that.

Once again I explain what happened and she asks me all kinds of details about the transaction.. who it was going to .. where it was going to.. etc. etc. She THEN tells me that she will have my money returned.

Excuse me? WHAT?

She said to give her a few minutes and that she will make sure that my overdraft fees are returned.

OM effin' G!

She asks for the telephone number of the bank .. and then says that she will forward the information to her supervisor for approval.. then they will call the bank and I'll have my money issued in about two hours.

Could it really be that easy? Remember.. we're talking ME here!

Tim says that it makes sense that they will so willingly pay for over draft fees resulting in something they did because they cancelled the transaction.. and that would open them up to a lawsuit which would wind up costing them more then 105.00.

He also said that the bank is at fault also because the actual money NEVER left my account.

He has a thing with banks in general and think their sole purpose is to rip you off but I see his point.

As of now, there's been no activity on my account that I can see online but tomorrow morning I'll call and see what the dealio is ..

I'll keep you updated.