Dangnabbit but it got better!!!!

What do you want to know first?

The week started wonderfully because one of my BFF's, Kathy, came to spend the night with me!!!  She arrived early Sunday evening and left late Monday afternoon.  We talked and laughed, ate and laughed, and shopped and laughed!  What more could girlfriends want!  We did have one awkward experience at the Kroger store when (unbeknownst to us) Kathy stepped in front of a man attached to an oxygen tank.  He asked her if she always stepped in front of people waiting to shop.  Now let me tell you, he was not even close to what we were looking at and at first we thought he was joking with us.  Not so!  He was hateful and rude!  We apologized and stepped back (not before we grabbed what we wanted).  As we walked away I did suggest we go back to him and unplug his "link".  Kathy wouldn't let me!

Next, I got a letter from Anthem BCBS of KY.  Since I moved back to Louisville, I have switched my Medicare Part C (I think that's the one).  I thought I had it all worked out.  AND...they are deducting the payment from my checking account.  Well, I got a letter from them telling me they were canceling me due to lack of payment.  Seriously?????  Well, I called them.  First of all, there were so many "options" of what to press for help, the last choice was press "12"!!!!!  As usual, I Pressed "0" for operator.  I explained my situation to her and she told me I should have pressed "6"!  I beg your pardon!  So began my wait!  Finally, someone named Cheryl took my call.  I explained once again my problem and she said "Please hold"!  She came back on the line after three minutes and thirty-two seconds to tell me it was a misunderstanding and I could just disregard the letter.  Whoa Baby!!!!  Wait a dadgum minute.  I wanted a better explanation.  I told her I would expect another letter in the mail telling me THEY made a mistake.  She said they don't write correction letters and her confirmation via our telephone conversation would suffice.  (She didn't say "suffice", trust me on that!)  I then asked for her direct phone number and she said she was not at liberty to give me that number.  So here I am, fingers crossed, hoping I don't need medical attention before I see another payment deduction!  Who are these people?????  Do they really work in an area called CUSTOMER SERVICE?????

Another thing I've been working on since late April and my return to Louisville, is my license plate.  I had no problem getting a Kentucky driver's license.  A Kentucky tag proved a bit more difficult.  My car is leased through Toyota out of Michigan where I made the deal.  Well, it turns out Toyota holds the title on my car.  I had no idea.  How come I'm making the payments????  Anyway, the very helpful (????) ladies (????) at the license place gave me a stack of papers to complete and send to Toyota requesting they send the original title to them and then they would give me a Kentucky plate.  I came home, completed the forms post haste and sent them.  And the wait began.  Finally, last week I received a letter from the office of Bobbie Holsclaw, telling me the title had arrived and I should come to 6th and Jefferson to get my plate.  The letter also said DO NOT ASK FOR THE TITLE TO BE SENT TO A BRANCH.  This procedure could only be completed downtown.  So Thursday morning I went downtown.  The address was Court Avenue.  Let me tell you if there is a street sign reading Court Avenue, I am blind.  Fortunately, there was a number for the building and I finally found a building with that number.  I went in and approached the first open door I saw.  Before I even finished asking, the person I was speaking to, without looking up from his desk, said, "Across the hall".  So that's where I went.  Oh my!  Take a ticket, take a seat!  I felt like I was at the new Outlet Mall shops.  People everywhere, standing, sitting, yawning, coughing, asleep, all waiting!  I looked around and immediately noticed three of the employees standing up at their desks, laughing and obviously having a personal conversation.  My tax dollars at work!!!!  So I waited.  Why does everything in a government office look so dirty.  So I stood and waited.  Then after thirty-two minutes, my number was called.  The woman who was to help me greeted me with "What do you want?"  It took everything I had not to punch her in the face.  I gave her all the papers I was told to bring and I honestly believe she read every word (or at least pretended to).  She gets up from her desk, walks over to a file cabinet and retrieves a few papers.  On the way back to her desk, she stopped to have a conversation with one of her co-workers.  REALLY??????  Twenty-seven minutes later she asked me what kind of plate I wanted.  I looked at her and said a license plate for my car.  She rolled her eyes and gave a big sigh and said there a several choices.  I had no idea.  She began to drag out all kinds of plates.  Love the Louisville Cardinals, but no thanks.  Love the UK Wildcats, but thank you no!  And no to any other plate except a regular, plain old generic plate.  She gets one for me out of a cabinet, tells me what I owe, I write the check, and I'm out of there!  When I arrived I had found a great parking place at a meter, "fed" it for one hour and fifteen minutes and when I returned, a policeman was looking at my expired Michigan plate and expired meter!  I ran to him and showed him my new plate and told him if he wrote me a parking ticket, he should be prepared to see me cry.  He opened my car door for me and when he closed it, he said "Go back to the suburbs, Lady!"  Trust me, my Thursday only went further downhill from there!
Why are government workers and government offices so frustrating to me?  UGH!!!!!!!

I endure Friday and determine Saturday is gonna' be MY day!  After all, I'm medically insured and have a brand new Kentucky license plate!  What else could a girl want?  Well...after much thinking and strategizing, I have decided I need a job!  I haven't worked in four years so I'm thinking I need a "starter" job.  I begin by making a list of what I'd like to do and where I'd like to do it.  And then I begin an internet search.  The information you can find on the internet absolutely amazes me.  I found several possibilities and began the application process.  And I thought you could no longer ask for a person's birth date.  So even though there were spaces for month, day and year, I only supplied the month and day.  When I tried to submit it, the year "blanks" flashed red at me!!!!!  I was able to attach my resume so now they know I'm an old broad with lots of great experience.  Wonder what will be more important to them?  And they give you tests during the application process.  Whew!  So finally I complete everything and "submit"!  Got that done and decide I probably need to celebrate my accomplishment and how best to do that??????  Shopping!!!  Works for me.  I went to Lowe's and bought the drapery rods for my bedroom.  (The panels were special ordered and have arrived!)  Now if I just had a Handsome Fella' to help me mount those rods...oh wait...I do!  (Hasn't happened yet because of some golf match going on in the city but he has committed to the chore!)  Ended Saturday smiling!

Finally Sunday and The Prodigal Son, absolutely just what I needed.  And you know what?  I was able to share the story (not as well as the SMBC "Big Guy") twice before the day was done, and saw and hugged and talked with some wonderful friends.  Shared dinner last night with Handsome Fella' and dear friend CH as we watched Rory bring it home!!!!

A new week has started.  I'm getting a new bathtub today in my bedroom.  Plumbers and DUST throughout my house.  They'll finish tomorrow.  Then Thursday and Friday my parking lot is being resurfaced.  Can't park at my house.  What's a girl to do?  No, no, no!  Cannot shop again!

NEWS FLASH!!!!!!
Just got a call as a result of one of my applications, and I have an interview on Friday!  Wish me luck!

Happy new week to all!  xxoo                    



      

Conversations with Friends and other Good Stuff!

Because I was up north for four years, I really missed having long, wonderful conversations with my dear friends.  I was blessed during my "northern exposure" to have some great home visits and frequent phone visits with some of my friends, but many of us are so busy, we just couldn't fit those long distance sharing moments into our schedules.  I'm working hard to catch up on "catching up" and this week was a wonderful start.

Sadly, when you're alone you kinda' adjust to not talking and for me that was quite an adjustment!  That's probably why my dogs seem to listen so intently to me.  They were my conversation partners.  But here I am now, surrounded by my precious friends and family, and I get to see their faces as we discuss our lives - past, present, and future.  What a gift to ourselves to be able to talk with others about what's in our hearts and on our minds.  The age of the person, where they are in life, their state of mind, their heartaches and joys, all contribute to the memories you will always have of this person.    

Last Sunday at St Matthews Baptist Church, the "Magical" David G. reintroduced me to a few verses in Romans, (Chapter 14, 1-15-15:7).  He called this message "US and THEM".  As usual with David, humor played into the questions he asked each of us.  But for me, more importantly, these verses and the challenge he presented to all of us was about making the "me" into an "us".  After forty plus years of being married and being an "us", I have spent the past four years discovering what it means to be a "me".  He talked about walking into a room looking for the person to make "me" an "us".  WOW!  I have done this countless times in recent years.  There are just so many situations when you find yourself being the "one" person in the group.  Oh...everyone is very welcoming and friendly, but that doesn't change the feeling in your heart.  One of the things I'm thankful to my Handsome fella' for is when we're in group gatherings, he makes me an "us" instead of a "me", a "two" instead of a "one", a person who can laugh out loud instead of one who forces a quiet smile, someone who can look forward to events and not dread the future.  Thank you David for reminding me to avoid placing stumbling blocks in the way and to focus on what "joins" us all together.  Great Sunday morning even though we did have to say goodbye to one of my newest, best friends, Jeremy who, along with his family, is following a new calling from the Lord.  (Dang!!!)  Best wishes to him in his new church home!

The rest of the week included some very special conversations with exceptional people.
Lunch and talking with Madeline who had breast cancer surgery yesterday and the prognosis looks very promising.
A great evening with my wonderful friend CH and her friends celebrating...yes celebrating her recent divorce, selling of her home and the purchase of her new home.  What a journey she has nearly completed and now the hope and excitement for a new journey with a wonderful future filled with new experiences.  
Fun, entertaining and interesting (as usual) conversations with KVH who came from Michigan for the party.  CH and KVH came to see me every October I lived in northern Michigan.  What special times those were.
Sharing a few short conversations with my dear friends Joyce and Cinda.  They are training for their THIRD Susan G. Komen, 3-day, 60 mile walk, this year in Philadelphia!  My heart nearly bursts when I think of the commitment they have made to accomplish this.  I am so proud of them for this (and lots of other things too!).
Had so many great interactions with people I have missed, Ray, Werner, Sam, MB, and the list goes on.
And I have to mention the many conversations with Handsome fella'.  As he is on the same side of the "me" part of his life as I am, we can discuss our history with special spouses and feel comfortable sharing those memories.
TRUE FRIENDS understand where you've been, they listen to you, they laugh and cry with you, they share their hearts with you.

Sometimes the stumbling block is a pebble on the walk and other times that pebble is in your shoe!  Hold on to the arm of your friend, and they will help you remove it!  Hold your friends close and keep talking.

xxoo

Prayer requests - Friends Rick and Barbara still battling health issues, brother and sister-in-law of my friend ET, Madeline as she continues to recover from her surgery, Danielle still suffering the 24-hour variety of morning sickness, TRB as he begins his new job responsibilities, children grieving over the loss of a parent, and all of our military and their families.

P.S.  Today would have been my 41st wedding anniversary.  So thankful for those memories and looking forward to new conversations!