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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Not sure about moving out.

I've kinda got used to this hotel life.

Let's review:

Free Warm Breakfast
Maid Service
New Sheets
Bathroom Cleaned
Fresh towels
Daily vacuumed
Dishes washed for me
Air conditioning
Beautiful pool & firepit

However....it looks like an end is in sight. I went back to the house tonight to get our mail and to my surprise, the lock box was gone. The containment area had been unplasticfied and the walls were rebuilt and painted. It looks like all we are waiting on our floors.

I may have to give up this luxurious lifestyle pretty soon and move back to the house.

Sigh.

Yeah...Don't mess with us.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Call me Madonna...But...

I've decided that I like how the British say the word "record" and am going to integrate it into my American way of conversing.

Friday, July 25, 2008

It might be a shock...

When Curtis' left town (he's been gone for a week)...I took this picture


After a week of laying around a hotel...stuffing my face...being forced to be a couch potato...I took this pic.


Do you think he'll be shocked? I'm a little nervous about it....

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Goodbye Will...




If you know who this is, you were blessed to see his talent. If you don't know who he is...you need more culture in your life.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Emotional Momma.



That is a picture of Haley at 2 weeks.

Tonight on the way home (and by home I mean hotel), we heard 'In my Daughter's Eyes' on the radio. When Haley was born, Curtis made this amazing video of her birth set to that song. Every time I hear it, it takes me back to that weekend.

When we were listening to it I said, "Haley...it's your song." And she asked, "Why is it my song?" This is the following conversation....

M = me H = Haley

M - because Auntie Jen gave this song to mommy to listen to in the hospital and Daddy made a video of you being born with this song playing...it always reminds me of when you were born and how I fell madly in love with you.

H - well, then you can marry me when I grow up.

M - well...no I can't.

H - daddy can.

M - no...he can't...he's your daddy.

H- well who is going to marry me then?

M - I don't know. But God does. There is a little boy somewhere that is going to grow up and be a man and you can marry him when you get older.

H - you know who is going to teach at my wedding?

M - Who?

H - Granddad...he teaches at all the weddings. He wears a fancy suit...he puts on a tie...and a hat...and he teaches and gives people a ring and tells them they are married (Keep in mind 'In my Daughter's Eyes is still playing in the background.)

....I am now crying. Shocking...I know.

At this point...Lexi grabs Haley's hand and says "I love you sissy."

I mean SERIOUSLY...could this BE ANY MORE EMOTIONAL FOR ME???? I have to think about my daughter's birth...the gentle love of her sister...and her impending marriage to someone "taught" by Granddad all in the matter of seconds???

You know how they say when you are about to die your life passes before your eyes? Well...it was in this moment that every good and precious memory collided together and my heart was filled with so much love for these 2 girls and the 4 years that I've had with Haley and the 2 years that we've shared with Lexi. I was overflowing with love.

I was also overflowing with tears. I had to quickly wipe them away and put on a happy face as to look like a normal person... that is if a normal person walks through a hotel lobby filled with businessmen on the way back to her "house."

Monday, July 21, 2008

In Case you were Wondering...

My Kitchen.




This is where it all started...what is known as the "Containment Area". Still no word on when it will be finished.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

In My Happy Place...

Curtis left town...and I am a bit lonely...and STILL in a hotel, so I decided to go back to my happy place...Walt Disney World. I finally downloaded more pics today and thought I'd share them.

Do Do Do Do Do Doooooooo (trumpet sounds)....Cinderella's Castle.



We wanted to eat at Cinderella's Castle because it is such a special restaurant to my parents...spent their honeymoon, anniversary, and dinners since at the castle. It is a hard reservation to get. My mom woke up at 4am one morning to make the reservation 6 months prior to the date (the first available time to reserve.) After our experience there, I can see why it is such a big deal. This was a truly MAGICAL experience.

Upon entering the castle, you are greeted by Cinderella and are able to take pictures with her. This isn't such a great pic, but the pictures that they took (That were included with the meal) are PERFECT! Such a precious memory.



The girls LOVE Snow White...I think she is Lexi's favorite. (Jasmine and Sleeping Beauty also came by, but I'll spare you their pics.)


Okay...this is where it became MAGICAL. Look at Haley's expression. She is SO excited to see Belle, she can hardly stand it.

Their eyes meet! Haley could hardly contain herself! She couldn't WAIT to show Belle her matching dress!

Look at that hug!

Belle was so amazed that someone was wearing her "bookshop dress"...she said nobody ever wears that dress...only the fancy yellow one. Here's the best part of that story...Curtis' mom got that dress at Goodwill and it was the HIT of the day. We were asked by so many people where we got it.

Amy Grant...oops, I mean BELLE, insisted that Haley take a picture with her.

After we met the princesses, it was time for the Wishing Ceremony. The girls were given Magic Wands and the princesses taught us how to say "Bippity Boppity Do" and make a wish. Look closely...you can see their wands in their hands.

During the ceremony, Haley's food was delivered. Look at the picture and you can see her noticing the food. It showed up simultaneously with the moment she "made her wish." She immediately got this horrible look on her face and said "I DIDN'T WISH FOR CHICKEN!!!!" It was priceless!!!

I think my mom got her wish though...it was a PERFECT lunch. A memory I will cherish FOREVER!

He's all yours Billy!


My husband is flying to Nashville as we speak with Billy Baker. Only thing is, Curtis hates to fly and has to take happy pills to get him through it. These happy pills put him to sleep for the entire flight. Here's a pic of us flying home from Florida taken less than 10 minutes after takeoff.

So enjoy the flight Billy...and take care of my slobbering boy!

Friday, July 18, 2008

This Little Piggy...

This is the version that Curtis taught to Haley...


This little piggy went to market
This little piggy stayed home
This little piggy had roast beef
This little piggy had none.
This little piggy went to the APPLE STORE????!!!!!

Yeah...i'm not kidding. imagine my surprise when she recited it for the first time with Curtis nowhere in sight to explain the poem. It was the same day we went shopping at H&M and she begged for a shirt that has an APPLE on it.

We have a problem.

In the shade of night...

We left our hotel. I was over it. We had crackheads living next to us. They left their room every 30 minutes...slamming the door on their way out...to go outside and smoke.

Then there was some sort of paramedic convention happening beneath us. Seriously...ambulances parked at the hotel and people coming and going all hours of the night.

I WAS OVER IT!

I am the lightest sleeper and I don't think I have slept more than 2 consecutive hours in a week now. SOOOOOOOOOO we packed up and left before I hurt someone. (I'm only half kidding.)

We are now much further away and in a different city, but we had a great night's sleep and there seem to be no crackheads or paramedics in sight.

Marriott Talley - 3rd hotel in 6 days.

OKAY OKAY ALREADY...Here's my concert review..

Who knew so many people liked Journey?

The night began with a tailgating party in the parking lot! Woop! Woop!

Then we headed into the stadium...SOLD OUT! It was packed. We got lawn seats because the majority (sorry Laurel & Heidi) cared more about socializing than the actual concert. Thankfully Laurel got there early and threw down some blankets so we all had plenty of space. And that was a good thing, because they COMPLETELY oversold the lawn...there were crowds of people standing on the pathway, and even climbing behind the fence of the ampitheater and sitting in the trees...girls were peeing in the bushes...it was like a 3rd world country. It was CRAZY.

So why the big draw? Their new lead singer...here is a pic and a story I copied from another website so you could get the info on his story...it's unbelievable.



Here’s the inspiring background story: Arnel Pineda is the lead singer of the band called THE ZOO. They do Journey cover songs in their gigs and have their videos posted on Youtube. One day Journey’s guitarist Neal Schon was on the look out for a new lead singer. In a Blabbermouth article, Schon said:

“I was frustrated about not having a singer, so I went on YouTube for a couple of days and just sat on it for hours. I was starting to think I was never going to find anybody. But then I found THE ZOO and I watched a bunch of different video clips that they had posted. After watching the videos over and over again, I had to walk away from the computer and let what I heard sink in because it sounded too good to be true. I thought, ‘he can’t be that good.’ But he is that good, he’s the real deal and so tremendously talented. Arnel doesn’t sound synthetic and he’s not emulating anyone. I tried to get a hold of him through YouTube and I finally heard from him that night, but it took some convincing to get him to believe that it really was me and not an imposter.”


Okay people..I don't know a LOT of Journey songs...but I know that this guy sounded just as good of not BETTER than Steve Perry. It was amazing!!! The show went on forever. Curtis had been 2 years ago when they had another lead singer and said it was awful...nobody was there and they ended early. But Arnie brought Journey back to life. It was pretty cool to see.

So overall...it was a good concert. I would have liked it more if I knew the songs...but I still had fun. And it was a great night away from the hotel...and watching Jon Michell dance is truly a moment I will NEVER forget.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

On a Journey


I'm not a huge Journey fan...I only know the songs because Curtis is a big fan. But I can't tell you how excited I am to go to their concert tonight. I'm looking forward to escaping from the chaos and spending the night with good friends, good food, and good music?? Well, 2 out of 3 is not bad!

AVOID US....

We have dragged along our misfortune to the Residence Inn. The pipes busted this morning. There is no hot water.

I am beginning to think it is us....

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Everyone needs Compassion...

So I'm at work right now. Planning worship service. Listening to music. There is a song called 'Mighty to Save' by Hillsong. It's a great song that starts with this line...

"Everyone needs compassion"

I've listened to this song several times in a row now...while doing so, an email came up from Jen White...she had posted on my blog. I knew Jen in college long ago, and she graduated before I did. We didn't know each other well, but we've reconnected through Facebook and blogs. I was so touched by her email (blog comment) that she said she could ask her small group to help us move...I am sitting here in tears. I don't know anyone in her small group.

I am so moved by the church being the church. I spend so much of my time hearing comments from people in my own church that are so hurtful and destructive, that it is beautiful to see people really being the church...being like Jesus...showing his love. Because everyone does need compassion. Everyone does need forgiveness. Everyone does need a Savior. We need to people that show his love and I felt that love today from Jen. It struck me in a way that I just had to write about it. I have felt his love by so many of you who offered to help us, who have offered us meals, who have offered us homes, conversation, food, and prayers.

In the whole scheme of things...this house thing isn't such a big deal. What is a big deal is the love from friends. And for that, I thank you. It means more than you could ever know.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Tonight's updates.

We had sushi for dinner. Thank you Allstate.

We went to the Michells to hang out. Thank you Michells.

We came back and put the kids to bed. Thank you beds.

We named the screeching creature that lives in the pipes of our bathroom "Alec". Thank you Alec.

We watched a documentary on HBO. Thank you HBO.

*********Can't tell you*************Thank you Curtis.

I ate a Bran Muffin from Claim Jumper with Honey Butter at 11:30. Thank you Claim Jumper.

Watched the news and learned that Jimmy Kimmel & Sarah Silverman broke up AND found out that Jessica was replaced on So You Think You Can Dance by Comfort because she was injured. :( And for that riveting news, I saw Thank You Entertainment Television.

So you Wanna Know?

Day 4 of being kicked out of our home...
Here's the status:

Bad News First:
They WILL have to replace our whole downstairs. All the flooring must go. Which means...all the furniture must go.

Good News:
Our Insurance will cover the cost of the Movers to move our furniture.

Bad News:
We have to pay a $500 deductible.

Good News:
Curtis thinks he could find a friend to help him move our furniture into the front yard while they replace the floors.

Bad News:
He is leaving town on Saturday and it might not be done by then. So Let's HOPE & PRAY they work fast. That will save us $500 bucks.

We'll be sure to let you know when the furniture is out in the front yard..Bring your computer over...use our wi-fi. Make it a work day! Bring the kids...let them play!

More Good News:
The Insurance will pay for the hotel!!! YEAH!

Bad News:
We do have to pay our Landlord's $1000 deductible.

Good News:
He is willing to use our deposit for that money so we don't have to pay it up front. Then we can just pay him back whenever...add a little extra to the rent every month...etc. Very nice of him.

So now you know...

In the meantime, I'm chilling at my mom's house...doing laundry...catching up on So You Think You Can Dance (thank you Mom for saving it for me) and the kids are napping. I must be a little more relaxed because I'm not drowning my sorrows with a bag of M&Ms.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

A Creature in Our Bathroom.

SOmething is living in the bathroom of our hotel. We can't see it...but we here what sounds like a small child screeching anytime we flush the toilet or turn the sink off. Seriously...at first we thought it was one of our kids. I even got out of the shower thinking someone was crying last night. Turns out it is just some strange creature living in the pipes of our bathroom.

I wonder if it will help us pay our hotel bill.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Held Hostage in the Residence Inn.

It is 9:56. Curtis and I have been in bed for 30 minutes. We tried putting Lexi down in Haley's room so we could hang out in the living area but she wanted nothing to do with that. So we put Haley to bed in her room. Lexi is in the living room, and we are being held hostage in our room. Curtis finally changed the station from the Mexican channel where he was watching 'In the Line of Fire' in Spanish. So hey...things are looking up.

Listen...I don't want to complain about what is going on. I appreciate the pity and the empathy. Our situation is not the best. But I was thinking tonight about two friends of ours who are going through truly difficult times. Waunema is a young mother of 2 who has stage 4 cancer. Our friend Tyronne has been in the hospital visiting his roomate/best friend for the past 2 weeks who was in a horrific car wreck and is still in a coma. These are the people who are really having a rough time. So if you get a moment...say a prayer for them.

In the meantime...I will be positive about our situation. I will look for the good in being held hostage in the Residence Inn.

Here are the pros:
1. Air Conditioning.
2. Hot Breakfast Buffet prepared for us every morning. Good coffee.
3. There's nothing left to do but rest.
4. I can't do laundry.
5. Someone comes and cleans after me every day.
6. We don't have to look for a parking spot at night.

Possible Pros which could also could also qualify as Possible Cons:
1. Allstate should pay for our hotel. Con - This will be really expensive if they don't.
2. Allstate should pay for our expenses (Food...living...etc.) Con - This will be really expensive if they don't.

Official Cons:
1. As I have been typing this, I have almost gone through an entire box of 100 calorie snacks. The chocolate covered pretzels are so good. But I don't think it counts if you eat 6 of the 100 calorie pouches.
2. Curtis is taking to this early to bed thing. He is asleep. Now I'm lonely. Oh wait... Princess Diaries 2 is on. I will make the best of this situation afterall!

Friday, July 11, 2008

Tour of Orange County Marriotts.

Okay...so our house is blowing up. Seriously..at this point, it would probably be faster to blow it up and start over. But instead, they'd rather pick it apart piece by piece. Tear down walls...rebuild. Put new drywall up...etc. Here are some fun quotes of the day:

"Not sure how long it will take...2 days? 5 days? Maybe 2 weeks."
"Oh man...my insurance is saying it may not pay for this now..."
"So when did you call the water emergency team to come in and clean this out?" (huh?...uh, never.)
"Um...you guys need to pack up and move out tonight."

So...we have been back in forth between our landlord and our insurance all day. We are under the impression that we are going to pay a 1,000 deductible. We hope that is all. In the meantime, we are to stay in a hotel (also under the "impression" that it will be paid for...)

We thought about staying at Curtis' parents house since they are out of town, but then we thought it might be more fun for the kids if we made it another hotel stay...they love hotels...they love the pool.

So we called up a Residence Inn in Costa Mesa...booked the Penthouse Suite. It was supposedly the only 2 bedroom unit in Orange County, so we booked it. (Thinking it would be paid for.) So we are reading the description...new rooms, plasma tvs...1100 sq. feet...etc. Sounded really nice.

So with a hotel booked, we go and get dinner (also supposedly paid for). We finally get back to the hotel at 9pm. It's dark..but the STEEL GATE around the hotel should have been a clue. Yes friends...this place was GHETTO. SEriously...GHETTO. Smelled like smoke. Wallpaper torn...furniture old and ripped. Not cool. No plasmas. 36" tvs. So not cool. So not 1100 sq. feet. This was no penthouse suite my friends. No no. And it wasn't worth the $300 we were paying for it...even if we WEREN'T paying for it.

So we spent the next 1hr. and a half on the phone with MArriott and my parents looking for another place to stay. Curtis went down to the front desk and they gave us another key and told us to try another room. MORE GHETTO. NO THANX. So we finally went back and said we would like to check out only to hear the guy say "yeah...that happens all the time around here." SHOCKING.

So we found another place. I won't say where in case there is some weirdo freak reading this who wants to stalk me... but we got here around 11 (yeah...the girls were crazy)...but we are all tucked into our beds now. It doesn't smell like smoke and it isn't ghetto. And it's WAY cheaper. YEAH!

So..we'll keep you updated on our hotel stay...and our mold infested home.

Now I will get back to Oceans 13 on my free HBO and relax in my air conditioned, non moldy (I think) hotel room.

Mold Anyone???



We are home from our vacation in Florida. We are now going on another vacation....to get away from mold. Yes. Mold.

Some of you heard the tale of our refrigerator water line leaking and flooding underneath our floors. That was 3 weeks ago. It was going to be taken care of when we were out of town, but our landlord came and looked at it and said there was more damage than we initially thought. Super.

So the contractors came this morning to look at it. The mold guy came this afternoon. It's official. We have mold. We have to get out of our house tonight. They are tearing apart our entire house.

So all the suitcases that we unpacked...we are now packing again. We are leaving. It may be 2 weeks. This should be fun.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Sentimental Moments

We met my Grandparents (Mom's side) for Breakfast at Cracker Barrel on Saturday and then went back to their house to visit for awhile. The girls had a lot of fun visiting their other grandparents and this was the first time that Lexi and Cousin Emily got to see them!
My Grandma & Haley


My Grandpa & Emily

Tonight we drove to Kissimmee to see my Grandma's house. My Grandma passed away in the Fall and my Grandpa passed away back in 93'. So the house that my dad grew up in...my Grandparent's only house now belongs to someone else. We took a few pictures in front of it. It was very solemn...except for my rambunctious children who don't quite understand what a quiet moment is.


The night ended on a happier note at Steak & Shake. I had my first S&S experience when I was here in the fall for my Grandma's funeral. It is quite yummy. But I think it also carries with it some sentimental memories for me. It was nice to go back there with everyone and have a much lighter, happier meal than mast time. (And by lighter, I mean in mood...definitely not in calories.) We had a great time laughing over my mom's tiny coke glass (she insisted on a small drink even though the waitress kept having to refill it)...over Lexi saying "like you" which sounded an awful lot like an obscene phrase coming from her (I'll let you figure it out)...and our sweet waitress Connie (not to be confused with Curtis' mom)...who called everyone Baby...was missing several teeth and apparently had nails that Curtis warned all of us not to look at (which caused my Dad to spit his coke out from laughing so hard)...we had a great time.

Animal Kingdom Fun!


Yesterday, we went to Animal Kingdom. This was my favorite park when we were here a couple of years ago, and it didn't disappoint this year either!

Highlights of the day were:
Riding Mt. Everest...a serious roller coaster with Haley. Super fun!
Getting Soaked on the River Rapids
Seeing elephants (Lexi's favorite) and a Lion (Haley's favorite) on the safari ride.
Finding Nemo the Musical...I cried.
The Lion King Show...which broke during the middle of it (keeping consistent with our trip so far...one attraction must break.) We did get to see a 7pm show and it was a success!

We all came home and crashed...it was a BIG day!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

EPCOT on 4th of July



Our first day at Disney was a raging success. I will summarize the day and share some of my favorite pics with you.
WARNING - WE ARE DRESSED LIKE TOURISTS. WE ARE NOT HIP. WE ARE SERIOUSLY ONE STEP AWAY FROM A FANNIE PACK. YOU CAN MAKE FUN OF US. IT'S OKAY.

Arrived around 10ish.
HOT.
Dripping in sweat by 10:15.
Rode Mission Space though warned repeatedly it would make me sick. This is a space simulator (not to be confused with the space stimulator which I called it earlier in the day...embarrassing) Thankfully they added a non-spinning level to this ride and I brought along Brian, my mom, and HALEY! Here's a pic before the ride.

Haley loved it so much she wanted to go again...so we rode it later with Papa Don too!

After Mission Space - we went to the Mexican pavilion where we rode the ride and had a tasty Mexican lunch, which included Margaritas...because when in Rome...or Mexico... Here's a pic of me & Lex on the ride.


After Mexico, we went back to ride the TEST TRACK which is a car ride that pretends you are crash-test dummies and takes you on road tests. Haley road this with us as well and the end of the ride takes the car to 65mph...going sideways on a wall. THIS WAS MY FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE DAY...to hear Haley laugh at the top of her lungs...truly a moment I will never forget.

P.S. IT WAS HOT.

We then made our way over to the American Pavilion. Cooled off with Snow Cones & ICe Cream...delicious. Went in to see the very patriotic American show inside the pavilion. We had great seats, it was so nice and air conditioned, and the girls were sitting so sweetly. THEN...in the middle of the show, the unthinkable happened. It just completely stopped working. All the little animatronic presidents and everything. No sound. No nothing. The lady's microphone didn't work so she had to yell at everybody to leave. Many protested and stayed in their seats. She yelled again. So we all got up and left. This really messed with Lexi who spent the ENTIRE rest of the day asking about the show. "Show broke?" "Go fix it?" "Figure it out?"
So we are back in the heat. Feeling only half patriotic since we only saw half the show...but we took a family pic.

Is it STILL hot.
Both of my girls crashed hard.


Emily just wanted to party!

The sun is beginning to set and it has finally cooled down. Not SO hot.

We made our way through the rest of the park. Enjoyed some dinner in Japan. Then went to Norway (my favorite of course) before we watched the fireworks. The fireworks were just insane. I'm not a huge firework fan...but they ended the night with the Battle Hymn of the Republic and there were 17 seconds of the most fireworks I could ever imagine being together in one place at one time....it was amazin. Everyone was screaming. It was a fantastic way to end the evening!

Happy 4th everyone! Hope you had a wonderful celebration yourself!

Friday, July 4, 2008

First Things First...

Yes, I will blog about Disney...but before I can do that, I must share with you where I was last week at this time. Curtis and I decided to go up and have sleepover at JD & Celeste Cunningham's house in LA. They had visited us earlier in the week, and we decided we needed some more time with them. And we just needed to get away from our floor-less house..no air conditioning...life...jobs. We needed a DAYCATION. So where else would you go but Simi Valley? :)

We had a fantastic time. Celeste and I hung out Thursday night and watched SYTYCD while the boys went on a police stake-out to catch street racers. They had an exciting time and didn't get home until 3am. We got the kids up and out of the house by 9am to go see WALL-E. It was such a creative movie and all the kids LOVED it.

We were joined by JD & Celeste's friends Andi & Michael and their kids which was so much fun! We went to lunch at CPK and then came home and the girls and kids napped while the boys did...well, who knows? After nap time we played baseball in the backyard, Celeste gave ME a pedicure (what a friend), and we had the best time just doing nothing. Then we took an hour long treck into LA to find a CHEVYS restaurant (it's very sentimental for us) and enjoyed each others company over dinner.

It was exactly what we needed. Here's some pics of all our fun.

My Ya...

The Boyz...

Bball Baby...

Colin & Lexi...

I love this pic of Haley & Colin playing while we were waiting for our table at Chevys.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Back to Disney

When I was 6 months pregnant with Lexi, we took a trip to Disney World with Haley and my parents. We are so excited to go back. We leave on Thursday morning...the shuttle picks us up at 6:20am. That should be a hoot! (Yes, I said hoot.) Regardless of the early morning, it is all we can think about! Lexi wakes up every morning and says "Disney World?" and Haley has learned to count backwards while waiting for the big day! If I ever go to sleep tonight, it will be only 1 more day left!

I decided to look through some old Iphoto picks from our last trip. Lexi will be only 1 month older than Haley was when we took this trip. Check out the pics...isn't it crazy how much they look alike????

Our Epcot experience was VERY rainy and kinda cold. We're hoping for a different experience this time. This will be our first stop. Highlights will be our reservations at the Mexican Pavilion for lunch, The Norwegian Pavilion (part of the reason I was convinced I had to move to Norway many years ago), and the 4th of July fireworks show.



These pics are from Animal Kingdom. Haley loved looking at the animals with Papa!




Although we will be able to visit with my mom's parents, my dad's mom passed away last fall. It will be surreal to go back and not be able to see her. This picture was taken on the last day I saw my Grandma. We were eating at Cracker Barrel...our favorite Back East Restaurant. I know it will be especially tough on my dad, so I'm glad we'll all be there together.



I will do my best to update the blog while we're there!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

If it seems wrong...it probably is.

So we just moved. We got our new power bill. I open it up expecting the normal $60ish dollar bill, but instead it was $461.67. HELLO??!! Panic sunk in. We moved here to save money, but apparently it cost A LOT more to buy power in this area. So I am TOTALLY freaking out (probably a side effect of doing bills at midnight).

I noticed it said we had a late payment on our last bill of $69.24. How did that happen? I was SURE I mailed it. More freaking out ensued. Curtis was sitting next to me wondering what was going on. I started looking through my records and realized 3 bills had not been processed. How could this happen? He is offering up such suggestions as, "did you mail them?" REALLY? Or, my favorite "did you put a stamp on them?" SERIOUSLY? If I knew if I mailed them or put a stamp on them, I wouldn't wonder where they were. After a brief conversation with Curtis explaining how his questions were not helping the situation, he decided to go walk the dog. Which was a wise move on his part. His wife was crazy.

While he was gone...I found the bills. In their nice little neat envelopes...with no stamps on them. Brilliant. So when Curtis came back I got to tell him that 1) I did not mail them, and 2) they did not have a stamp on them. Now it was just silly. We decided I was too tired and crazy to keep doing the bills, so we went to bed.

Now...back to the main event...the $461 bill. I just called SCEdison about this bill. Seems they charged us more than 1000kilowatts extra...seems that makes a big difference. Our real bill is $57.51.

So there are 3 lessons in this:
1. Mail your bills on time.
2. Don't do bills at midnight.
3. Always ask questions about your bill if it seems wrong.

I'm glad this one had a happy ending.