Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thankful
This is the time of year to be thankful. So, I thought I take a moment and think about what I am thankful for... Here is a short list:
13. There is a Starbucks 5 minutes from my house
12. No snow on the ground so far!!
11. Our new house
10. I'm going to Texas for two weeks next month
9. Courtney loves school
8. I have a great extended family
7. I have a new niece
6. Nathan loves me
5. Having family close, so we can spend the holidays with them
4. Keegan's at peace
3. Nathan isn't deployed
2. God seeing me through the most difficult thing that has ever happen to me
1. My love for my family, and the love they give me
I hope you take a minute to thank God for all the blessings in your life.
13. There is a Starbucks 5 minutes from my house
12. No snow on the ground so far!!
11. Our new house
10. I'm going to Texas for two weeks next month
9. Courtney loves school
8. I have a great extended family
7. I have a new niece
6. Nathan loves me
5. Having family close, so we can spend the holidays with them
4. Keegan's at peace
3. Nathan isn't deployed
2. God seeing me through the most difficult thing that has ever happen to me
1. My love for my family, and the love they give me
I hope you take a minute to thank God for all the blessings in your life.
Monday, November 17, 2008
It's been one of those days
Where to begin... Nathan pre-order a new expansion limited edition for his game. He had been tracking it online, as most people do who are excited about getting a package. On Saturday night, he checked the USPS tracking number, and it had a note saying, package could not be delivered as addressed, from that morning at 9:40. Even more frustrating was that it was now 5 pm, and the post office closed at 4:30. So he had to wait until this morning to call to find out why it couldn't be delivered. It turns out, that the normal post deliver wasn't working this past weekend, and there was a new girl, (and of course, she was out sick today). Anyway, she sent the package back! After making several phone calls, it was discovered that something with the tracking number and our address didn't match. So instead of knocking on our door and trying to verify if we order a package from game stop, she sent it back. Not only do we think she didn't try to verify, she didn't even come to our house or walk by it, because we had someone else's mail, return to sender stuff, clipped to the outside of our mail box, clearly visible from the side walk. There are 18 house in our courtyard, and you have to walk to get to the mail boxes. So it's not as if she could just drive by. She would have walked by our house to deliver mail to our neighbors. After talking to our local post office, the lady on the phone was surprised to hear the substitute deliverer did not take our return to sender mail.
The most frustrating part is, because the game was a limited edition, if it is returned to the warehouse, you just get a refund. They do not re-send it. Also, you can't buy the limited edition in stores. And you can't get anywhere else. So now, because someone took the easy way out, we are left without. The game was part of Nathan's Christmas present.
I did notice today that we got a bunch of mail. Most of it was forwarded from our old address. As I started going through the mail, most of it was trash, I opened something from Direct TV. This was very strange, because we had a bundle with Verizon that included DTV. So we've never received anything from them before. I opened it to find a bill. I paid the Verizon bill back in October, and thought everything done and paid for. Somewhere there was a miscommunication between Verizon and DTV, and DTV did not accept payment from Verizon for October. As I open more mail, I found a credit to our Verizon account, with a note telling us a check will follow for the payment that DTV did not accept.
Before we moved, we had problems with DTV and trying to move with it. But then the messed up our channels while still in MA, so we decided to just cancel and get cable once in OH. They tried to pin $150 early termination fee on us. Ummm, we were never locked into a contract, (being military, I ALWAYS make sure we won't have to pay early termination fees, if we have to move). They tried to tell us, because we got a DVR, we were locked into a two year agreement. But if you look on their web site, it says that only applies if you down grade, and we upgraded. After all was said and done, no late fees for us =) But now we find out that they never got payment for September, (they bill a month behind), or October. So now we are paying for two months because, one, I didn't even realize they bill for last month, not a month in advance, and two because they never accepted payment from Verizon in October for the month of September.
Not only that, they billed us $200 for our DVR. Yes, we still have it. But we tried to return it, and they told us they would send us a box to mail it back to them once we move to OH. Guess what, no one actually sent us a box to send the DVR back. Now, we are waiting a box to send the DVR back. You better believe I am sending that registered and certified and insured. I am not being charged for the thing, if whoever delivers it, breaks it.
I hardly ever write checks. Because, I know I will forget about them and spend that money again. In our large amount of mail, I found a letter from the credit union at Hanscom telling me we did not have the funds for a check and therefore was charged a $20 fee. I found another one stating the same thing, with another $20 fee. It took a lot of digging and more frustration to figure out what check they were talking about. Once that was figured out what check and who it was for, it hit me that I did write a check and now there is no money in that account, because HFCU took it all in fees. (This is not our main bank account. We opened this one in MA to cash checks that were sent to us. Most of the time there is no money in this account anyway.) So tomorrow I will be making more phone calls and adding more stress and frustration to my life. I really hate checks. Is it time for bed yet?
The most frustrating part is, because the game was a limited edition, if it is returned to the warehouse, you just get a refund. They do not re-send it. Also, you can't buy the limited edition in stores. And you can't get anywhere else. So now, because someone took the easy way out, we are left without. The game was part of Nathan's Christmas present.
I did notice today that we got a bunch of mail. Most of it was forwarded from our old address. As I started going through the mail, most of it was trash, I opened something from Direct TV. This was very strange, because we had a bundle with Verizon that included DTV. So we've never received anything from them before. I opened it to find a bill. I paid the Verizon bill back in October, and thought everything done and paid for. Somewhere there was a miscommunication between Verizon and DTV, and DTV did not accept payment from Verizon for October. As I open more mail, I found a credit to our Verizon account, with a note telling us a check will follow for the payment that DTV did not accept.
Before we moved, we had problems with DTV and trying to move with it. But then the messed up our channels while still in MA, so we decided to just cancel and get cable once in OH. They tried to pin $150 early termination fee on us. Ummm, we were never locked into a contract, (being military, I ALWAYS make sure we won't have to pay early termination fees, if we have to move). They tried to tell us, because we got a DVR, we were locked into a two year agreement. But if you look on their web site, it says that only applies if you down grade, and we upgraded. After all was said and done, no late fees for us =) But now we find out that they never got payment for September, (they bill a month behind), or October. So now we are paying for two months because, one, I didn't even realize they bill for last month, not a month in advance, and two because they never accepted payment from Verizon in October for the month of September.
Not only that, they billed us $200 for our DVR. Yes, we still have it. But we tried to return it, and they told us they would send us a box to mail it back to them once we move to OH. Guess what, no one actually sent us a box to send the DVR back. Now, we are waiting a box to send the DVR back. You better believe I am sending that registered and certified and insured. I am not being charged for the thing, if whoever delivers it, breaks it.
I hardly ever write checks. Because, I know I will forget about them and spend that money again. In our large amount of mail, I found a letter from the credit union at Hanscom telling me we did not have the funds for a check and therefore was charged a $20 fee. I found another one stating the same thing, with another $20 fee. It took a lot of digging and more frustration to figure out what check they were talking about. Once that was figured out what check and who it was for, it hit me that I did write a check and now there is no money in that account, because HFCU took it all in fees. (This is not our main bank account. We opened this one in MA to cash checks that were sent to us. Most of the time there is no money in this account anyway.) So tomorrow I will be making more phone calls and adding more stress and frustration to my life. I really hate checks. Is it time for bed yet?
I need your address
I've started my Christmas cards, and I want to make sure I don't forget anyone this year. So send me your address so I can add you to my list. You can either leave it as a comment, or email it to me at, nathanamyl1@gmail.com or nathanamyl1@hotmail.com. Thanks!! And if you prefer not to receive a card, just say, "no thanks."
Thursday, November 13, 2008
To the vet we go
I took both our cat and dog to the vet today. They are required to be micro chipped if they live in base housing. Our cat also had stitches that need to be removed, from when we got her fixed. I already knew that Nina (cat), was going to be a bad patient. She does not adjust well to strange environments, and people who are in the new environment.
They decided to micro chip Nina first. She was barely out of her cage, and she was already growling and hissing. The tech thought he could remove her stitches with just me and him, and I thought I'd humor him. He got one stitch out, before he realized he wasn't wearing his glasses, and thought it would be better for him to leave, get the glasses, and then return to finish with the other 2 stitches. This time he brought another tech in, to help hold Nina down. She was very unhappy with the new addition in the room. Out came the claws and I do believe, every single one of us got a nice new band-aid. The new tech had to break out the dog fighting gloves. You know, the gloves that the dog trainers wear, when training a dog how to attack. Or the gloves and trainer wears, who is holding a hawk. After fighting with Nina for another 5 minutes, another tech came in to help implant the micro chip. If you have never seen a micro chip needle, they are fairly wide. With all the squirming and all the hands and arms, it looked like a deadly game of twister. Finally we heard Nina scream, and the tech said, "it's in!" Everyone looked relieved. Now they just need to remove the stitches. I think Nina was worn out, or just over come with all the activity, that she just laid there while they removed the other 2 stitches. She was supposed to get a check from the vet, but the techs thought it would be in everyone's best interest, to just put her back in her cage, and leave her there.
Now it was Coda's (black lab) turn. Coda loves people. He loves new places. He loves other animals. He just loves everything, whether it is alive or not. He has this thing where, he just sits and licks random things. Most often our carpet or couch. But if you let him, he will lick you all day. So while Nina was getting her micro chip, he was walking around the room licking people and objects. Coda needed to get a heart worm test and that requires blood. I knew from other experiences, that he would happily let them take all his blood, as long as someone was petting him. And I was right. He was so excited that two new people were so close to him, and petting him, he didn't even care or notice the needle. With the micro chip, he did yelp little, but was still very excited to be on a table with people paying attention to him.
Then the vet came in, and peeked at Nina in her cage, who was now complaining nonstop, and said she had nice white teeth, but wasn't about to stick her hand in there. Next was Coda's check up, and Coda has always been big. And I know it's because he is big boned. But after they weighed him at 107 lbs, I wasn't to surprised. The vet said he should lose 30 lbs, but after feeling his ribs, she said, "Well, maybe only 20 lbs, he has big bones." I knew I was right! But now Coda has to go on a diet. I'm sure he will love it, because even though we are cutting back on his food, he is allowed to have a can of green beans along with his 3 cups of food. I know he will love it. He will eat almost anything if you get him excited enough. I have to take him back in a month to weigh him again. Wish him luck on his new diet. What a day at the vet.
They decided to micro chip Nina first. She was barely out of her cage, and she was already growling and hissing. The tech thought he could remove her stitches with just me and him, and I thought I'd humor him. He got one stitch out, before he realized he wasn't wearing his glasses, and thought it would be better for him to leave, get the glasses, and then return to finish with the other 2 stitches. This time he brought another tech in, to help hold Nina down. She was very unhappy with the new addition in the room. Out came the claws and I do believe, every single one of us got a nice new band-aid. The new tech had to break out the dog fighting gloves. You know, the gloves that the dog trainers wear, when training a dog how to attack. Or the gloves and trainer wears, who is holding a hawk. After fighting with Nina for another 5 minutes, another tech came in to help implant the micro chip. If you have never seen a micro chip needle, they are fairly wide. With all the squirming and all the hands and arms, it looked like a deadly game of twister. Finally we heard Nina scream, and the tech said, "it's in!" Everyone looked relieved. Now they just need to remove the stitches. I think Nina was worn out, or just over come with all the activity, that she just laid there while they removed the other 2 stitches. She was supposed to get a check from the vet, but the techs thought it would be in everyone's best interest, to just put her back in her cage, and leave her there.
Now it was Coda's (black lab) turn. Coda loves people. He loves new places. He loves other animals. He just loves everything, whether it is alive or not. He has this thing where, he just sits and licks random things. Most often our carpet or couch. But if you let him, he will lick you all day. So while Nina was getting her micro chip, he was walking around the room licking people and objects. Coda needed to get a heart worm test and that requires blood. I knew from other experiences, that he would happily let them take all his blood, as long as someone was petting him. And I was right. He was so excited that two new people were so close to him, and petting him, he didn't even care or notice the needle. With the micro chip, he did yelp little, but was still very excited to be on a table with people paying attention to him.
Then the vet came in, and peeked at Nina in her cage, who was now complaining nonstop, and said she had nice white teeth, but wasn't about to stick her hand in there. Next was Coda's check up, and Coda has always been big. And I know it's because he is big boned. But after they weighed him at 107 lbs, I wasn't to surprised. The vet said he should lose 30 lbs, but after feeling his ribs, she said, "Well, maybe only 20 lbs, he has big bones." I knew I was right! But now Coda has to go on a diet. I'm sure he will love it, because even though we are cutting back on his food, he is allowed to have a can of green beans along with his 3 cups of food. I know he will love it. He will eat almost anything if you get him excited enough. I have to take him back in a month to weigh him again. Wish him luck on his new diet. What a day at the vet.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
New house!!
Well, I have finally finished unpacking and putting everything away. I was waiting until I had all the boxes out of the house before I posted pictures of the new house. So here they are.





We have a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, living room/family room, dinning room/computer area and 2 garages. Plus a storage shed, a fenced in backyard and a playground in our front yard. Not to mention a pool, a fish pond and free resident activities.
We have a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, living room/family room, dinning room/computer area and 2 garages. Plus a storage shed, a fenced in backyard and a playground in our front yard. Not to mention a pool, a fish pond and free resident activities.

