I Heart Hubby

I've been thinking lately that I don't give hubby enough credit. He puts up with so much and still comes home every night. I used to tease it's because he's blond and he only knows one way home and one way to work. That's not actually true. He knows two ways to work and two ways home.

Really, though, he was blond when I marrried him. Can you imagine all my dark married to a blond guy? Believe it. As the years have gone by, he's gotten darker and darker. Now he's a light brown. I still think those roots go deep.

Hubby is the man that God picked out for me. I was at such a low point in my life. I felt like I was on the verge of a breakdown because of the major life changes that I had recently made. In a city full of debauchery and sin and lots of fun, in a bar on the Air Force base, we found each other, two souls that were lost and hurting and unsure. It is amazing at where our lives have ended up. For two people that were just looking for a little fun, a little understanding, a way, to be where we are now is a miracle given to us.

Hubby has completed some task around the house that have needed doing and weren't getting done. I could excuse it all day long. As much as I hate whiny and making excuses, I've become pretty efficient at it. In truth, some of the tasks were a little daunting. Hubby has stepped up lately and completed some of those tasks.

On New Year's Day, we rearranged the living room. That may not seem like a huge task, but you haven't seen our stuff. He put together an entertainment center on New Year's Eve with the big girl. That was a major undertaking. It was also the most important part. He put up with his wife while she struggled to figure out which books stayed and which ones went on the book shelf when it got moved. He was most of the muscle and only rolled his eyes at me two or three times.

He replaced our kitchen faucet. I've posted about the horrible leak and the random spraying before. He actually had to install two. The first one ended out not working the right way. He had to take it out and put another in. I love it. It does make a pretty good splash if you aren't careful when you turn it on, so just turn slow instead of full blast. Ok. It is so nice to have room under the faucet to get my big dishes now. The hand sprayer is my favorite part.

He has painted walls and doors in the girls' rooms. I only wanted certain walls painted and the girls wanted part of their doors painted. It is this really great purple that I would like in our room. But we have a gold wall, so I don't now how it would look with both colors. He painted them without complaint and did a great job. He does all the taping, too. I am not very good at the taping part, but I'm pretty good with the painting part. Our next big painting project is the living room. I might try to squeeze a hallway out of him, we'll see.

He replaced a switch thingy on the well pump. The pump would just quit. We would have to go out and knock on a gray box outside to get it started. It would start back up and run. But you never knew when it would quit again. It was a switch that flips when the pump is coming back to pressure. It works like a charm.

He replaced our water softener system. That took a little bit of ingenuity. He had to go twice to the parts store to get what he needed. But he got it done. It works like a charm. I am so happy. We had been without the softener for a couple of days. We had the water tested and it tested fine, but you could really tell a difference in the way the laundry felt. I am so glad that's done. That was by far the biggest project to date. I'm hoping we're done with that for awhile.

Right now he's digging the pool in. The pool. I cannot even think about the junk associated with that. But he's out there in the sun, digging away, making plans for a deck and a fence. It has to be fenced by law, so he's plotting how he wants to do it. I'm still holding my judgement on the pool. You can go here for that lovely post. He's working on it, so that's the important part.

He's worked on the washer and our old fridge. He fixed the fridge and we use it for overflow when we have a lot from the veggie co-op. I wanted a new fridge and the old one dying was a great excuse. The washer was taking a million years to fill up. I exaggerate. It took 999,999 years to fill up, but he fixed that, too. Yea!

He is always there when I need him. If we have a special event at church, he always makes sure he has the day off so he can be there. Sometimes volunteers are hard to come by. He saves my bacon everytime. He is calming and soothing for me when I am manic and crazy. He talks me down from the ledge every time. Just knowing he is there is enough for me. Sometimes he'll touch my leg or my hand to help me take a breath and take a second before I say something I can't take back. I have been stranded several times and he has always come to my rescue. I was stranded in Miami when we had gone to spend time with him at Thanksgiving one year. He was working there and would come home every 13 days, but he wasn't getting any time off for turkey day. He came tearing into the parking lot and helped guide me out of a very shady neighborhood. He got me safely to the interstate and on our way. He drove across town at break neck speed when I got rear ended and ended up stranded on my way to pick up the big girl from day care.

He gets me. He understands my humor, my moods. Maybe not the moods, but I don't always understand those. He knows the best way for me to handle most situations is to talk about them. It's when I don't talk he gets worried. But he's always there no matter the mood. He laughs at my jokes. He even jokes back with me. He plays "slug bug" with me. Some of you may know it as punch buggy. Whatever. We have a sixteen year long game going. We play every time we're in a car. I don't mean together. While we are driving, seperately, we've been known to call each other just to say "Slug bug!"

Hubby is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love him more and more every day. I am grateful beyond belief that he loves me back. He has given me the best 16 years of my life, three kids, a great life. He is smart, funny, handsome as can be, and a wonderful person. He is the best person I know. And he's all mine. This is just my way of saying thank you to my hubby for everything. I love that man.

What's in the HealthCare Bill

Page 22 of the HC Bill: Mandates that the Govt will audit books of all employers that self-insure!!

Page 30 Sec 123 of HC bill: THERE WILL BE A GOVT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get.

Page 29 lines 4-16 in the HC bill: YOUR HEALTH CARE IS RATIONED!!!... See More

Page 42 of HC Bill: The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your HC benefits for you. You have no choice!

Page 50 Section 152 in HC bill: HC will be provided to ALL non-US citizens, illegal or otherwise.

Page 58 HC Bill: Govt will have real-time access to individuals' finances & a 'National ID Health card' will be issued!

Page 59 HC Bill lines 21-24: Govt will have direct access to your bank accounts for elective funds transfer.

Page 65 Sec 164: Is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in unions & community organizations.

Page 84 Sec 203 HC bill: Govt mandates ALL benefit packages for private HC plans in the 'Exchange.'

Page 85 Line 7 HC Bill: Specifications of Benefit Levels for Plans -- The Govt will ration your health care!

Page 91 Lines 4-7 HC Bill: Govt mandates linguistic appropriate services.

Page 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18: The Govt will use groups (i.e. ACORN & Americorps to sign up individuals for Govt HC plan.

Page 85 Line 7 HC Bill: Specifications of Benefit Levels for Plans. (AARP members - your health care WILL be rationed!)

Page 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill: Medicaid eligible individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid.

Page 12 4 lines 24-25 HC: No company can sue GOVT on price fixing. No "judicial review" against Govt monopoly.

Page 127 Lines 1-16 HC Bill: Doctors/ American Medical Association - The Govt will tell YOU what salary you can make.

Page 145 Line 15-17: An Employer MUST auto-enroll employees into public option plan.

Page 126 Lines 22-25: Employers MUST pay for HC for part-time employees ANDtheir families.

Page 149 Lines 16-24: ANY Employer with payroll 401k & above who does not provide public option will pay 8% tax on all payroll! (See the last comment in parenthesis.)

Page 150 Lines 9-13: A business with payroll between $251K & $401K who doesn't provide public option will pay 2-6% tax on all payroll.

Page 167 Lines 18-23: ANY individual who doesn't have acceptable HC according to Govt will be taxed 2.5% of income.

Page 170 Lines 1-3 HC Bill: Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes. (Americans will pay.) (Like always)

Page 195 HC Bill: Officers & employees of the GOVT HC Admin.. will have access to ALL Americans' finances and personal records.

Page 203 Line 14-15 HC: "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax."

Page 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill: Govt will reduce physician services for Medicaid Seniors.

Page 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill: Doctors: It doesn't matter what specialty you have trained yourself in -- you will all be paid the same!

Page 253 Line 10-18: The Govt sets the value of a doctor's time, profession, judgment, etc.

Page 265 Sec 1131: The Govt mandates and controls productivity for "private" HC industries.

Page 268 Sec 1141: The federal Govt regulates the rental and purchase of power driven wheelchairs.

Page 272 SEC. 1145: TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS -

Page 280 Sec 1151: The Govt will penalize hospitals for whatever the Govt deems preventable

Page 298 Lines 9-11: Doctors: If you treat a patient during initial admission that results in a re-admission -- the Govt will penalize you.

Page 317 L 13-20: PROHIBITION on ownership/investment.

Page 317-318 lines 21-25, 1-3: PROHIBITION on expansion.

Page 321 2-13: Hospitals have the opportunity to apply for exception BUT community input is required.

Page 335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339: The Govt mandates establishment of=2 outcome-based measures. (HC the way they want -- rationing.)

Page 341 Lines 3-9: The Govt has authority to disqualify Medicare Advance Plans, HMOs, etc.

Page 354 Sec 1177: The Govt will RESTRICT enrollment of 'special needs people!'

Page 379 Sec 1191: The Govt creates more bureaucracy via a "Tele-Health Advisory Committee."

Page 425 Lines 4-12: The Govt mandates "Advance-Care Planning Consult."

Page 425 Lines 17-19: The Govt will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc.

Page 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3: The Govt provides an "approved" list of end-of-life resources; guiding you in death.

Page 427 Lines 15-24: The Govt mandates a program for orders on "end-of-life."

Page 429 Lines 1-9: An "advanced-care planning consultant" will be used frequently as a patient's health deteriorates.

Page 429 Lines 10-12: An "advanced care consultation" may include an ORDER for end-of-life plans..

Page 429 Lines 13-25: The GOVT will specify which doctors can write an end-of-life order

Page 430 Lines 11-15: The Govt will decide what level of treatment you will have at end-of-life!

Page 469: Community-Based Home Medical Services = Non-Profit Organizations. (Hello? ACORN Medical Services here!?!)

Page 489 Sec 1308: The Govt will cover marriage and family therapy.

Page 494-498: Govt will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, and rationing those services


I thought this was important enough to post on both my blogs. Even those of you who say you are not political, you need to be. This is not about being political, this is not about rolling over, this is about your freedom being taken away in one fell swoop.

Service with a Smile

I know that I have blogged about customer service, or really the lack thereof, before. But this week has been the week. One of these stories is actually from last week, but it's so good, I had to clump it in with this week. I really do not know why we, as consumers, continue to tolerate the mess that has become business. Maybe because we all have sadomasochistic tendencies? We should leave that for the bedroom, but whatever floats your boat. Here're my stories. Maybe we can take a grain of something away. Maybe that grain will be wisdom. Or maybe not.

My first story is about a place that is not too far from here, but far enough in the grand scheme of real life. It's a retirement "village" that actually covers three counties. I had to go take hubby his work cell phone. Two of my three kids were hacking up lungs and I had a headache. My history with headaches is long and unpleasant, but this one was manageable. It was also a day that McDs was offering free breakfast to all kids under 15 who come in with a parent. We missed it by 5 minutes. That should have further set the tone. To make a long story short (too late) I ended up trying to do something nice for my kids. After hubby got his phone, I took them into the McDs where we met and had breakfast.

There was a boil water alert in the area. That should have been clue 3, but with my headache and hacking kids I missed that one, too. After finding out that they could not serve anything that they had to use water to make, I asked for apple juice boxes. They were out. Duh, they couldn't serve anything else for drinks. Fine, how about orange juice. The lady behind the register jabs her finger at the hand printed sign taped to the front of her register and says, very rudely, "Did you not see the sign?" There, on the sign, were all of the things that they make with water, including orange juice. You know, at this point, my head had started to throb a little harder, I was ready to go home, and I was just trying to do something nice for kids. I didn't need a lecture from her or anyone else. I know she had probably told a thousand people that morning, but she hadn't told me. So, with my patience extremely thin, I replied, very rudely, "Apparently not, or I wouldn't have asked for orange juice. Are you really going there with me? And the grammar on that sign is atrocious." Not nice, not good, but the grammar was atrocious. It was like my six year old had written it. Only she's smarter. The woman looked a little offended. I didn't really care, but watched extra carefully as they prepared our food. I like the fact that I can see them as my sausage patty meets the English muffin.

My other story for today is with DirecTV. We got the bill in the other day, and surprisingly, not really, it was wrong. Again. Great googily moogily. We were supposed to have free movies until April, but we got charged for them. I knew it was too good to be true. I picked up the phone and got to speak to Jessica. Her name is so much better with the sound effects, but I don't have that on my blog. She drove me nuts. She would interrupt me when I was speaking, she was rude, she lied to me, and she refused to try to help me get it straightened out or comp us our last free month. All I wanted was what we were promised. I wasn't trying to weasel out of a bill or get free stuff. I wanted what was agreed upon by both parties. She wasn't in a charitable mood apparently. After almost ten minutes of her annoying behavior, I finally said, quite loudly so she couldn't speak over me, "Jessica, you and I cannot speak at the same time. Since you are on the customer service end of the phone and I am on the customer end of the phone, you need to SHUT UP!"

Hubby was cracking up. Jessica wasn't so happy about it, but she did close her mouth long enough for me to complete a sentence. I'm sorry you were having a bad day, Jessica, but do not take it out on the customers. She still refused to help me, so she transferred me to the department that would cancel my movie channels. There, a bright spot, was Quinla. I'm not sure that's spelled right. She was so very pleasant, did exactly what was supposed to be done, and even laughed over the phone and apologized for Jessica's horrible behavior. I could hear the smile in her voice.

Not my finest shining moments, I know. Here's that patience thing that has been a work in progress. Still a work in progress, and will probably always be a work in progress. Baby steps to start, then I'll progress to toddler steps. I'm just trying to adjust to the new style of customer service. Wait 'til you hear about my AT&T experience.

WWJD

It is so easy to think about what those letters stand for, but hard to actually do what they stand for. When there is trouble or strife or whatever, it is easier to strike out and be defensive than stop and pray and be offensive about the situation. Isn't it ironic that offensive has two meanings and pronunciations. You can be the one calling the shots or you can be the one that is being unruly. Offensive or offensive, which are you? Sometimes, I'm both. Here's my story:

I got an email the other day. It was from the chairman of my church's preschool school board. She had apparently asked the trustees committee if they could share some space in our youth house. Before this gets any further, I should explain some things. First of all, probably the only thing I can't stand about the United Methodist church is that everything is done by committee. The biggest problem with that is that you have committees that make decisons without consulting other committees. In other words, the left hand has not clue one what the right hand is doing. The other part of that is that everything has to go through a committee, which only meets once a month and could take forever to get a decision. I am not into waiting. Let's just move and get going shall we? The other problem is that the chairman of the school board is married to the chairman of the trustees. That means all she has to do is ask and it's done. Trustees control and manage all the property and inventory of a church. They control what can be done in a building or to a building. Everybody up to speed? Any questions? Raise your hand if yes. Good, on with the story.

The email said they wanted to create a "resource center" in a back room at the youth house. The youth house is for our youth which consists of middle, high, and college age people. We don't have any college age, but we have lots of middle and high school. They want to put in a desk, four book cases, and file cabinets. Not happening. We use that back room for meeting space during Sunday school and on youth night. We have to put anywhere from 10-15 kids plus facilitators in that room. With the stuff they want in there that would leave no room for a meeting space. They want to put an office in there. Call it what you will, but it's an office. When you move in a desk and file cabinets, it becomes an office. It is supposedly for the preschool teachers to use on their breaks to make lesson plans. Full of shit is what she is. Church politics makes me sick, but here we go. Can't we all just get along? Apparently not.

I sent that email to the youth volunteers. Keep in mind that we have no children's director or minister, no youth director or minister, and no Christian education director or minister. We are a group of 5 volunteers doing the best we can with no help. Supposedly, there where several people that wanted to volunteer with the youth, but I'll be damned if anybody has stepped up to do it. I also sent the email to two people that teach youth Sunday school. They have two kids in the program, one in middle school and one in high school. Needless, to say we weren't happy.

Here are our issues:

1. The preschool has slowly but surely started taking over our campus. It is a wonderful program that has shown continual growth since it's inception. I give the credit to that to the director, Candace. She is bright and bubbly and has a great way with people. The growth of the school has led the trustees to renovate a group of apartments that the youth house is part of. They have taken over rooms on the church that had other uses. There was not supposed to be a conflict between the school and church happenings, but that has become null and void. It has taken over a Sunday school classroom, the library, an apartment that was used for our food pantry and homeless ministry. The food pantry and homeless ministry has it's own house now. I moved the elementary and higher level children's and young adult books to our activity building. They had been behind a locked door in a room that belonged to the preschool. Since we used those books quite frequently, it was move them or have a hard time getting to them.
2. When the preschool started, there were two rooms that they were not to enter. One was the choir room. The other was the youth house. Wow, that's pretty nifty how that's happening. The chairman says that children will not be in the youth house. You want to move the preschool books in there. How else are the children going to get the books if they don't go to the bookshelf? I find that a little curious. And why do they need to be there if the teachers are just going to use the room for lesson planning? They aren't going to be using those books to plan with. They have curriculum for that.
3. The youth should not have to share space with cartoon characters on the wall. They worked very hard to make that space their own, not someplace they had to share with preschool children. It gives them a place to come that they feel comfortable in. You cannot get a teenager to talk about anything unless they feel comfortable. We have worked very hard for them to feel comfortable with us. They have worked hard to trust us. Good grief, if we don't fight for them, with them, they won't feel comfortable, but will feel abandoned yet again. When the youth director left several years ago, our associate pastor took over. She knew she had earned their trust when some of the youth picked up her car and moved it. She has transferred to another church now. That was twice they had leaders they cared about, that they trusted, leave them. It has taken time and much effort on both sides to get where we are now.
4. Most of our youth are members of the church. When they enter middle school, they are eligible to enter the confirmation process. After that process they decide if they want to become full members of the church. They have done that. As full members, they deserve the rights and respect that comes along with that. To look them over in favor of one person or group at the church is incomprehensible to me.
5. We have at least three empty offices in the church office. We have the offices of the three missing staff members I mentioned above and the office of our associte pastor that is now empty. They already have desks, bookcases available, and the computers that they want to do lesson plans with. Frankly, I have a lesson plan book that I use. I plan my lessons with my books or curriculum, my plan book, a pencil, and a big eraser. I sat tonight and did three weeks of plans for three kids at different levels for six subjects in about thirty minutes. If they can't do lesson plans for their class unless they have a computer, then shame on them. I was watching Lost while I did it, too. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.
6. Without asking, without trying to find out how the space was used, a decision was made. She went into our space without permission and decided that she wanted it. It almost feels like a violation. It's almost like someone broke into their inner sanctum, their safe place. A squatter has come in and it takes cops and lawsuits to get them out. What will it take to erase the feeling of being violated that some of the youth have. She stated that she had been in there and looked at the space and decided how it could best be used. I'm pretty sure that no one gave her permission to make that decison except herself. Oh, yeah, her husband, the chairman of the trustees probably said it was OK.
7. Unless you volunteer with the youth, what gives anyone the right to say what happens with their space? I don't see it as mine. I'm just there to support and listen and be an example for them. I lead a small group lesson with them and listen to what they have to say. This is their place, their refuge. Some of them see it as that. The safe place where nobody is judging, nobody is condemning them. Now they feel threatened that they won't have that anymore.

I was so angry, I fired off an email. I sent it to every email address for every church member that I had. I sent it to all of the volunteers. I very eloquently addressed each of these matters. I can be eloquent when I need to be. I am, after all, a writer. I had mucho positive response. The next day was Sunday and I was a little leery about going to church. Hubby said he would be with me all the way. I started getting reponse emails that night, all positive, except one. I'll get to that in a minute. At church the next morning, I was hugged, patted on the back, and made to feel very good about my letter. I wanted the congregation to know that there was something happening that shouldn't be. It shouldn't have become the big deal that it did.

The one I was talking about was the chairman's response to my letter. She turned it around to make it seem like I was angry at the preschool. No, I was, and still am, angry at her high handedness. At her insinuation that she is in control of our church campus. At her feelings of superiority and seeming authority to come in and violate a place that doesn't belong to her. I am angry that no consideration was given to the use and purpose of a space that they have no knowledge of because they choose not to know. They choose not to know because they do not, and will not, volunteer with the youth. This is about the kids and their place in our church. The place that most of them need to be. The place that most of them have an equal footing with every member there.

After youth on Sunday, and after much reflection on Monday, my next step is prayer. I need to be still and quiet and let God lead me to my next step. I need to open my ears, my heart, my soul to the only voice that matters in any of this. I need to pray for the youth, for myself, for the volunteers. And as much as it hurts my flesh, I need to pray for the chairman and her husband. I need to pray for grace in this matter. I need to think-what would Jesus do?