Those Pesky Italians

So I posted a pic of me on my Francesca facebook page. It's a fabulous pic of me that Mike took on our honeymoon. Because I figured all those Italian people who THOUGHT they were wanting to be friends with an Italian girl named Francesca would look at my pic, and then think, "No, wait. That doesn't look like the Francesca I know."
But no.
Mauro Salomone and Paolo Bologna want to be my friends.
Sigh.

The Dangers of Reading The Newspaper -- Sad

I need to cancel my newspaper subscription. I hardly ever read it, and it goes from the front yard to the recycle bin, usually still in its plastic bag.
Today, however, I had my quarterly round of checkups with my medical team, and so i took the paper with me, as we all know that going to see the doctor involves lots of waiting.
And I read the paper.
Unfortunately, it included a graphic description of the beating a two-year-old received at the hands of her mother and her stepdad before she died.
And I can't get it out of my head. Part of the dangers of an active imagination.
So I cried for her, and prayed for her, and all the children who suffer at the hands of those they should be able to trust, and asked God to use me however He wanted to help those children. Baby Grace is not in pain anymore, but there are plenty of children who are.

Of Accidents and Quietude

I bought a new desk the other day, as my old computer desk was just not big enough. I found myself putting papers on the floor, and then I couldn't find them later, blablalbaa.



So, we got our income tax refund the other day, and Mike said I could use part of it to get a new desk. I found one I liked at Louis Shanks, so I took all the passengar seats out of the minivan and went down Thursday to go pick it up. (They wanted to charge me $140 to deliver it.)
The furniture store is 30 minutes from our house, and we are on the way home, the desk and I. We get close to Kuykendahl, and the guy two in front of me slows to turn. The guy in front of me stops. The desk and I stop. The guy behind me? Not so much.
BAM! Third guy's car.


Bam! The van.


bam. first guy's car.


By God's grace, no one got hurt, but as you can see, the last guy's car was totaled. I have an appointment with the adjuster or whoever Tuesday, as I need a new bumper, a new door, and probably a new gas tank. The weird thing was, the guy gave me his girlfriend's insurance information, because he didn't have his, but he told me not to use it, that he would call me.
I waited, and called him FOUR TIMES, and he never called back with the info, so after waiting 48 hours, I went ahead and made a claim using the his girlfriend's info.
I was still shaken up Thursday, and I didn't feel like lugging the desk out of the van. Friday, Mike was too tired. Saturday, I was at a seminar, and by the time I got home, it was time for Mike and the girls to go to basketball, and when they got home, it was dark. So, yesterday, when I got home from church, I saw four strong young men playing basketball next door, and recruited them to help. It took all four of them plus Mike to get it in the house.

me: Isn't it pretty?
Mike: "Yeah, but next time, get a lighter desk."
So, here is a picture of my beautiful new desk. I am still figuring out where to put everything, but I like it!


Mike and I took Jillian to school today, and on the way to breakfast afterward, he's telling me how to drive. Which bugs me the snot out of me, because I have been driving three years longer than he has, and I seem to do just fine driving around all day long without his help, getting backended the other day aside.

Then, we're taking Tess to school afterward, and we see our neighbor Vernetta.
Me: Tess, is Christina in 4th grade or 5th this year?
Tess: It's CHRISTINA, not CHRISTINE, mom.
Me: OK, y'all have a good day today.

It must be a recessive gene where they think they know better than me.....

How It Is

I worked in a pharmacy for year, and if you need a refill, here is how it goes:

1. You call the doctor's office, and ask them to call in a refill.
2. They say ok, ask the number of your preferred pharmacy, and call it in.
Total number of calls = 1 Total time: 2 minutes.

Mike goes to a different doctor than the girls and I. He needed a refill on his prescription, so he asked me to call the doctor, make an appointment, and get a refill.

1. I call the doctor and make an appointment for March. (He's really busy until then.)
2. I call back and ask them to call in a refill. They say the pharmacy has to fax them the prescription request.
3. I hang up, and realize I don't have the doctor's fax number. I call back, but it's after 5, so they don't pick up.
4. I call today, and get the fax number.
5. I call Walgreens, and leave a message, as you can't talk to a live person.
6. Walgreens calls back and leaves me a message. I return the call, and give them Mike's birthday. They promise to call the doctor.
7. They call me again and leave me another message. I return the call, and they say the doctor's office turned down the refill request, saying the doctor wants to see Mike.
8. I call the doctor, and tell them WE ALREADY MADE AN APPOINTMENT. Oh, well let me talk to the nurse. OK, the doctor says he can have a short-term refill to get him by until his appointment. THANK YOU.
Total number of calls: 8 Total time: far too long

Whew!

So, my family got me Jillian Michaels' workout DVD for Christmas, Thirty Day Shred or something like that. If you don't know who she is, she's that mean trainer from "Biggest Loser".
The DVD has 3 20 minute workouts, combining cardio and strength.
I did Level One yesterday.
OMGoodness. I started wanting to give up during the 4 minutes of jumping jacks we started off with.
Then, I needed handweights, which i didn't know beforehand, and she doesn't wait for you to run go get some from Target or whatever, so I ran into the bathroom and grabbed two bottles of Listerine and used those. I just glad nobody peeked into the bedroom while I was doing my squats and lunges while lifting two bottles of Listerine in the air....

Home Again

We just got home from Kansas. After we put everything away, i let the girls take a bubble bath while i got out the Wiifit so i could play it uninterrupted for once. but no. we left the CD in my sister's Wii machine.
sigh.