UPDATE:
Dentist:
Tuesday was a big day!!! This day was the day that would basically tell me how long we will be in Alabama! It looks like 4-6 months, depending on whether or not I find someone to rent the house!! It will cost me $2500.00 to fix my teeth!!! I will have 4 extractions (3 wisdom teeth and one molar-I cant afford a root canal and I don’t qualify for their dental plan because I don’t make enough money and my credit is bad thanks to this year, so…the molar will be “yanked“ with the others), um…resin work done on my 2 front teeth as well as a molar! And…lets not forget the fillings!!! Yep…I knew it was going to be bad!!! I did not have one cavity in my head until I got pregnant with Cooper! My teeth have gone down hill pretty quickly in the last 6 years!!! Even my Dentist was surprised!! I have no doubts that most of this is hereditary, because my Grandmother and Mother (both) had bad teeth and had to eventually get dentures!!! Lol…yes…possibly my future! And, no…I really don’t care if everyone knows this about me!!! I assure you, my man would be happy if I could take my teeth out on certain occasions…if ya know what I mean??!! Hell yeah!!! I cant think of any other way to make the best out of having dentures…can you??!!! Anyway…my kids, on the other hand, have good teeth…that is all I care about!!! Any extra money that I have ((ever)) had has always gone to my kids health and their needs! They have always been first, and always will be…
Foodstamps:
Wednesday I went to the foodstamp office!!! It was actually not as bad as I thought it would be!!! Completely different then the only other time I have ever had to go to the foodstamp office, which was 19 years ago in Birmingham, Alabama! As I sat in the waiting room, I looked around the room at the 22 people who were waiting for their names to be called…this count would include me and Cooper!!! Out of the 22 people, 10 people were white…10 people were black…and only 2 people were Hispanic! 70% of the people waiting were small families or couples! Only 2 of us were single moms! It was an eye opener for me…to say the least!!!! Another reminder of how bad the economy is, and comforting (in a selfish way) to know that I was not alone…! We will not receive benefits until next month, so this month will be the same as last as far as counting our pennies! I am not complaining, I am very grateful that we will be getting help until I can get back on my feet!
Glasses:
My glasses arrived early, so I was able to get them on Tuesday!!! Nice surprise…and they are wonderful!!! I can see so much better!!! I am a “happy camper”…!!! There was a couple at the register before me. A man in his fifties and a woman in her forties! It was evident that the woman had vision problems! She was somewhat disfigured and strained to see detail! She was holding her credit card while waiting to hear the balance before swiping her card. The balance was right at $400.00 …she gasped!!! The man was very unhappy to say the least and at one point started to raise his voice…not at the cashier, but at his wife…while she held the card! He said, “These once a year eye exams are getting ridiculous…I’m not going to pay $400 dollars for a pair of glasses!” She stood there…paused…still holding the card, as if believing that he would change his mind after blowing up…and he did! You could tell she was embarrassed…! It made my heart hurt…! He was an employee for the company…$400 was ((after)) his employee discount…! He saved $20.00!!! My heart hurt again! I don’t know which direction, emotionally, to feel with this story…do you??? I felt like the weather the other day…raining and snowing at the same time…on a cold, cold day…
House:
I painted my porch today! Tomorrow I have plans of painting the siding and foundation! Once that is done, I will stake that “FOR RENT” sign in that beautiful Alabama red clay! Wish me luck! WooHoo! Making progress!!!
RANDOM TID-BIT:
Get a job I tell ya! Get a job!!!
You know…that sounds so easy!!?? Lets back up a little…! I have this desire to share something about me and the life style that I have chosen…! This will take awhile, so pop some pop-corn!
You know, I have never been “afraid” to work! I actually ((love)) to work!!! In fact, I cant sit still! I have to be doing SOMETHING or I go stir crazy!!! If I am not “working” then you can guarantee that I have several projects going on…! I stay busy to a point where I literally wear myself out!!! Anyone who knows me, knows this about me. If you don’t know this about me…then you simply don’t know me!! It is simply that simple!!! HeeHee!
Anyway, this is what seems to be confusing to most people. I made a decision 13 years ago, that I was not going to live a 9 to 5 life!!! I refuse!!! When I was pregnant with my first child, Kayla, I worked from 8am to 11pm every day until the day I started to have contractions!!! I stood on my feet for 13 hours ((every day)) for 5 days a week…and STILL qualified for foodstamps! After giving birth to Kayla, I went right back to work after my 6 week maternity leave was up!!! I continued to work these hours for 2 years until I found out I was pregnant with my oldest son, Tripp!!! I did the same exact thing with Tripp that I did with Kayla…I went right back to both jobs after 6 weeks!!! Until one day I stopped…and I looked around me!!! What the hell was I doing??? I quit my job at UAB Bookstore after 5 years! I folded t-shirts for 2 years at a screen printing company before quitting…! After leaving both jobs, I started my on in-house day care (where I could be home with both of my children while earning money)…and worked for Big-B Drugs in the evenings!!! I HAVE WORKED…but for what???? For what??? Where was I going with my life, and what was I doing??? I was a freakin’ robot!!! See, I am different then some people…maybe most people…??? I don’t value my life by what I own, or how much money I have…or a “career”…! These things do not “identify” who I am as a person or human being! So…I made a decision!!! I looked around my house at all my shit and I suddenly saw a bunch of junk!!! I call this “junk today…”weight”…! I began to get very claustrophobic when I looked around and decided to sell everything I owned! I kept nothing but our bare necessities along a few treasures that I wanted to pass down to my children one day! I made $2000 dollars at a yard sale!!! That is not a typo…$2000 dollars at a YARD SALE, people!!! That is how much “weight” that I had been carrying around for so many years! Hey, and guess what?? I was still the same person WITHOUT these things!!! These things never meant anything…they were just “things” that, unfortunately, I had worked so hard for! What a waste! After it was all done, all I could say was, “Wow“…I felt so liberated!!! It was a new way of life…a new beginning…! I made a decision…
I don’t want a lot of money! I don’t need it because I don’t require much…! When we moved to Atlanta, the van carried my bed, my camping gear…a few personal items, art supplies and Coopers toys…that’s it!!! OH! And one TV! I don’t own cable either! The first time I bought cable was in 2001...and that was solely for the weather channel and only because we lived in Florida and I wanted to be able to watch the radar during hurricane season! I haven’t had cable since!!! So when I say, “We do not watch TV…”, we really DON’T watch TV!!! Its funny, because even when I repeatedly say that we don’t watch TV, people still talk about TV shows or commercials…as if I know what the hell they are talking about! I dated a guy once who said he didn’t watch TV either, but would watch the TV show “The Office” on his computer…as if watching it on his computer was somehow different??? Lol! Funny! Nope…not us…! Theater is different! I do enjoy a good movie from time to time! Mostly Independent films or documentaries! Even so, don’t bother asking me if I have watched a certain movie…because I probably haven’t….! Whoa! Stop! Screech! Boy...what a tangent!!?? Hmmmm….
Anyway…
My point is this…the lifestyle that I have chosen to live has NOTHING to do with the situation that I am in today! The reason why I am in the situation I am in today, is because I made a deal with someone and trusted that that “someone” would honor their word! I made plans around their “word”, but they did not honor their word…causing me to abandon my plan! The ((economy)) has made it harder for me to do anything about it!!!! It is hard to find a job right now! It is even harder for a single parent who can only work from 8am-2pm, Monday-Friday (not on weekends), because the single parent can not afford after-school daycare! With the few jobs that are out there right now, most of them require more from me then I can give…bottom line!! The key word is “can” give, not “will” give…! So, I have to be thrifty!
This blog is not about my struggles as much as it is making the best of an unfortunate situation…that’s all! Trust me, I dusted the dirt off my knees a long time ago!!! I am sharing my story because maybe I can help someone who is in the same situation I am in, find ways to cope…by making the best out of an unfortunate situation! Remember, my plan was working just fine…until I basically got screwed up the ass with a 10 foot pole…and no lube! But hey, everything happens for a reason…and I have made it my “life mission” right now to ignore ((nothing)) and figure out exactly what that reason is! This is a journey…
Life, is a decision…its ((my)) decision…it’s the only thing I rightfully own! Nothing pisses me off more then someone or something making decisions for me!!! Uh huh! ‘Dats right! You heard it, right here baby…oh yeah!
Okay…now, back to my “bitchin’…!” *wink*
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