(43-160) A Cure For The Back To School Blues

I've previously mentioned that on the first day of school (as well as other special occasions;) I like to make Cinnamon rolls for my kids.  Since I'm not Lesa G; baker of the world's best, homemade, Lemon Bars nor am I Jenny and (SMF) David; Christmas Cookie chefs extraordinaire; I simply make Pillsbury (canned,) cinnamon rolls with CINNABON frosting; but my kids think they're just great.  So during one of my many Christmas break, trips to the supermarket; I picked up a can of cinnamon rolls; so that I could surprise the kids one morning.

I could have made the cinnamon rolls any day; and they would have been thrilled; but I decided that I would make them on their first day back to school.  I thought that it would be delightful to awake to the sweet cinnamony aroma that the baked pastries emanate.  But alas; on Sunday, I ruined my own surprise and told the kids about my plan;  because they were all so bummed about going back to school; and leaving me.

They all seemed so sad about the prospect of school starting up; so I thought I'd cheer them up by telling them that I planned to make them cinnamon rolls for breakfast; and indeed, this was a cure for the back to school blues.

I woke Lyndzi at 6:30am, and after she got dressed, I asked what she wanted for breakfast.  She gave me a quizzical look and I asked what was wrong.  With a perplexed tone, Lyndzi then said "I thought we were having cinnamon rolls."  Oh my gosh; she was right.  I'd forgotten MY OWN PLAN; so in the long run, I suppose that it was a very good thing that I had told them about it.   Thankfully I still had plenty of time to get the rolls in the oven; and by the time Nicky and Kelsie got up, I had just finished frosting the delectable dough.  The kids happily ate their cinnamon rolls; and I'm proud to say, that I did not.   

Kelsie was more cooperative than ever as she got ready for school.  I think that Lyndzi was looking forward to seeing her friends; but like Nicky, she would have just as soon stayed home; so when I dropped them at school, I assured them that their day would pass quickly; and that although I would miss them; I'd be fine.  It was bittersweet watching them walk towards the school; but I always seem to feel that way after having them home for a while.  I get spoiled.

I went back home, worked for a few hours and then met Lesa G at the gym.  I returned home resumed working; and I wish that I could say that time passed quickly; but truth be told, it didn't.  3:00 couldn't come soon enough for me; and when it did, I flew out the door to go pick up my angels.  I'm happy to report that despite their hesitation, everyone had a great day.  And as for me, I'm getting pinker by the minute.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING 

#5 - I Don't Think That I'm A Very Good Driver...

My 100 random things about me list is actually proving to be most useful. I realized that if I'm in need of an idea for a post, I can always go back to my list and write about any of my random things. Ironically, and sadly; shortly after that post, I proved #5 - I don't think that I'm a very good driver ...in full effect.

Now luckily I haven't endured that many accidents; unless you consider 5 in 24 years many. Of the 5 only 2 were my fault (one weather induced, and the other ~ well you'll see;) and the other 3 people hit me. Now it's not like you have to fear driving near me when I'm on the road, or even be afraid to drive with me; I mean I have kids for god's sake; I'm a SAFE driver, but maybe just a little overly cautious and like most things; I KNOW THIS ABOUT MYSELF.

Anyway, I was driving to my office on a Friday morning, a few weeks ago. it was just after 6am, I was on the highway and it was still dark out. I was in the most right hand lane and ALL OF A SUDDEN out of nowhere there was a VERY big object in my way. I had no idea what it was, but it was like the size of a roll of carpet. I couldn't tell if it was hard or soft; all I knew was that I was going to have to hit it, because if I swerved to get around it, I would have gone in someone else's lane and possibly hit them or got hit myself. I hit the object (whatever it was) and I think it went under the car; but again; it was dark. I immediately got off at the next exit and pulled into the shopping center that was there. I got out to inspect my vehicle and much too my surprise I saw no damage. I couldn't believe it. I felt blessed; and confused - so I bought a bagel and went to work.

Several hours later, I went out to my car at lunch time and was shocked by what I saw. I called Luis and tried to explain what happened. I told him that I hadn't mentioned it earlier in the day, because I hadn't seen any damage. (Remember, it was still dark at the time.) I really expected that Luis would be mad at me; but instead he just said "well that's why we have insurance;" and boy was I relieved.

When I got home I showed him the damage and called the insurance company. Allstate assured me that I did the right thing by hitting the object and I felt a little better, but not entirely.

The car was repaired in record time, and luckily nothing was hurt except my ego.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

Bad things DO happen in 3's...

Disclaimer: I am VERY Upset.

My family and I just came back from a fantastic weekend away; which I will have to tell you about some other time. And in the course of an hour, I found out that:
1. The sealants that the dentist had put on my son's teeth last month at the cost of $40 to me; was now going to cost me an additional $144 because the insurance claimed that my son had already had this procedure done before. As it turns out, the infamous Dr. Yati, had done the sealant in Dec 05, unbeknownst to me; and the insurance only covers it once in a lifetime. Now when I say unbeknownst to me, it was unbeknownst to me, but it seems that it was not unbeknownst to Luis; just forgotten. Dr. Yati's office does believe that Nicky's dentist should have checked with the insurance; so maybe, just maybe they'll cut me a break; but I'm not feeling so lucky right now - so we'll just have to see.
2. I got a photo ticket. Apparently I got caught by a photo radar making a turn on a red light. Luis said that he can tell from the picture that the guy in front of me probably didn't make the turn fast enough, which is why I got snapped, but nonetheless, now I have to either pay $214, or go to a defensive driving class though my ticket also mentions that I will have to take another class; basically because I am a potential murderer since I made this right on red. Woohoo!!
Just when you think it can't get any worse;
3. Luis called home to Puerto Vallarta because his parents had their visa appointment in Guadalajara today and he wanted to see how it went. Luis' Mom and Dad are 2 of the finest, most upstanding people that you could EVER want to meet. His dad is retired from the government and currently has several rental properties. He was also president of his colony for a very long time (aka Richie Howell - but better) and to this day, people come to his home to see him for advice and counsel. His mom has a business selling cheese and is pretty much the town saint. Whenever anyone is in need of assistance, very ill, or dying people come to her home (any time of the day or night) to get her to come to their bedside and pray for them. Anyway, they had passports with US visas for 10 years and they recently expired. They paid $40 each to get a new passport, and then requested a date to go to Guadalajara (about a 5 hrs drive) to apply for visas. As it is very difficult for Mexican citizens to get visas; they hired an attorney to help them with the paperwork, and Luis and I sent them a notarized letter to present, stating that we would be financially responsible for them (if necessary) while they are ever here. Luis' dad has over $50,000 in the bank, he owns a vehicle, and several properties; and they've had visas before. So you'd think there should be no reason for them to be turned down. They paid $80 each for their visa applications and transportation to Guadalajara and arrived at about 5am to get online at the consulate. Luis' dad told him that the person they saw at the consulate was a woman and she could not have been ANY ruder. She asked if he had a bank account, he said yes, and offered to show it to her but she said no. She asked what he did for a living and he explained as I did previously. She asked if he'd ever had a visa before and he said yes, and offered to show her the passport; but she said no. She then said "I'm sorry Mr. Ramos, there will be no visa for you today." My father in law told Luis that there were 54 people on his bus and only 11 got visas. And I am MAD!
There is absolutely no reason that my in-laws should not have been given a renewal on their visas. They paid the money for the passports, the lawyer, the visa applications, the transportation and there is no chance whatsoever that they would ever remain in the US or overstay their allotted time. I know this may sound hard to believe and trust me, I'm not UN-American, but NOT everyone and their mother wants to live in the United States; and contrary to popular belief, not every MEXICAN wants to live in the United States. Heck, if I would agree to move back to Puerto Vallarta; Luis would move in a heartbeat. He NEVER wanted to come here; he just came for me. He NEVER expected to be here this long; but the economy has us trapped.
I think that part of why I'm so frustrated is because the last time that my in-laws planned to visit, they had to postpone their trip for SEVERAL months because Luis' Grandma became very ill and ultimately passed away. Then just shortly after her passing, their visas expired. Of course they HAD to take care of their family, that's what WE do; but ultimately it also distanced them from us. I am angry because these are my kids ONLY grandparents; and now the US government has taken away their opportunity to spend time with them more than every 1 - 1 1/2 years. I mean, I was counting on my in-laws being able to visit US for a change. I wanted them to see the kids play soccer with their teams and be a part of their daily lives. With the cost of airline tickets these days and gas, it isn't possible for my family to go to Vallarta very often, not to mention that when we drive it takes about 24 hours each way, so we need to have at least 14 days available to us, to make it worth our while; and let's face it, when you have school age children the only time you get 14 days available is either at Christmas or Summer vacation. I'm mad that this woman didn't have to give them any reason for their rejection; because it just makes the decision seem that much more haphazard.
I guess I could go on and on; and many of you have never read this side of me before; but I wanted to share my day with you. WHY? Well many reasons; #1 Because I want everyone to know that we ALL have bad days; even though what might be bad for me is nothing for you or vice verse, it is a setback nonetheless. My $144 dentist bill and $214 ticket might seem like nothing to some; but to me it might as well be $2000 each because right now, my budget is just that strapped. #2 I really do want people to have some understanding as to what Mexican citizens do have to go through just to get the permission to visit this country; because (say it with me) "I am all about the greater good;" and hey, knowledge is power. I am in no way justifying illegal immigration; but there are people who do try to do things the right way, and for no explainable reason they are denied; which has more of a permanent effect on families than our government will ever know, or care to know. Luis has told me that since he is a citizen he believes there is some process that we can go through to apply for visas on his parents behalf. He believes it takes 6 months, and he doesn't know how much it costs. I on the other hand am not hopeful because when Nicky was less than 6 months old, Luis and I applied to bring his sister over to live with us because we wanted her to watch Nicky while we worked. 2 years ago we found out that her visa was finally approved (Nicky was then 7 and I had 2 more children;) to date my sister in law has NOT received her packet from the government with her actual visa; and although we paid for the application and have lost over 9 years, we have no idea if and when she will EVER receive her visa; not to mention the fact that she is now a successful accountant who is studying for her Masters degree and she would NEVER come here now for anything more than a visit. BTW she also tried twice to get a tourist Visa and was denied both times; as was Luis' older brother who is a chef in a four star resort, owns property, vehicles etc.etc.
Trust me when I tell you that this blog is not meant to incite any debates over our government or immigration; so PLEASE do not leave me ay comments to this accord. I just wanted to share the tale of my day because right now I am the Queen of DESPAIR. I guess it is true that bad things DO happen in 3's. So hopefully I have earned myself a reprieve for a few days.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING