A belated birthday

I finally told MFH why I was so upset that he didn't take The Boy to pick out kittens for me.

A few days prior to my birthday, The Boy came to me and said, "I know what I'm getting for your birthday, but I can't tell you. I just don't know when me and dad will have time to go pick out a little thing that crawls on the ground and has triangle ears."

It took all I had to keep a straight face.

The Boy takes great care to choose gifts from the heart, and this was so very important to him. He was upset that my birthday came and went without a kitten.

So, on Saturday, he and I went to the local animal shelter and picked out not one, but two kittens! He chose for me - a black and white boy, and a gray tabby girl. The boy was fixed already, so we were able to bring him home. The little girl is being fixed today and we can pick her up tomorrow.

They will not be allowed outside, and I am hoping that with two they can keep each other company and be content inside the house.

She drives a Mercedes-Benz........

We have settled on my wrecked car. They called me on Monday to tell me what the payout would be and ask where they could pick up the totaled car. I thought it was a low price, and also low of them to call me instead of MFH.

MFH called them back and told them not to send out the check until they found a few more cars, or not, that compared to the one I lost in the accident and came up with a more fair settlement. And, until such time that we could agree, we would hold on to the car. He also found out the name of the insurance commissioner, and this guy's supervisor, just in case.

The next morning they called back with a fair price. More even than we were expecting. We released the car this morning, after getting the bulk of the money in the mail yesterday.

It makes you wonder how many people get screwed because they just don't know.

And, I have whiplash.

I am pissed about it because that is just so cliche.

Let me just say that I am no wimp about pain. I have a very high tolerance, but this effing hurts. I am on muscle relaxants and pain relievers, which do little good. It's okay for about an hour and then wham! If it's not better by Thursday I am supposed to return to the doctor, but for what? I don't know what more they can do about this but give it time. However, I will go, and I will not sign any release until I feel better.

I feel bad for the lady who hit me. It was her first accident and it was a doozy. I am worried that her insurance company will drop her after this.

Then again, maybe they should.

Down

Today is my birthday.

I am a little down in the dumps.

Since the loss of my brother, and then the arrival of my son, I've tried to make a big deal about birthdays. It's important to The Boy and he gets very excited whether it's his birthday or someone else's birthday. MFH, who is normally so thoughtful, didn't take him to buy a gift (or pick out a free gift, which would be the kittens that I wanted).

The Boy's disappointment could be the reason behind my mood.

Or maybe it's the BIG milestone birthday that is right around the corner in 2009......

Going 4 Gold

From the Parade of Athletes at the Opening Ceremonies, to the medals presentation after the last game....the 2008 Big.Sky.State.Games were a success!











The team minus one - there was a wild fire in the area and his home was evacuated so he was unable to make the parade.












We registered The Boy as a goalie, and because several teams entered without a goalie, they had the option of asking The Boy to play for them. He played three games in a row, two for his team and one for another team. In his fourth game, playing for an opposing team, he dropped down to block a shot and was unable to get back up, so we pulled him. After a rest and some sugar, he was able to finish the day.

Making a save!




He ended up medaling twice - his registered team took third place and got the bronze.

He goalied in the championship game for an opposing team and they won, so he took a gold medal with them.


Way to go!

Liability

Her insurance company has assumed liability for the accident. This, after interviewing both of us and making sure our stories meshed, and after asking me if I had exchanged angry words with her.

WTF?

I'll admit I was pissed and I got out of my car intending to let her have it. But The Boy was hysterical and he was my main concern, so I tended to him. It was much later when I spoke to her, and I felt bad that she was so shook up, so I was nice.

I am going to the doctor today because I am having some pain that I think should have subsided by now. Better to be safe.

The adjustor came to look at my car yesterday. The last time I got hit, the adjustor came to look at the car when nobody was around and we got screwed. This time we towed the car to MFH's worksite and they had to deal with him. It will be interesting to see what they come up with. We had insurance that covered collectable cars, and we had a specific dollar value on it that would cover our losses if an accident was my fault. He tried to get out of MFH what that dollar amount was. Right. I want what I'll need to replace that car, not what I paid for the one that I already owned that your client wrecked.

They went through the car and MFH pointed out all the options on the car that would add value to it. The 17 year old adjustor declared the car to be a total loss.

"17 years old?" I asked.

"He couldn't have been much older than that," MFH said. "As we were walking around the car, he wondered aloud why the airbags didn't go off.....on a car made in 1977."

82

That is the age of the woman who hit me.

Now, I'm not saying she should not be driving, but how could she not have seen me? The car could not be a more noticeable color.

The police would not administer "fault" but did tell MFH that they will issue her a right of way violation.

Her insurance card was expired, but I am hoping she simply forgot to put the new card in her car.

Tomorrow I'll go pick up a copy of the police report and notify my insurance company.

My right ankle is sore and swollen. My neck, chest and upper back are stiff and sore. The Boy also complains of a sore neck. But it could have been so much worse!

For that, we are grateful.

When a good day goes bad

you drink wine.

I left work early today.

A few years ago, I taught my son the concept of playing hooky.

He's in swimming lessons this summer, and once a week I go watch. He always wants me to play hooky for the remainder of the day. As it happens, this session his lessons are at 2:00 in the afternoon. Today I got permission to have the rest of the day off and surprised him at the pool.

We were off to enjoy the rest of our day.

A lady zoomed across a busy street in front of me and we collided.

Hard.

We both spun around and collided again.

The Boy's seatbelt broke. BROKE. But it did it's job and restrained him, and he is fine.

My seatbelt did it's job, too. I am very, very sore in the upper back, but I am alive.

My Mercedes is totaled.

Damn.

I wish I had stayed at work.

Summer games

We hosted the Fourth of July picnic that my in-laws used to host at their house. Before we moved here, we would travel the 300 miles just to attend. Now that we are here, they quit having it. It pissed me off, so I decided to host it myself. We bought the chicken and made the baked beans, and asked everyone else to bring a side dish and their own drinks. It was fun, and not nearly the hassle she made it out to be.

We invited one family who has a son The Boy's age. They played on the same hockey team, and were opponents in soccer and baseball. Mom CC asked if we were interested in putting The Boy on a 3 on 3 ice hockey team in TheBigSkyStateGames. We had received emails and mailers about it, and really hadn't given it much thought.

The Games are Olympic-style contests on a much smaller scale, for athletes of all skill levels and ages. Most of your states probably hold the same type of contests locally.

I asked The Boy and got a resounding "YES" in answer.

CC thought we needed three players. Well, hockey players tire, so we really needed six players so they could take shifts on the ice. We also need a goalie, which is no problemo, as The Boy would say - he has all the gear and loves the position. But we needed three more players.

So, I spent Monday and Tuesday evening putting together a team of seven 5 - 8 year olds and getting them registered by Wednesday, while MFH rounded up a certified coach and jerseys for the boys, and contacted our old community to put a team together so we'd have some competition at our age level.

The Games are next weekend.

We have no ice yet, and these kids haven't been on skates since the end of March. It should be fun!

Time flies when you're having fun

I can hardly believe that today I've been married to MFH for seventeen years.

This was my gift.

No, I don't deserve him.

But neither does anybody else.

Natural Selection

I just saw a young man riding a motorcycle and talking on his cell phone.

In rush hour traffic.

Very talented.

And very stupid.