Don't judge too quickly

I was mad. I sent in paperwork that to continue the level of care for one of my special kids. I do this every three months and it is important so that he continues to receive the services he needs. The envelope was sealed and taped shut. Imagine my surprise when I receive an e-mail that says a determination is unable to be made due to incomplete information. According to this e-mail, they had only received the request page. Of course I e-mailed back that I had mailed the entire packet, but would resend the packet. I couldn't believe that the whole packet was lost except for the request page. This time, I scanned the packet and e-mailed it to the lady who had e-mailed me. The next day I had an e-mail from her that she couldn't accept the e-mail I sent...I had to send it to the help e-mail address. I also received two e-mails from the help addy with the same information that she had e-mailed me the day before. So, being the good worker I am, I forwarded the e-mailed packet to the help addy. I then received an e-mail that they couldn't open my e-mail because it was too large. Anything over 35 pages has to be mailed in. I, in a fit of pique, e-mailed back that I would mail the packet again, but that I was very concerned that an entire packet could be lost. I printed off the scanned papers so that I wouldn't have to copy the originals again and discovered that the packet was actually 74 pages long. Who would have guessed that we had 74 pages of documentation? I ranted and raved to my supervisor that because of someone's incompetence in Arlington (where the packet is sent), my child doesn't have his service level and they don't even care! Imagine my chagrin when my phone rang this afternoon and the foster mother for this child told me she had just received most of the packet in the mail from the Fort Worth post office stating that the papers had been found loose in the Fort Worth mailroom. Apparently, the machinery used in the post office must have torn open the mail. Odd that the request page made it to its destination, but nothing else did. I had been angry with the leveling agency when all along the mail had not been received by them. The upshot is that I didn't rant to them and was fairly civil in my e-mails to them. The packet has been resent and the child should have his level in a couple of days. Next time something like this happens, I'll not be so quick to judge...or will I???

Windblown

It's March and it's West Texas. Must be track season. I went to the district track meet of a girl on my case load today. They told me that it started at 3:00. My youngest was a track star in Jr. High and High School. Odd that I totally forgot that 3:00 does not mean 3:00 in track time. I arrived at 3:45 and the running events still had not started. No surprise there. Also no surprise that the wind was blowing about 30 mph and it was getting cold. Of course I didn't bring a jacket with me. But, one of the wonderful things about small town track parents is that a total stranger handed me a jacket and told me to wear it. I don't think there are any nicer people anywhere. The smell of the hamburgers being grilled for the concession stand was awesome. The cheering of the parents was wonderful. The great thing about track is that parents actually praise not only their own children for doing well, but other children, also...even those on opposing teams. And there are always cheers for that last struggling runner. My girl took a first in the 400 m relay and a 4th in the 100 m dash. Not bad for a 7th grader at her first district meet. The future looks bright...even if it is windy.

Saturday

I have been so tired all week. But I finally got to sleep late Saturday and ended up having a fun day. After I finally dragged myself out of bed, I went to lunch at Beef O'Brady's with the family and a friend. After lunch, (Dharma and I shared a sliders basket) we strolled down to Cato's and I bought two shirts and a dress. Then we moseyed over to Everything's a Dollar and I spent a little bit more. Ahh well. It was time to get Dharma home for her nap. While she was napping, Lauren talked me into playing dress up. Wow, that's something I didn't expect to be doing as an adult. We pulled out dresses that I haven't worn in a very long time, including a couple of formals. Thanks to the weight loss I have had, the dresses fit me! Woo woo as my good friend, sista, says. Lauren loved my formals and my "little black dress" that all women have to have. She tried on several and we had a blast. Saturdays can be so much fun.

Girls just wanna have fun

I came home today in a grumpy mood. I went to Amarillo and while that is not a bad trip...I enjoy visiting my kids there, it is a long drive and today it made me grumpy. My son and DIL wanted to go to a concert so I am now here with Lauren and Dharma. My mood has improved drastically. How could it not with these girls? We have played on my bed and taken silly pictures from the lap top. We even filmed a short video. If I can ever get it downloaded into photobucket, I will share it with friends. We all need to take time out of our busy schedules and have a girls just wanna have fun night. It is good for the soul and I think it helps keep me young. Too bad their parents don't know what they are missing.

Late night munchies

I cleaned house today. Which means I didn't really eat. So, tonight I got the munchies. My daughter in law hadn't eaten supper, so I took off to Taco Villa. They have flavoring for their sodas!!! I can get my vanilla diet dr. pepper somewhere besides Sonic! Anyway, for my dear friends in Canada and New Mexico, I just wanted to let you know that I had a guadalajara tonight. But don't get mad at me. For some reason, they salted it. So, it wasn't the best I've ever had. Probably punishment for getting off my diet. Which, by the way, has been going really well. I've lost 25 pounds. Woo hoo!!!

It's nice

It's nice to do something for yourself and to feel good about yourself. My friends know what I am talking about. To have friends notice is nice. Now, to make the most of feeling good...
Oh, Sista...secrets are good. You know what I mean.

Another week

Well, it's another week and I am so bored. I don't really know why. I actually went out Sunday and it was nice. Just a few drinks and talk and well anyway, it was cool. And Saturday, I had lunch with friends and had a really good time. So, why am I bored now? It's not like I don't have enough work to keep me busy. Maybe it's the winter time blues. Time to make changes in my life. Maybe. Well, maybe I should start getting ready for my Cancun trip. That is something to look forward too.