Monday, August 8, 2016

Summer, So Far...

Summer's been... well, summer-like. I've been working more than normal, Ace is still unemployed (just enjoying being home, cooking, taking care of the garden, and having no employment responsibilities right now), and Princess is hanging out quite a bit (she did end up with an accumulative 3.75 GPA for the year; 6 A's and 2 B's, both semesters). We've decided to hold off on driver's ed (she's just not ready; she will renew her permit in December and we'll continue to offer her the keys as she's comfortable), have taken a few more exploratory drives, went on a couple more hikes, got our Life Insurance figured out (did you know USAA, among others, will send a medical rep to your house to take your blood & urine sample!??! Awesome.), and have had all of Ace's distributions paid out.

Because of time, I am now three and a half episodes behind in my friend's online nail show, and have yet to work on my online class. I'm going to try to get caught up on the show by end of summer, but will wait until Ace finds a job to work on the class. The two older kids are doing well; just working as much as they can right now. Princess did her trip to Ashland and another trip to Utah; both were enjoyable for her, but I think she enjoyed Ashland more. When she got home, she shared stories of how much "adulting" she did there, and is considering adding SOU to her list of possible colleges.

Since she returned from Utah, she's been at home with us a lot, but has also joined me at work (sometimes even working for me doing dusting, reorganizing, etc), hung out with some friends, and had a very productive meeting with her theatre friends & their new teacher. Six of them met up with Ms. S at a local coffee shop and were there for over three hours, discussing their ideas for plays, more student involvement, more community involvement, and more. They have plans to meet again before school starts.

A few weeks ago, I realized her passport expires toward the end of September, so last week, we took all her old paperwork (with her birth name), new paperwork (with her adopted name), adoption/name change court documents, old passport, and a new/adult passport application (at 16y, you're an "adult" in that you can affirm to your own identity without permission from both parents) to the passport office (which, we found, had moved... but not too far). The woman behind the counter (who happened to be the mother of one of Princess's old cheer teammates) was subbing for the guy who usually works there while he was on his lunch break, and she wasn't sure she did it right... Luckily, the guy came back from lunch as she was finishing up, and corrected a couple things. So, now we wait 4-6 weeks (not that we're going anywhere out of the USA any time soon).

Two weeks ago, I was sideswiped on my way into work. Seems the 16yo driving the Volvo that hit me (as well as rear-ended a work van) fell asleep (admitted to us, as well as the Beaverton police officer). This was kind of a cluster this time around; for the first time, USAA told me to go to Kadel's for the "initial estimate" (um, fishy much?), but of course, I can *take* it anywhere to get fixed. After I sent in the two estimates, USAA then distributed a check to me in the amount of the (much lower) Kadel's estimate. I sent my adjuster a message about "why", and never got an answer, so I called and spoke to the other adjuster who had been contributing to my online communication. I then called my shop and told Steve what happened. He asked that I email him the Kadel's estimate, and he would look it over, talk to USAA, and call me back. The next morning, he said that we will start will the Kadel's list and submit supplement requests as they fix more stuff (seems Kadel's missed quite a few things... ugh); no additional funds out of my own pocket. Anyway, I go in to our usual shop tomorrow; car rental will meet me there, as I will need a rental while the shop has my car.

The three of us went to the Washington County Fair to see Gabriel Iglesias (aka: FLUFFY!), and wander the fair. We got some fair food, visited the animals, really enjoyed the concert, and ran into Princess's cousin, N.G.! Hugs, kisses, and a quick catch-up was all we had time for, but it was nice to see him. Next up is The Lion King with Squeeks...

Lastly, I don't want to get into details, but there is an "issue" going on within my family (no, no one cheated, and no, no one's pregnant). Ace, MK, & I are fine; we are strong & will get through this, but for those who are so inclined -- if you wish to send some good vibes, that would be appreciated. For the time being, this does affect how often we're all online, so if you need to reach me quickly, text my cell phone.