Did I forget to mention?

Yah! I did! Some of you have been with me through a lot of my trials (Divine Intervention, etc.). Uh... I got my car back a while ago... just as the gas prices started creeping (jumping!) up! Ugh. What used to take me $80 to fill my tank now takes over $100!

I know... for some of you in other countries, we complain too much. Your prices are much higher. But... we are not used to paying $4.50-5.00 a gallon. YUCK! And now... it's much too hot here (usually at least around 100 degrees F) to walk or ride bikes anywhere. Yes... I like excuses...

But anyway, I realized for those looking here, I hadn't disclosed the transportation issue. It took a little over a month. AND $500. Even though it wasn't my fault, the insurance has had a difficult time getting in touch with the at-fault driver, so we have to wait and maybe never get reimbursed for our deductible. (Sigh...) And so... with all of the problems we had, we also changed insurances. We are getting a lot more coverage for a little less and much lower deductible at a more reputable place. Yeah, us!

No... I didn't lose much (weight). I go back and forth. Such is life, or maybe it's just I'm not quite ready to give up the hefty me... hmmm... have to think about that one. Anyway... just wanted to catch ya'all up on that one. Toodles for now! lisa

HAPPY EASTER... and other things!

Here, in Southern California, it is a beautiful spring morning... it has the potential to be another scorcher. Yesterday was 91 degrees and was supposed to be no more than 79! (The weather cannot make up it's mind!) Who knows what today will bring... but it did bring the Easter Bunny!

I'm in the middle of a couple of articles and was just taking a break. I thought I'd send you some Easter greetings and hope everyone is well. Here are some cards I made... just for Easter, and I'm sharing them with you! Most of it is done with my little Cricut (which I absolutely LOVE). On the insides: one says, "Hoppy Easter!"; another - "Hoppin' your way to wish you a wonderful EASTER Day!"; and the last - "Happy Easter... from sumbunny who love you!" They were all done with stamps, my writing and embossing. Enjoy...Please comment. Your greetings can be shared with everyone.

And for all of those wondering how I am (after the accident), I'm a little stiff and sore (tension and nerves) and currently still without a vehicle. The police have not returned my calls, and neither has the insurance agent of the "other" party. But... I know I have been lied to (by the actual insurance company of the "other" party), because the paperwork I saw was issued after the supposed cancellation date of the policy. Go figure. Do you think anyone wants to pay up? How long is this going to take? All I know... guess who they are dealing with. I am extremely persistent, and this is no joke. I will "bomb" them with phone calls!!! This needs to be pushed through. There is no reason why I should have to pay when it wasn't my fault. Then again... what exactly is "no-fault" insurance? LOL! It is a joke!

On the other side... It is a beautiful day. Enjoy it... and have a HAPPY EASTER!!! Toodles for now! lisa

Through No Fault of My Own! - RAM!!!

I'm a little perturbed right now. I have no vehicle... I was in a car accident on the way home from dropping the girls off... was hit in the intersection by someone not braking enough for a red light. My car is thrashed at the passenger rear (so is the tire - totally shredded). I was pushed into the lady next to me (her car is pretty ok). The driver (who hit me)'s insurance policy expired 2 days ago... uh... It turns out, we DON't have uninsured motorists "protection" and don't have rental coverage! YikeS!!!!! Can I cry now? and even more... Juan wants me to stay calm and act ok, to not scare the baby... but.. The cop gave the guy (other driver) 3 hours to get a new insurance paper (the dude says the insurance is covered, he just didn't have the current paper... I sure hope so!). And my insurance says my best bet is to start with his insurance, so it is handled quicker. (Sigh....) I really want to cry now. My eyes are watering. I'm having a very bad day.

To top it off... it was a Dodge Ram 2500 4-wheel drive! Well, they live up to their names! I waited at a red light, while a crossing guard guided a runner. The light turned green... I waited about 2 seconds, saw no approaching vehicles, was almost across... and WHAM! The Ram rammed into me! Beautiful truck with minute damage... only the front bumper. It doesn't exactly look cool with white paint (mine) on it.

But going back to the perturbed thing... the insurance is really putting it to me. First they tell me that we have to shell out $165 to the tow truck ourselves, then they tell me the "other" driver's insurance company will reimburse us for it. Uh... isn't the insurance supposed to handle all of that? I would hope so. Then... to make matters even worse, they told me that an adjuster probably won't even be able to check it out until next week, and that I might want to get ahold of the "other" driver's insurance and get things speeded up from that end. Hello! What are they going to do about it? Apparently nothing.

A rental vehicle of the same size (we really need a mini-van size) is $499 a week. Wow! Thank goodness my kids aren't going to school for the next two weeks. We can get by... just won't be doing much. I guess I can reacquaint ourselves with the public transportation system. We can do the movies (next to the mall is cheap - $2 for matinee/$3 for evening); we can do the mall; we can do many other things, just as long as we are open-minded.

Maybe this is for the best. No one was hurt. Marissa wasn't with me, and the car, although very damaged, can hopefully be fixed. I wasn't in my pj's... We may have to pay a deductible... we'll find out later. But in the end, we'll all be ok.

Just remember, life happens. It happens quickly. So... make the most of it and make sure to brush your teeth and your hair before you go out! And remember also how beautiful each day is (look at that blue sky in the truck's photo!). Toodles for now! lisa (who is now much calmer...)