Just got home from doing a ton of last minute stuff around town. We are so exhausted but I am soooo happy I got to see my friends Liz, Crispin & Millie and my sister one last time before we left. Liz cooked us a full gourmet meal of baked chicken, salad, buttery garlicky mussels, sourdough bread and an ice cream cake to celebrate Crispin's birthday. Oh, and 4 whole heads of roasted elephant garlic to smear on everything!! It was a fabulous meal, and I am so glad we got to share it. She also let me make rice crispy treats and bake cookies in her kitchen for our road trip to Texas.
I had my phone interview with Texas Medicaid and the very friendly gentleman said i was all signed up and ready to go with my benefits going active on July 1st. Yippee!! Being pro-active really pays off, and it's a survival necessity in this day and age. The only problem is, he needs copies of my birth certificate (which I don't have), my Social Security card (which I don't have), my Georgia Medicaid termination letter (which I don't have - yet), and my pregnancy verification form (which I actually have!!). So we went downtown to the Health Dept. to get my birth certificate right before they closed and of course it wasn't that easy. She had my certificate in her hand but wouldn't give it to me because my last name changed from my stepfather's surname to my mother's surname. Which only made me angrier at my mom for wanting me to have her surname after I graduated from college. Oh yes, up until I proved myself it was OK for me to have his last name, but she's got to cash in on some of that prestige once I became an "architect".
So that's gonna be a hassle. But I can handle it, hopefully.
I felt fat and ugly all day, Its because I've barely had time to wash my face today after all the packing, loading and running errands. It was nice to take a break and hang out in the middle of it all, though. I am really gonna miss my friends and my sister.
My mom took a quick dig at me when Chris stopped in to get some cash from her so we could pay for gas and a birth certificate. She said something like she couldn't believe her daughter was on welfare. Which I'm not. It's insurance. Whatever, she can take all the digs she wants it wont affect me anymore.
So.. tomorrow we head out. Hopefully the earlier the better. I have to go to the WIC office and do a few last minute things and clean. Then it's off to Texas with the Beep, Meow, Papa & Me.
Showing posts with label moving texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moving texas. Show all posts
Monday, June 13, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
I hate you, milk!
So yesterday morning I decided to have a bowl of lactose-free milk with Kix cereal (all from WIC) and have regretted it ever since. Now, I can't substantially blame it ALL on the milk, but I'm pretty damn sure it's the main culprit for my upset stomach, gas and diarrhea for the past 24 non-stop hours. I also get sick like this when I'm stressed out, like on a deadline for a project (which I haven't had in over 2 years now). I haven't been able to sleep at night, mostly just from the anticipation of everything going on. I think and plan and write lists in my head while Chris sleeps peacefully all night and spends the day playing games on the computer. Grrr. It must be nice to be a man.
Bibi was in a lot of pain for a few days and could barely walk. I think her pain was from stress too, which stressed me out even more. Thankfully she seems better since yesterday. I just want to get everything done and over with. Playing the waiting game is driving me nuts, but now that a few things have come together, I have a pretty solid plan that will land us in San Antonio by next Wednesday.
Today we will get the tow hitch installed on the Mazda, which we picked up from the shop in Commerce yesterday. It seems to be running OK, but the van needs some serious TLC asap. Hopefully we wont kill it on the way to Texas, hauling a 5'x8' trailer. The tow hitch is going to be expensive, but we are looking at it as an investment for future moves. I will also have to reserve our U-haul trailer online today. I'll also have to sneak downstairs to my mom's place while she isn't there to print out a few things on her printer and email myself a bunch of CAD files that I worked on. Lastly, we have a bunch of stuff to sell on Craigslist, and hopefully it will sell cause we really really need that cash.
Then tomorrow and Sunday I have to see about getting auto insurance for the Mazda and a new checking account with USAA in Texas. I will clean out both the Mazda and the Blazer and hopefully Chris will volunteer (yeah right) to do a check-up on the Mazda and see if he can spot any potential issues with the car. I also have to finish packing and get rid of all the stuff we are throwing away and/or giving to Goodwill.
On Monday we will pick up our U-Haul trailer and pack it. I have to go to the bank and close the checking account and return all the keys that I will no longer need to my mom. Then I will bake cookies and rice crispy treats for the ride to Texas on Tuesday.
Tuesday morning I will likely end up spending hours in the WIC office, getting the paperwork to transfer my vouchers to Texas. Hopefully they will let me get something other than damned milk. I ought to drink some milk before I go in and gas the place so they'll know I'm not kidding when I say milk makes me sick, you assholes.
It will take us approximately 16-18 hours to get to San Antonio, and around 5-7 gas fill-ups. I kind of want to leave late in the evening when there's little traffic and it's cooler but it all depends on my physical state on Tuesday. I may come home from the WIC office and take a nice long nap (if my mind/body will allow it) and then leave Atlanta before rush hour traffic hits. So about 4 pm. Or maybe after rush hour traffic, around 7 pm. Which would land us in San Ant around 1 in the afternoon. I have made this drive before and let me tell you, I will not be a cheerful person when we arrive. Of course, I wont be driving towards people who stress me out, like I did when I drove from Texas to Atlanta exactly a year ago with Chris. Maybe I will be in a good mood when I get there, but undoubtedly exhausted.
Bibi was in a lot of pain for a few days and could barely walk. I think her pain was from stress too, which stressed me out even more. Thankfully she seems better since yesterday. I just want to get everything done and over with. Playing the waiting game is driving me nuts, but now that a few things have come together, I have a pretty solid plan that will land us in San Antonio by next Wednesday.
Today we will get the tow hitch installed on the Mazda, which we picked up from the shop in Commerce yesterday. It seems to be running OK, but the van needs some serious TLC asap. Hopefully we wont kill it on the way to Texas, hauling a 5'x8' trailer. The tow hitch is going to be expensive, but we are looking at it as an investment for future moves. I will also have to reserve our U-haul trailer online today. I'll also have to sneak downstairs to my mom's place while she isn't there to print out a few things on her printer and email myself a bunch of CAD files that I worked on. Lastly, we have a bunch of stuff to sell on Craigslist, and hopefully it will sell cause we really really need that cash.
Then tomorrow and Sunday I have to see about getting auto insurance for the Mazda and a new checking account with USAA in Texas. I will clean out both the Mazda and the Blazer and hopefully Chris will volunteer (yeah right) to do a check-up on the Mazda and see if he can spot any potential issues with the car. I also have to finish packing and get rid of all the stuff we are throwing away and/or giving to Goodwill.
On Monday we will pick up our U-Haul trailer and pack it. I have to go to the bank and close the checking account and return all the keys that I will no longer need to my mom. Then I will bake cookies and rice crispy treats for the ride to Texas on Tuesday.
Tuesday morning I will likely end up spending hours in the WIC office, getting the paperwork to transfer my vouchers to Texas. Hopefully they will let me get something other than damned milk. I ought to drink some milk before I go in and gas the place so they'll know I'm not kidding when I say milk makes me sick, you assholes.
It will take us approximately 16-18 hours to get to San Antonio, and around 5-7 gas fill-ups. I kind of want to leave late in the evening when there's little traffic and it's cooler but it all depends on my physical state on Tuesday. I may come home from the WIC office and take a nice long nap (if my mind/body will allow it) and then leave Atlanta before rush hour traffic hits. So about 4 pm. Or maybe after rush hour traffic, around 7 pm. Which would land us in San Ant around 1 in the afternoon. I have made this drive before and let me tell you, I will not be a cheerful person when we arrive. Of course, I wont be driving towards people who stress me out, like I did when I drove from Texas to Atlanta exactly a year ago with Chris. Maybe I will be in a good mood when I get there, but undoubtedly exhausted.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
WIC is a joke.
I had my WIC appointment today, finally. I scheduled it over a month ago. I honestly don't think I would have bothered getting WIC at all if I knew beforehand that all I would be getting was milk. I'm lactose intolerant so that doesn't really help me much.
I'm also drastically low on iron, which I sort of knew would be the case because I'm horrible at remembering when and what vitamins to take with or without food however many times a day. I think I need to hire an assistant to help me manage my vitamin regimen.
I went over to Liz's after the 4 hour long WIC appointment and scored yet more free stuff for the dog (hers recently passed away) and some work clothes for Chris. I also got a cute pink maternity top. We went to Trader's joes and I got these AMAZING freeze dried mango slices which are fantastic. I remember when I thought Trader Joes was cheap! We reminisced about how we used to spend money like it was water, going out for sushi 3-5 times a week, shopping at the organic grocery stores and going out to the movies like every weekend. Now I'm reduced to WIC approved foods, canned tuna, the clearance and sale aisle at Kroger and $3 pirated movies from the guy on the street. It's amazing how one's life can change in just a few short years. I wish I could blame someone for it and beat the shit out of them.
My appetite has dwindled considerably. I don't really have cravings anymore and I can't tell if it's just hormonal or because of being at the cafe and eating that stuff all the time. My body is tired of eating. Now I just want fresh fruits and vegetables and water. Which is great. I might even start exercising. Liz suggested that I go for a walk with headphones and listen to relaxing music to reduce my stress. I think it's a good idea. I want to get myself a pair of those Reebok shoes that work your butt out while you walk. I desperately need a butt.
The baby (according to my weekly newsletter) is now the size of a plum, and has fully developed ears and can hear me talking and singing. You know what Chris says to that little tidbit? "Great, I bet he's in there holding his ears shut, tired of listening to you bitch". I have a feeling that I will end up nagging Chris more than I ever will the kid. Chris has a lot of growing up to do, he's like a 12 year old in a man's body sometimes. I wish he would just do stuff without me asking/telling him to do it, but noooo... I have to nag first. He's gotten a lot better, though so it's just going to take patience on my part. I like to think of it as a team effort.
I was up last night at about 1:20 am and couldn't sleep so up until 4:30 am I surfed the internet and applied for Medicaid in Texas, applied to about a dozen jobs on Craigslist (which is becoming apparent that it's pointless cause nobody replies and half of them end up being scams to get your info), looked for an apartment (another attempt in futility), searched for midwives in San Ant, and did a lot of stumbling. At least I got one thing accomplished: I applied for Medicaid in Texas.
I'm pooped. I painted my toes and fingernails a very girly bright pink and I think I am going to eat a bunch of strawberries in bed. I feel sooo spoiled!
I'm also drastically low on iron, which I sort of knew would be the case because I'm horrible at remembering when and what vitamins to take with or without food however many times a day. I think I need to hire an assistant to help me manage my vitamin regimen.
I went over to Liz's after the 4 hour long WIC appointment and scored yet more free stuff for the dog (hers recently passed away) and some work clothes for Chris. I also got a cute pink maternity top. We went to Trader's joes and I got these AMAZING freeze dried mango slices which are fantastic. I remember when I thought Trader Joes was cheap! We reminisced about how we used to spend money like it was water, going out for sushi 3-5 times a week, shopping at the organic grocery stores and going out to the movies like every weekend. Now I'm reduced to WIC approved foods, canned tuna, the clearance and sale aisle at Kroger and $3 pirated movies from the guy on the street. It's amazing how one's life can change in just a few short years. I wish I could blame someone for it and beat the shit out of them.
My appetite has dwindled considerably. I don't really have cravings anymore and I can't tell if it's just hormonal or because of being at the cafe and eating that stuff all the time. My body is tired of eating. Now I just want fresh fruits and vegetables and water. Which is great. I might even start exercising. Liz suggested that I go for a walk with headphones and listen to relaxing music to reduce my stress. I think it's a good idea. I want to get myself a pair of those Reebok shoes that work your butt out while you walk. I desperately need a butt.
The baby (according to my weekly newsletter) is now the size of a plum, and has fully developed ears and can hear me talking and singing. You know what Chris says to that little tidbit? "Great, I bet he's in there holding his ears shut, tired of listening to you bitch". I have a feeling that I will end up nagging Chris more than I ever will the kid. Chris has a lot of growing up to do, he's like a 12 year old in a man's body sometimes. I wish he would just do stuff without me asking/telling him to do it, but noooo... I have to nag first. He's gotten a lot better, though so it's just going to take patience on my part. I like to think of it as a team effort.
I was up last night at about 1:20 am and couldn't sleep so up until 4:30 am I surfed the internet and applied for Medicaid in Texas, applied to about a dozen jobs on Craigslist (which is becoming apparent that it's pointless cause nobody replies and half of them end up being scams to get your info), looked for an apartment (another attempt in futility), searched for midwives in San Ant, and did a lot of stumbling. At least I got one thing accomplished: I applied for Medicaid in Texas.
I'm pooped. I painted my toes and fingernails a very girly bright pink and I think I am going to eat a bunch of strawberries in bed. I feel sooo spoiled!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
gettin' $#*! done
As I get older, I seem to be able to cope with stress a lot less than before. But I still surprise myself when the going gets tough, that I manage to squeak by. Today was very productive as I got most of my stuff packed up (I'm a little OCD when it comes to packing, I have to clean and organize it before I pack it away, which is driving Chris insane..). I also just for the hell of it, posted a few things we wouldn't be able to take on Craigslist to see if they would sell. And they did! All in one day, too! I sold our chickens, the exercise bike/rower, and my iron patio set. I sold the patio set for way too cheap I think, but oh well, it had to go. So I ended up making a few extra hundred dollars to help us move. Now all we need is the $500 my mother owes to Chris for the trim work he did at the theater and we will have all the money we are going to get out of this place. Which ain't much but I am scraping together every cent I can get my hands on.
I also spruced up my resume and sent it out to a couple of job listings I found on San Antonio's Craigslist. I preemptively printed a few copies out so I can have them in hand when we get there. Chris and I were in pretty good spirits as we cleaned, packed, and made money all in one day. Tomorrow is going to be an entirely different story. It'll be Monday and the Cafe O will not be open. Instead, I am going to drop off a few boxes that we can't take with us at my sister's house for temporary storage. I am also going to try and get my Mazda back because the Chevy Blazer sucks so bad, I can't take it anymore. There's no way I could drive around in Texas with that kind of heat in the car (the Blazer's A/C is broken and there is no heat shield between the floorboard and engine). Not to mention, I can't have a baby sitting in that kind of sweltering heat, either. This is why Japanese excel more than American cars, they are just engineered better. I hate to say it, too.
This is going to be one hell of a week. But we will make it through and hopefully be in Texas before the week is over.
I also spruced up my resume and sent it out to a couple of job listings I found on San Antonio's Craigslist. I preemptively printed a few copies out so I can have them in hand when we get there. Chris and I were in pretty good spirits as we cleaned, packed, and made money all in one day. Tomorrow is going to be an entirely different story. It'll be Monday and the Cafe O will not be open. Instead, I am going to drop off a few boxes that we can't take with us at my sister's house for temporary storage. I am also going to try and get my Mazda back because the Chevy Blazer sucks so bad, I can't take it anymore. There's no way I could drive around in Texas with that kind of heat in the car (the Blazer's A/C is broken and there is no heat shield between the floorboard and engine). Not to mention, I can't have a baby sitting in that kind of sweltering heat, either. This is why Japanese excel more than American cars, they are just engineered better. I hate to say it, too.
This is going to be one hell of a week. But we will make it through and hopefully be in Texas before the week is over.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Our next move
Chris and I decided to move back to Texas finally. It's something we had planned before but like always ended up getting entangled in one after the other of my mom's projects. Well, this time we decided, screw her and her needs and wants and let's just go live our own lives where we may still be poor (I can't imagine being any poorer than we are now, honestly) but at least we'll be happy.
So yeah...moving to Boerne, Texas. Well, San Antonio at first. I'm going to try to find myself a quick little job doing retail or waitress or something along those lines before I start looking really pregnant and can't get a job at all. Chris has accumulated a mass of new tools so he will hopefully be able to do more work in Texas. We are going to spend our last dime to make it there. Literally.
Besides the obvious stress of moving, I'm very happy. I feel super relieved. It's gonna be tough and we are going to be screwing my mom over with the cafe, but honestly - it's an eye for an eye. If we were such a burden to her, she should be happy about us leaving. The cafe can be her new burden.
The pain in the ass part for us is getting new health insurance and a midwife for me. I will basically have to start over with the whole Medicaid process. It's too bad cause I liked the midwife I had here. I'm also not looking forward to the Texas heat... my first task will be to find a pool to go to. I need the vitamin D pretty bad anyways.
The good news I have is that I got to see my very dear friend Liz (who is moving to China, of all places) this afternoon for coffee. Liz is such a good friend, she's been there for me through some tough shit. I am like the vagabond friend who's always roaming from one bad situation to another. So this is like the same old same old with me. But anyways, she gave me a ton of baby stuff!!! A bunch of cute maternity clothes, a breast pump, baby monitor, baby play things, maternity bras, a bed bumper, and a pack and play crib! I feel like I won a contest or something. Honestly, I can't be luckier or more thankful to have such a generous friend, and I am going to miss her and her daughter so very much. I've known this chick since we were in remedial math class (Basic Math 100) together in architecture school. Back then, it seemed like becoming an architect was such an improbability we would laugh about it. Especially since we were in remedial math and still sucking at it! It really is a bleepin' miracle we both graduated with Master's degrees. Honestly, she is way more brilliant at it than I am.
By the way, Chris had lost his cell phone several days ago and found it in one of his dirty pants in the closet today so if you've been trying to call him and weren't getting through, it should work now. I think his mind is much more at ease now too since we have both decided to move. I know I feel like a ton of bricks have been lifted off my chest. We both know it ain't gonna be easy for a while but we are confident that we are making the right choice for us and the baby. Texas, here we come!
Oh, and little Waylon (Chris wants to add Jennings to his middle name so he can call him J.T.) only really needs one grandma who I'm sure will love him way more than the one here in Atlanta.
So yeah...moving to Boerne, Texas. Well, San Antonio at first. I'm going to try to find myself a quick little job doing retail or waitress or something along those lines before I start looking really pregnant and can't get a job at all. Chris has accumulated a mass of new tools so he will hopefully be able to do more work in Texas. We are going to spend our last dime to make it there. Literally.
Besides the obvious stress of moving, I'm very happy. I feel super relieved. It's gonna be tough and we are going to be screwing my mom over with the cafe, but honestly - it's an eye for an eye. If we were such a burden to her, she should be happy about us leaving. The cafe can be her new burden.
The pain in the ass part for us is getting new health insurance and a midwife for me. I will basically have to start over with the whole Medicaid process. It's too bad cause I liked the midwife I had here. I'm also not looking forward to the Texas heat... my first task will be to find a pool to go to. I need the vitamin D pretty bad anyways.
The good news I have is that I got to see my very dear friend Liz (who is moving to China, of all places) this afternoon for coffee. Liz is such a good friend, she's been there for me through some tough shit. I am like the vagabond friend who's always roaming from one bad situation to another. So this is like the same old same old with me. But anyways, she gave me a ton of baby stuff!!! A bunch of cute maternity clothes, a breast pump, baby monitor, baby play things, maternity bras, a bed bumper, and a pack and play crib! I feel like I won a contest or something. Honestly, I can't be luckier or more thankful to have such a generous friend, and I am going to miss her and her daughter so very much. I've known this chick since we were in remedial math class (Basic Math 100) together in architecture school. Back then, it seemed like becoming an architect was such an improbability we would laugh about it. Especially since we were in remedial math and still sucking at it! It really is a bleepin' miracle we both graduated with Master's degrees. Honestly, she is way more brilliant at it than I am.
By the way, Chris had lost his cell phone several days ago and found it in one of his dirty pants in the closet today so if you've been trying to call him and weren't getting through, it should work now. I think his mind is much more at ease now too since we have both decided to move. I know I feel like a ton of bricks have been lifted off my chest. We both know it ain't gonna be easy for a while but we are confident that we are making the right choice for us and the baby. Texas, here we come!
Oh, and little Waylon (Chris wants to add Jennings to his middle name so he can call him J.T.) only really needs one grandma who I'm sure will love him way more than the one here in Atlanta.
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