I'm Not Ignoring You

I haven't forgotten about you. I think of you often. I've just been really busy doing homework for the past week, working on a very important task for Jeff and I. It ties up my free time after Drew goes to bed, so I had to pick and chose what was important.

Well, that homework is done for now and so I can continue to do the things I really enjoy.

You ask, what kind of homework? Well, Jeff and I filed for bankruptcy this year. Our process started back in February with a sit down with a lawyer. Then we (really, I had to) had to collect all the paperwork to support our finances for the past 6 months and submit them to the lawyer. Then we had to take an online credit counseling course that talked about bankruptcy and our finances.

Then the wait game began. They said it would take 6-8 weeks before we heard from anyone. It was more like 10 weeks, then of course I had to find MORE financial paperwork that for some reason wasn't on the list of things to gather up. So, that took a little more time.

Then finally, our first week of vacation we had turned in everything we needed, reviewed our paperwork and was able to officially file for bankruptcy. But, our case wasn't approved yet. We still had to go in front of a Massachusetts appointed trustee to review and except or deny our case. That meeting took place at the end of August. I was so nervous, I kept thinking what will happen if our case was denied. But, we were approved and all clear.

The final step was to complete a 2 hour online video education online. I am so happy the online classes were able to be broken up since they were so horribly done and degrading. So, that was my homework for the past week, watching online video's lecturing me/us about credit. So, that is done! Next step, submit our certificates to the lawyer once we receive them and we are dept free.

I know some people look at bankruptcy as a last resort and look at it as a mark on their credit history. Yes, it was our last resort, but I look at it as a chance to breath and have the weight taken off my shoulders.

Has this ever happened to you?

Have you ever been in a store and its robbed?

Well the other night, my FIL and I were in that type of situation (a "minor" robbery situation with no weapons).

Here is our story-

We were leaving Walmart plaza around 5pm on Saturday night. My FIL wanted to stop by a little hole in the wall cell phone store that is on the same road (but in its own little parking lot) to get his phone fixed for a minor cosmetic issue. We entered the store and noticed the clerk was sitting behind the counter helping a customer.

My FIL and myself were checking out the phones in the store while the clerk was helping the other customer. We could hear chit chat between them, but not really paying attention to them.

All of a sudden my FIL walks over the table near the door, I turn to face my FIL and I see the other customer at the counter. I hear him say thanks buddy then run at full speed out the door, through the parking lot, into the dark area behind the store. The clerk then yelled hey, hey come back here. I just stood there and my FIL takes off out the door after the kid. The clerk not too far behind.


So, I'm standing in the cell phone store all buy myself watching the clerk and my FIL talking to some lady in a van out the window. Come to find out the lady in the van almost hit the kid (she should have too) as he ran out the store. The clerk returned to the store and called his manager and my FIL returned too. The manager didn't want the clerk to do much about the stolen $100 Bluetooth device.

The stolen Bluetooth device

I guess before we arrived at the store there were two kids in the store asking the clerk odd questions about phones and bluetooth devices. One of the kids said, hey I'll be back I have to go get the money and then we walked in the store with the remaining kid (who looked about 17 years old) at the counter.


There was no one that was hurt, the merchandise was and will never be recovered and I hope they clerk doesn't get into too much trouble. Now that I think about it, the situation could have been alot worse, but we walked away feeling bad for the clerk more then anything.

Wild Kingdom

The other evening, Jeff and I were enjoying some time on our swing. We were enjoying the unseasonably cool evening for August while we moved slowly, swinging away. We talked about many things, but was really enjoying ourselves.

The evening was growing darker, but still enough evening light where you can see across the yard, but it was getting a bit difficult as time passed. We had a little pause in our conversation and I heard this odd noise from behind the neighbors fence, where it forms the back corner of the yard. I look over my shoulder and see a dark cat like animal with white on its head trying to get under the privacy fence behind us. I look at Jeff and whisper, do you see that. He shook his head yes. It was indeed the local skunk trying to get in the yard, right behind us.

The skunk tried a few times, trying its hardest to get under the wood fence that is 5 feet behind us. Then it was silent. Jeff and I tried to locate it through the spaces in the fence but we couldn't so we continued to swing and chat.

All of a sudden, I happened to turn my head and look under our pine tree that is about 9 feet to the left of our swing and guess who was there. Yup, Mr Skunk. How the heck did he cross under another section of the fence in stealth like mode? We both froze, but the thing is, I started to giggle to myself (Why?, I have no idea). The skunk was just minding is business, doing what ever it does and it started to trot towards us.

I start giggling harder to myself, so much so I have to put my hand over my mouth so I didn't make any noise. I was shaking the whole swing I was laughing so hard! Jeff looks at me and whispers, if I get spread that's it! That doesn't help at all. So while we are having this silent conversation, Mr Skunk wonders BEHIND us. I can hear it in the mulch less then a foot behind us. I can't even look with the fear of busting out laughing (since I was laughing so hard to myself, with my hand over my mouth, I had tears streaming down my cheeks).

Jeff then whispers, I think he's walking under us. I take everything I have, rest my forehead on Jeff's shoulder and stop laughing. And, it indeed walked right under us, through Jeff's crossed legs and continued to go his way. He just walked along the fence line on the other side of the swing, then disappeared. Jeff then looks at me and asks, what was that (referring to my giggling)? I told him that I have no idea.

I finally told him, I must giggle when I'm nervous! Who knew! It was definitely the closest I've ever gotten to a skunk!

Idenity Theft Sucks!

That's it in a nut shell. If your identity is stolen, you feel violated and never truly recover. Oh, let me tell you from experience its a scary thing!

My story started a couple of years ago when we noticed money was moved from our joint savings account to my husbands checking account that neither one of us did. When a large amount of money is moved all by itself, you freak out.

After the money was transferred, the person on the other end wrote out an e-check to be sent to an address we of course have never heard of. Also, happening at the same time, I couldn't sign-in to my online banking website since my password wouldn't work. What!?!?

We contacted the bank to tell them all about the issues. It was discovered that someone had called the bank to change the password on our online banking, then transferred the money using MY social security number and name. It defiantly wasn't me. So, the next business day we went to the bank branch to change our account numbers. Oh, and they couldn't tell us the identity of the person who did this to us, but they did stop payment on the check.

About a week later, after we had swapped everything over to our new account numbers & new passwords my husband called me and told me it had happened again. I couldn't believe it! So, we went back to the same bank branch & had to explain to someone else what had happened. He laughed at us, like we didn't know what we were talking about! Um, this is serious and he was acting like it was all a mistake! I wasn't happy. Finally we got through to him because that very moment, it was being attempted again! So, it showed this fool that it wasn't us and it was actually some bad person out there doing this to us.

After the third attempt (and poor customer service), we decided to switch banks! It was such a hassle, aggravation and scary thing to happen!

We almost were free & clear without any issues since our bank incident, but on the Saturday before Easter I received a phone call from one of my credit card companies. The fraud department was calling to see if I wanted to transfer $5,000 from my credit card to a bank account that was known for fraudulent charges. Um, no! I told her what happened in the past and explained to her most likely who ever this was found my SS# & was trying to do some tricky business, again, with my information. Thank goodness for fraud protection!

So, I guess my lesson for today would be to protect your personal information as best you can. Its tough since everything is electronic, but just beware of where your information is going. I am always combing everything over with a fine toothed comb now just in case it happens again.

To this day, I don't know how my information was found or what was out there, but its out there and there is nothing I can do!