Yesterday was quite the eventful Saturday.  I woke up this morning and went downstairs to eat breakfast before 11am rolled around.  At 11am Gracie and I went next door to Gracie’s friend, Tessa’s house.

You see, yesterday was Tessa’s third birthday party – and it was a dress-up party … and boy was it amazing.  The shelves in the playroom were filled with tiara’s and matching earrings, shoes, fur boas, purses and jewelry.  A clothing rack held princess, ballerina and fairy tale dresses.  We played with princess stickers on pieces of paper, made bracelets out of colored beads and letter beads (Grace’s is spelled Grazce because she just had to have that “z”).   There was heart shaped sandwiches and star shaped sandwiches, strawberries and princess pink milk.

Today I braved the Atlanta roadways and made my way to The Bridge Atlanta on my auntie’s recommendation.  After an hour of driving in circles (South Berkeley Lake Road does not turn into North Berkeley Lake Road, people.) I made it to the service about 20 minutes late.  It was pretty incredible and high tech.  I’d never dreamed about a church existing that was so well put together.  I felt welcome there and plan on going back – and the message was pretty good too!

It’s pretty difficult to catch all the fun and cute stuff that happens every day – but I’ll try to document it as much as I can.  I am happy – still a little nervous and jittery and trying to find my place, but I am very happy where I am at.

Now the true test will be seeing if I can make it to the kids school without getting lost!

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Wow, has it really been a whole week since the last day of work? I am just as tired and exhausted – but in totally different ways.

Here is a few ways my week has differed from last week:

• Today I put on a tea party lunch for my niece, Grace (2). We had pb&j sandwiches cut to look like princess crowns, tea (h2o) in plastic tea cups, green beans and applesauce. It was such a hit she ate two whole sandwiches!
• Cole (4) and I made handmade flash cards today for the letters A – F. My drawing of an ear looks something like this:

• It is hot, hot, hot in Atlanta. I’ve been trying to do some sweeping, laundry, and general tidying up – but find I have to do it little bits at a time or I melt into a puddle of sweat.

• Sergei has been introduced to Guinness, my brother-in-law’s Boxer. Guinness has been a total sweetheart during the whole introduction period – Sergei has immediately asserted himself as being the dominant one. Last night when they were introduced Sergei ended up chasing Guinness around the room. Today Guinness just whines when she sees Sergei and he can do as he likes in the house. He is jumpy, though. Grace came around the corner of the living room too quickly and Sergei jumped a whole four feet off the ground as a result.

• Auntie Lydia is too hard for Gracie to say (or remember) well. I have been dubbed “Auntie Lettuce”.

• Cole assures me, even when I ask him to do something he doesn’t want, that he “still likes me”.

• I took a big whack on the nose this morning from Cole’s head. He’s fine, but I think I’m gonna have a bit of bruising about the eyes. Call it initiation.

• The trip down from Illinois to Georgia was a good one. I enjoyed spending time with Dad (and was randomly plagued with guilt because I forgot to fix computers before I left — sorry Auntie and Alec!!!!). I hooked my ipod up with an FM transmitter and Dad and I listened to a variety of music from Jimmy Rushing, Jr. and Billie Holiday to Christina Aguilera and Mika .. with a little Saint-Saens and Orff thrown in just to mix it up.

• I can’t use my cell phone. My Samsung Stripe is without power and I can’t find where my charger was put – and my RAZR charger is here on my desk but my pink RAZR phone is no where to be found. Figures.

That’s just about it for now I think. I will enjoy it down here – it’s just strange for now while I try to find my niche. The kids are everything and more what I had hoped they’d be. We took to each other right off the bat and I am loving every minute spent with them.

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• In the spirit of LOLCats, here is LOLVogue.
• Last night was the final night of sleeping in my precious apartment. I will miss you, apartment – in all your sunny walls glory and weird acting neon lighting.
• Tonight begins the final stretch of my Illinois living. Four nights of sleeping on the sofa at my parents house before making the drive to  Georgia.
• Sergei acts like he’s dying whenever I put his new harness on him. Instead of just walking somewhere, he does this alternating somersault/sliding thing across the floor. Can’t wait to see how this will affect the car ride on Tuesday.
• Meggan has rented my apartment and therefore all of my furniture and etc that she is buying from me remains in the same place. Makes things super easy for all involved.
• I’m sad to leave. I will miss this little town that I finally put down roots in. Take care, Chillicothe – and thanks for the memories.

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Last night my sister, Meggan, and I spent a few hours unpacking the boxes we’d packed last Friday.  No, I’m not staying in Illinois, but Meggan will be moving into my apartment and inheriting everything from my bedroom set to my spices and spice rack.

It’s a happy and sad feeling.  I know she will love it there, but I’ve grown really attached to that little apartment.  It’s the first place I’ve lived truly on my own, the place that I finally faced my fears of being independent and proved to myself that I could do it.  God always provides – whether it’s for that last $50 towards rent or another weeks worth of food.

I arrived in Illinois almost ten years ago now.  I never really tried to put down roots, like I had in Omaha when growing up.  The last ten years have, in fact, been somewhat of a blur.  I’ve worked jobs for family friends, worked in the small Wal-Mart in my dad’s home town – and after quitting watched it become a Super Wal-Mart and, consequently, that small town seeming less small-townish. I’ve dug myself out of debt here slowly, paid for my car and watched my siblings grow up and move on with their lives.

And now I’m moving on with mine.  I will miss Illinois.  I will miss weekend movie-time with my mother.  I will miss kidnapping my sister, Candace, for a weekend at a time – or taking both the boys and getting to know them better over the weekend.  I will miss dropping by Lauren’s house to see how big Nova, her Great Dane, has gotten. I’ll miss the random glimpses of Meggan I get between her many jobs.  And I will miss hanging out with my dad while he eats in their kitchen after getting home from work.  I am so incredibly lucky in my family.  It always astonished me why people would want to move away from their families – and don’t get me wrong here; my family is definitely not all butterflies and roses.  I love them all so much, and I hate leaving them behind.  If only there was some way I could just pack them up and take them with me.

Most of all I will miss my Dad’s hugs.  I’ve always been a daddy’s girl – what with my classical piano playing ways and my intense love of Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 5.

Thirty years of living near my folks wasn’t nearly enough.

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Every Sunday I make a visit to the Post Secret website – and every weekend I find myself in tears, from joy and sorrow and feeling more connected to life, especially after a hard week.

My faith plays the most important part in keeping me going these days. With that said, this website provides a look at humanity for me, with all its flaws, and reminds me that no matter what my past has been, and what secrets I keep between myself and God, I’m not the only one out there that hurts, loves, feels pain, laughs, hopes and despairs.

Please watch the video they have put together this week. There is beauty in reading these secrets. Every week I find one or two that I can relate to, maybe you will too.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6rTkp1dek4]

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• Sisters are both a blessing and a curse.
• I am smack dab in the middle of a hurricane in my apartment.  There are boxes and clothes and kitty toys everywhere.
• I just purchased new bedding for my room in Georgia that looks like this:

• I now have a new haircut that features bangs (which I decided on a gut feeling last night at the salon and now am deeply regretting)
•  I just also purchased a new Bible!
• For some reason I had four containers of baking powder in my dry goods cabinet.
• Tomorrow I am taking my sister Candace to see Stardust and then we are going out for sushi!

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I will let the e-mails tell my tale. By the way, Customer Care does not take complaints – you are referred to the website to submit those, which I did, and which prompted these e-mails.

Hi, Lydia my name is Steve and I would like to thank you for contacting T-Mobile and for providing me the opportunity to answer your questions today. I see you sent our online Customer Care group an email regarding having coverage and was unhappy with the agent you spoke with. I know how frustrating it can be when you are unable to access your service. I am sorry, Lydia, for any inconvenience your recent reception issues may have caused.

Lydia I do apologize for any inconvenience your recent experience may have caused. We strive to provide each customer with World Class Service and it is unfortunate if your recent dealings with technical support fell below those expectations. We appreciate your comments and feedback
to help us improve our service and meet our goals for World Class Service. As we are a web based department it is not possible to call you or have someone call you, if you wish to speak to some one you would have to call Customer Care and I am sorry you were not aware of this
before. Did you know that we launched a new service called T-Mobile hotspots at home?

I only ask Lydia as T-Mobile hotspots at home works as a home phone in your home and as a mobile phone and help improve your coverage at home using your existing home Wi-Fi network. With this you can use a Hotspots phone along with a T-Mobile wireless router to get great coverage at home. By adding the T-Mobile hotspots at home add on you will receive unlimited nationwide calls over Wi-Fi from home or any US T-Mobile hotspots location. You can go to http://www.theonlyphoneyouneed.com/ for more information.

If you have any further questions Lydia reply to this e-mail referencingcase # 680207 and we will be pleased assist you. You can call Customer Care toll free at 1-800-937-8997 or 611 then SEND from your phone if possible and a representative will be happy to help you. I would like to thank you, Lydia for being a valued T-Mobile customer since August of 2005.

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Hello Steve:

Once again, I am not listened to. First of all – your technical service department people skills leave something to be desired. From the first minute of the 68 minute call, starting with an exceedingly long wait time and then from the first minute I was on the phone with your second level of technical support I was put on the defensive, like the issues I was having with my mobile phone were my fault and not yours.

I have been told repeatedly that my area receives good coverage. I have given my address when speaking to customer service reps in the past and they have repeatedly assured me that I get good coverage – yet every time I use my phone, outside of the building on the sidewalk at the address I am told I get “good coverage” my reception is spotty enough to the point where it’s near impossible for me to have conversations without breaking up.

Furthermore – in my car, while traveling Route 6 between Peoria and Chillicothe, Illinois (specifically near the Rome, Illinois area) I get next to no coverage. I was painfully made aware of this fact in the spring when one of my tires blew on the side of the road and I had to walk and wait fifteen minutes before the T-Mobile logo and the bars appeared on my phone. And yes, I turned off and turned on my phone several times.

And to top it all off – three weeks ago I made a trip to Omaha, NE via Interstate 80 (the most well traveled interstate in Iowa). Cedar Rapids, IA – Des Moines, IA and every stop I made between, it was impossible for me to call back home to check in with my dad and let him know where we were. Oddly enough, however, my mother, who is on U.S. Cellular, was able to make every phone call perfectly well. She was not once without service.

You have told me that you have bad coverage in Omaha, NE. The largest city in Nebraska. This is supposed to comfort me? I stood outside for 25 minutes in 90 degree weather because I had no cell phone reception in one of Omaha’s largest malls (where, oddly enough I was surrounded by cell phone vendors) waiting for a call to let me know when my ride would arrive. In the Henry Doorly Zoo, which in case you didn’t know, is outside, I was able to use my phone for a total of two minutes, and that reception came from outside of the gates because I wasn’t able to use it inside at all.

So when I gave this information to your tech support, outside of the building I am living in because my cell phone does not provide indoor reception in my “great coverage” area, they told me that unless I was able to give them “exact addresses or mile markers” for each place my reception was bad that they would not be able to help me. One even went so far to suggest that a journal to mark down addresses and mile markers would be a good idea. Yes, that’s exactly how I will want to spend my trips from now on, taking notes on where you have failed to deliver service. Oh, and how am I supposed to pull addresses off of the internet when the moment I step inside my call will drop?

I had to argue with your tech support in order to speak to a supervisor. I requested a supervisor 8 times before the man I was speaking to finally put me on hold to get one. Ryan, the supervisor, wasn’t any better. He suggested I use a $20 piece of junk you folks made me purchase so that my RAZR-phone-using-self could get the “My Favs” option.

And to top it all off – instead of allowing me to voice my complaint to an actual live person, I’ve been told the only way to voice a complaint is via email. So this is my complaint, no I’m not interested in purchasing more crap from you guys. I want you to fix what is wrong. I’ve been told your coverage is great in Atlanta, yet at the address I will be moving to, once again I will only get outdoor coverage. This is unacceptable to me and I want you to make it right.

(And the rest of my e-mail contained personal contact information).

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At this point, I’m ready to pay the $200 fine for discontinuing my service – but as this is my first account with a cell phone company now I am totally scared of starting an account with anyone else. The last two years have been me fighting with customer service reps over coverage and plan issues. I loved T-Mobile’s My Favs plan because I only call 5 people regularly and it was the cheapest plan I could find, but at this price it’s not worth it.

Thanks for listening to my voice my frustration.

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So I’ve been spending the weekend really battling my inner packrat and have discovered that the combination of cheap wine (I just can’t appreciate the good stuff so Arbor Mist – Sangria it is!), a curious cat and Lifetime television has me throwing everything out I really don’t need and won’t have room for in the trip to Georgia.  The side effect – lots of tears.  I blame the cheap wine and Lifetime for that – not necessarily the throwing out of stuff.

It does seem very real now with all my pictures off the walls.  Very, very real.

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