Tuesday, August 21, 2007
It's Raining it's Pouring the Old Man is Snoring
Its been raining for what seems like forever. Our cute pond in the backyard looks like it could hold Noah's Ark. aaaaahhhhhh and every morning when I leave for work its as if the Gods say "OK that's our signal, shes going to work, let it start to pour". I made a deal with my friend Angie today, shes in Orlando and they need rain and we need their sunshine....so we are gonna swap!!! Aren't we brilliant? THE ANSWER IS YES. Well not only is it raining....this girl is yawning and my bed is calling.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Battalion Organizational Day
Well life has been busy with the kids getting ready for school. They called me in a week early so everything has been smashed together. Friday we had our battalion organizational day. We were off to Six Flags Great America. We were supposed to meet at the entrance of the park at 10 in the morning. We were there and ready at 9:30 and waited until 10:45 for everyone else to get there. If your military you are used to the hurry up and wait but never have I had to wait that long....again another joy of the recruiting lifestyle. We got into the park and started enjoying ourselves. Now I am a big chicken!!! No way was I getting on those roller coasters, uh uh, NO WAY. So I waited in line and then gracefully stepped aside and went to the exit of the ride. The kids were having a blast to say the least. Daniel had never met the height requirements so he was more than ready to give the roller coasters a try. They have their Dads stomach for that and truly enjoyed themselves. The battalion had a picnic lunch set up for us. The times were from 1300 to 1430. Not bad I thought as I figured that this would be a perfect way to meet some of the other spouses and relax a bit. Well I did meet some nice spouses but it wasn't the same. There was no familiar family feel and again I am an Army Brat and have been a Army Spouse for over 11 years now. It was alien to me the way some of these women acted...I know you get the good and bad in every situation but seriously I felt embarrassed for them and their family members. The food was good and the kids were more than ready to head back to the rides but yet another surprise came up. The higher ups felt that it was necessary for everyone to hang around so they could give some awards out...OK that's nice to recognize people that do above and beyond. Dontes station even got recognized for closest to year end mission, they were only one away and of course we were all very proud. So I figure 30 minutes top and these awards would be done....15 min.....20 min.....35 min.....come on people, its hot out here (did I mention that we were in the sun)...finally a hour later we were released. One of the veteran spouses said that they usually wait until ATC to do that and that she had never seen it take so long. I just politely smiled and nodded. You see I vent here, I let the steam pour out of my ears here because frankly I don't know what this life is supposed to be like. Are we supposed to be happy that everything is late and that we are made to bake in the sun on our family togetherness day....perhaps the reasoning is that we should be happy that our soldiers are actually able to spend some special time with us...I don't know, this is all new and I am still trying to get used to this. Now I am not ungrateful that my husband is here on US soil with us I thank God that Donte isn't deployed, its a been there done that many times situation for us and I am thankful that he is here with us. We had a good afternoon and I even went on the water ride where I got completely soaked. We went home tired and eagerly welcomed the softness of our pillows under our heads.
Saturday we were finally able to have Dontes promotion BBQ. It was great. His stationed showed up with their significant others in tow. Donte worked the grill like he always does and I swear that man knows magic to make the food taste like it does. The kids were having a blast and all scurried upstairs to play. We honestly didn't hear a peep out of them until it came time to eat or come down to snack. Towards the end the older girls came to the living room as well. I don't blame them. Hanging out with younger boys can drive you crazy. The guys were in the kitchen playing dominoes and talking......well I say talking but it usually resorts to jokes and picking on each other....I don't know something about smelling like BBQ is better than smelling like wet dog or bologna. Finally.....this felt right. We all had a great time and there was that old feeling of settling in coming back. Its hard to pack up and move but I have always made the transition easily....maybe this time it was just going to take a little bit longer.
The rest of the weekend was spent picking up the last few things for school and getting the kids shoes. They both picked out two pairs and of course in the same line as their clothes none of them matched each other. They are really growing up on me. They have their own sense of style and know what they want. I guess I can officially look back on the days where they would dress alike. **Sigh**
Saturday we were finally able to have Dontes promotion BBQ. It was great. His stationed showed up with their significant others in tow. Donte worked the grill like he always does and I swear that man knows magic to make the food taste like it does. The kids were having a blast and all scurried upstairs to play. We honestly didn't hear a peep out of them until it came time to eat or come down to snack. Towards the end the older girls came to the living room as well. I don't blame them. Hanging out with younger boys can drive you crazy. The guys were in the kitchen playing dominoes and talking......well I say talking but it usually resorts to jokes and picking on each other....I don't know something about smelling like BBQ is better than smelling like wet dog or bologna. Finally.....this felt right. We all had a great time and there was that old feeling of settling in coming back. Its hard to pack up and move but I have always made the transition easily....maybe this time it was just going to take a little bit longer.
The rest of the weekend was spent picking up the last few things for school and getting the kids shoes. They both picked out two pairs and of course in the same line as their clothes none of them matched each other. They are really growing up on me. They have their own sense of style and know what they want. I guess I can officially look back on the days where they would dress alike. **Sigh**
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Starting From the Beginning
I remember when Donte came home and told me that he had been selected to be a recruiter. I was shocked to say the least and had heard numerous horror stories about being a recruiters wife. So I did what any smart Army wife would do.....I called my friend Melody because her husband had been a recruiter. Mel said they "loved it", hmmmm loved it huh....OK my nerves are relaxing a bit. She basically told me that they work a lot and that there are some long nights and some weekends where they work but over all its not that bad. There is no CQ or Staff Duty (soldier has to sit at desk and log phone calls and barracks checks for 24 hours, no field problems and no deployments. Essentially its as close to living the civilian life as you can get while still active duty in the Army. OK I am feeling better....
Fast forward to right before we leave Bragg....
Donte went to recruiting school, we had our house packed, painted, found a property manager, put the house up for rent, rented the house, had going away parties (sniff, sniff), and said our goodbyes.
We decided that we would drive both cars from Fort Bragg all the way to Chicago. We left after the boys got out of school and drove an hour to Greensboro (hubbys hometown) where we attended a family members high school graduation...it was very special as this beautiful high school senior that I had known since she was 8 was dying of a Brain Tumor. After numerous treatments and years of fighting the tumor had taken over. She was in a wheel chair and spoke with a slur that made her embarrassed to speak. We had just seen her a few months before and you couldn't tell that anything was wrong with her. She was her spunky little self and I am so glad that we had the chance to know her and love her. She lost that battle a few weeks after the last time we saw her. We then attended her graduation party that was hosted by the Make a Wish foundation. We spent time with family and friends before we headed to Waynes house. Wayne is Dontes best friend, he was our best man and is a huge part of our family. We spent some time laughing and reminiscing about all the good times and of course we got some much humored slack about moving to Chicago.
I went to sleep that night with a heavy heart and butterflies in my tummy. Chicago here we come...you cant get more exciting than that...on the other hand we were leaving our home that we had planted solid roots in.
We left a little late the next morning. The minivan packed to the rafters and the back seat of the Honda packed tight as well. Daniel rode with me and Donnie with Donte......with the assurance that they could switch off and on. They were so worried about getting equal time with both of us. It was like a game to them. I was so relieved to see that they were excited and had embraced this crazy Army life.
we drove through many states and a heck of a lot of rain and 10 hours later we were in Indianapolis. I called Embassy Suites from my cell and got us reservations for the night. We only had a few more hours to go until we got there so we decided to take it easy and even agreed that there was no need to set the alarm that night.
The next day we took off with the knowledge that this long car trip was almost over. We drove right by Chicago. I was so excited and then I realized that I needed Gas. So I call Donte and we take the next exit and land smack in the middle of a not so nice part of Chicago. We get the gas and take off. I am a little bit worried what if he has to recruit in an area like that? We continued on to Great Lakes Naval Base I tried to soak it all in. I do this whenever we move. I look at the buildings and the roads and imagine that in a few weeks it will all be second nature to me. It makes me feel better as if this new place will soon feel warm and comfortable....it would feel like home.
We checked into the hotel on post and unloaded the necessities. Donte hooked up the lap top so we could go online whenever we wanted. We all showered and got ready to go explore. Well we get to the minivan and my battery is dead!!! Oh Fun, at least it didn't die when we were getting gas! I had the battery replaced and prayed that this wasn't a sign of things to come.
Over the next few days we were visited by Dontes Station Commander, we will call him Famous Daves, he told us that the station was great and how great life was going to be. Hardly any long nights or weekends. After we went to the room I expressed how great this was going to be...Donte looked at me and said "don't count on it....I have heard different"...I should have listened to my hubby but I shook it off and went on with the tasks of getting a realtor and finding a place to live. Great Lakes was not only too far but they wanted to put us in tiny housing because the new housing was for people who had lived there for at least a year....sore subject.
We found a great house in the suburbs, 2500 square feet, two car garage, pond in the backyard with a fountain and a school that was located in the subdivision itself. We registered the boys for school (NC would not promote them because they still had 4 weeks of school left there, even though they could have made straight F's and still passed) and set up delivery dates for our household goods (HHG).
The boys were excited and scarred about going to a new school and to tell you the truth I was a little nervous myself. We were out here by ourselves, no other military families to lean on. No Army Brats for the boys to connect with......Please God let this go smoothly.
We walk into the school and are greeted warmly. Both boys teachers have their desks set up with their names and books ready. The other kids come up and welcome them and I can breathe a big sigh of relief. Donte and I decided to speak with the principal and the assistant principal. I was still a little nervous and wanted to make sure that they knew the situation in case the boys were to get upset or start feeling sad. I also had to speak to them about the boys missing the last two weeks of school so that they could go to Sri Lanka for their Uncle Adams wedding. They were both great and as we sat there talking I mentioned that I was looking for a job. They had a position open in the front office and explained to me how to go online and apply. I did apply and two interviews later I received my job offer and was all to ready to enjoy my summer with my family....because he wouldn't be working late nights and weekends....RIGHT??
more to follow....
Fast forward to right before we leave Bragg....
Donte went to recruiting school, we had our house packed, painted, found a property manager, put the house up for rent, rented the house, had going away parties (sniff, sniff), and said our goodbyes.
We decided that we would drive both cars from Fort Bragg all the way to Chicago. We left after the boys got out of school and drove an hour to Greensboro (hubbys hometown) where we attended a family members high school graduation...it was very special as this beautiful high school senior that I had known since she was 8 was dying of a Brain Tumor. After numerous treatments and years of fighting the tumor had taken over. She was in a wheel chair and spoke with a slur that made her embarrassed to speak. We had just seen her a few months before and you couldn't tell that anything was wrong with her. She was her spunky little self and I am so glad that we had the chance to know her and love her. She lost that battle a few weeks after the last time we saw her. We then attended her graduation party that was hosted by the Make a Wish foundation. We spent time with family and friends before we headed to Waynes house. Wayne is Dontes best friend, he was our best man and is a huge part of our family. We spent some time laughing and reminiscing about all the good times and of course we got some much humored slack about moving to Chicago.
I went to sleep that night with a heavy heart and butterflies in my tummy. Chicago here we come...you cant get more exciting than that...on the other hand we were leaving our home that we had planted solid roots in.
We left a little late the next morning. The minivan packed to the rafters and the back seat of the Honda packed tight as well. Daniel rode with me and Donnie with Donte......with the assurance that they could switch off and on. They were so worried about getting equal time with both of us. It was like a game to them. I was so relieved to see that they were excited and had embraced this crazy Army life.
we drove through many states and a heck of a lot of rain and 10 hours later we were in Indianapolis. I called Embassy Suites from my cell and got us reservations for the night. We only had a few more hours to go until we got there so we decided to take it easy and even agreed that there was no need to set the alarm that night.
The next day we took off with the knowledge that this long car trip was almost over. We drove right by Chicago. I was so excited and then I realized that I needed Gas. So I call Donte and we take the next exit and land smack in the middle of a not so nice part of Chicago. We get the gas and take off. I am a little bit worried what if he has to recruit in an area like that? We continued on to Great Lakes Naval Base I tried to soak it all in. I do this whenever we move. I look at the buildings and the roads and imagine that in a few weeks it will all be second nature to me. It makes me feel better as if this new place will soon feel warm and comfortable....it would feel like home.
We checked into the hotel on post and unloaded the necessities. Donte hooked up the lap top so we could go online whenever we wanted. We all showered and got ready to go explore. Well we get to the minivan and my battery is dead!!! Oh Fun, at least it didn't die when we were getting gas! I had the battery replaced and prayed that this wasn't a sign of things to come.
Over the next few days we were visited by Dontes Station Commander, we will call him Famous Daves, he told us that the station was great and how great life was going to be. Hardly any long nights or weekends. After we went to the room I expressed how great this was going to be...Donte looked at me and said "don't count on it....I have heard different"...I should have listened to my hubby but I shook it off and went on with the tasks of getting a realtor and finding a place to live. Great Lakes was not only too far but they wanted to put us in tiny housing because the new housing was for people who had lived there for at least a year....sore subject.
We found a great house in the suburbs, 2500 square feet, two car garage, pond in the backyard with a fountain and a school that was located in the subdivision itself. We registered the boys for school (NC would not promote them because they still had 4 weeks of school left there, even though they could have made straight F's and still passed) and set up delivery dates for our household goods (HHG).
The boys were excited and scarred about going to a new school and to tell you the truth I was a little nervous myself. We were out here by ourselves, no other military families to lean on. No Army Brats for the boys to connect with......Please God let this go smoothly.
We walk into the school and are greeted warmly. Both boys teachers have their desks set up with their names and books ready. The other kids come up and welcome them and I can breathe a big sigh of relief. Donte and I decided to speak with the principal and the assistant principal. I was still a little nervous and wanted to make sure that they knew the situation in case the boys were to get upset or start feeling sad. I also had to speak to them about the boys missing the last two weeks of school so that they could go to Sri Lanka for their Uncle Adams wedding. They were both great and as we sat there talking I mentioned that I was looking for a job. They had a position open in the front office and explained to me how to go online and apply. I did apply and two interviews later I received my job offer and was all to ready to enjoy my summer with my family....because he wouldn't be working late nights and weekends....RIGHT??
more to follow....
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
GO ARMY......Recruiting
Well as most of you know my darling hubby is now an Army Recruiter. He was selected by the Department of he Army for this.......so NO WE DIDN'T ASK FOR IT. So I thought it would be fun to share my perspective on this. Army life has basically been the same from post to post....but this assignment is NOTHING like regular Army life. I am an Army brat myself so you would think after growing up Army and being married into the Army for almost 11 years I would know what to expect. I am as green as a cucumber when it come to this. Please buckle up and hold on tight. You will be tuning into a whole new way of life.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Laptop Crash, BOOM, thwaaaark!!!
Well last night as I sat on the laptop piddling around on my email.....the unthinkable happens. First it shuts off....I immedialtly make sure that the power supply is plugged in....it is.....and then I try to restart but I get this black screen with white writting saying that my system is unstable and then it gives me various modes that I can restart in. I invain tried each and everyone and the blasted thing would not reboot. So upstairs I went to search out the recovery disks and other disks for all the software. After I gathered all the above I was just plain upset that this computer that goes everywhere with me has now decided to take a break....I mean these things are not supposed to happen right? Well I decided to let it wait until morning because I had promised the boys that we would go to the movies.
So this morning I got up and started recovering the laptop. Everything went well but my wireless internet button was missing. Hmmmmm I call Comcast who tells me that I need to call Compaq and get the driver update or go online. Well since the phone was there I decided to call....What in the world did I do that for. The bright shining light on the other end informs me that the drivers are in the computer but I will have to pay a fee to talk to someone who can tell me how to get it done..now he says this to me like I am a dumb ass..So I said No way am I paying another red cent to get this laptop working and that Compaq sucks and I should have gone with another company! You see I didnt want another repeat of my Alltel situation so I just said what I had to and hung up. Plan B. My brother and his wife have a roommate his name is Ron and he is GREAT. He told me where to go online and what to do and said if I couldnt get it he would be home on the evening to help me.....what a saint!!! So I went online downloaded all that I needed got my key to unlock the majic pearly gates of the wireless internet and Bada Bing Bada Boom......I am gleefully connected. Now I am updating the system and am currenty on number 57 of 77 updates. Then its just the printer and the scanner and I am done. Thank God I have everything saved to my external hard drive!!!!
A big thanks to Ron the computer genius.
So this morning I got up and started recovering the laptop. Everything went well but my wireless internet button was missing. Hmmmmm I call Comcast who tells me that I need to call Compaq and get the driver update or go online. Well since the phone was there I decided to call....What in the world did I do that for. The bright shining light on the other end informs me that the drivers are in the computer but I will have to pay a fee to talk to someone who can tell me how to get it done..now he says this to me like I am a dumb ass..So I said No way am I paying another red cent to get this laptop working and that Compaq sucks and I should have gone with another company! You see I didnt want another repeat of my Alltel situation so I just said what I had to and hung up. Plan B. My brother and his wife have a roommate his name is Ron and he is GREAT. He told me where to go online and what to do and said if I couldnt get it he would be home on the evening to help me.....what a saint!!! So I went online downloaded all that I needed got my key to unlock the majic pearly gates of the wireless internet and Bada Bing Bada Boom......I am gleefully connected. Now I am updating the system and am currenty on number 57 of 77 updates. Then its just the printer and the scanner and I am done. Thank God I have everything saved to my external hard drive!!!!
A big thanks to Ron the computer genius.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Skinny Bitch
My girlfriend Kari, who also happens to be one of my old neighbors from North Carolina and a dear friend, called me the other day and told me that I HAD to read this book. The name of the book is Skinny Bitch. You see we are on the same diet...one that is working for both of us. So she tells me if you really want to get into this whole diet thing read Skinny Bitch. So off I went to Barnes and Noble and of course they didn't have in stock so I ordered it online and finally got here last Saturday. I picked it up on Monday and decided to start reading and man did it open my eyes. Now some of the stuff was a little far fetched. I am a carnivore and will not give up meat....even if it just decaying flesh, but you know what bye bye soda and bye bye most dairy. The book also has references through out so when your one eyebrow raises at some of the info you can actually go look it up.....its scary what we are taught and what the effects are. To each his own I say but weather you feel like changing your habits or not its an interesting read. And to tell you the truth I haven't had soda in about a week and I kinda miss it but feel good that I am over it. I can give up milk no problem...I think its gross YUK.....its the cheese and the ice cream that will be hard but you have to start somewhere right. Now one of the thing that I liked about the book was the frankness...and when I say frank I mean it. There is no sugar coating what so ever, it's blunt and to the point. I loved it!!
I also just started reading the Blog of War. This one is much harder and I am only a few pages in but it really hits home. I can't begin to count the number of close friends and comrades that we have lost. The one that left his wife and two boys behind that are the same age as ours. He gave it all and did it proudly and we are forever thankful to him......I often think about his wife and two boys and my heart breaks. I think of the soldier that would come to our house in Germany and want hot wings and then I think of his wife and three little children that will never hug him again. I think of the man that went off to war and thought that he would make it back and retire and enjoy it....he never got to turn in those retirement papers. I thank them all, for their honor, duty and in the end their ultimate sacrifice. When I look at my husband I thank God that he is here. That every time he faced danger that he faced it with courage and determination and because of that and the grace of God he can still have the joy of tucking our boys in at night. I don't know how long this book will take me to read. I find myself putting it down a lot even though I have the need to keep reading because I want to know but in the same instance I already know the out come so I know the pain that comes with it.
I also just started reading the Blog of War. This one is much harder and I am only a few pages in but it really hits home. I can't begin to count the number of close friends and comrades that we have lost. The one that left his wife and two boys behind that are the same age as ours. He gave it all and did it proudly and we are forever thankful to him......I often think about his wife and two boys and my heart breaks. I think of the soldier that would come to our house in Germany and want hot wings and then I think of his wife and three little children that will never hug him again. I think of the man that went off to war and thought that he would make it back and retire and enjoy it....he never got to turn in those retirement papers. I thank them all, for their honor, duty and in the end their ultimate sacrifice. When I look at my husband I thank God that he is here. That every time he faced danger that he faced it with courage and determination and because of that and the grace of God he can still have the joy of tucking our boys in at night. I don't know how long this book will take me to read. I find myself putting it down a lot even though I have the need to keep reading because I want to know but in the same instance I already know the out come so I know the pain that comes with it.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Frustration and Self Control at its Best
I can not STAND companies that pride themselves on customer service and then turn around and hire tweedle dumber and tweedle dumbest to work for them. As most of you know Donte and I moved to Chicago on military orders...yup that's right we didn't just decide to move we had to. So we get here and lo and behold the cell company that we had is not available in this area and after a few months of dropped calls and missed text messages I called and complained and the rep for the said cell company told me I would be better off to disconnect and go with a carrier that had local towers. OK made sense so off we went and found Verizon. I then call old cell company to disconnect. I get a rep named Lisa and she is as sweet as can be and says "please just fax your military orders and it will be done within 24 hours".....Great I think....this will be easy. Well 48 hours later I call back and they say "no ma'am no orders please fax again". So I call Donte ask him to re fax and to make sure that he gets a confirmation letter out of the fax this time. He does this I call and they say 24 hours again. So I call back ....this time its dumb as rocks one
DAR1 (Dumb as Rocks One)...."No ma'am we don't get faxes"
Me..."WHAT??????I just spoke to two people in three days that said fax to this number and now you say there are no faxes."
DAR1..."no we don't get them."
Me..."Please put me through to your supervisor"
me on hoooooooooooooooooooold forever.
G (Supervisor)....."yes Mrs. Slade we have received both your faxes but our faxes go straight to email and the person that it went through to is out."
Me...."OK well cant someone go and get them. It has been over three days and two faxes later and you still have not closed out my account."
G..."let me see what I can do"
Me.....on Hooooooooooooold again
G..."OK we will have it taken care of in 24 hours."
Me..... "Great Thank you do I get a confirmation?"
G....."someone will call in 24 hours."
72 hours later.......................................
I Call in the morning cant remember what time. Get in touch with another supervisor (this company has way too many supervisors)O
Me....I explain the situation
O....."I will get it done." (in his best superman voice)
Me....."good thank you."
O....."I will call you back in 20 min."
Me.......(slight hope that this will work) "Thanks."
45 min later I call back
Me......"O, this is me, can you tell me the status?"
O......"the lady that has it is out until 1130 so I will have to call you back at 1200 this gives me the time to get it all settled."
Me. Annoyed but still polite... "Thank you"...I hang up the phone and whisper dumb ass he should have called and at least told me that
One o'clock comes and I call back....notice that I am the one doing all the calling back
Me...."I have called three times today. You give me time frame for a return call and do not call. I would like to know whats happening with my account....I am getting a bit frustrated."
O...."yea ma'am I am still waiting on the fax...we are really busy."
Me..... "I know that you are busy (I wanted to scream, how busy would you be if I put my foot up your ...but alas I didn't.)but its ridiculous that I have been dealing with this for days and no one there can seem to figure it out."
O..."I apologize ma'am as soon as I get the fax I will call back." ( at this point he sounds like Charlie Browns teacher and there is steam starting to come out of my ears)
Me..... "OK and just to make sure that we are on the same sheet of music we are military they are military orders so the one phone still under contract we are cancelling with no penalty."
O..."ummm I don't think so. Its a case by case." ( CASE BY CASE IS HE KIDDING???)
Me...."I talked to the supervisor before you and the statement made to me us that if you have military orders and you are moving to a place where you do not offer service we can cancel that contract without penalty."
he then proceeds to give me some mambo jumbo and I calmly state through my gritted teeth that "there is no fee...call me when you get the fax."
Called for the 4Th time by this point I am highly aggravated. They patch me through to stinky attitude, I need a life girl who thought that she was the cream of the crop. "We cant patch you through to O you will have to deal with me." ( Is she for real, I may sound sweet but hell I was raised an Army Brat, am an Army Wife and my parents didn't raise a sissy...yes I am respectful...but I have a limit.)
Me......I state that I have been working with a specific person and would like to keep working with him as I do not want to have to explain myself for the 100th time.
SAINALG (stinky attitude, I need a life girl).…unreasonable and rudely said that she could not get o on the line and I could hang up and call back if I wanted another supervisor.
Me....CLICK!!! You guys just don't know how close I got to screaming but I had to get my account straight and hey she has to live with herself right?...Right now I am so not liking being a mature grown up and just want to bring her down a few notches.
I call back for the 5Th time at 2:55. I get a Rep who is trying to locate O (who I would like to throw a pie at) and here I am on hold again!
Finally I get another supervisor, we will call him "L" who actually had some brain matter that worked and thanks to him and me scanning what he needed. We are now out of our contract, with no early disconnection fee!!
Me...."Thank you for getting this resolved, but what happened to O?
L...."hes standing here but was a bit confused, I am so sorry that you have had this much trouble." .....uhhh you think!!
Me.."Thank you again L have a nice day."
Now what I really wanted to say was......I better not they may suspend my blog due to the violence and profanity. I am all calm now after taking the boys to swim practice, cooking dinner, washing the dogs, doing a load of laundry (I really miss my cleaning lady...do you think I could get her a visa to the states...she probably wouldn't come...I wouldn't leave Germany either)Cleaning the kitchen and tucking the boys in.
so if you ever have a problem with ALLTEL....who I have to say were great until I had to disconnect....drop me a line/ L gave me his agent ID and direct line ....in case I ever need it. Trust me I wont but if you do and would like to cut through the crap to get your problem solved....drop me a line.
DAR1 (Dumb as Rocks One)...."No ma'am we don't get faxes"
Me..."WHAT??????I just spoke to two people in three days that said fax to this number and now you say there are no faxes."
DAR1..."no we don't get them."
Me..."Please put me through to your supervisor"
me on hoooooooooooooooooooold forever.
G (Supervisor)....."yes Mrs. Slade we have received both your faxes but our faxes go straight to email and the person that it went through to is out."
Me...."OK well cant someone go and get them. It has been over three days and two faxes later and you still have not closed out my account."
G..."let me see what I can do"
Me.....on Hooooooooooooold again
G..."OK we will have it taken care of in 24 hours."
Me..... "Great Thank you do I get a confirmation?"
G....."someone will call in 24 hours."
72 hours later.......................................
I Call in the morning cant remember what time. Get in touch with another supervisor (this company has way too many supervisors)O
Me....I explain the situation
O....."I will get it done." (in his best superman voice)
Me....."good thank you."
O....."I will call you back in 20 min."
Me.......(slight hope that this will work) "Thanks."
45 min later I call back
Me......"O, this is me, can you tell me the status?"
O......"the lady that has it is out until 1130 so I will have to call you back at 1200 this gives me the time to get it all settled."
Me. Annoyed but still polite... "Thank you"...I hang up the phone and whisper dumb ass he should have called and at least told me that
One o'clock comes and I call back....notice that I am the one doing all the calling back
Me...."I have called three times today. You give me time frame for a return call and do not call. I would like to know whats happening with my account....I am getting a bit frustrated."
O...."yea ma'am I am still waiting on the fax...we are really busy."
Me..... "I know that you are busy (I wanted to scream, how busy would you be if I put my foot up your ...but alas I didn't.)but its ridiculous that I have been dealing with this for days and no one there can seem to figure it out."
O..."I apologize ma'am as soon as I get the fax I will call back." ( at this point he sounds like Charlie Browns teacher and there is steam starting to come out of my ears)
Me..... "OK and just to make sure that we are on the same sheet of music we are military they are military orders so the one phone still under contract we are cancelling with no penalty."
O..."ummm I don't think so. Its a case by case." ( CASE BY CASE IS HE KIDDING???)
Me...."I talked to the supervisor before you and the statement made to me us that if you have military orders and you are moving to a place where you do not offer service we can cancel that contract without penalty."
he then proceeds to give me some mambo jumbo and I calmly state through my gritted teeth that "there is no fee...call me when you get the fax."
Called for the 4Th time by this point I am highly aggravated. They patch me through to stinky attitude, I need a life girl who thought that she was the cream of the crop. "We cant patch you through to O you will have to deal with me." ( Is she for real, I may sound sweet but hell I was raised an Army Brat, am an Army Wife and my parents didn't raise a sissy...yes I am respectful...but I have a limit.)
Me......I state that I have been working with a specific person and would like to keep working with him as I do not want to have to explain myself for the 100th time.
SAINALG (stinky attitude, I need a life girl).…unreasonable and rudely said that she could not get o on the line and I could hang up and call back if I wanted another supervisor.
Me....CLICK!!! You guys just don't know how close I got to screaming but I had to get my account straight and hey she has to live with herself right?...Right now I am so not liking being a mature grown up and just want to bring her down a few notches.
I call back for the 5Th time at 2:55. I get a Rep who is trying to locate O (who I would like to throw a pie at) and here I am on hold again!
Finally I get another supervisor, we will call him "L" who actually had some brain matter that worked and thanks to him and me scanning what he needed. We are now out of our contract, with no early disconnection fee!!
Me...."Thank you for getting this resolved, but what happened to O?
L...."hes standing here but was a bit confused, I am so sorry that you have had this much trouble." .....uhhh you think!!
Me.."Thank you again L have a nice day."
Now what I really wanted to say was......I better not they may suspend my blog due to the violence and profanity. I am all calm now after taking the boys to swim practice, cooking dinner, washing the dogs, doing a load of laundry (I really miss my cleaning lady...do you think I could get her a visa to the states...she probably wouldn't come...I wouldn't leave Germany either)Cleaning the kitchen and tucking the boys in.
so if you ever have a problem with ALLTEL....who I have to say were great until I had to disconnect....drop me a line/ L gave me his agent ID and direct line ....in case I ever need it. Trust me I wont but if you do and would like to cut through the crap to get your problem solved....drop me a line.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Photoshop
Well I went out and bought Photoshop a few weeks ago and have been playing with it ever since. Well I went to Barnes and Noble yesterday and on the sales nook guess what I found.....
Yup I was happier than a kid that didn't get caught in the cookie jar. PS is harder than I thought it would be and this book that cost me 9.98 tells me all the little secrets that I need to know. I started working on some pictures last night and tried out many of the different techniques and before I knew it, it was 1100 and time for bed.
I am working on the pics from the promotion and as soon as I get them done I will post them.
The boys have two weeks of swim left. I am sad in a way but glad in a way as well. Swim four days out of a five day work week was a lot of driving for me but well worth it. Donnie is now a Flying Fish and Daniel is a Fish. I am very proud of my little men as they worked really hard this summer to reach their goals.
Well I have a Computer/Game Room to set up so I better be off to it. But before I leave here is the first picture that I created with layers in it. A bit remedial I am sure but never the less I was proud of myself.
Here's the original the boys hanging out in the back yard by the Pond.
And here is the masterpiece....the boys relaxing in Bavaria overlooking a lovely lake and mountain.
Yup I was happier than a kid that didn't get caught in the cookie jar. PS is harder than I thought it would be and this book that cost me 9.98 tells me all the little secrets that I need to know. I started working on some pictures last night and tried out many of the different techniques and before I knew it, it was 1100 and time for bed.
I am working on the pics from the promotion and as soon as I get them done I will post them.
The boys have two weeks of swim left. I am sad in a way but glad in a way as well. Swim four days out of a five day work week was a lot of driving for me but well worth it. Donnie is now a Flying Fish and Daniel is a Fish. I am very proud of my little men as they worked really hard this summer to reach their goals.
Well I have a Computer/Game Room to set up so I better be off to it. But before I leave here is the first picture that I created with layers in it. A bit remedial I am sure but never the less I was proud of myself.
Here's the original the boys hanging out in the back yard by the Pond.
And here is the masterpiece....the boys relaxing in Bavaria overlooking a lovely lake and mountain.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
CONGRATULATIONS Sergeant First Class Slade
Yesterday was the big day. Donte was promoted to Sergeant First Class, E7 and I am so very proud of him. As usual the day started off hectic as I scrambled to get the boys ready for Soccer, by the grace of God we made it and I explained to the coaches that they would be leaving early. No problem they say. I get a few errands done and go back to pick the kids up. The situation goes like this. I go to the soccer field...ummmm where are my kids....in fact where are all the kids? I turn around trek back to the building in the 198978735 degree heat.....OK high 90's but it felt like 198978735. There they were in the middle of the huge indoor track in the nice air conditioning playing with a ball the size of Jupiter. No kidding this ball was like a huge blowup beach ball that would crush you if you got caught under it. I stand at the door and try and wave my kids down...the little one saw me and then acted like he didn't. The coaches are all so enthralled with laughing at the kids that they don't notice me either. So now I had to debate....do I walk in and chance getting smashed by this ball.....Ummmmmm NO just ain't worth it. I finally get the coach's attention and he gets the boys. I tell them to come on we have to get ready and get this they are upset......why......"we didn't get to play with the big balls"!!! I almost fell down laughing at this. Oh the things that come out of kids mouths. As soon as I get them home and into the shower I hear the front door open. Donte is home and now all four of us are getting ready. I specifically tell the boys to shower, get there undies on and put lotion on. I get showered and start getting ready. Now my husband is in the room with me but I am moving at warp speed so he could have been 10 states away for all I knew. I got my clothes ironed, the boys pants ironed......and then noticed something...in the midst of all the excitement my loving husband is fast asleep on the bed. "UH HUM" HONEY I say, "can you iron the boys shirts while I finish getting ready?". "Sure" he says like we have all the time in the world. I explain to him that we women have to pluck, primp, blow dry, curl, and do 1001 other things in the effort to look great for the cameras at these events. He in turn looks at me like I have 4 heads and nods his head in agreement. So off to the ceremony we go. We get there in plenty of time and sit around while everyone else arrives. Donte has always had a good bunch of fellow soldiers but these guys and the poor lonely gal are hilarious. Never a dull moment. They read his orders and then they yank his E6 rank off and I very carefully place his E7 rank on and punch in square in the chest as hard as I can. It was very different from when I pinned on his E6, back then you had rank with the prongs and you made sure that the dammits were missing because what is rank if you cant cause pain right....ahhhhh the Army way. Donte then said a few touching remarks about God, his wife (that's me) and the kids. His fellow recruiters had the local store make cupcakes with E7 rank on it (was nice because this is nowhere near a military town) and with a little coaxing they all dug in and got there sugar fix for the day. The big party will be next weekend, here at the house. We will be having a good old fashioned southern style BBQ with all the fixin's and of course the beer.....yuk dont like beer but I know a few soldiers that will. I will post pics either tonight or tomorrow.
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