Pieces of the puzzle falling together

When I went to bed last night I wasn’t sure how today was going to unfold, but it is noon and it looks like everything is going to work out.

Called the guy we are buying the van from this morning — Letting him know I needed the title to the van today so I could get to the Secretary of State (DMV for those not in Michigan) and get the plates transferred. He called me about 11:30, he is cleaning out the van and will be over with the title and van for us to keep went he is done cleaning.

Called Enterprise — $100 to return the rental car to a location other than rented from. NO THANK YOU! It is cheaper to drive 2 cars down to Lansing to return the rental than paying the fee.

Called my mom — She is helping pay for the van as part of our Christmas. Made the trip to the credit union, now have the cash to pay for the van.

Call car insurance company — they can fax the proof of insurance to the Secretary of State. Got the insurance done on the van.

Called the credit union that held the loan on our old car — they are mailing a cashiers check today for the difference in the payoff and payout by the insurance company.

So by the end of the day should have the trip to Sec of State done and the rental car done. So I did a lot of thinking about possible scenarios for nothing — finding a babysitter for Tyler if need be, trying to figure out if their was an easier way to make only one trip to return the rental car.

Hopefully the snow will hold off until we are back home. May not get to watch MSU Spartans play their bowl game tonight. Oh well, though I was looking forward to watching it.

Update on our world

Christmas was very nice.  I was very happy with the gifts we gave the boys and all the gifts that they got from grandparents, aunts & uncles.  It is hard to say what the favorite gift is.  The best part is not going way overboard with purchases.  We did not have to money to spend, so all told I don’t think we spent more than $100 total for gifts given this year and I have a pile of gifts set aside for Tyler’s birthday in February..

The car situation is almost settled.  Hopefully tomorrow we will have in our possession our new vehicle, ‘94 Dodge Mini-van.  I still have yet to see it, but I trust my husband and uncle that it will be a good vehicle for us.  I do need to contact the seller tomorrow to get my hands on the title, so I can get the plates and get it insured.  The insurance company will only pay for the rental car through Saturday noon and we may have to take it back to Lansing — on my list of phone calls to make.  I did find out that the Seceratry of State in Midland is clossed Monday and Tuesday, so I really have to do that trip tomorrow.

Well, I better get to bed, so I can get everything done tomorrow.

Our Visit to the “Copter-plane”

Ever since I started working at Covenant and they got a new helicopter, I have been wanting to take the boys to see it. We ended up heading over to Saginaw today to get some prescriptions filled for Russ and were able to take the boys in the helicopter. Ever since we watched Airwolf with Tyler he has called helicopters “copter-plane.”

The people who work for Lifenet can’t be nicer. They are supposed to be in the ER twice a day to help out if needed, so I have gotten to know them when they come and help out or just come in to visit.

William gestured to try on the helmet as he loves hats.

Then Tyler got to try it on as well.

Tyler also sat in the pilot’s seat.

Trying to decide what to do

I talked to the adjuster this morning (well yesterday since it is 2 am) and he is going to total the car out.  We wish it wasn’t that way, but it is the way it is.  I inquired about a loan at the credit union and they said that they could not give us a loan at this time.  So now what to do?  Do we buy an inexpensive older car with anything we might get back after our loan is paid off?  What if we don’t get anything back after the loan payoff?  Do we try to get a car through one of those places that says we will get you financed as long as you are working?

Tough decisions . . . . I wonder what Russ has thought about today in regards to the car situation.

“It’s Probably Totaled”

That was the phone call Russ got today from the insurance adjuster about our car.   I guess they are thinking new engine and transmission is what is needed for the repair.  So  I guess we are going car shopping this weekend.  Hopefully I won’t have to take a day off work to get the entire thing taken care of.

Now to decide what to get (or start looking at).  I really like our Saturn sedan, but is it time to make the move to a vehicle that can carry more than 5?  On thing I do like about the PT Cruiser we are driving right now (rental car) is not having to bend over as far to put the boys in their seats.  I don’t like how there is not room for a 3rd person in the back seat between the car seats.  I had already been thinking our next vehicle would be some sort of SUV or cross-over.  Minimum passanger is 5 with room for an adult in the backseat with the car seats, though 7 passenger would be nice.

I am not sure about a loan with our financial woes, but God will work that part out.  It looks like the current loan is covered by the value of the car.  We will know more for sure after I talk to the adjuster.

Updated Link

I decided to change the link about Neurofibromitosis in my prior post. I think the new one is a little bit easier to understand. The Children’s Tumor Foundation website has a lot of information on it. I was looking it over at work yesterday. I definitely will be spending more research time on their site.

Exhausted . . . . Well, not so much now

What a week this has been and it is only Thursday.

Monday we headed down to Lansing (1.5 hour drive) for doctor appointments on Tuesday. We thought it would be better to stay with family and not have to leave our house at 7:30 to get down in time for the first appointment at 9:30. That plan would have been fine if Russ had remembered to grab his pills . . . . he couldn’t sleep and because he didn’t sleep well, if at all, I didn’t sleep well and neither did William.

It was nice to spend time with family though. We got to go to my sister’s Christmas band concert and see some people we used to go to church with who I had taught in Sunday School.

Tuesday’s appointments went well. I think we have Russ back on track with his medications for his chronic fatigue syndrome. Our new doctor in this area really changed his medications and it has affected his quality of life, but I think we are headed back to a good place. The doctor did give Russ some sample medications at his appointment.

Tyler and William had appointments with the geneticist. There is a family history of Neurofibromitosis (NF1), Russ has it and so does his dad though I don’t believe his dad has ever been formally diagnosed. I found the first “cafe-au-lait” spot on William when he was 3 months old, so right then I suspected that he had inherited it. At 7 months he almost met criteria for diagnosis and at this appointment he did meet criteria. His head is bigger than his brother’s! (another sign of NF). I just need to get more educated about it as I can be the advocate the William and Russ if necessary.

After that appointment, we were headed right home. I wanted to sleep in my own bed and get a good night sleep, but God had other plans . . . road debris that did MAJOR damage to the underside of our car. We had to wait until Wednesday for the car rental place to have a car available to us, so we stayed at the other parents house. Thankfully we have rental coverage on our auto insurance.

We finally got home on Wednesday after another not so good night of sleep. I still haven’t heard back from the adjuster on the damage to the car, though he said he would be out to look at the car yesterday.

I am glad that we made it back for church last night. At church, we finished watching a DVD on the Star of Bethlehem. It reminded me of the greatness of God and how he cares for every detail of our life.

Though I am still tired, I got a good night of sleep, but more important I am reminded of how good God is and how he takes care of every detail of our lives and he will take care of our needs. (Right now a friend is cleaning our our driveway with his tractor). I can rest in peace that God will take care of our needs.

Recognizing Christians

I have been mulling over in my head the one thing that stuck there from the sermon on Sunday, and I am not totally sure if I am remembering it right.  That others can only tell that about 15% of those who claim to be Christians.  What a thing to ponder. 

Why is is?  Is it because as human beings,  we want to fit in, so others don’t realize that we are Christians because we don’t act any different than they act?  Is it because we don’t talk about our faith?

And those 15%, why are they noticed?  Is it because they are “legalistic?”  Like the Pharisees of the New Testament and have all these little rules you have to follow to be a “good Christian”.  Having gone to a college that was legalistic, I can see how people would be turned off to being Christians.  I won’t even get into my views about my Christian college Alma mater here, except to say that I do not hold to a lot of what they say.  I was very frustrated in my last few years of college with the beliefs that I felt like they were trying to push as hard a they could into my mind.

Or is it because others notice that there is something truly different about that person?  I was just taking to my best friend about this on the phone.  I have known one co-worker since high school and my best friend didn’t know who she was (my best friend and I do not work together exactly — she is an EMT with the local ambulance company and I am an RN in the ER), but has seen her as she has brought patients into the ER thought this co-worker had a nice smile and knew that their was something different about her.  Once I filled my best friend on who the co-worker was, it explained to my best friend why she knew their was something different about her.  My friend knew she was a Christian.  In fact on Monday, I was hoping this co-worker was working so we could talk about this exact topic.  She was going to tell her husband, who also happens to be a local pastor.

Thinking about this makes me think about a former co-worker.  I was suprized that she sent her kids to a Christian school and was as active in the school as she was.  Her conversations at work and what she would do outside of work and tell us about, did not fit in my mind what a Christian would be doing.

Something to ponder.