Hurricane Preparation

Well I wouldn't have thought I'd ever say I experienced an earthquake and a hurricane within a week of each other (especially in Virginia Beach, I mean really?) but by the end of this weekend I'll be able to.

Hurricane Irene is still headed our way and residents, just like when it randomly snows here, have lost their minds.  I ran a few errands to get ready (grabbed some cash, filled up my tank, and got some non-perishable food) nothing serious, but while I was out it clearly registered that Irene has made people crazy... or at the very least completely inconsiderate of others.  I don't care to elaborate because then I'd have to relive the most annoying parts to my day, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Back at the office, we were getting email after email with PDFs on hurricane preparedness and notes of things to do before the weekend and the office closes completely.  We were asked that if we sit near a window to put the blinds down and try to turn our screens or equipment toward the wall.  Easy enough.

Meet Leanne... well more like Leanne's desk (yes, someone sits there).  "Leanne" just started with the company a few weeks ago (her true identity is being protected) and took the hurricane emails from HR very seriously.  A few things you should know is that Leanne does NOT sit beside a window and obviously did more than turn her electronic equipment against the walls of her cube.  

Every picture or document pinned up in her cube has been taken down, the frames put in drawers, monitor turned around, her file cabinet was moved, and the top of her desk has been entirely cleared off.  As for me, I forgot to move my monitor and turn off my surge protector.  Whoops.

Photo Update as of 8:39am on 8/29:

Looks like Leanne's desk is basically back to normal.  However, my co-workers and I think she might be holding some things back  for fear of what this week could bring.  Its either that or she thought now was the time to avoid putting back up some of the newbie materials they post in your cube to help you get started and remember things.  

The Help

Yet again I've finished reading a novel WELL after the rest of the world has.  I like to use the excuse that before the Twilight series I was hardly reading so I have a lot of catching up to do, but the truth is I could have skipped older bestsellers and went straight for this summer's top reads...

Spoiler Alert: Just to warn you, I'm going to talk about the book with the assumption that you've read it; if that's not the case proceed with caution.

The Help was awesome, I read the majority of it in two days- I just couldn't put it down.  I didn't realize beforehand that the voices would rotate between three characters, but I really enjoyed that it did.  Their personalities were so distinct, as were their intentions behind writing the book and what the road had looked like leading up to that point for them.  

Skeeter and Minny were my favorites of the three and I don't even know if I could pick one over the other- they were so different.  I loved Skeeter's mother, her love for Constantine, and reading about her relationship with Stuart. (Confession: I do wish things had worked out for them.  I mean I know that it wouldn't have been fair for her to hide who she was just to be with him, but for what ever reason I really liked him for her after he apologized for their first date... you know the story)

Minny, well Minny's sassy, outspoken personality had me chuckling a few times.  I loved her relationship with Miss Celia... and subsequently Mr. Johnny too.  Oh, and not to mention the dynamic of her working for Miss Hilly's mother and how that all ended.  Too much.

I thought the ending seemed too quick; you spend so much time getting ready for the book release and then within like three chapters its published, read, gossiped about, and the end. We weren't left with any cliff hangers, I just always feel this way at the end of a book and movie.  Personally, I need more specific details about how things end for people in the long term. Like where did Skeeter take her caeer once in New York?  Did Minny have twins and how in love with them would Miss Celia be, if at all?  And what exactly did Aibileen do next?  This must be why I like sequels so much.  It's all making sense to me now.

I don't want to end with that if you haven't read The Help you should, because I'm hoping if you read the above you already have.

kitchen addition

After refinishing my first piece of furniture I enjoyed it so much that it immediately became a hobby.  I'm constantly searching on craigslist for a cheap piece with potential and find myself wishing more and more that we had a garage so I could actually buy and store the deals I come across.  The reality is though that we don't have a garage and the outdoor space we do have (albeit significantly larger than at our last place) isn't really conducive to storing random sized pieces of furniture just sitting in the que for a makeover.  Facing that truth has resulted in a slow progression of this hobby, but forward movement all the same.

The most recent remake is the below antique magazine rack that belonged to Jake's dad.  His mom was happy to provide me a free piece to take another stab at refinishing and seemed please to clear out some space in her house at the same time.  While I am wishing now I'd taken the time to snap a picture before,  I can only say that is was stained a medium brown and had little wear considering its age.  For that reason, sanding wasn't needed and I could go straight into painting!

I know it seems a bit weird to have a magazine rack in the kitchen, but Jake had the idea to put the recipe books in it the way we did, and once those were in place it seemed odd to put in any room other than the kitchen.  The wall that it's currently on is prime real estate in our kitchen and seemed appropriate since it got lost in the only other nook available.

If I could change on thing it would be the height of the table (I said "if"); it isn't unusually short but both here and in the other spot we tried, it didn't seem quite tall enough.  With that much space between the top of the basket (conveniently storing dish towels) and the bottom of the picture it seems to put emphasis on the gap between items, but the picture couldn't go any lower and the basket can't get any taller.  What I can say is thank goodness for the lime green, it helps it to pop against the wall and the colorful recipe books demand attention!

rest easy

Shortly after my rant about our insurance letter denying the costs from my recent teeth cleaning, I got a call that put all my worries to rest (and had me wondering how crazy I must have sounded that night in the message I left for my dentist's office)!

Long story short, the reason the fees were denied was because Dr. Paul Berger is out of network... as a matter of fact hes retired and thus out of any and all networks!  However, his sons, Dr. Chris & Dr. Arnold are not.  They just recently graduated and took over the family business which is causing quite the confusion with my insurance company.  Apparently I'm not the first patient to receive this sort of letter and despite months of trying to have the change made permanently, my dentist believes I won't be the last.

Bless the receptionist's heart she was so nice, assuring me that she's had to have this same conversation plenty of times and for me not to feel embarrassed about my frantic message (easier said than done).  I apologized for behaving borderline crazy in the middle of the night and thanked her over and over again for calling me back so quickly and setting things straight.  They had addressed the situation the day before with my insurance company, but I guess the letter was already in route so they couldn't avoid the scare.

Needless to say, I'll be keeping my January appointment and am even going to send Jake their way!

Avocado & Corn Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

I mentioned Pinterest awhile back and am still pretty into it.  I've come across a lot of decor ideas and tons of unique recipes!  Below is one that I've made twice now and  has been a crowd pleaser. 

Avocado and Grilled Corn Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

1 bag of shoepeg frozen corn (original recipe calls for grilled ears of corn)
2 Avocado’s, diced and sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent browning
2 C. Tomatoes, red and yellow cherry
1 Small red onion, finely diced
¾ C. Feta, crumbled
1 English cucumber, skin on and chopped small dice

Combine in a medium size bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cilantro Vinaigrette:

6 T. Olive oil

2 T. Sherry vinegar
1 t. Garlic powder
2 T. Fresh cilantro, minced
½ t. Salt
Pepper to taste

Add all of the above ingredients in a small mason jar and shake really well. Taste and adjust seasoning as you desire.

When ready to serve, combine the dressing and other ingredients into a large bowl.  I like to add a little at a time so it mixes easily with the vinaigrette and gets evenly coated.

when it rains it pours

I try not to vent too much on my blog but I've got to go there today.  Jake and I are both blessed to have jobs that we enjoy and are grateful for the Lord's provision.  BUT every once in awhile things seem to hit all at once and you get overwhelmed at the money pouring out of your account... now is one of those times.

We moved into our new place at the end of May and had some initial charges hit to set up our utilities, etc.  We noticed it had been awhile since receiving any bills, but thought that it might take some time before we did (that would only make sense since nothing came through the mail).  As suspected, the Verizon bill hit for just short of 60 days of service, our water bill from June through August just came, our car insurance hit, I needed glasses, Tank got neutered (oh, theres so much more I could share about this), and OH WAIT, I literally just opened up a statement saying that my recent dentist appointment is being denied due to my provider being out-of-network!  Seriously.  Of course, here I sit after hours and completely anxious over what this means!  If I know anything about dental work, I know that you better wait until you have insurance before you make an appointment because their services aren't cheap!

I think the reason I'm most frustrated about the denial is that my dentist office sought me out after being almost a year since my last visit.  I was clear in that first call that I changed providers and wasn't sure whether they were in my network anymore.  I explained to them what two providers I would have had (not knowing for sure which was the new and which was the old) and they assured me that they were covered by almost all of them.  Even when I arrived to my appointment and began filling out paperwork I reviewed Jake's employer information and insurance card prior to the visit.  The receptionist didn't seem bothered at all by by insurance information despite my being uncertain abut all that was covered since it was in my husband's name.  She quickly pacified the my nerves and assured me it was fine before sending me back to get my annual x-rays, cleaning, you name it.

It wasn't until today that I even thought again about that appointment!  As a matter of fact, they made my next appointment for 6 months from now right there on the spot and told me with my insurance there shouldn't even be a co-pay fro today's visit.  Now tell me how I wouldn't have any financial obligation if you're not a dentist in my network???  Also, why in the world would you think I'd be willing to come back 6 months later and pay out of pocket for your services AGAIN?  Don't get me wrong, my dentist is pretty cool with his black scrubs and full sleeve tattoo, but I'm happy to see someone new whose services are FREE instead.

Needless to say, one lengthy and anxious voicemail to my dentist after hours and this post later I'm here still feeling uneasy.  I have no idea what this will even cost and quite honestly I'm afraid to find out!

I hope there is a cap on something like this since we do in fact have dental insurance and I'll be praying that my dentist finds some culpability since they allowed me to go into my appointment believing I was 100% covered.  I mean I've been a patient there since before I got braces, which dates back to elementary school... that's got to count for something!

Seeing through new eyes

The title of this post might be bit dramatic, but it's true that I am seeing more clearly now that my glasses arrived. This is my first pair of glasses and they are basically just for wearing while driving at night and for the computer when my eyes feel strained.

I hadn't been to the optometrist in over four years and thought that with working in front of a computer all day for that time span it might be a good idea to make an appointment.  Honestly, I went in hoping to need glasses for driving (considering I've seen a need for awhile now) but when I actually started taking the tests I felt myself getting flustered as I made mistakes.  I tried telling myself that its ok to not see the dot every time or miss one letter out of the six, but the whole process made me anxious.  I was so ready to get out of there that it only took me (max) five minutes to pick out the frames. I know, right- ME of all people was able to get things done that quickly!  I must say knowing that only people at work and in my car late at night (Jake and Tank) will see them helped to care less about what they looked like.

To my surprise when I picked them up I didn't think they looked too bad.  I attempted to nonchalantly wear them at my desk, but this change to my everyday look got a lot of attention.  Thank goodness most of it was compliments with only one reservation (ahh hmm, Jake).  I don't think he minds them, but just isn't used to them yet or so he said repeatedly while looking at me on the computer.  Not to worry though he isn't the only one adjusting, I'm still getting used to them too.  Here's the pair that I ordered- they're not too bad, right?  

Issy & LA