Rental car update

Shannon returned the rental car this morning.  I also blogged about our experience with Enterprise's customer service here.

The great thing is that we have our car back!  It looks nice.  Although, we have to bring it back in two weeks for a "touch up" on the roof, the trunk, and on the gas flap. 

Flat tire

Last Friday, our car was supposed to be ready to pick up at Maaco. Shannon called them in the afternoon and they told him that they would call him first thing tomorrow (Saturday). Well, it turns out that they are closed on Saturdays and when he called, it just rang and rang. He then called Enterprise to extend our reservation until Monday and they agreed.

Just to get out of the house, we like to go on short drives around the city.  It's nice to get out of the house considering we get bored at home and we don't have a place to go every day.  Today was just that, we wanted to go out for a drive.  Well, as soon as we pulled out of the parking lot of our complex, we noticed that the rental wasn't driving as smoothly as it should.  Then a yellow warning light went on and thankfully we don't live too far from a gas station and pulled in there.  Shannon saw that one of the tires was flat. Thankfully, I brought our pre-paid free government supported cell phone with us so Shannon could call Enterprise. 

I walked Kyle home.  He was fine on the way home until we passed the playground and we had to stop there to play.  It's freezing cold outside so I didn't want to stay out too long.  As we got closer to home, he started having a fit.  He was set on going in the car for a ride (he loves that).  When things don't go the way they're supposed to, he will have a tantrum and scream! 

Shannon called me a few minutes after we arrived home to tell me that he gave them our home number since he doesn't know the cell number.  This is just one of the times that I wish we both had our own cell phones to where we can communicate via text or phone any time!  I am just glad I brought the cell phone because I almost didn't since we rarely use it.  The only reason I bring it is "just in case."

New paint for car

When Shannon went to pick up the rental car on Saturday, he left our car parked in the Maaco parking lot over the weekend.  This morning, we drove over to Maaco to drop the keys off.  Our car will be ready on Friday. 

Getting the car repainted

Our car has been losing it's color.  The color has been fading and looking rusted in some places.  Today, we went to a "custom auto painting" place that quoted us $1500 or so.  He was honest with us and suggested Maaco and they may quote us $500.  He also stated that, "you get what you pay for."  He explained that Maaco's work may last a few years but his would last much longer!  We decided to go to Maaco because of the cost and many other reasons. 

Maaco's final price is $572.69 and that's with taxes and fees included!  So we made an appointment to bring it in on Monday and it will be ready on Friday!  We then stopped at Enterprise Rent a Car to rent a car for all of next week. 

Back at Home

I've been back at home for about a week and a half, almost two weeks.  I still feel like I am getting used to our usual routine.  It's hard for me to get up early to get Kyle ready for school, I find myself snoozing longer. 

We had to pick Kyle up early from school on Wednesday!  His teacher called and said he's been acting up, he's kicking and hitting other kids.  I asked her if she wanted us to come pick him up and she said it's not her decision to make, in other words, it would be our call (as his parents).  So I told her we wouldn't.  After I got off the phone, Shannon and I talked and decided we should go pick him up and I called her back to let her know that we'd come get him. 

Kyle hasn't been to therapy in the last two weeks.  We skipped two weeks ago because I had just returned home the day before and we skipped last week because the heater in our car is not working.  His appointments are in the early morning! 

The Car is Fixed

Our car is fixed! Tire Kingdom really came through for us. They fixed our car without charging us!! I am very impressed. They also gave Shannon a new gas flap door and told him to get it painted to the color of our car and bring it back to have them install it and they will reimburse us the cost of the coloring. Wow! Anyway, it turned our that the hoses that connect to the battery was corroded.

I am just glad that our car is fixed and working again! We didn't have to pay to have it towed, nor did we have to pay to have it fixed again!

Great Monday!

Today was my first day of work at Walmart! We had orientation all day. There were only 4 of us, 3 of them were guys, I was the only female (besides the trainer). We have orientation all day tomorrow as well.

I learned a lot about Walmart. I won't be eligible for benefits until I have been there 1 year, only because I am part time. I do have the option for discounted health benefits, but I don't think I will be getting that. I also don't have access to the employee discount until after 90 days, they will send me my discount card in the mail.

I ended up having Subway for lunch, since there is one right in the store. It was nice because I got a little discount, so the $5 meal combo was exactly $5! Once I get established and out of orientation/training, I will look into bringing in my own lunch to work.

I tried going back to work full time when Kyle was about 7 or 8 months old and this time around, I didn't worry about Kyle as much! This time around, I thought about him and missed him, but I wasn't worried. This time, he wasn't at a daycare being watched by strangers, he was at home with his daddy and Grandma. Plus he is older and can feed himself. I am not worried about Shannon giving him junk food all day, because I have reminded him over and over. LOL

Shannon got some really good news today! He won his case, which means he's back on unemployment and hopefully he can get the extended benefits. The panel of judges ruled fully in his favor!

Our car was successfully towed to Tire Kingdom. Shannon talked to one of the guys there about the car and they remembered the part for the gas flap door. They also stated it was the battery that was dead, but we just bought a brand new battery FROM THEM in June! Shannon thinks it may be the alternator that isn't working correctly which could affect the battery.

Tax Free Weekend

Our State is one of the states offering a "tax free weekend" on certain items, such as clothing, school supplies and some electronics. I was able to get 2 pairs of pants (one khaki and one light brown) and 2 [different shades of] blue shirts for work, without being charged taxes! I am only starting our with 2 of each for now. I want to wait until I receive a check or two before I worry about expanding my wardrobe.

We also bought groceries! I used our one of our WIC coupons to get a few things. Walmart was pretty busy, especially with all the moms and kids shopping for school supplies.

Shannon has a busy day tomorrow. The car is being towed to Tire Kingdom between 2 PM and 2:30 PM by our insurance company. The tow is covered by our insurance, which a bit of a relief. He also needs to call Medicaid to find out if Kyle is still covered in our county. We received a notice stating he was no longer covered in our previous county. I don't remember receiving a new Medicaid card for this month.

Car Issues

Shannon tried starting the car earlier today and it wouldn't start! This is perfect timing, since I (hopefully) start a new job next week! We'll have to use my MIL's car in the meantime. I called our insurance company to have it towed. Shannon wanted to wait until Monday, so I set it up for then. He's having it towed to the same place that broke our gas flap door, they never fixed it by the way. So he's going to have them fix it when it gets towed there. I think it's a bad idea to have THEM fix our car, I don't like the way they do business.

Gas flap door issues

Shannon stopped by the car repair place yesterday. They had to check which part they needed to fix our gas flap door. They have to order the part directly from Mitsubishi.

It sounds like they are NOT admitting fault, rather they are trying to say that our car is old -- which we are aware of. However, we've had our car for 7 years and never during that time have we had a problem opening the gas flap door. The day after we had our car fixed, it was broken! Coincidence? Or did we just get dumb with how to use our car and broke it ourselves?

We're hoping they will fix it without charging us. If they DO charge us, we will NOT be returning to them and I may just twitter, facebook, and myspace about it. That's how customer service is right? When someone has a bad experience, they tell 10 people who tell 10 people, who tell 10 people...

Just in time

Kyle woke up around 8:01 AM, which also happened to wake me up. I had to quickly wake Shannon up for his 8:30 AM appointment for the car. It took about 5 or 6 hours for the car to get fixed, thankfully Shannon got a ride home from his dad. I am anxious to hear how much more efficient our car will be, since it got a well needed tune up. We've had our car for 7 years, they said they are taking care of the 30,000 and 60,000 mile tune up!

He also has to pick up his dry cleaning and get a hair cut. Then he's stopping off at Walmart for a few things.

I woke up feeling a little sick. Shannon said he's also not feeling well. Kyle still isn't 100% himself, but it hasn't slowed him down one bit. I am not sure what we have, I just hope we get better soon!

Shannon's interview is tomorrow afternoon at 5 PM. The hotel is about 2 1/2 hours away, so he's leaving early just in case. While he is gone, I plan on cleaning the bathroom and making sure we have our paperwork ready for the bankruptcy attorney appointment on Friday.

Busy Tuesday

Shannon went to get the car fixed and they were BUSY! So he made an appointment for tomorrow at 8:30 AM. I am not sure how he's going to get up that early... He's going to see if he can borrow his mom's car (while our car is getting fixed). He needs to get his hair cut and then pick up his dry cleaning.

I did four loads of laundry today! LOL Shannon finished one of his assignments, an essay paper that had to be 700-1000 words. Of course he waited until the last minute to write it. He wrote most of it last night and the rest of it today.

He received another call back for a job. I don't think he's going to call them back because it's a temp agency that's hiring for the position.

Catch Up

We just got back online a few hours ago. Our internet was out all day yesterday. I've been catching up on emails and everything else that I do online. I haven't been able to work since yesterday morning. We have internet on one computer. I am not on my computer so I don't have my bookmarks or settings that I am used to. Even the keyboard is throwing me off.

Our tax refund is being transferred into our bank account! The first time in since we've been married. We plan on getting the car fixed with the money.

Shannon also applied for unemployment. All he had to do was call in to file it. Now all he has to do is call in once a week and apply for at least 2 jobs a week. Piece of cake!

My mother-in-law has offered me some clothes that she is getting rid of. So far, I have gotten several tops (long and short sleeve) and a new bra! This is great since I had to get rid of most of my clothes!

Shannon has a phone interview in about an hour for a position with a hotel in New York! We're trying not to get our hopes up, especially after a roller coaster of emotions when he does get a call back. In the meantime, we are still looking.

We're looking at making our own laundry detergent. My mother-in-law got the idea from the Duggar family (the one with 18 kids) show. I looked up the recipes online and we just need to print them out. It only takes 3 ingredients. Mrs. Duggar said it only costs her $4 per month to do laundry, and they have 20 people in their family!!!

Shannon is still researching colleges. He found University of Phoenix, which he can attend online. He also found a local law school and all you need is a BS or BA to attend. He wants to get his BS/BA from University of Phoenix. He still needs to research the colleges more on costs, etc. With our internet being down yesterday, it really through us off. We couldn't do any research, check emails, etc.

Catching Up

The lack of sleep is catching up with me. I am ready to go to sleep and not wake up until tomorrow! But I can't, I have a 3 year old. LOL

It's been busy all day at work. I am going to train on a second platform on Wednesday. I chose either Wednesday or Thursday since that is Shannon's days off. I need to make sure Kyle won't interupt me while training. Once I finish that, I will be able to work 2 platforms at once. Hopefully make more money!

I am still looking for other texting jobs. I saw another company is hiring operators, so I sent an email out. I heard it's a really good company to work for, BUT it's really hard to get in. So, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Shannon is planning on getting the car fixed on one of his days off, which one, I couldn't tell you. Knowing him, he'll wait til Thursday night. Another inconvenience is that we have a car care center not too far from our house, he could easily WALK home, but there are NO SIDEWALKS and NO PEDESTRIAN stop lights! So he's thinking of walking over to Walmart which is on the same side of this place and not too far away.

Weekend off

Shannon has this Saturdy and Sunday off! We need to get groceries this weekend, hopefully he won't wait til the last minute. Shannon also said we need to get the car fixed. In addition to everything else that needs to be fixed, one of our headlights is out. I don't even want to think about how much that is going to cost.

I also recorded Lost on our DVR, so I am waiting til we can watch it together. It's literally been so long that I don't remember the details of what happened on the season finale! I think it's been at least 8 months since the finale! LOL I can't wait to watch the premiere!

I haven't had much time to work. Kyle seem to always be near me or sit right next to me. Plus I wake up so early (because he wakes up early) and by the time he's asleep at night, I am tired too.

4 Days Off

Shannon had the last 4 days off from work. I think his boss gave him 4 days off because she felt bad about taking 3 weeks off about a month ago. Anyway, we had a relaxing 4 days off together. Shannon had a chance to take a long break from work, which will help when he has to go back.

We are still anxiously waiting for a $2800+ payment from one of my sites. Unfortunately when I requested payout, I misspelled my email address. So I have contacted the site and they are looking into it. We plan on getting the car fixed since it needs new brake pads, tires rotated, and a few other things. We also want to get a dining room table, we’ve never had one!

A Pockeful of Rocks, half a Bottle of Urine and Orange Fingers

Shannon and I woke up early today. Shannon still had to get the car packed, while he was doing that, I had to take care of Kyle and get him ready. However, Kyle still wasn’t up at 9am so I took a shower and by the time I was done, he was up and just playing around. When I got dressed and ready for my day, I took him downstairs for his breakfast. Since he was busy eating, I did a little last minute packing and cleaning up.

Since we had so much we were bringing in the car, my in-laws offered to drive over too. Keep in mind ~ we have a cell phone and they do not and we have the one set of keys and they do not. Not 5 minutes into the drive over to our new place, Shannon noticed the temperature gauge on the car was at “H.” So we pulled over to the first gas station and he poured water into it. Unfortunately that didn’t work (this has worked a few times before) because after only a few more minutes, we had to pull over at another gas station because the car starting humming and the temperature gauge was past “H.” Just before we pulled into the gas station, the car starting smoking. Luck must have been on our side because the gas station we pulled into had a “Complete Car Care Center attached! While this is going on, Shannon kept saying he wished that Kyle and me weren’t with him with all this car trouble. He didn’t want us to have to be stranded there since he didn’t mind waiting all day, he just didn‘t want his family to have to wait too.

Initially, the auto tech guy told us to wait 15 minutes while he cooled the car, then it was an estimated hour wait. It turned into 2 hours overall, they had to wait for a part that was 45 minutes away.

We were both worried this whole time because we had no way of calling my in-laws directly and also we had an appointment with the cable guy at noon. By 11:30am, Shannon suggested calling 411 to get the number to the apartment office (he left the papers with the phone numbers at the apartment). LOL I ended up calling the toll free number for 411 and quickly got the number to the apartment office. We told them to tell the cable guy we need to cancel our appointment with him and also to leave a note on our door (for my in-laws) that we had car trouble and would be late.

Thank goodness Kyle was really good during this whole ordeal. A little stubborn at times, but no tantrums no crying! Shannon and I took turns walking and holding Kyle in the parking lot. Kyle had a chance to sit with his dad on a pile of gravel and of course Kyle had to play in it and try to eat it. Nearby, there was a pile of broken cement/rock slabs so I sat on that. I saw a few rocks that I liked and put those in my pocket. They are to remind us of our journey over to our new place, plus they look really cool. I even saw a half a bottle of urine near where we sat down. LOL Finally, we pulled out the stroller and he sat in it--quietly, which is surprising because Kyle didn’t seem to like it last time I tried. Kyle also saw some caterpillars for the first time! Then he wanted to pick them up. LOL

Shannon and I never ate breakfast and it was near lunch time, so he suggested buying some chips and sodas so I told him to get the bugles (the chips that look like tornados). We let Kyle eat most of the bugles, Shannon only had a handful and I had a few as well. He bought nacho cheese flavor and that turned our fingers orange and Kyle had his mouth and hands covered in orange! LOL We ended up giving Kyle some of our soda, which we didn’t like doing and decided this would be one of the few times we would do this.

Shannon said the auto tech guys were really nice the whole time. So that was good. By 1:15pm, (two hours later), we were able to hit the road. We finally reached our new home an hour later. We found out that my in-laws never got the note! Shannon and I KNOW the office never left a note, we already know how flakey they are! =( They said they waited around for about an hour and after we never showed, they left to go eat and drive around a bit. When they returned and we were still not home, they stopped by the office and they ended up giving them the keys to our place (because they recognized my father-in-law from yesterday) -- which is probably a BIG “no-no” to do. We had just arrived when they were unloading their car. So they had no idea what happened until the office told them about the (so-called) note they left at the door. They unloaded the last of their car and ours and left a bit later. Since Kyle was confused as to what was going on, he was standing at the front door ready to leave. LOL So I pulled out some of his toys and let him play. He eventually got the idea that this is his new home. He ended up running and playing around with his toys all night. Shannon and I were unpacking here and there. I did most of the unpacking (which I did not mind doing) tonight since Shannon was exhausted from the move. He ended up making a quick trip to Walmart for some food and basic items we needed for our new place. Once the groceries were put away, he went to go pick up his sushi. We had agreed to have sushi for our first night in our new place.

Soon after my in-laws left, I called the cable guy to reschedule and he’s not available until Tuesday at 1pm. So we will be without cable/internet/home phone until then!

My in-laws ended up giving us their microwave and a set of lounge chairs and matching little table stand. They look perfect in our living room. The microwave came in handy because we were going to buy one.

After Kyle went to bed, Shannon wanted to hook up the TV to see if we get any cable channels. Luckily we do! We have about 100 channels, so at least I have something to do until Tuesday.