Insurance Companies

So, it has technically been 21 months since my wreck on May 30, 2008.  I have been very educated on this whole process and hope I never have to go through anything like this again.  Why do we have insurance is my question?  By law in most every state in the US you have to carry motor vehicle insurance.  This protects you from things you might do to yourself.  Like back into something or any other damage you might do to your own car and this also protects you if you hit someone else.  Well, this is the way it should work.  We also carry uninsured or under insured motorists insurance.  Which is supposed to protect us if we are in an accident and the other party is not insured or they don't have enough insurance.

Or so this is how it should work.  This whole process is ridiculous.  They try to get out of paying any way they possibly can.  I have numerous injuries.  Injuries that affect my day to day life.  They stall, ask for the same documents over and over again then ask you if have other insurance.  They don't take your word for it, rather they say they'll do an investigation (with MEDICAIR) to see if you are lying basically.  I'm not disabled and I am not old enough to have MEDICAIR.  The letter states that they would have to do the investigation to make sure I didn't have Medicair and that they are waiting on that report and it could take months more.  Did I mention this was/is my own insurance company.  The other problem is the insurance companies only give you, if you are lucky, what the policy limits are.  So, in my case an 83 year old woman hit me head on.  Her policy only pays so much, theoretically I should have to have two surgeries, one on my neck and one on my lower back.  Her insurance wouldn't pay for it.  So, where does that leave us people in this situation.  We can sue but if they have no assets then it is a waste of time and even if they do have any assets they could always file bankruptcy and then you are left with nothing.  Also if you choose to sue them the insurance company doesn't have to pay anything!!!  Can you believe that, you have to pick, you can't sue them for the difference.  It is one or the other!  We suffer or go into debt.  I'm suffering and in debt! 

This is why a health care reform is so important.  Even with all the problems it might have in the beginning it is better than going through what I am and a lot of other people because of the way all the systems are set up now.  Anything has to be better than this.  I think insurance companies are the biggest thieves and personally I am thankful that Obama is trying to make them accountable and make it harder for them to take advantage of us.  People hear the word socialism and think the worst, but look into what it really means for this country and the healthcare and do research on some other countries and you'll see that this is a step in the right direction!

New Years in Colorado

We went to Colorado for the New Year.  To spend a little time with my brother and his family. Sleeping on the queen-sized blow-up bed was awful but we got to see all that snow.  Of course Gianfranco loved all the snow.  We took the boys sledding twice and it snowed about 2 feet while we there over the course of a week.

Top: Blayke-7,  Britt-10 and Bottom: Caleb-4

The boys had a lot of fun, this was the first time they have really been able to go sledding since it doesn't snow that often in Oklahoma.  They were so bundled up especially Caleb that it reminded me of the Christmas story movie.  Where the little boys mom bundled him up so much that he couldn't put his arms down. 

This is as much snow as Gianfranco has ever seen in his life and he said two things:  He loved it and he wanted more.  So, I definitely think that some place in the middle of the Alaskan outback would suit him just fine.  I love snow but that is getting a bit extreme. 

Our new Car covered in snow, and the many HUGE ice cicles that hang off the houses! 

There are deer that frequent the yards eating berries off of plants and little buds off of the trees. A very big buck and another smaller buck were with a herd of does.

Off to see the Wizard....

Halloween 2009!!

Britt (9) as the Tin Man, Caleb (4) as the Scarecrow, Blayke (7) as the Cowardly Lion and Miss Paige (2) as the little Dorothy and Toto as himself.

             The Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion costumes were made by myself and Nana (my mother).  Obviously the Lion costume took the most time.  The hair is a white bathroom rug that I cut up and hand painted to make the effect of the fur.  The hair is a wig that I fit onto the cap and I sewed in the ears and individually sewed the hair to the hood for the facial hair. 

This was Gianfrancos first Halloween I think he thought it was fun, it would have been more fun if the kids hadn't complained so much. Lol.  This year Paige had a lot more fun, she kept trying to go into people's houses and we got tremendous compliments on the kids costumes and several took their pictures. 

Dorothy on her cell phone...                                    

Paige and her "BO"

Caleb in the leaves....Blayke sleeping in the car...

Carnevale 2009 Chiaramonti, Italy

Carnevale 2009

I've never quite experienced anything like this parade. The whole town is involved from young to "older" :) So much time and effort goes into making the floats and well all I have to say is that there are smiles, confetti and wine flowing the whole way! So, enough talking and I'll show you some pictures!!

Shania...bellissimo!! She is 6 and fluent in both English and Italian. :)

Io e Olimpia (Gianfranco's cugina/cousin) As you can see...I'm an amazon...lol.

Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs

Clockwork Orange

It's been a long time...

...since I've been proud to be an American. I didn't watch Obama be sworn in yesterday (I was in class) but his first speech as President of the United States was...well...I don't have any words. I do live in the greatest nation in the world. We've not had much we can be proud of lately...these past many years. We've not had a President that we could say many good things about. I know myself have been so tired of the same NOTHING happening all the time. For so long we have lost sight of what our nation means. We've lost sight of the treason our forefathers would have been committing had we not won the war and a nation was born out of the ashes and rubble. I may not agree or have not agreed with a lot in Obamas campaign to become President, but I hope he can breath a new life into this nation, break down the doors of the entire political system :) (because for the most part...IT SUCKS) and restore the respect to our country...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnygQ02aW4

Expensive Passports...Payback Time!!

Americans who owe child support had better pay up! If they want to do any travelling outside the United States. These new rules mean that the deadbeat "Moms" or "Dads" who owe more than $2500.00 in back child support must pay their debt before being issued a passport. In some cases the cost is plenty. An American musician had to pay $46,000.00 to his ex-wife for the back child support before he could get a passport to go overseas on tour. But for some it's bitter sweet victory. A lady in Washington, Teresa Markley, received a $24,000.00 check in the mail for her back child support payments that had accumulated over two decades. Her children are grown now, but she says the money gives her validation for the hard times she lived through, which included going on welfare when her children were small.

So, in short....my ex-husband better not want to get a new passport anytime soon. This is a small victory for single parents who struggle or have struggled. Men or women think they can just bring children into the world and forget about them, or think sending you $50.00 here or $75.00 there will and is ok. This makes me laugh, I'd like to be a fly on the wall when some of these people get a call or a letter in the mail stating...(and I'm paraphrasing) "Sure, we'll give you a passport...the cost will be $8000.00..." If you have kids take care of them and don't send them a Wii as a lame excuse for not seeing them either.

The total amount collected so far since this new rule has been implemented just for 2007 is 22.5 Million Dollars!! That number however is a conservative total they say because some states report the amounts to the Federal Office of Child Support and some do not. This is just one of several tools that the government has to combat the child support issues we have in the US.

A lady ask this question to someone from the Los Angeles Times...

"Question: My husband is on a court-ordered plan to repay child support arrears of more than $10,000. Recently, he applied for a passport, and he was denied because of these arrears. If we continue to pay as agreed, it will be years before he can leave the country. Should he, and others like him, not be given the opportunity to see the world even though he’s paying as ordered?
Marisa Duke-Potter
Columbus, Ohio"

Her husband Jeffrey Potter said in an interview he got into the typical angry spouse mentality. One ex does this and the other retaliates by not paying their child support. I ask where it stops. Yes, you can get angry, but go to court if they are keeping the kids from you and this is why you are not paying. This was his excuse. So, the Potter family wants to go on a vacation. Well, why not take the money for the vacation and pay off what you owe. DUHHH!!! Yes, he should be held responsible and YES IT IS FAIR!!! He didn't do what he was supposed to, I get mad at a lot of things, but that doesn't mean I go out and blatantly break the law or do something that hurts my kids. See? They don't think, they just think they are giving money to "you" and especially for the parents I like to call part-time parents. They've no idea the money, patience and love it takes to raise kids on your own. All they can see is they are handing over money to their ex or punishing their ex for not doing what they are supposed to. This is why we have a court system to hold everyone accountable for their own actions. In the end, us "ADULTS" survive, it's the kids that suffer.

The author of the LA Times story ended it very well and it made me laugh. "In reality, paying for kids, whether through support or in person, means you get to go to at least one interesting place – the poorhouse. But not to worry. You’ll have plenty of great traveling companions."


On a side note-I still don't have my passport...(but I do KNOW I don't OWE any child support) Lol!

Adrian is gone...

I've been tracking the blog from a fellow in England, Adrian Sudbury, who was diagnosed with 2 different types of Leukemia. Which is very, very rare for something like that to happen. He is an amazing guy at the young age of 26 who has brought so much awareness, understanding, courage, happiness and hope to many people all over the world. I had been checking these last few days knowing that it was only time for him to go home. He died last night with his mother and father by his side. If you think your day is bad, like I do myself sometimes, just go and read about this truly phenomenal young guy, and all that he has done, it's very humbling.

For I am a person who lost my Papa (grandpa) last year to Cancer, an aunt with a very rare lung disease when she was only 42 and other people close to me. I know how important it is for all of us to understand how important having support is and being informed. My friends 18 year old son tragically died Aug. 4Th, the family was devastated. He was swimming and did a flip into the water and landed on his back and broke his neck. When the family saw he did not come up from the water 12 men jumped in the water and a stranger pulled him out. His father and two other men performed CPR on him and got a pulse but it was too late he was brain dead and there was nothing that anyone could do. Since he was 18, he was very healthy, his family gave the gift of life and saved 7, that I know of, other peoples lives with donated organs from "Papo" (Nelson Torres)

So, go donate some blood and get on the national registry, who knows...you could just save someones life!