Metro New Orleans DISers - check in!!! - 09/2009

[FloraFauna]

Kat, I'm so happy for you. You are going to have such a great time. I can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[FloraFauna]

Sheryl, that's wonderful that you're celebrating your anniversary there

 

[arminnie]

Hope everybody (including pets) is feeling better.

Sheryl and Kathy are going to have SO much fun. I thought of my trip last May when Sheryl said the bottom fell out. My whole trip was like that. My fingers stayed shriveled up because I was always soaking wet.

I have a WDW trip planned for New Year's. Three of my friends (plus one husband) are meeting up. We will be Pete's harem. He's a New Orleans boy so he can handle it!

I have had the weirdest thing happen all week. When I wake up in the morning my lips are swollen like one of those starlets on steroids. I guess I'm allergic to something - but can't figure out what. It started when I was in Austin but kept on after I got home. I had totally different toiletries, sheets, clothes etc. so I can't find a common element. It didn't happen last night so maybe it is over. My lips would go back to normal in 2-3 hours but were very sore from being so stretched out.

I closed on my condo today. Entergy was supposed to start service today, but after two phone calls it still hasn't happened. Oh well I wasn't going to spend the night anyway. One day less to pay for! I've got to do some painting and then measure and figure out what furniture I can take.

Tricia II

 

[rie'smom]

Yes, on Lapalco. It wasn't so bad when I was driving, but I know I wasn't 100% either. I got there about 9:15 or so and they took the blood at about 9:45. That last half hour was especially not nice.

Thanks for the hug.

I can't believe you leave tomorrow!

Are you feeling better?

Hope everybody (including pets) is feeling better.

Sheryl and Kathy are going to have SO much fun. I thought of my trip last May when Sheryl said the bottom fell out. My whole trip was like that. My fingers stayed shriveled up because I was always soaking wet.

I have a WDW trip planned for New Year's. Three of my friends (plus one husband) are meeting up. We will be Pete's harem. He's a New Orleans boy so he can handle it!

I have had the weirdest thing happen all week. When I wake up in the morning my lips are swollen like one of those starlets on steroids. I guess I'm allergic to something - but can't figure out what. It started when I was in Austin but kept on after I got home. I had totally different toiletries, sheets, clothes etc. so I can't find a common element. It didn't happen last night so maybe it is over. My lips would go back to normal in 2-3 hours but were very sore from being so stretched out.

I closed on my condo today. Entergy was supposed to start service today, but after two phone calls it still hasn't happened. Oh well I wasn't going to spend the night anyway. One day less to pay for! I've got to do some painting and then measure and figure out what furniture I can take.

Tricia II

I hope the swelling is gone for good! Congrats on the closing!!!



I just got back from the Mexican restaurant. My MIL, SILS and I went to dinner. The Margarita was delish!!!!

Kat,

Have a magical trip!

 

[TigerKat]

Thank y'all so much for the good wishes, you're not going to believe I'm now suffering with tooth/gum ache. Someone does not want me to take this trip but I'm going!!!!! Love all of y'all!!!!!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Are you feeling better?

Yes, thank you.

Kathy, I really hope you feel better and this trip is a great one for you! I know you've been looking forward to it for so long! Have a great time and tell everybody hi for me!

 

[rie'smom]

Yes, thank you.

That's good! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Kat, I hope your mouth feels better. Could it be your sinuses? Take an antihistamine before you get on the plane if you think that might be the problem. Check with your pharamcist for one that won't interfere with any other meds you're taking!

 

[lori1043]

Kathy - I am praying for some Disney healing on your trip. Have fun!

I am in better not whiney spirits today. Paul was staring at me as I whined to him and told me to buck up!!! Grrrr.... I know he didn't mean it rudely bc he was smiling as he said it-he just meant for me not to get bogged down by all the stuff going on right now.
Plus a work day that kept us going -some adult girl time even if it was at a hospital! The gals at work are really into Twilight right now so we have the music, a pic of Edward , and people looking up the extras on Stephenie meyers website to read. It's crazy and fun all at once. I read these over a year ago and it's making me wanna reread them.

Bethany- I love the storms as long as we don't lose power and everyone is safe. Also loved the illuminations comment. Oh and Ashton gives me strength when it comes to labs. I cannot complain! it sucks that you felt that badly afterward.

Have a good night and it's great hearing from Sheryl on her trip. Kinda cool and easy when you have an iPhone! I love Pauls.

Lori

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Bethany- I love the storms as long as we don't lose power and everyone is safe. Also loved the illuminations comment. Oh and Ashton gives me strength when it comes to labs. I cannot complain! it sucks that you felt that badly afterward.

I felt bad before, because I had to fast. Once they took the blood I drank Coke and felt fine. My blood sugar must have been very low from not eating.

How's Haley doing?

 

[Terry36]

Morning gang...it looks as though today will be a beautiful one.

Kathy enjoy your trip, I wish I was going with you.

Sheryl girl whoops to you. I am glad you are enjoying your time with your DH.

Ok now I need to vent to my dear friends. I am an emotional mess right now. Well this morning the complexity of our financial status hit me like a ton of bricks.The next few months will be VERY hard for the Terry household however I will do my best to keep my household running; school tuition, mortgage and utilities are my priorities, the creditors are another story. I need you guys help...have you ever worked with a reputable credit counselor/group to help you consolidate your CC's to get a smaller payment? DH is driving me insane. We have used up all of DH's severance and 401K money....yes he still has his pt night job but that is not enough any more. I am now going to have to be the sole breadwinner for a while. I know he's been looking for another job but it seems he doesn't quite understand that we need more money coming in now so its time to settle for something and still continue looking for something else. UGH!!!!!!! I am at my wits end.... I am even thinking about getting a pt job for the weekends however I am not sure how in the HECK I can pull it off, when do I have time for that? I value you guys advice so please help me determine what steps to take.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Oh, Serena

I don't know the answer to your question, but I bet if you go post it on the budget board you will get a lot of good advice. I know there is one that is supposed to be good and legit, while the others are sketchy. Problem is, I don't know what the good one is called.

I can relate though...I am very frustrated with my DH too because he is being S L O W to apply to jobs. We are not in the desperate situation you are in though. We can make ends meet on my salary - it's just very tight. I am going to bring in an extra $60 a week doing after school tutoring until the iLEAP so that extra $200 or so a month is nice and needed. And I'm still waiting on the money from NYC.

 

[arminnie]

I need you guys help...have you ever worked with a reputable credit counselor/group to help you consolidate your CC's to get a smaller payment?

Sorry about that. I've been down that road after the collapse of the oil industry in the early 80s.

Here's a link to a good article on msn/money:
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.co...ting/TheConsumersGuideToCreditCounseling.aspx

It's 3 years old, but the info is still valid.

http://www.nfcc.org/

National Foundation for Credit Counseling, whose nonprofit affiliates -- usually known as Consumer Credit Counseling Services -- negotiated lower interest rates and payment plans for people who had fallen behind. Today you can find the Consumer Credit Counseling Service in just about any city.

http://www.nfcc.org/http://www.nfcc.org/

Be careful as there are lots of really, really bad groups out there claiming to help with debt reduction and management. Many of them are just rip-offs. The last thing you need when you don't have enough money.

I have to make a disclaimer here - I worked for Visa International for almost 20 years. Visa and MasterCard provide financial support to NFCC. NFCC or CCCS will generally not work with someone who does not have credit card debt. But they are legit. I think you are more likely to get a reduction in credit card interest, etc from this group.

I've heard good things about Crown Financial Ministries - but do not have any personal experience so I don't know if they help with debt reduction or just how to budget. All the budgeting in the world though doesn't make 2+2 add up to 5.

25 years ago I did not think I was ever going to be out of debt. I had 3 houses that were so far underwater when I had to sell. In Texas you are responsible for the underwater part.

 

[rie'smom]

Morning gang...it looks as though today will be a beautiful one.

Kathy enjoy your trip, I wish I was going with you.

Sheryl girl whoops to you. I am glad you are enjoying your time with your DH.

Ok now I need to vent to my dear friends. I am an emotional mess right now. Well this morning the complexity of our financial status hit me like a ton of bricks.The next few months will be VERY hard for the Terry household however I will do my best to keep my household running; school tuition, mortgage and utilities are my priorities, the creditors are another story. I need you guys help...have you ever worked with a reputable credit counselor/group to help you consolidate your CC's to get a smaller payment? DH is driving me insane. We have used up all of DH's severance and 401K money....yes he still has his pt night job but that is not enough any more. I am now going to have to be the sole breadwinner for a while. I know he's been looking for another job but it seems he doesn't quite understand that we need more money coming in now so its time to settle for something and still continue looking for something else. UGH!!!!!!! I am at my wits end.... I am even thinking about getting a pt job for the weekends however I am not sure how in the HECK I can pull it off, when do I have time for that? I value you guys advice so please help me determine what steps to take.

First

I remember going through a tough patch several years ago. We were told to stay away from any debt consolidation company that charges money. I've heard that Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater New Orleans - (504) 529-2396- is good. It's nonprofit.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

25 years ago I did not think I was ever going to be out of debt. I had 3 houses that were so far underwater when I had to sell. In Texas you are responsible for the underwater part.

"Underwater" is the (bizarre) term for when you owe more on your mortgage than your house has been re-appraised at, right? The first time I heard the term was in a headline something like "50% of Homes in Las Vegas are Underwater" and I was sooooo confused....


So...one year ago today I flew here for the first time. Look what happened.

 

[lori1043]

Terry-my brother used CCCS and it was a success story.

We called them after Ash was on treatment and they could not help us. We had done something we THOUGHT was smart-Paul was still getting his masters and was offered financial aid, which we never used before. We decided to use it for living off of while she was on treatment and he was taking a couple classes per semester. A year later, we were trying to figure out ways to get help, pay it down, whatever, and so we called CCCS and found out we don't have the type debt they can help. Because it is a federal student loan, it is not considered 'debt'. We consolidated it with previous college federal loans(from each of us) and so now it is a hefty amount. It would've been "smarter' to just put it all on CC's. We thought it was smart b/c the interest rate was lower than any CC could give us.

I will be praying for ya- I know how that can creep up on you and slap ya in the face.

Some news though- Paul talked to his boss and he told her about the possibility of him getting an apt in Houston come January,and she told him she really didn't want that to happen. We found out she is not the one who thought we should have to move if he could do the job from home. More talks will be happening in the next couple weeks about this. What a relief it would be to pull that darned sign out of the yard, but NOT hopeful about it, nope, not me! Like I have mentioned, ROLLER COASTER, anyone!

 

[shovan]

Hey Y'all!
Our girl Kathy had a heck of day yesterday, but she was feeling better & looking great last night! We had a great time, we all met together for drinks with Lori & Rick. Then an awesome fun dinner at FF & bday party drinks with Brenda (oybolshoi) & her Dis friendies. We hung out till late talking & talking.

Tonight we have the big group dinner at CG with more friends from the WFD thread. I had a wine seminar scheduled today, but I think I'm blowing that off to hang with the girls & Bob & Johnny are heading to ESPN club for the Saints beating Lauren's Giants!

We are having such fun with them! It's like hanging out with lifelong friends! Only thing better was if the rest of you could be here too. But we are eating & drinking for all of you!!!

Have a great day y'all!

Serena, Prayers that it will all work out. I know when the realization slaps you in the face it's scary. We too have been there during the oil bust. But you will figure it all out, I know. This too shall pass, my friend.

 

[TigerKat]

Haven't read back...I need prayers my friends...Tooth pain was horrible when we arrived yesterday, ended up getting a root canal on my first day of vacation, felt much better afterward and was able to have a decent evening and dinner with Sheryl, Bob, Lauren & Charlene. BUT pain started again during the night and I have an other dentist appointment in two hours.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Some news though- Paul talked to his boss and he told her about the possibility of him getting an apt in Houston come January,and she told him she really didn't want that to happen. We found out she is not the one who thought we should have to move if he could do the job from home. More talks will be happening in the next couple weeks about this. What a relief it would be to pull that darned sign out of the yard, but NOT hopeful about it, nope, not me! Like I have mentioned, ROLLER COASTER, anyone!

Oh, wow! That is interesting news! I hope it turns out to be awesome news for you and you get to stay here!

Hey Y'all!
Our girl Kathy had a heck of day yesterday, but she was feeling better & looking great last night! We had a great time, we all met together for drinks with Lori & Rick. Then an awesome fun dinner at FF & bday party drinks with Brenda (oybolshoi) & her Dis friendies. We hung out till late talking & talking.

Tonight we have the big group dinner at CG with more friends from the WFD thread. I had a wine seminar scheduled today, but I think I'm blowing that off to hang with the girls & Bob & Johnny are heading to ESPN club for the Saints beating Lauren's Giants!

We are having such fun with them! It's like hanging out with lifelong friends! Only thing better was if the rest of you could be here too. But we are eating & drinking for all of you!!!

Have a great day y'all!

Uh oh, did Kathy have a rough time traveling?

I'm glad y'all are having such a great time!

I put up a couple of new photos on Facebook. It's about time, right? I'm still sorting through this hot mess of photos on my computer. I'm getting confused because some of them ARE backed up on an external hard drive and some are not. Also, very few of them are sorted by event...and some are sorted on the computer but NOT sorted on the hard drive. So I'm doing everything twice. Then, for fun, I have a 2nd external hard drive so that the photos and music and stuff will be saved on both externals and NOT the computer (I keep filling it up with files and then it gets too sluggish to work right ). This could take awhile.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Haven't read back...I need prayers my friends...Tooth pain was horrible when we arrived yesterday, ended up getting a root canal on my first day of vacation, felt much better afterward and was able to have a decent evening and dinner with Sheryl, Bob, Lauren & Charlene. BUT pain started again during the night and I have an other dentist appointment in two hours.

Oh, Kathy That is worse news than I thought when Sheryl mentioned you had a rough day. I hope you get some FAST relief and can enjoy the rest of your vacation sans-dentist & tooth pain! How's that ankle of yours doing?

 

[rie'smom]

Some news though- Paul talked to his boss and he told her about the possibility of him getting an apt in Houston come January,and she told him she really didn't want that to happen. We found out she is not the one who thought we should have to move if he could do the job from home. More talks will be happening in the next couple weeks about this. What a relief it would be to pull that darned sign out of the yard, but NOT hopeful about it, nope, not me! Like I have mentioned, ROLLER COASTER, anyone!

So, you might not have to move? I'm praying for no move!!!

Hey Y'all!
Tonight we have the big group dinner at CG with more friends from the WFD thread. I had a wine seminar scheduled today, but I think I'm blowing that off to hang with the girls & Bob & Johnny are heading to ESPN club for the Saints beating Lauren's Giants!

We are having such fun with them! It's like hanging out with lifelong friends! Only thing better was if the rest of you could be here too. But we are eating & drinking for all of you!!!

Have a great day y'all!

Serena, Prayers that it will all work out. I know when the realization slaps you in the face it's scary. We too have been there during the oil bust. But you will figure it all out, I know. This too shall pass, my friend.

Isn't it amazing how close we can become to people we have never met face to face? I know that I feel like you all are very good friends even though I've never met you in person.

Haven't read back...I need prayers my friends...Tooth pain was horrible when we arrived yesterday, ended up getting a root canal on my first day of vacation, felt much better afterward and was able to have a decent evening and dinner with Sheryl, Bob, Lauren & Charlene. BUT pain started again during the night and I have an other dentist appointment in two hours.

Oh honey, I am so sorry! Prayers are said and will be said for you.