Toystoryduo’s Journal: Baby Steps are the Key... Celebrate Each Victory!

[wilderness01]

Just catching up with you Tracy. Sorry to hear you have been ill and hope you feel better soon.

Thanks Tracey. I am feeling better, but I do still have some residual pain. Maybe you can make a followup phone call to make sure it is nothing more

I'm pretty tired from our trip, but I wanted to come back and ask for your good thoughts and prayers for our family. Because we are home now and back to reality, I have had a lot of time to think (DH is already back to work on a Sunday afternoon.) about all that has happened in the past couple of weeks and I am getting a bit overwhelmed.

As most of you know, last year was a very tough year for us in many ways. This year the Lord has provided for us in ways that we could never imagine. With my recent hospital stay some bills will come. Was the hospital you were in, in your network for insurance? If so, then the bills shouldn't be that bad. As long as you are making good faith payments, they can't turn you over to collections, so just pay what you can, but don't miss a payment or they can really get on your case.

I know that my child had an accident recently and the hospital didn't bill our insurance correctly. They thought we had no insurance and stamped on the bill "a charity case", which I actually thought was so blatant it was rude. Surprising that is for sure with the lack of manners and kindness. Anyhow, the hospital portion was over $11,0000 for 3 hours in the ER, but since they thought we were "a charity case" they dropped it down to $8800. I called and gave them my insurance information again, so the bill went back up to the original amount! I was appalled. All in all it was $15,000 for 3 hours in an ER. I was and am appalled at what they will charge, but that is for a different thread. Anyhow, they have been hassling us to pay the entire amount and giving us weekly bills. This is against our insurance contract with them. So I called my insurance and now the bills have stopped. The accident will be covered at 100%, but they just have to wait now because they didn't input the correct information at the time of service. No fault of ours, but they were trying to bully us. Call your company and have them handle it, if you have this happen to you. It will all be ok and the important thing is that you are starting to feel better. I have no idea what the amount will be or when they will come, but they will come. We have savings set aside, but not nearly as much as we would like. I'm asking for your prayers because over the next few weeks, we will need to re-group yet again. We're going to have to re-evaluate our insurance needs, our savings, our budget, and whether or not I need to return to work. I am trying very hard to leave this in God's hands, but the worry is still there.

My DH has been wonderful through all of this and has assured me that none of this is a surprise to God and that God will provide. I find myself getting anxious about the whole thing though and that is not a good place to be.

I did want to say that the ER/hospital stay has woken me up to the fact that I can not live overweight any longer. My excess weight has serious implications to my health, including the issues with my gallbladder. Are they talking about taking your gallbladder out? Cut out the roughage as that can be brutal on your gallbladder. Also lower the fat consumption in your diet and that should help. I have been there with gallbladder pain and I feel bad for you, because I know it hurts like he!!.I need to start taking better care of me in order to take better care of those around me.

I'm not sure how often I will be around in the next week. I need some time to process and reflect on all that has happened. I will try to get to journals in the next day or so. Right now, I'm going to go sit on the porch swing and just chill.Take care of yourself Tracy.

Have a good Sunday everyone!

 

[goldcupmom]

Tracy, I feel SO BAD that I've been an AWFUL WISH sis!!

Your WDW trip came and went and you're already back & I missed it!!

Hope you had a FABULOUS time!!

I'm glad they found your pain problem. Very scary (& I'm sure expensive! - which never helps matters!).

I may be absent from here, but I've been praying for you & your family.

Have a wonderful week this week!!

 

[keenercam]

Tracy -- Thinking of you today, sweetie!

 

[traceycooper]

Tracy sending you lots of & .
I hope the medical bills will be less than your imagining.
And that everything else going on turns out to be a lot less worry for you
Remember worry & stress are not good for your health either

 

[DisDon]

Hi Tracy, don't let the money stuff get you down, its only money! My strategy is to put all the money worries into a little box (or a big one!), get it out every day or so for an hour and worry about it, and then put it back in and put it away until the next time. DW likes to worry about it all day, or at least until I appear to be worried, then she feels better.

So sorry about your health troubles, and that it might have put a damper on your trip. Sure hope things get better! Let the dancing bananas do their magic!!

 

[AmyBeth68]

Oh Tracy . I'm sorry things are so tough now. Glad you had a good vacation...but it sounds like the worrying and your illness really took a toll.

I hope you're able to work things out and come to some peace with things. I know financial troubles can be so stressful. Try to relax a little and just know we're all here thinking about you sweetie!!!!!!

Please post and update us when you feel up to it!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Tracy, I am so sorry you have these worries right now. It is very understandable however, things like this make us feel very vulnerable. Given all that you and your family have been through, its bound to be scary. Just keep reflecting and I agree with Beth, hospitals are used to be people not paying at all, they are always happy to set up arrangements.

I am with you on the worries of the weight and health and the hard choice of returning to work. God will lead us in the right direction and we will be there for each other. Hang in there Wish Sis and remember we all care and want to support you! And feel better soon, that is no fun.

 

[ScoJo15]

Hi Tracy!

Hang in there Just take care of yourself, keep making those awesome healthy strides you were making pre-WDW and I'm sure things will work out. When you feel up to it...how 'bout some sort of trip report? I'd love to know how things are going down in Orlando

Have a good day!!

 

[MIdanceMom]

It just sounded like you could do with a
Beth

 

[hockeygirl]

Hey Tracy---I am so sorry to hear that you had to spend a few days in the hospital. I am glad that you are feeling better. And I am especially glad that you all had an awesome trip!!! I bet it felt good to get away with your family for a week. Although it is hard, try not to worry about the medical bills too much, in the end it will all work out for you.

Would love to hear about your trip!!

Hang in there!

 

[toystoryduo]

Cam, Beth, wilderness, Julie, Tracey, Don, Amy, Scott, Amy, and Laurie~ Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and support. I have been lurking here the past couple of days and I have read your words and they have blessed my heart. Thank you so much!

Good morning WISH friends,

The past few days have been tough for me. I'm sorry I haven't posted sooner. I am trying to keep my focus on God and what He can do in my life and not focus on the problems that we have had the past couple of weeks and may have in the future. I have a great friend who reminded me in a phone conversation last night that I need to be thankful in all circumstances....that I need to look for the blessings of each day and not to focus on the worries. That is my goal for today.

Due to all of the work that I have and homeschooling, I probably won't be able to do a full length trip report on our vacation. I did want to share some of our trip with you and the highlights and not so highlights as well:

Sunday, September 16th: After a 16 hour road trip, we finally arrive in WDW! I head to the POP check in line and there are my DH's cousin, wife, and kids! We check in, get our luggage, and head to the hotel room. We absolutely love the room and the cute, little towel doggie that mousekeeping left on our windowsill. We head to Red Lobster for dinner and head back to POP where the kids hit the pool. DH's cousin and family leave for St.Pete, we check out the resort.

Monday, September 17th: Sleep in day. Spend some more time checking out the resort and head to Downtown Disney. We go to Chef Mickey's for dinner (Loved it! ) and the girls get lots of autographs. After dinner, we took the monorail to the Polynesian, got a Lapu Lapu (yummy!) and head to the beach for the electrical water parade (1st time) and Wishes. A very relaxing day!

Tuesday, September 18th: Grand Adventure in Cooking Day. My DDs have wanted to do the cooking class at the Grand Floridian for two years now. (We saw in on WDW Unwrapped on the Food Network.) We arrive at the Grand Floridian and have a heck of a time finding the Mouseketeer Club. After running around the resort, we finally find it. We check the girls in and my DH and I have some alone time to walk around the GF and just sit and chat. At 11:40 a.m., we pick our girls up and they distribute the desserts they made to GF guests. As we were leaving the GF, I found out that there was no actual cooking involved. All the girls did was spoon some strawberries on some cake and add whipped cream. I was very disappointed as the girls were looking forward to actually making something. They did get aprons and chef Mickey ears so it wasn't a total loss, but it's not something we will sign the girls up for again.

Later that evening, we head to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and Boma. The food was very good and it was cool to see some zebras, giraffes, and other animals roaming around.

Wednesday, September 19th (My 32nd Birthday); We woke up to rain. Not good. My DH was supposed to parasail and then we were going to head to the Magic Kindgom for the day. Sammy Duvall's called our room about an hour before we were supposed to arrive for parasailing and said that all excursions were canceled for the morning. DH didn't want to re-schedule so we just decided to head to the MK. We got to the MK and stopped at Guest Relations to get my birthday button. Then, we headed out to do some of our favorite rides: Buzz Lightyear, CoP, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain (big mistake!), POTC, Small World, e.t.c. Going on Splash Mountain proved to be a huge mistake! We got wet as another boat was coming down the hill and because there was limited sun that day, we stayed wet until we got back to the hotel later that evening.

We did have two new experiences that were great! The first was Monster's Inc Laugh Floor. This is a great show! The concept is a bit different than Crush and we were surprised at how good it was! The second was the Pirate's Tutorial in the MK. Captain Jack Sparrow showed up (the resemblance is AMAZING! ) and both my DD6 and I got to be part of the show.

That night we ate at Tony's Town Square. The food was great; the service was so-so. It was uncomfortable too because our clothes were still wet from Splash and they had the air conditioning on. Brrrr...

Thursday, September 20th: Breakfast at Cape May Cafe (and a Happy Birthday cake!) and dinner at Cap-n-Jacks. Downtown Disney and severe thunderstorms in between.

Friday, September 21st: Epcot....A wonderful day all the way around. Epcot is by far our favorite park and we just love the atmosphere there. We ate dinner at Le Cellier's for the first time and it was wonderful! Our waiter, Jason, made the experience a very pleasant one. I had a Glowing Blue Martini and the BBQ maple glazed fillet....Yummy! It was Extra Magic Hour that night so we stayed to see Illuminations and then headed to the American Adventure. After that, everyone was exhausted so we hit the Electric Umbrella for a quick bite and headed back to the hotel.

Saturday, September 22nd: Departure Day.... The good thing was that my DH booked us for free dining next year and the whole trip will cost us about $1200!

Highlights of the Trip:

* Red Lobster w/ family

* Chef Mickey's

* Boma/AKL

* Epcot

* Monster's Inc Laugh Floor

* Captain Jack Sparrow (and being part of the show! )

* Free dining

* POP Century (loved it! )

* Frozen Cokes at POP

* Towel Animals

* Happy Birthday wishes from CMs

*Le Cellier

Not so Highlights of Our Trip:

* The dining plan....The service in most locations was so so at best. Many times we had to wait for drink refills and the CMs were less than hospitable. The food in most cases was excellent though and well, it was free.

* Being wet all day in the MK....Note to self: Wear a poncho on Splash Mountain next time!

* Grand Adventures in Cooking....It did allow my DH and I to have some alone time at the Grand Floridian. I just wish the girls had had a hand in actually making the dessert. They were both so disappointed.

* Coming Home.....

Overall, it was a great trip. We had a great time and really had time to enjoy the resort and just relaxing. The only cloud was the hospital stay and the looming bill....

Today's Plan:

* Research for DH

* Soccer for DD6 (weather permitting)

* Walk

* Grocery Store (a MUST!)

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!

 

[MIdanceMom]

Hi Tracy,

It sounds like you had a magical trip. Thank you so much for the trip report. I always love hearing about the house of Mouse.

Keep your chin up. Worrying about the bills that are to come, won't change them. Just get through today. You still have healing to do. You need to rest and relax a bit.

Take care,
Beth

 

[postesf]

HI Tracey! Thanks for check in on my journal! It's always nice to see a new name out there! WDW!!! That is fantastic! Wish I was there!

So sorry to hear about your health and financial worries!!! Just remember, like YOU say, baby steps... One thing at a time. As women, I think we tend to worry a lot anyway... We overwhelm ourselves! Your health--you CAN change that. YOU have control over that. The bills--not so much. They are what they are. Worrying over them will not change them, take them away or make paying them any easier. You do what you can and try to stay positive and happy along the way. I know it's not easy, but try not to let it get you down.

I'll be thinking about you!!! Wishing you the best! We are all here for you!!!
Stacie

 

[Amy&Dan]

Ahh, a Lapu Lapu. Now that is a great thing! I have had that happen on Splash Mtn., too. In fact last December that really made our night at MVMCP a bit on the cold side. So I can really relate to that. It sounds like in all you had a great trip, and I am so glad you did the bounceback program! I know for me, I can handle life a lot easier if I have a WDW trip to look forward to!

Just keep reflecting and concentrating on letting God do His work. You will get there Tracy, its just a winding road sometimes! And thanks for always being there for me in my life/journal! Welcome home, hope you are feeling tons better.

 

[keenercam]

Tracy -- Your trip sounds awesome! You did so many of our favorite things and it is so fun to think we've shared those same experiences!

I am glad you had your friend to talk to and that you are looking for blessings in every day. I think a HUGE blessing is knowing you have next year's trip to plan for!!

Have a great night, Tracy! Know that your WISH friends are here thinking of you and keeping you in our hearts!

 

[toystoryduo]

Thanks everyone for stopping by and for your words of encouragement.

I am not feeling well at all today. What I thought were fall allergies have turned into one humdinger of a cold or flu. I feel miserable! I'm going to take it easy today and spend some time chilling and watching TV. Maybe even read a book. I also see a nap in my future.

I will try and get to journals later on if I feel better or tomorrow morning. Have a great day everyone!

 

[toystoryduo]

Beth~ Thanks for your words of encouragement. I know I need to stop worrying so I can focus on getting healthy again. I'm hoping a good book and a Disney movie marathon will help take my mind off of the impending bills. Thank you for your support.

Stacie~ Thanks for stopping by and for your words of encouragement! I'm gonna try and do the baby step thing. Thanks!

Amy~ Thanks WISH sis! I hope you know how much I appreciate you and your friendship.

Cam~ Thank you so much! Your words have blessed my heart. Thank you!

 

[AmyBeth68]

Feel better Tracy!!! These colds that have been going around are really nasty. Make sure you get lots of water today.

 

[MIdanceMom]

Hi Tracy,

This cold is a nasty one. The only thing that seems to kick it is rest. Don't worry about food and exercise right now. Focus on getting better. You really pushed yourself going on the trip after your hospitalization. I would have done the same thing. However, your boay is telling you to rest and recover. Listen to your bosy, sweetie.

Feel better,
Beth

 

[keenercam]

Tracy -- Sending you to feel better soon!