New car

Much nicer than the other attempt. A little too nice for us. I am afraid we are gonna junk it up. It is pretty though and we all fit fairly well.
It is a blue Toyota Avalon. Much cooler than a van. It is not as roomy but great for driving around town. It was my Mom's. We are taking over payments on it. She got the new silver Avalon and Mike is driving the old red Sephia. Why he would want the Sephia over the Avalon I don't know. He is a little crazy but good hearted.

Big Girl Bed

Kay got her big girl bed. How did she grow up so fast? Taylor helped me assemble the new bed and Jeff took down the crib for the last time.

Kay has always been so good about going to bed when she is sleepy. She loves her crib and sometimes just hangs out in there when she wakes up. I thought she would probably be fine with her new bed but I worried that she might have a little trouble with the change.

Reading a bedtime story with Bub.

The first night she fell out once before she went to sleep. I heard her hit the floor then she said uh oh. I think she was just so used to the crib bars being there she flopped over too far. She got up one time and started to wander around the house. I walked her back to bed and said it's night night time you stay in bed and sleep unless it's an emergency. She fell out again around 3 am but the bed is so low to the floor she didn't even really wake up.

She has made the adjustment very well. She doesn't fall out anymore and she stays put. She is such a good girl.

Crazy Who hair.

It's standing strait up.

Bubble time. She slept really good after all this fun.

So much fun!

Cam's silly bubble face.

This is why the poor child needed a new bed. She was napping in the fireplace ashes.

Poor little Cinderella.

Painting fun

This is one part of the kitchen that is finished. We even replaced the light switch cover with a new brushed nickle finish that matched our faucet. The walls are pale yellow. The color is called Summer Wish. My Summer wish is to be done with painting.

Part of our tax return went to buying the rest of the paint we needed to finally finish painting the house. We have been here almost a year now and we still haven't finished the painting we started, we have done about half the house. We haven't hung any curtains and very few pictures. I think we keep expecting someone to come and tell us there has been a mistake we aren't allowed to live in this nice of a house and we have to get out.

Enough is enough already it is time to really settle in. So I have a giant never ending list of crap to do. I always do but now it has things on it like removing wallpaper, painting, hanging pictures and curtains. My list is 3 pages single spaced typed and some of the items on it are things like plan a birthday party for the boys and remodel the bathrooms. Really you could have a sub list of a dozen more things just under each of those.

First item was to finish painting the kitchen because it had already been started when we ran out of paint. Also we got one free can of paint in that color because the can sprung a leak while they were shaking it up. I figured I better use that first before it leaked all over eternity.

I thought it would take 2 or 3 days to paint the kitchen. It is not a very large kitchen. A week later we will still not be done. This is partly because I am a perfectionist and a little OCD. I decided all the interior surfaces needed to be painted as well. Even way back in the recesses of the cabinets were no one will ever look again. It just had to be. So a week extra and another gallon of paint purchased and it will still not be finished. So glad we get an awesome discount at Ace.

This is one of the weird places Kay likes to store half eaten bananas but it also is a good before shot of the hardware and color of the drawers and cabinets. I think this barn type hardware was used in every home built in our area in the 50's. It is very hard to keep clean because it tarnishes and it has lots of dimples to gather dirt. So happy to see them go.

Here are my practical real life painting tips:

Start from the top. That way if you start to fall off of your ladder you can still catch yourself on the unpainted lower section of wall without getting covered in paint.

Paint the most visible section first. You will really feel you have accomplished something and if you poop out before finishing the rest you will still have a nice section to look at.

It is easy to poop out. Painting is not fun after about 30 minutes and trust me it will take a lot longer than 30 minutes to finish even a small project. Just keep going. Eventually you will run out of things to paint.

This is very important. Only work in one room at a time. It may seem to make sense to tape off all the rooms and paint all the trim at the same time but DO NOT attempt this. Several rooms in a shambles all at once is a sure fire free ticket to your nearest mental health institution. Just do one room. You will feel a sense of accomplishment when you totally finish a project. Also you need at least one safe room to escape to for sanity breaks. Try to keep one room neat and untouched so you can get away because Calgon won't help you.

Think you don't have enough kitchen cabinets? Start painting and you'll wish you had less.

The kitchen is the hardest room because it has so many surfaces. Also you can't totally keep people out of it. We all gotta eat. so you have visitors the entire time you are working. Be well rested before you start this project because you won't get much sleep once you start.

You learn interesting things about your house while painting. You find past paint colors hidden away in little seen areas. Our kitchen has been at least orange, grey, slate blue, and puce in the past. The old kitchen flooring was linoleum tiles that were black with rainbow flecks. The stove was once gas and the water heater was once in the area that is now the pantry. Someone put in new counter tops and in the process buried one of those old fashioned slide out wooden cutting boards. I have fun trying to imagine what all those colors and features looked like when they were together.

Painting is much harder when you have a 2 year old climbing on your back. See if grandma wants to play.

The phone will always ring or a child will need something when your hands are hopelessly covered in paint.

The room you are painting, no matter which room it is, will become a kid magnet. It will suddenly for some inexplicable reason become the most fascinating place on the planet. Be prepared.

Most importantly. Pick a color you love. If you don't love it lie because I am never painting again.

Technology - a sticker that can zap you in the butt

I have been going to physical therapy for my back. I usually have to bring at least one child with me to the appointment. Because I have small children in the room I usually don't get to use the E stem machine which is sad because I love the E stem machine. If you have ever used one you understand.

I am not willing to risk being alone in a room with two, two year olds who like to push buttons while I am hooked up to a machine that is electrically stimulating the muscles in my back. I am afraid they would have too much fun shocking the snot out of me.

They have this cool new doo dad that is really fun though. They stick this big sticker on your butt that has a little battery built in. Then you go on about your business and the sticker zaps you in the butt and sends medicine into your bloodstream through your skin. How did I not know about this amazing device? How have I lived without it this long?

The silver lining to having an army of ants taking over your house - they eat termites.

Jeff says I have a sickeningly optimistic personality. I tend to point out the good things that happen as a result of the bad things that happen. This weeks subject-Ants. They are everywhere. Every sink, every room, on the ceiling. They fall on you, they climb on your food and late at night when its real quiet you can hear them laughing at you. Nothing we tried discouraged the never ending influx. We put out traps, we sprayed all the doors and windows inside and out, we sprayed the entire yard. I finally said enough, we need to call in some professional help. The exterminator type not the psychiatrist type. Although we could probably use both.

When the man came out to spray I told him they had even built a nest in the interior side of the door frame that goes to the back yard. "Um, ants don't do that" he says. So I take him in the back and show him. "Well, those may be ants but that is a termite nest. Ants eat termites."

So the ants are annoying but they may have eaten enough termites to keep the damage to a minimum. Even so they found 4 active termite colonies just in the back yard. So now we have to have the whole termite treatment done. The lowest bid we found was 1,100. What can you do but pay up and hope they don't eat your entire house.

Hurt back

I hurt my back at work April 20th. I thought I would be OK so I kept working through the 24th (I had a few days off during that time) but it continued to get worse. I will be out of work for at least two weeks. The x-rays look OK so it should just be a muscle strain. No lifting allowed.

It's spring start cleaning!

It's that time of year. The weather is getting nice outside. I have been cleaning everything and getting the yard all nice. We still have so many leaves covering the yard. The flowers are starting to bloom. Everything is getting green. I love playing outside with the kids.

The azaleas are blooming.

Cam and his slinky.

Kay blowing on the pinwheel.

Happy girl.

I like this picture because it looks like the ball is hovering.

I don't know what these flowers are. They are kinda like honeysuckle but purple.

The bees are really liking them too. They are so pretty though.

Cam kicks the ball.

Cam contemplating his bandage

Kay kicks the ball.

Kay digging in the flower pots. Getting dirty is her favorite outside activity.

Cam on the slide.

Kay on the slide.

In the bouncer.

Kay and Maddison out for a walk.

The first peonies bloom.

BBQ at our place

We had a BBQ for Sarah and Taylor's birthdays. We hadn't had a party since Christmas because the weather has been so bad. It was nice to have everyone over again.

Singing happy birthday.

Checking out the cake.

Kay, Grandma, Courtney, and Sarah singing.

Blowing out the candles together.

YUM!

Taxes, Unions and working in a prison or a combat zone

We went and did our taxes today. That is always so fun. When they typed in my employer number it showed up as a military base so she started asking me if I spent any time in active combat. Well, it depends on the day but, no I do not work for the military.

Anyway, we should get our return in the next week or so. We plan to use it for house repairs and for a down payment on a used car and hopefully a swing set for the kids.

I got a call from the OK health program this week. It is a benefit offered by the state where they set you up with a mentor to help you get healthy. It sounds like a good plan. When they called they thought I worked in a prison. Again, depends on the day but, no not officially.

I am so glad I joined the union. I had a mediation session set up with the director of HR and the big boss at work to settle the problems with the payroll error they made. Because I am in the union they provide representation to help me with the process. All I wanted to accomplish was getting them to admit they handled the situation incorrectly and make sure they don't do this to anyone else in the future. I did not make the mistake, they did, and they continued to make it worse by not following the proper procedures to make it right. The union rep called the HR Director and she apologised and said I didn't do anything wrong. She said it was over and they wouldn't pursue it any further. They used some of my accrued leave to pay back the money. That is fine with me because I can't get a day off anyway unless someone dies or I get hurt. All that leave will just sit there till doomsday or it expires. You think I am gonna get a vacation any time soon? HA!

Birthdays AKA What!? Taylor can't be 15.

The kids with Taylor's cake.

Kay enjoying Daddy's cake.

Jeff had his 36th on March 29th and Taylor had his 15th on April 6th. Yep that's right I said 15th. How the heck did that happen? Taylor can't possibly be 15. I am not that old. He will be able to start driving soon. Ahhhh!

We had a quiet celebration at home. I made a cake then had to go to work. Taylor got to go see the superhero movie with his Grandma. We are going to do a double birthday for Cam and Tay later when it is nicer weather. Taylor is a pretty awesome 15 year old.

Jeff on his birthday.

Kay likes cupcakes.

Cam does too.

The cake for Taylor that Cam decorated. It has a giant fake candle on top.

Living large like a VIP theatre event

The grand entrance.


Danielle is the manager of the new Warren's theatre in Moore and Russ manages the restaurants. They have been working hard to get the theatre and restaurant up and running. They had a family and friends night before the opening to train the new employees and make sure everything was working. We were able to attend and it was lots of fun. We were able to see a movie, have drinks and popcorn and play in the arcade all for free. We also went on a tour of the building. I took some pictures before I found out only the press is allowed to do that. Oops, sorry. I will just pretend I am with the press and share my pics anyway. I am writing a good report and I don't plan to steal the theatres designs.

Dad and Kay on the motorcycle game.

Taylor enjoys a game of pinball.

Cam and Grandma liked Ms. Pac-Man.

The theatre rooms are amazing. The picture and sound are the best quality and the decor is beautiful. Everything is art deco and velvet curtains and ushers opening the door for you. It feels like you are attending a special fancy event. The seats are the same design as the bucket seats in a Ford Mustang and very comfy and spacious.

If you really want a special treat you can see a movie from the balcony. They have a bar and a restaurant up there and can deliver your food and drinks right to your seat so you can dine without missing any of your movie. The seats are extra big and heated or cooled at the push of a button. Some of the seats are couches so you can snuggle extra close with your sweetie. It is 21 to enter so you won't have anyone crying or kicking the back of your seat. Well, unless the adults start doing that.

The restrooms are very spacious and have plenty of room for changing babies or fixing your hair and makeup, depending on your priorities. They have a fireplace and sitting area near the restrooms so if you have to wait for someone you can do it in style. The entire building is very spacious so you don't feel boxed in even when it is very busy.

The downstairs restaurant is very yummy and affordable. We fed the whole gang (family of 5) for about 25 bucks. The kids really liked the jukebox. The kids also thought the popcorn station in the snack area was cool. They have flavoring stations set up so you can add your own seasonings to your corn.

Everything was very clean in the restrooms, restaurants and theatre. They have an army of employees sweeping and polishing. Awesome place and lots of fun. We plan to visit again soon.

It's over!

Finally, that ordeal is over.

The police called me back this morning and said I was absolutely right to tell that "Detective" I would not give him the car. They said no detective would have called me and threatened me that way and they advised I not turn that car over to anybody until I got confirmation from Big Red.

They said if I was called or threatened again or if someone came to my house to call them back and they would come help.

I then went back to trying to contact the dealership. I wanted them to come get the car off of my property immediately. I called the cell number I was given on Sunday again and still got no answer. I left another message saying someone needs to call me and come pick up this car. I also told them I thought they had a horrible way of conducting business. I didn't appreciate them having some bogus detective call me and threaten me.

Then I called the main line and got the receptionist. I told her I needed to talk to someone in charge so I could get some answers. She said none of the managers arrive until 9:00. So I explained my situation to her. She seemed a bit shocked at everything that had gone on. I told her I appreciated her help and that I understood that she had nothing to do with the situation but that I would really like for her to make sure the right person gets my message. The main point of the message being - come get this car and I don't want to have anything more to do with you.

Big Red called back about 45 minutes later and hung up on me when I answered. They called back again a few minutes later and it was Derek Sills, the car salesman. He wanted to work something out. I told him the car is at my house come get it. He said he was sending the "Detective". I said he is welcome to it as long as you say I can release it to him.

I went ahead and told him how I felt about the situation. I told him what the "Detective" had said when he talked to me and how rude he was. I told them I had called the police and they said they were really walking the the line on keeping it legal. It is illegal to impersonate a police officer but it is not illegal to claim you are a detective. Saying you are a detective with a badge that works for the state is pushing it.

He told me that they didn't tell the detective to say those things and that he would check up on that. I said he is representing your business so it doesn't matter if he was told to say those things or not the fact that he did reflects badly on you. Threatening people who have done nothing wrong is no way to conduct business. I have been honest in my dealings with you from the beginning and you have continually lied to me. Why didn't you just call and say we need the car returned?

He said they couldn't get in touch with me (I guess they never thought to try one of the 5 numbers or email we gave them) so it is standard procedure to get their detective on it. I said I have been calling and sending email and not getting a return call. How can you say you can't get in touch with me? So he said we were playing phone tag. All they had to do was leave a message saying they needed to come get the car and that they couldn't get the deal worked out.

I told him that on Friday I was left a message saying the paperwork had been turned in so I was lied to again. I told him I had already called the police and reported them and that I would report it to the better business bureau as well as every Internet rating site I could find. I plan to write to the newspaper and tell everyone I know what they did so no one else will be treated that way.

So he started saying now you don't need to go and do that we can work this all out. It doesn't need to be like that. Just come on in and we can get you into a different car. We got some nice vans that just came in. We still have your trade you don't want to have to bring it somewhere else and start all over.

Are you seriously still trying to sell me a car?! I think the dealership is being run my demented monkeys. I said I don't think so. I am done with you.

I went to the car max site and they have the same car for less and will give me cash for my trade. Their salespeople don't work on commission so they just sell you the car you want when you want it. No pressure. The person called me back within 5 minutes and was very polite and helpful. They can have the car we want shipped to the OKC store or they can call us when the OKC store gets one.

So when we get our tax return we will replace the car and get a much better deal.

I am so happy to be done with this. I had to deal with the people at Big Red for 3 weeks and wanted to strangle them. I would not have been happy locked into a long term contract with them.

Another point, when I was arguing with Derrick over the legitimacy of their hired "detective" he kept insisting that he does work for the state so he was not misrepresenting himself. I think he is confused between someone who is licensed by the state (Which he may be. I am guessing a state licensed private investigator.) and someone who works for the state. I am licensed to drive in the state of Oklahoma that does not mean that I work as a driver for the state. Why would the state hire someone to work recovering cars for a privately owned car dealership? Come on people use your brains a little.

Also as I suspected they took in our trade solely to try to force us into doing business with them. Not cool.

Our tow truck driver buddy is interested in buying the car. He will go pick it up no problem. Then if he wants to buy it it's super easy to arrange. So the cost of towing is not an issue and not a deterrent to taking our business else where.

Did I mention the car was filthy, totally out of gas, and had 600 miles on it after we drove it around for free for 3 weeks. Yeah, they are a pain in the ass but I am OK with that deal. I am not really any worse off than I was 3 weeks ago other than being very annoyed and upset for a few days. They however, now have a car that was brand new that they thought they were gonna get over 15,000 for sitting on their lot looking a mess with 600 miles on it and they got no money for it. They will probably take a loss on the vehicle because they shouldn't be able to pass it off as new. Just in case they try the VIN # is KNAFG525077087179

So if you buy a car in the next few months with that VIN I can tell you it is not new it is used. Get a discount!

I really hope they do not plan to try to get us to pay for the car to be cleaned or anything else. We were told the car belonged to us and we drove it and used it because it was supposed to be ours. We have kids, things get a bit messy.

Oh Wait, It Gets Better.

 

You are not gonna believe this.

 

I called the 250-1991 number from the email this morning and it says "The subscriber you have dialed is not in service. Message number OK 0156."

That is about as helpful as I have come to expect them to be. I called the 808 6241 number which is the only one I have found with a voice mail service and I left another message. I told them I needed someone to call me back that I need to know what is going on and that if they don't intend to work out a contract with me they need to send someone from the dealership to pick up the car.

 

I got a message on my answering machine from a "Detective" Duke (wonder if he is related to David?) it just said to call him back. That seemed weird to me so we looked up his number on the Internet. He is listed on a web page called Fugitive Recovery Network out of Oklhpma City. I figure if the guy can't spell the city and state he lives in he is probably not too much of a threat. Um, last I checked I am not a fugitive and I was intrigued so I called him back. 

 

He said he had been hired by Big Red to recover the car I refused to return. He wanted to know why I thought I didn't have to return the car that belonged to them. Big Red has not told me to return the car. The last communication I had from them on Friday said that they had turned in the paperwork. I have left messages and sent emails and no one has called me back to explain what the next step is. They keep saying they are working on it and that they will get back to us. I really think the entire dealership has gone completely out of their minds. They are so out of touch with reality they don't know what is the truth anymore.

So this Gary person says that is not true. That the dealership has told me that they need the car back and that they can't help me. He wants to come to my house and pick up the car. I have no intention of giving some creepy stranger my address so he can come over while I am at home alone with my children. I have no intention of putting the keys in the car and leaving it in our driveway for anyone who happens by to steal it. I am not turning the car over to him I don't know who he is. If the dealership wants the car they need to send someone from the dealership to pick it up so I know it has been released to the right people.

Well, he didn't like that answer. He wanted to come get the car and asked if I would be home. I told him I am going to work soon. So he said fine I will come to your work and pick it up. I told him I work at a state facility and we have security gates, they won't let you in. He said he works for the state too and he would show his badge. It doesn't matter they won't let you in unless you have a badge showing you work there or a badge showing you are a state trooper. The police department has no jurisdiction there because it is state property.

So then he said he would go to my husbands work. I told him to forget it he doesn't have the car and he won't turn over the car key to someone he doesn't know.

I again said I would turn over the car to the dealership. I want to protect myself and make sure the car goes to the right people. He said well I can see why they hired me you have a really bad attitude. He then threatened me by saying they would take me to court and that it was against the law to keep a car that they had asked be returned.

 

I would say that is the point that it got really ugly. He has implied that I am a liar, he has threatened me and stated that I am doing something criminal. I told him all of that was not true. I have not done anything wrong. I am saying I will return the car if the dealership calls me and says they want it back and send someone from the dealership to pick it up. I then said I would call the police department and let them work it out. He really didn't like that idea. No, no, no you don't need to call the police. They won't do anything. This is a civil matter not a criminal matter so they won't get involved. This was a big red flag for me. Why would he have a problem with me contacting the police for advice? If they are doing everything right and I am doing everything wrong as he claims it seems like he would want the police involved.

I told him again I had no intention of turning the car over to him but I would be happy to talk with someone at the dealership. I got him to give me a cell phone number for someone named Robert January who is the finance manager. I guess this is the person who contacted him but I have never heard of this person. Gary assured me that when I talked with Robert he would tell me to turn the car over to him. I said thank you and hung up.

I called the number and, here's a shocker, no one answered. I left a message. I told them someone needs to call me ASAP. If they want the car someone from the dealership needs to come pick it up.

Then I called the police department. I never knew the police department actually closes on Sunday. You can call 911 but the non emergency number is not answered on Sunday. I don't really feel this is a 911 kind of thing so I left a message with Beverly in investigations and asked her to please call me back. I really hope she can offer some advice in this matter tomorrow morning.

Wow, I can't believe what a mess they are causing. 

All they had to do was be honest and say we can't help you bring the car back. They seem to have an aversion to telling the truth though.

They also still have possession of my trade in.

I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens in the morning when everything is open again.

Hopefully I won't go to prison for my evil genius criminal ways. I guess if I was gonna get in trouble for "stealing" a vehicle I should have gone for something more expensive and made a break for the border.

Yep, they still suck.

Update

I didn't hear anything from the dealership Wednesday. Thursday after I left home for the day someone named Derrick Fields ? called and left a message to call them back. Derrick is the one that Jeff talked to on Monday and he said he would check with his boss and call us back. Then someone named Jerry/Larry Pile/Powers ? (can't understand what he says) called and also left a message saying he had a couple of ways to get this all worked out but he needed us to call him back.

Yeah, did I mention that I had been waiting to hear from them since Monday? Now they act like I am the one not calling them back.

So Friday morning I called the number this Jerry/Larry guy left and tell them who I am and that I am returning a call but I am not sure who I need to talk to. They ask who my finance person was, that name I do know, Edwin Marx. Well, he is too busy to talk, of course, so they have me leave a number so they can call back. I carefully spelled out my name and gave them my cell number because I have a better chance of catching that. Then I went off to haul a large amount of fire wood to my Moms. Of course the cell rang when I left it in the car. The message said:

Friday 1:41

Uh, this is uh, Kenny over at Big Red returning your call. I turned everything in yesterday at about 12:30. You may want to check with your bank to see how long it takes to bill to your account. It should show some kind of reading on your account as pending. Thanks for your help.

What is he talking about? I have no idea. This makes it sound like they went ahead and put the paperwork through and they are gonna bill my bank account for the payment. So Friday after I got home from work I called every number I had for Big Red. One had a voice mail service and I left a message. I said I need to talk with someone. I keep getting different answers from different people and I need to know what is going on.

Saturday I still had no call back so I went to the web site and sent an email. I told them I needed to talk to someone about the car I had bought and that I wanted a copy of their privacy policy.

This is the response I got from the email:

Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for your inquiry with Big Red Sports/Imports. For over 33 years Big Red Sports/Imports has taken great pride to treat our customers with respect and appreciation. Our Internet Team was created to provide you with the "no hassle" experience you deserve. We take great pride in offering first class pre-owned vehicles and offering some of America's finest new vehicle products.

Once again please accept my sincere thanks for shopping with Big Red Sports/Imports. We look forward to working for you. One of the members of our Internet Team will attempt to reach you by phone and email as soon as possible. If you are in a hurry please call us immediately at 405-364-4400.

To be pre-approved for a loan with good or bad credit click here

If for any reason your expectations or concerns are not being addressed in the proper way, please call my boss, Tom Drommond, immediately. His cell phone number is 405-250-1991. I hope you never need to call him, but I'm committed to you having the best online buying experience, regardless.
D'Shawn Coddington

Big Red Sports/Imports418 N. Interstate Dr.Norman, OK 73072

So we are still driving the car. I will try calling the number from the email in the morning. If they ever do call me back I plan to tell them they can come pick it up when ever they are ready. Even if they get the deal that I want worked out I have no interest in doing business with them. They have no concept of customer service skills or how to run a business. They are so disorganized and dishonest I would constantly worry about what stupid thing they would try next.

They have at least 5 different contact numbers for us plus my email and they still can't seem to get in contact with us. Crazy.

They are welcome to the car. The car that we have now been driving for free for 2 1/2 weeks, that has been keyed down the right side, that is filthy inside and out, that the birds have pooped all over. That now has 550 miles on it, that I used to haul dirty firewood, that sister peed in and spilled her milk cup in. That I may or may not have run over a opossum in (hopefully that will take care of THIS problem).

I wish them luck in selling it for the price we had agreed upon to someone else. It ain't a new car anymore.

Here are the giant mounds of fire wood I hauled in the back of the car. I also hauled a bunch of junk from our garage. It is a bit funky back there now.