Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Tip

A good night's sleep makes everything feel better.


(So Mom was right after all!)

Monday, December 28, 2009

Poem from Bro Halff

Joy

Every year
Christmas
pops up,
whether we are ready
or not:
inconvenient, unrelenting,
always too soon
to arrive --
bringing with it
its flurry
of demands,
and a snowstorm
of unfulfilled perfections;
it tumbles us
forward
into a new year,
and insists
that in the frigid
night sky,
we see
that both the stars
and we
move.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Happy Birthday, Mami!

(photo by Scott Snyder on Mother's Day, 2009)

Today is mi madre's birthday and she is better than ever! Happy birthday to the greatest Mom in the world!

Love, Ally
oxxo

Friday, December 11, 2009

Three Hours of My Life I'll Never Get Back

So apparently someone - we shall call her "JH" - has been using my debit card to purchase their credit report online, and the monthly fees have been coming out of my bank account for three months! [And Merrrry Christmas to you too!]

This resulted in me spending inordinate amounts of time on the phone, at the police department, and at the bank, trying to get the charges reversed. And in lovely holiday fashion, one of the charges this week sucked the last remaining scraps of life out of my account, so I also got a hefty overdraft fee. Ho! Ho! Ho!

When, at the police station, I told my little story to Officer Nice-n-Beefy, he said I would need to pay $12 to get the police statement printed out so I could send it to the online company (blah blah blah). I said, "But that's crazy!"

He replied, "I deal in crazy."

Well, JH, you missed your chance baby. You shoulda bought that flat screen TV or gone to Maui, or at the very least gotten a mani/pedi/wax for the holidays.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

~Ally

p.s. Officer N-n-B said petty thefts are very high this time of year, so hold on to your purses at WallyWorld, gals, and Scottie, don't leave your cell phone in the car!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Grace-full Day

Had many moments of grace fall upon me today. Am grateful for:
1) Call early this morning to walk the two enormous and sweet dogs of our neighbor.
2) Good talk with co-worker.
3) Opportunity to work on and move forward a bankruptcy case I'd like to finish in the next week or so.
4) Good visit with OB/GYN and no new problems.
5) Dr.'s office being cool about me not paying my copay today.
6) Pharmacy coupon and the wonderful woman who let me pay for my prescription with a sad little baggie of rolled pennies and coins, even though what I had wasn't quite enough.
7) Good visit with Dad's "grave" at the cemetery.
8) Energetic and fun walk with the dogs, accompanied by another kind neighbor and two friendly dogs she had with her.
9) An email finally from my sister!
10) Wonderful husband who brought home much-needed groceries unexpectedly!!
11) Relieving talk with NH Unemployment who will probably process my claim without much delay.
12) Time to nap.
13) Free coffee from White Mountain Coffee (thank you TD Banknorth).
14) Beautiful full moon.
15) Sweet, loving family that will not change even as the trials of life continue to appear.

Good life and I am thankful for it.
~Ally