Healthcare

Argh..for some reason I can't seem to post from my phone anymore, which made quickie blogging so easy.. so I haven't blogged in some time now.  It's not for lack of things on my mind.  It's weird because putting my thoughts on a blog puts them out to the world for anyone to see, but somehow it feels like a safe place to vent, or blab, or just get things off my chest when I need to. 

Today I need to talk about healthcare.  Is it just me or does it feel like a ponzi-scheme waiting to blow?  I mean.. seriously, I think it's like the subprime mortgage crisis of 08.  This big ugly catastrophe that's been packaged with a bow waiting to rip through the pretty paper and tear our heads off.  And everyone's just going along with it. Only unlike the subprime mess, we are all forced to participate.  If there was a way to short Obamacare I'd do it.  It's set up to fail and I'd bet money on it.  And I'm pretty sure that's Obama's plan, let it fail then swoop down and clean up the mess by officially socializing our country.

Let's look at some statistics.  My source is US News & Money. It says here that the top 5% of earners in this country make over $150,000, the top 1% make over $250,000 annually.  Now get scared.  Here is Obama's income chart.   The highest end of the chart, a family of 6 making $127,880 and above, doesn't qualify for any lowered premiums.  (Read, they will be paying through the nose to subsidize everyone else's).  Also, anyone single or with up to 3 dependents has an even lower income ceiling. That means the top 5% (ok, maybe more like 7% as it goes all the way down to $46,680 for a single person but I'm going to keep the math easy and estimated) is paying for the bottom 95% and there simply isn't enough money to squeeze out of the 5% to go around to 95% of the country. The math doesn't work.  The average income in this country is around $50,000 which means most of the country qualifies for lowered premiums.  And who's footing the bill?  The 5%.

Our family does not qualify for lowered premiums, in fact Humana just told us our 2015 premium would jump to $1200/mo plan and that's with the highest deductible. Luckily we found Liberty Share and that will only cost us $450/mo for a $1500 deductible.  I'm not promoting them or do I get any compensation from others joining, but I just want to tell people.. it's an option.  Taylor is self employed so we have to find our own coverage.  I just am wondering what other self employed people are doing that don't qualify for 'lowered premiums'..?  Anyone??  It's crazy that we could be paying the cost of a mortgage for health coverage.  Luckily we found another solution but Obama's whole premise rests on the 5% paying into this ponzi scheme or else it will collapse.  

Sunset painting

I worked on my painting more today. I think I'm almost done.
Andrew is 3 and a half months old now. He's such a good baby and the love of my life. I could just cuddle him all day.

I got my paints out of the basement yesterday. It's been awhile. Forgot how much fun it was. Clouds are tricky. Especially storm clouds. But every time I look at the sky I'm taken back by the beauty of it and I'm determined to capture some of it somehow.

The competition, school starting, etc.

Taylor's big competition was on Friday. My friend Maryam and I went to cheer him on. He didn't win anything other than a super fit body but he was glad he did it. I'm proud of him for working so hard for it

Andrew continues to be the cutest baby on the planet. He's had an actual schedule the past few days with a long nap in the morning and another in the afternoon so I've been able to get some things done.

My oldest three are back in school. The house is quiet again. Except when Andrew's awake.

Emi made the freshman volleyball team and she has a lot of practices for that as well as two games per week. She also started early morning seminary this week so she's been going to bed earlier.

Olivia is in three dance classes this year and Evan's doing karate which makes for busy evenings.

I'm always a little sad when they all head off to school in the fall but happy to have them busy with school and activities and all the new things they're learning.

Newborn Andrew

Found a pic from the day after I had Andrew

Newborn stuff, designer jeans, and spray tans

Wow this newborn stuff is hard.  I forgot how hard.  I mean, it's been 8 years since the last time I did this.  And life was sane and normal and pretty easy so we decided to have another baby and make it insane, abnormal and really hard.  But we do love Andrew.  With a face like his how could you not?
He's my most demanding baby.  He eats nonstop (no really, I'm not kidding) and if he's awake but not eating, he's pretty sure he's supposed to have someone holding him, preferably standing up, swaying, cooing, etc.  It's  a full time job.  I think he's a socialist.  He thinks the world owes this all to him while he just lays there, eating and pooping.  Definitely a socialist.
So I've learned to do many things with one hand, while holding Andrew.  In case a shark ever bit off one of my arms, I think I could actually manage.  Well, but then I'd only have one arm to hold Andrew and no arms to do anything else with. So maybe I won't hang out surfing in the ocean in my really hot bikini.
Which brings me to another topic.  I'm happy to be fitting back into my pre-pregnancy jeans.. well mostly except my muffin top which slightly hangs over, but I have low-rise jeans so its ok.  So Maryam and I went shopping today and I got me some designer jeans- Hudsons.  Yes, it's true, I've never spent over $40 on a pair of jeans I don't think.  But we found some bargains and Nordstrom Rack, $90 for $190 jeans.  It was a good day.

I can explain.  So..let's see.. where to start.  Taylor has a patient that's a personal trainer.  The trainer, Jason, convinced Taylor that he should enter the Warrior competition in Loveland.  Taylor finally relented and has been training for it for several months now.  His side of the bathroom now has such items as exfoliant, various body washes, pre-tan spray, wax kits, foot scruber thingy, and so on. Tonight he got his spray tan in preparation for his show tomorrow.   Tomorrow my husband will walk out on a stage in front of thousands (well.. we're really not sure how many people will be there, but a guy can dream) and pose for judges and the audience.  You could be staring at the next GAP model.  Or Abercrombie.  Or Fruit of the Loom.  Maybe he will quit dentistry and go pro.  I really am proud of how hard he's worked. But I tell you what, I never saw this coming.  Can I just say that being with a man whose skin is smoother than yours is a little.. uh.. strange? Yeah, lots of things have been a little strange about this.  Like tonight for example.  His trainer said he gets a burger and fries tonight before the big day tomorrow. (He has a very controlled diet, hasn't had any fast food in months).  So we get to the Wendy's drive thru and it's raining.  Taylor's driving and he pulls up to pay and he says to me 'hon, can you reach across with the credit card?  It's raining. I can't get my arm wet. '  And I'm like 'uh, no'.  I mean, we're in his stick shift Jeep and that would pretty much not work for me to climb across.  So then he turns to the guy in Wendy's and he says 'Hold on, I need to back up and pull in closer. I just got a spray tan and I can't get it wet.'  I'm just holding my head down trying not to look at the dumbfounded cashier. 'Really?' I ask.  'Yeah, really, I can't get my skin wet.  My tan will like discolor.' And I thought my teenage daughters were drama queens.  

So that girl from a previous post I was trying to forgive?  You're wondering how that ended.  Well it hasn't really ended and I'm finding that forgiveness looks more like a volatile stock price than a linear equation.   If you're trying to forgive someone in your life I have a suggestion.  Fake it till you make it and don't worry if it takes a long time to 'make it'.  Forgiveness is much easier from a distance.  But when you have to see the person on a regular basis like I do.. your forced to deal with it.  So my best solution is to fake it even when I'm not feeling an ounce of nice thoughts to her. I smile and say hi even though inside I'd like to punch her. Sometimes. Hate is heavy.  It's really tiring to carry around. So I'm learning to deal with the hate that wells up in me, trying to replace it with anything because really, anything is better than feeling hate.  Hobbies, work, etc., as long as I don't have to think about it. 

Ok now I have to go to bed.. but I will post the results of the competition tomorrow.

Andrew Taylor Workman

Born 6/19/14 @ 7:30pm, 8pounds, 19.5 inches long

Forgivenes

I've recently had to forgive someone in my life.  It was hard.  Really hard.  I've never hated anyone before this.. and it's not a nice feeling.  I let myself hate this person for a few months until this past Sunday I couldn't take it anymore and called them up and said 'let's go for a walk'.  She (ok, I was going to keep it 'them' but that makes writing tricky) was probably really scared, because she was the 'offender' and felt terrible for what she did.  But she agreed.  It was a rainy Monday evening.  I went to our designated meeting place and since it was raining I got in her car.  She reached over and hugged me and I hugged her back.  She apologized again for what she had done.  I had only talked to her over the phone and felt we needed an in person meeting.  We talked until the rain cleared then we walked.  As we talked my feelings of hate for her started to diminish.  I finally have a little peace now that I can let go of the hate.  It doesn't excuse what she did, but it happened and I can't change that.  The only thing I have to work with is my own attitude and my decision to forgive.  All my life I've taught and been taught that we have to forgive others.  But it's a whole different story when something personal and hurtful happens to you or is done to you.  Then it's real and you have to search down deep to find if you have the strength to do the thing you know you should.  For a long time, I honestly didn't think I had it in me to be free of hating her.  But after a sincere prayer and some contemplation, I had the distinct impression that if I wanted to heal from this, I had to talk to her in person.  And tell her I forgave her.  I told her how I had hated her, how she hurt me, and how angry I was, which she knew but I had to say it in person.  Then I also was able to tell her that us talking was able to help those hateful feelings go away, and that I could forgive her and wanted her to be able to move on too.

We biked to the Crane Hollow cafe for a late breakfast. Taylor and I aren't in the pic..I was taking it. Olivia, her friend Kaitlin, and Evan.

Balance Sheet Love versus Love for Love's sake

I'm a numbers person by occupation and I think in terms of balance sheets, P&L statements, excel spreadsheets, etc.  Basically, I've always believed in a world where things are equal and balanced.  But I'm finding that doesn't apply to love.  Love is never balanced and we can never take that approach with it.  Why did I discover this?  Well, I'm a human being (yes, it's true, not just a disembodied blogger) with relationships around me- husband, children, friends, acquaintances, God. And I'm realizing the logic I'm about to explain applies to all those relationships.

Let's start with God.  If you believe in God, which I happen to, then one of the things you are trying to do in your life is show love for Him.  We do that by serving others, by studying scriptures, attending church, and all the things our church teaches us to do. But what happens when storms in life arise?  I remember calling my dad one day a few years ago and crying (I was 30 at the time) "Why when I'm doing all the things that I'm supposed to be doing is this still happening to me?".  I thought, if I'm doing what God asks, He should help me with that I'm asking for in my life.  Like a balance sheet.  My dad had to explain to my 30-yr-old self that sometimes really hard and bad things happen to good people that are trying to do the right things.  I get it now, but at the time I was confused and a little angry at this concept that I had to do everything I knew God wanted me to, and my life might or might not work out as planned.  I had to give unconditionally, with no expectations in return.  That's what Love for Love's sake is.  It's unconditional.  That's how God gives it to us, whether or not we realize it.

The same principle applies in marriage.  If we keep a balance sheet of love, it will never feel balanced, no matter how hard either spouse tries.  Part of that is because we all speak different love languages and what I do for my husband to show love may be different than his idea of a sign of love, and vise versa.  The challenge is to get to a place where we can give to our spouse without expectations in return.  At times it may feel like getting kicked in the teeth, especially when applying this principle to teenagers (I have one). But if you can hold on and continue in it, eventually it will pay off and transform your life.  You will feel increased love to the people you are sharing it with, and sooner or later they will share it back.

I know you are reading this right now thinking "I wish my spouse could be that for me. Show me unconditional love and do all those things I've been hoping and asking him/her to do."  See that's where our mistake lies.  We have to say.. "That's not what comes naturally to me, but I'm going to work on being better at that.  I'm going to be the one to be vulnerable and offer love with no expectations but simply because I love him/her."  Of course your needs have to be met at some point, but I guarantee they will be met faster and in a more fulfilling way if you are free with your love rather than guarded with it, trying to keep a balance sheet.

Try saying hello to or striking up a conversation with a stranger, not worrying if they will think your nuts but just because you want to make someone happy.  Maybe they will think your nuts, but more likely you'll both part ways with a lighter heart and a smile because you allowed yourself to show love with no expectation or fear.  Because unlike money, you don't loose when you give it away, you just feel more.

We got snow again here.

Well it went from upper 50s last week back down to the teens.