The McCrary Family

Crazy Beginning To 2010!

2010-01-20T07:12:00.004-06:00

OK so we've had a very stressful first month of the year...
7th-Kitchen pipes freeze... Thank God the rest of the house didn't lose water!

11th-We call Mulling Plumbing at about 3am because we had low pressure in the house. They tell us they will get someone out here ASAP and show up around 8pm. They are here for 10 minutes. They say the pipes will thaw out eventually but there is nothing they can do, but tell us we should drip the faucet in the middle (between hot and cold). They charge us $90. While they are here, we ask about our toilet leak, and they say it probably just needs to be reset (cheap) but that if the flange is bad then we'll have to pay $800-$1000 to replace it.

12th-We have NO hot water and a tiny trickle of cold (in the whole house) around 2 or 3am. We call Mullin back immediately. We ask them about getting someone out here again for free since their rate is $85/hr and we paid for that but only got 10 minutes and they obviously didn't do any good since it's only been a few hours since they were here... They say they can't get anyone yet because of overtime issues, etc. They finally show up around 11am. They tell us that we need to replace the line from the house to the main pipe, which will cost us $6000. We didn't have enough money so we had the water (for the entire house) shut off:( We call Dave Ramsey to ask about getting a loan to repair the toilet and he tells us $6000 is too high and to get a second opinion... A friend tells me about Jean's Plumbing.

13th-We call Jean's Plumbing. They say they will be here at 1pm and they are here at 1pm. They do some looking around inside, then notice there is a lot of water in my driveway. I thought it was just snow melting, since that is where most of the snow was. Then they get to looking around and notice there is more water coming from the back yard... They ask if we have water in our garage, which is behind the house... I say yes and they look. It turns out... the water pipe in our garage busted. Well then they test and say, no, there's another leak. So they go looking for it. They find out that there is a leak in the drain below my kitchen sink, but that wouldn't cause us to lose hot water... Keep looking. They fiddle with the hot water tank a couple of times, and then determine that whatever the leak is, it's in the hot water tank. They tell us that there is a pipe under the edge of the old house that could be the problem but they can't dig to it... It's in the same area as the drain pipe, so they suggest we do those together. (About $800) Then they tell us that if that doesn't work, they'll have to do a leak detection thing (about $500) because that means the pipe with the leak must be under the house... and the side it's on is the NEW house... Which is on a slab foundation... which means they will have to dig into the foundation! (ABOUT $1500) So still pretty expensive to us, but at least it's cheaper than the other... We have to get a loan to pay for it so we tell them we'll call them once we have money in hand. It was about 3:30 when they left... Much more extensive looking than Mullin!

14th-We get a loan from Weokie. Kinda expensive but at least we can afford the repairs!

15th-Found a Black Widow spider while cleaning out my "junk room". Freaked out, stopped cleaning. Called Orkin to come and spray!

18th-Jean's called us at 8:29 to say they'd be here at 8:30 or 9am lol. They got here around 9am. They had FOUR people (and no we didn't get charged extra) and they got right to business. They found out that the "drain leak" was actually a pipe that had burst (in their defense they couldn't reach it without digging, so couldn't see it). All they had to do was run a new line and they were done with that... Fixed our hot water! Since they were able to go the cheap route we decided to ask them to repair the toilet as well... They did it for about $100:) Around 11am Jean's is leaving and Orkin shows up. They tell us that they can't kill the spiders instantly, so that sucks:( THey do all their spraying and then they leave...

20th-Our roommate is supposed to leave today (it's too early here to know what's going to happen yet). Can't wait! He's the one who turned of the dripping water and caused all the plumbing issues in the first place:( Also he's lived here for about two years and we'd really love some privacy! He's here all the time and doesn't seem to understand that coming into a room and going through our stuff, watching us, listening to conversations, reading over our shoulder, taking our things into his room, etc is NOT okay... Only thing that stinks is he hasn't been paying his full rent so we're behind... But he brings in about $350-500/mo (his rent is 1/4 of the bills so about $600 each month is what he owes... He's been behind for months.)

Anyhow here's hoping February is better!

Oklahoma Blizzard 2009

2009-12-24T22:00:00.012-06:00

This morning started out like any other morning, except for one thing... It snowed overnight. Nathan decided to leave for work very early, as he works in Midwest City and he didn't want to be late. I had to be at work at noon, but I didn't really think the snow was THAT bad so I only tried to leave about 15 minutes earlier. Today was supposed to be the last day at the set. Well, my wipers wouldn't touch the glass, so they weren't really working too well. I drove two blocks east and four blocks north before I started to realize I couldn't get far. There was a truck at the intersection that got stuck when they stopped for a stop sign, and another truck tried to push them but their wheels just spun without moving them. Also I could barely see through my windshield and I had a LONG way to go, not to mention the fact that it was a WHITEOUT and even where I COULD see through my windshield, I could NOT see very far! So I decided to go home.

The Saddest Holiday Season We've Had...

2009-12-03T18:29:00.004-06:00

Nathan's grandmother (on his mother's side) was in the hospital this week. She had complained of back pain around Thanksgiving, but no one really thought it was serious. On Saturday or Sunday, she ended up falling. She went into the emergency room and then ended up being admitted. While she was in the hospital, she fell again and hurt her arm. At some point, she became unconscious. Not in a coma, but barely waking up. She would wake up for a few seconds at most, and was unresponsive for the most part. She would respond if you touched her hurt arm, with a groan. We all waited and prayed and hoped.

We went to visit her on Tuesday, and it was pretty saddening. I was holding her hand while I was there, and I just wanted to cry. But I didn't want to make it harder for his family, so I tried to talk to her and help them talk to her. I don't know if she heard us or not, but I sure hope so. Several of his family members came by, and we got a chance to exchange notes about our last times seeing her, how she was doing, etc. Nathan had to leave after only a couple of hours visiting because he had to work. His brother came by, and it was too hard for him. They were really close. Nathan's cousin and his wife came by, as well. We all tried to get her to wake up, to respond, but didn't really get anything. At some point a doctor came by, and got a minimal response from her, but that was it. I finally left because visiting hours were almost over. After I got home from the hospital, I got a phone call from Nathan's mother, saying that his stepdad's mother was in the hospital, too! She had apparently had a heart attack, and we all remembered her being breathless and weak on Thanksgiving Day. Once again, since she has emphasema, we didn't really think it was anything serious.

On Wednesday, we found out that Nathan's step-grandmother had to have 4 pints of blood, and that she apparently had NOT had a heart attack, it was just the blood thing that caused her issues. We fully expected to see his grandmother, and to visit his step-grandmother, but then we were both sick and couldn't go. I talked to Nathan's mom Wednesday night, but the only change had been that Nathan's grandmother was gasping for breath, and since she had a DNR there was little they could do.

We talked to Nathan's mom around 9am today (Thursday). We planned to visit his grandmother today if we were feeling better. I had to work and Nathan still wasn't feeling good, so we had to wait until I got off work (around 4pm). Although we had hoped to see her again and say goodbye, in our hearts we knew that may not be a possibility. I was starting to get worried, as neither Nathan or I had heard from his mother since 9am and it was nearly 5pm when I got home. I think I had a feeling that there was bad news and that was why there was NO news yet... Well at 5pm Donna calls and tells me that her mom had passed on. She wanted to tell Nathan herself, so I gave him the phone. She also told him that his step-grandmother had been sent home, so that's good. He's taking his grandmother's passing really well. I haven't cried yet... But I'm sure I will soon. I expected his mother to call me back and was holding myself together so I wouldn't get her upset... But she hasn't called back yet. We're all meeting tomorrow to discuss funeral arrangements.

They Were All Yellow...

2009-11-20T01:13:00.003-06:00

Nathan and I LOVE Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and recently we've been watching a lot on Hulu:) Tonight, though... I had a bit of a breakdown... of the hysterical laughter variety! (Anyone who knew me when I was a teen or after I FIRST got out on my own probably knows about my bouts of hysterical laughter! Been a while since I've had one from anything other than being chasing, being chased, being tickled, or tickling my husband!)

OK so we're watching, and it's, like normal, a sad story about a family of good people who've fallen on hard times, and how they just need repairs, etc... And we are enjoying the heartwarming story all the way through, until the very end... When they show the house...

OK watch this, or at least skip about 30 minutes in:) Once you've finished, pause it and then read below before you close it:)

Now, you will notice something when you make it to the end... (If you didn't notice, read this and then rewind it a bit!)

The outside of the house is white with yellow shutters and doors. As Mom walks in, her skin looks yellow (probably from the reflection of all the yellow!) The living room, kitchen, dining room... Yellow. The upstairs hallway? Yellow. The "mad scientist" bedroom? Yellow. The girl's bedroom? Yellow flowers, possibly yellow on the chandelier, and a yellow flower in the lapel of her jacket in one of the photographs they zoomed in on. Even the dragon room didn't escape... There is a yellow pillow on his bed! The master bedroom? Yellow. The master bathroom? Yellow. Even the "cancer dragon" has some yellow...

I'm pretty sure the birdhouse has some yellow on it. The "rainwater barrel" faucet? Yellow. The SIGN on the faucet? Yellow. The outside of the sheep's barn? Yellow. The first thing you see when they open the doors? Yellow flowers, no kidding. There is a water hose reel that looks yellow. Even the slats on the stalls look yellow.

So then they're out in the back yard saying goodbye, and Dad looks back at the house with a weird expression on his face, which just made me laugh even harder... I imagined he was thinking "Oh GOD they painted it all yellow... Now I'm going have to paint all this crap!"

Then as I kept saying "Yellow" and laughing in hysterics... I see a yellow construction hat. Someone is wearing yellow shoes... I then notice that Ty's wristband is yellow:) Oh and at the end, when they show the logo? Now, the whole time I'm saying this, Nathan is acting like he's mad at me because I'm being annoying and saying yellow... But then he informs me proudly that it's yellow:) Then they show a bit more... And there is a little girl with yellow on her shirt!

I watched the end again, and noticed that every time they put someone's name under them... It was yellow. And then what song pops into my head? Yellow, by Coldplay, which happens to be one of my favorite songs:)

Don't get me wrong... I LOVE this show, and normally I think they have the best taste in the world... But this was just weird! By the way... What color do I hate? YELLOW!

Ugh DHS is ANNOYING!

2009-11-14T00:06:00.002-06:00

OK so we get food stamps. Every month, up until this month... They have arrived on time. Well... It is now the 13th, and they're only JUST TODAY explaining why we don't have them.
They're in our roommate's name, so we can't talk to them, he has to... Which means... NOTHING has gotten done! John went up there today because they called yesterday (and he didn't answer) to say he needed to fill out some paperwork. Oh and it took them 3 days to call back after he bugged them for a WEEK to find out what was going on! (After a week, he asked to speak to the worker and they told him DHS has 10 days to either give you your food stamps or explain why you aren't getting them-and if you are supposed to get them but haven't, they have to give you a voucher so you can get food.)

So when he gets there to sign the paperwork (we thought, yay, should get the food stamps soon, right?) he's told that he had to RE-APPLY for food stamps! (His original paperwork says he'll get them for a YEAR and it's only been a few months!) So now... We have no food and no money to get food. We've been living off of PB&J and cereal, except when Nathan buys stuff at Braum's-and all of that comes out of his check, of course... His last check had $200 worth of food on it! And it looks like we might have a LONG wait for our food stamps!

MAN! I'm hungry, and I'm tired of PB&J and cereal! STUPID DHS!

***Update November 19, 2009*** We finally got our food stamps today, and man our fridge/freezer/pantry is FULL:) I love Sam's Club! $160 got us enough food to last three adults (2 males with healthy appetites... One a female who obviously loves food lol) a month:)

Been Thinking About Some Tough Things...

2009-09-21T06:07:00.008-05:00

Nathan's mother had a heart attack Thursday. She was then in the hospital all weekend, and should be going home today, unless something changes. It was very hard to see her in the hospital, mostly because of the fact that she and Nathan are so very much alike.

I was sitting with her the first night, watching her sleep, and noticed that she sleeps the same way he does (or he sleeps the same way she does, whatever). It really scared me because they are the same in their eating and health habits, as well. The doctor said she needed to watch her weight, her diet, her excercise, her stress, and her sleep... And these are all things that Nathan should be concerned about, too. Plus his grandmother had some heart issues not that long ago, and this weekend I found out his grandfather did, too... So not only is it something he shares with his mother because of their health issues, it's also genetic. I can't stand the thought of seeing him in the hospital like that in another few years. I don't want our lives to be over when they've just begun. I also don't want to see his mother in that position again. She and I made a commitment to each other, that I intend to fulfill. We made a promise to get together and get healthy. We are also both planning to get our husbands involved. She understands my fear of Nathan ending up that way. I hope he takes it as a warning, and changes himself so that it doesn't happen to him.

The Zoo Calls LATE About Wedding!

2008-07-14T17:00:00.032-05:00

I'm not really sure when I uploaded this, as it wasn't done as a blog... But it was sometime between my post of 07/02/08 and 07/19/08. (We got married on January 4th, 2008)

*This file was embedded using Snapdrive.