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August 18, 2003
Did you ever notice that Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and the alphabet song share the same tune?
Prizes? Did someone say prizes?
I admit, I am a sucker for prizes. Although, my luck is usually bad, occasionally I have won a game or two of BINGO or a hand of cards against my husband Jerry, which is wonderful just for the “bragging rights” value that he has yet to beat me at a game of Spades. (Admit it, you are humming the tune to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) We got a postcard in the mail saying that we had won a trip to Las Vegas and that other prizes were being reserved for us, as well. A free trip to Vegas sounded great to me! So, what was the catch you ask? Supposedly just 90 minutes of our time while we listened to a sales pitch for a time-share at a resort on Lake Conroe. We were promised 4 prizes (just for coming out, no strings attached). We already knew that we were not going to buy a time share, but agreed that giving up a few hours of our time in exchange for a trip would be worth it. They also said they would give us $40 for gas money. Since we had never been to Lake Conroe, we decided to just make a day of it and plan to enjoy ourselves with the kids, knowing we would not be suckered into buying a time-share. I wanted to stop at a children’s furniture store on that side of town, too. We left at 10 a.m. for our appointment at 11:30. We arrived 10 minutes early and were asked to fill out some paperwork and show them identification, including a major credit card. They were running about an hour behind, so we played checkers at the table with the kids and let them pick snacks from the vending machines. By the time Melissa was ready to meet with us, the kids were getting restless and so were we. She asked us why we were there, and I told her, “for the prizes.” Make no mistake. She said, “oh yes, you have won four prizes, let me show you.” And then she flipped through the prize notebook which was halfway decent. My attention was on the Vegas trip. She spent about an hour flipping through the resort notebook showing us how we could get a better value out of our vacation dollars by buying a time-share. Then, she escorted us around the property in her car and on foot. It was 100 degrees outside at high noon during our walk outside. We walked through two sample time shares. They were cute in an efficiency apartment sort of way, but they had exactly zero closet space and were just not appealing at all. (I don’t know, but when I think of resorts, I don’t think of campgrounds. Nope. I have visions of aqua blue water, white sandy beaches, frozen drinks at poolside.) And, I was a bit suspect and leery of the sales pitch involving all the things that would happen in the future. Example, “there’s where the beach will be in about 3 years,” “there’s where we will build a playground one day,” and so on. It was going on 2 p.m. when we made it back to the office to talk business. We said no. We were not interested. Reinforcements were sent in to further convince us. We said no. We were not interested. The next Reinforcer came with an even better off (a reduction in price of $4000 from the original price we were quoted.) I was shaking my head. “Who ARE these people?” Nope. Not interested. Just give us the prizes. They were disappointed and shuffled us out the door and down the walkway to the Prize Building. Oooh!! After 10 minutes of waiting, we met with the Prize Lady. She flipped through our paperwork and offered us choices (1) Prize 1, we had a chance of winning either a brand new Chevy Tahoe (a-hahaha!) or a trip to Hawaii; or $1500 gift card to Target/Walmart; or $500 in cash. Aren’t we lucky? We “won” the trip to Hawaii (more on this later); (2) We won either a trip to Orlando or Las Vegas (air/hotel) for 2 nights for 2 people. We chose the trip to Vegas. (3) We won $40 in gas money. So where is the 4th prize? She said we didn’t win 4 prizes, just 3. We explained that our paperwork indicated we won 4 prizes. She said we were mistaken. She looked through our paperwork, and the paperwork for the 4th prize (a TV or set of watches or CD player) had magically disappeared. Interesting, since it was part of the paperwork we handed her. She denied that we won the prize. I said she better check with her supervisor, as we were certain we were promised 4 prizes (boy was this fun!). She left the office in search of her boss and lo and behold, what did Jerry find in her trash can? Our coupon for the 4th prize. I was shocked and felt taken-advantage of. It’s one thing to mislead people, but to toss the coupon in the trash can and then lie to us. How dare she! Other people in the waiting area heard what she had done and shook their heads. When she returned, she said her boss had made a special exception and we were allowed the 4th prize. The nerve! So I showed her the coupon and asked her how it got in her trashcan? She was red-faced and seemed in a hurry to get us out of her office. I should say so. Regardless, here’s what we ended up with (1) a trip to Hawaii which means 3 nights lodging at a hotel in Hawaii. The catch is we have to send in $100 within 60 days and use the trip within a year. And then there’s the small transportation fee for us to fly to Hawaii. I guess we could row over if we started today. (This does not sound “free” to me). (2) a trip to Vegas for 2 nights, including air and hotel. The catch is we have to send in $100 within 60 days and take the trip within one year, though we have no idea what kind of hotel we have “won.” We can only travel from Tuesday through Thursday. But, we can upgrade for an additional charge. (Does this sound free to you?) (3) We won $40 in cash for gas money. This was the biggest joke of all. We must follow 17 steps to claim our $40. We have to fill out a ton of paperwork and then once a month for 4 months, we must send in a gas receipt showing that we purchased gas and they will mail us a coupon worth $10 to use at a gas station in Houston. We have to do this 4 months in a row to claim our $40 in coupons for gas. (4) the fourth prize resurrected from the garbage can was a 5” black and white TV. I’m still laughing about it 2 weeks later. It actually has a sharp picture and you don’t have to squint to see it. It reminds me of my first TV in college.
On the way home, we stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel. Mitch ate well and Rachel picked at her sandwich. She had her eye on some candy in the lobby, but did not get it since she didn’t eat her lunch. We drove past Splash Town on the way home and the kids waved out the window to the water slides. We stopped at a children’s furniture store and browsed through bunk beds while it poured outside. We still can’t decide what we want for Mitchell’s bedroom. I want something solid and sturdy. I am still on the fence whether to buy bunk beds or not. I don’t want them to overwhelm the room. If we decide on bunk beds for Mitch, we will move him into the guest room and put the guest room furniture into Mitch’s room. The guest room is bigger, and he would have more space. The grandparents wouldn’t have as much room when they visit. We will see.
Mitch…
We are planning to move Mitch into preschool when he turns 2. It’s time for him to interact and socialize with peers his own size and age. He is starting to show an interest in the potty, so we will begin potty training when he enters preschool in the next few weeks. They have tiny toilets so low to the floor, I couldn’t believe it. I felt like I was visiting Oz. But, they assured me he would be potty trained in no time, since he would model his peers. I met with the director and teacher last week, to discuss his transition from a private home to the preschool environment. They previewed the curriculum and answered all of my questions. I think Mitch will do well in the program. The truth is I am just afraid to let go of my baby boy, but he is ready.
Now that school is back in session, we see lots of yellow school buses in the morning. As we pass by the school and through the school zones, Mitch throws up his arms in worship and yells BUS! It’s comical to see him in the rearview mirror carrying on that way over a school bus. Children are so innocent in their expressions of joy! I love to see him celebrate such a simple thing. I taught him how to do somersaults this week, and he loves doing them over and over.
Buttons…
What is the fascination with pushing buttons? Mitch is a button fanatic. As most toddlers do, he loves the remote controls and the cordless phones. He can change the settings on the TV so we can watch it in Spanish. How does he do that? He likes to press the button for the garage door opener. This has previously been Rachel’s privilege, so we have agreed to share. Mitch pushes the button in the mornings to open the door and Rachel pushes the button to close the door at night. She is the exclusive button pusher for all elevators, though. It’s annoying, only when she pushes the buttons for all floors, when we are going to the top floor.
Rachel…
Rachel had her 4-year check up on Friday. She weighs 43 lbs, and is 43 inches tall. For the first time, she had her hearing and vision tested. She covered her ears with a headset. Then she had to listen and indicate to the tester when she heard the sound. She missed 2 signals, but passed the overall test. She had her vision tested by looking into a set of binoculars and reading the letters and pictures on 4 different lines. She passed her vision test with no mistakes. Dr. Goldberg said she is very tall for her age. She is nearly a head taller than her peers at this point. She received 3 shots in the arm and did not flinch. She won’t need any more shots for 10 years unless they come out with new shots. The doctor gave her some Barbie stickers on the way out. She was a happy camper.
That night, we invited Stephanie & Avery over to play. Richard was playing cards with the guys and Jerry had to work late. We ate dinner together and the girls played with the Barbie house. Steph & I watched a movie while we ate dessert. Mitch played with the girls in the playroom once they came back downstairs. He really annoyed them each time he turned off their Barbie Rapunzel movie. “Mom! Look what Mitch did!” is a familiar line in our home. I got out beads and string for the girls to make necklaces, but it grew late before they got around to making them. Next time.
Our calendar seems to fill up quickly in the fall. In addition to our regular haircuts and doctor appointments, we seem busier than usual. As the kids get older, there are more activities for them to do. Rachel is on a break between terms for dance classes, but they resume in two weeks on Fridays. We have signed her up for AWANA on Sunday nights at church, running with the school year. I am a volunteer, helping with scripture memorization. Wednesday evenings she will have preschool Praise Team practice. We have all of the Texan games penciled in. I finally found a beginner’s quilting class which starts in September. I’m excited because we will actually learn to make an entire quilt from start to finish over the course of the class. The International Quilt Festival is hosted in Houston every year, and I’m looking forward to attending this year’s festival the last week of October.
Jerry…
Jerry had an MRI last week. The results came in and his doctor referred him to an orthopedic surgeon. He called for an appointment, but they are waiting on paperwork from his insurance company. Since he injured it on the job, the doctor’s office wants to handle payment through workers’ compensation insurance rather than our regular health insurance company. It seems there are a lot of things going on inside his knee. It looks like he will need surgery.
Losing my mind…
The other night we were sitting outside with the kids. They like to sit on the tailgate of Jerry’s pickup while they eat popsicles (a good place for them to drip). I was waiting for Amy to call, so I took the cordless phone outside and set it on the back of the truck. Amy never called and I forgot all about it. Well, the next day, we couldn’t find the cordless phone. Then I realized that I must have driven off with it on the back of the truck. So, it is gone! Another senior moment. I’m so proud.
Warmly,
Megan
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