Mexican Riviera - Time to Cruise

It was time for the annual vacation get away.  We had two free airline tickets from our trip the year before, so the sky was the limit. We decided we would go on a Mexican Riviera Cruise to celebrate Thanksgiving.  This year we did not rent a limo or have a sedan drive us to the airport, Tanya's son had the honor.  They were to pick me up at my home around four in the morning for an early flight.  I had been up all night as I saw no point in going to bed for five minutes.  I was waiting in my drive way dreaming of ocean water and sunshine.  Pulling out my lounge chair, I  plopped it right in the center of the drive so when they pulled up, the head lights would hit me, sitting in my lounge chair, in a fur coat, waiting to be whisked away to the tropical weather.

I usually make all the arrangements for our trip, but this year, Tanya was responsible for booking us a room for one night.  We would arrive in LA and spend one evening before we boarded the cruise line the next morning. She found this place on line and it was  rather inexpensive.  Our only requirement was that they could shuttle us to the cruise line.

The flight from Indianapolis to Atlanta was a breeze.  The flight from Atlanta to LA, entertaining.  A young boy and his mother sat behind us.  It was his first flight and his name was Hayden.  How do I know that? Because the mother kept saying his name over and over while giving him a blow by blow narration of every thing going on around him.  I had to peek between the seat to see if poor Hayden was blind! She pointed out birds and explained that we would fly higher than birds and no birds could be seen later.  She explained the plane flew like a bird only the wings didn't flap.  I suggested to Tanya that Aunt Cindy should teach Hayden how to do the Bird to Morris Day's song The Bird, that would get the plane off the ground.  Apparently Hayden was learning to read and the words on his plate that day? What, want and were.  I about lost it when she read, "Want, see ant in want? I want an ant, want."  Well, I want peace and quiet or some bird is going to be flying in between the seats at Hayden.  Thank goodness, Hayden fell asleep, I don't know if I could have prepared myself for any more commentary on every thing going on around us. "Look Hayden, those are clouds.  We are flying in the clouds.  We see clouds from the ground but we can not touch them.  We are in the clouds and yet, we still can not touch them.  Trust me Hayden, she is lying.  I can open up the emergency hatch and not only will you touch the clouds, you will be flying in them, flap those wings Hayden!

Don't get me wrong, I understand she was teaching her son, but it was this annoying little voice of hers that raised the hair on my neck.  Squeaky little mouse with a nasal passage blockage.  It was not a voice you could live long with.

$500 to heat your rear

We arrived in LA and was taxied to the hotel.  We thought the driver was lost as we were driving around what appeared to be an industrial park but alas, he pulled up in front of our hotel.  As we entered the room, all dreams of taking an adventure outside of our room ended.  This room was made for a Queen!  There was a fifty inch flat screen, DVD player, Ipod station, a shower that was made to party in with a deep, deep tub and best of all, a heated toilet seat!  I fell in love with this toilet seat and thought I had to have one, until I found it for five hundred dollars.  I think I will just carry fond memories of it for now.

There were no restaurants within walking distance.  The two in the hotel served only Japanese food.  I would rather starve than eat Japanese.  We were in the Japanese community of LA known as Torrence, California. 

We decided we would go to the grocery store located next door and just pick up some thing to eat, but that was even a challenge.  Every thing was in Japanese.  I know knew what it felt like to be in a country that I could not read the labels or the  know what food I was selecting.  I found Pop Tarts that had the American label on them, but I couldn't pay eight dollars.  We ended up getting Japanese spaghetti, a pretty safe bet for a picky eater.  Tanya slept all day and night.  I think she slept close to twenty four hours.  I read, watched TV, went back to the market and napped.  I was not surprised to see on the news that there were storm warnings.  I was on vacation!  The storm warnings ranged from snow in northern California to mud slides in central California to flooding near where we were staying.  The newscaster said this was "a first."  I find that hard to believe as every where I vacation the news casters always report the weather is "a first" for the region.

Before we headed out the next day we were going to order room service, but one egg was fifteen dollars and a cheeseburger was twenty.  I love cheeseburgers, but I have never had one that was worth twenty dollars.  We ended up eating pop tarts and kitty cocktails, mine served as a virgin.

The weather was cold and neither of us packed for winter, we were going on a cruise to Mexico, not Alaska.   Anxious to relax and get away from the pressure of work and noise,  we discovered, this particular cruise had nine hundred and seventy kids on board.  We were going to the dining room for dinner, but overslept, old people do that when they vacation, take naps in the middle of the afternoon. Our internal clocks had not recalculated to the west coast time change.  Our evening meal was taken in the cafeteria along with the children.  I preferred the cafeteria as the dining room was too time consuming, you had to wait for your fifty entrees and be social with people you didn't know.  I wanted to get away from everyone and every thing.

We were both sick the entire cruise.  Tanya was having issues with her stomach that is always brought on by stress and always seems to pop up just before we leave or shortly after.  I was having a major sinus infection and was miserable.  The weather was so cold we couldn't even sit pool side and enjoy the sun, so we spent our time in the room, napping and napping.

Our first port of call was Cabo San Lucas. I had purchased Bendyral on the ship for fifteen dollars for a few measly pills.  Again, I was being held hostage by the desire of want and needs.  I needed the pills to allow me to breath, so I had to swallow the price tag. 

Cabo Wabo Catina

First things first.  My whole reason behind the trip was to buy replacement earrings.  I knew I could get them for much less if purchased outside of the States.  We were going to walk to down town Cabo, but Tanya is not made for walking, so we rented a man who allowed us to sit in the seat built for two attached to his bicycle.  I would not have taken his job for love or money.  The roads were hilly and you could tell he was straining to get us there.  He had a standard bike, no gears.  I told Tanya I was surprised he was not thin as  rail, but perhaps he was new on the job as he was a big boy.

We were on a mission, diamond earrings.  I knew that I could not afford to replace what had been stolen, but I could get some thing nicer.  I spent two hours looking at these sparkly gems when I finally decided on a pair.  I gave the man my credit card without much thought. I knew I could put these on my card and still have credit for the rest of my trip.  I have one MasterCard, with a very low limit, requested by me to control liabilities if the card were lost or stolen.

Land's End

He rang up the purchase and it dawned on me, my bill was due later that week and until they received their payment, I had nothing open on the card to use in the event I found some thing later.  We were one day into this trip and I was maxed out! Anxiety was setting in!  I would get on line later and reschedule the payment earlier, that was my plan, but, I couldn't as the payment needed five days to process and it had already been issued.

I had cash but I prefer to put things on credit and pay it off at the end of each month.  I was sick, not because I just dropped a large amount of cash on earrings, but because I did not have a credit card to use! I was having major withdraws. I never say no to Cindy and yet, here I was having to say, "No, you can't have that, look at your damn ears!"

We had lunch at Cabo Wabo, the restaurant owned by Sammy Hagar.  My teeth fell out of my mouth when I saw the price for a cheeseburger, $75.00.  Little did we know the sign in front of the seventy five stood for their cash equivalent, so the burger was only $6.95 in American money.

In the afternoon we had purchased tickets to take a catamaran to go see Land's End.  It was just breathtaking, the water, the beaches and the rock

The scene from the restaurant

formations.  From there we boarded a bus to go to the other side of the island to a restaurant that is open only when there are no ships in port.  Can you imagine?  The view was beautiful and a perfect spot for a wedding, if you were in to that, I was not!

We were done for the day, one port down. We headed back to the ship, where I took a nap and Tanya ventured out to the casino.  We were going to meet up later for a movie and production show after grabbing a quick bite to eat. Tanya won one hundred dollars. That girl is so lucky when it comes to gambling!

She told me I should gamble to win some money and I reminded her of the black cloud that lingers over my head twenty four seven. "I am broke, Tanya, are you looking at my ears?"

She said she would give me ten dollars of her winnings and I suggested we visit the five hundred dollar toilet seat and watch it as it swirled down the drain as that is where it would end up if I gambled.  I told her she should gamble it for me and so she did.  I stood over her shoulder, much like I did Chappy on our honeymoon, she was up, she was down, she was up, she was down, it wasn't even my money and I was sweating bullets!  We had made the deal whatever she won, we'd split.  She had doubled her bet, we both could walk away with ten dollars in our pocket, before she could hit the button to flush it all away, my hand came over her shoulder and cashed her out.  "Winners, we are winners!"  A good gambler knows when to walk away.  I was walking away with ten dollars more than I had when she sat down!

2010 - Full of Life Lessons

My youngest nephew graduated from high school in 2010. My parents were living in Florida full time now and would not return to Michigan to attend his open  house. It is just who they are.  My mother does not fly, so it would have required a long drive in June and they were scheduled to spend the month of July at my home.  For a couple who are retired, they are very regimented to a schedule.  Mother, for one, does not like to be away from home, so traveling for her is unwelcomed.  She is not one to be around people, so being outside of her home is being outside of her comfort level. It has taken me years to understand her but I am slowly discovering that this is just who she is. 

My youngest nephew has the brains of my brother.  Learning is not difficult.  He has the wit and sarcasm of his Aunt.  Since meeting him at fourteen, I discovered he is quick witted and sarcastic just like me.  I never practiced my wit and sarcasm, it just comes naturally, but as a young teen, he would want to have conversations just to practice his responses. I missed so much not being a part of my brother's children lives.

He was only fourteen when he met our side of the family and he had just lost his father rather suddenly.  He doesn't remember his dad being healthy, he remembers his dad as always having health issues. He was every thing my brother wanted to be, smart, athletic and not challenged with social issues that weigh heavily on the heart of my mother and her only son.

He was unable to comprehend why his grandparents did not want to be a part of his life. He kind of understood it when his father was a live and chose not to have contact with his family and refused his own family to have contact with us, but with him gone, none of his children understood the difficulty of their grandparents establishing a relationship with them.

I tried to explain best as I could to each of them the whys, but at times, I have difficulty understanding them myself.  I know it is my mother and my father just goes a long to make things run smoothly, but for years, my mother blamed my Dad for not wanting to attend events or to excuse them from social interactions.

I had to be brutally honest with them and tell them just what my parents confided in me.  There was no other way to sugar coat a difficult conversation. I understood their side of the story, they had just lost their father and perhaps were not themselves.  It is an awful lot to pile on a child, the death of a parent and the introduction of his family that they had never met. Complete strangers that they knew so very little about.

My nephew had a strong argument. He was fourteen at the time and now at nineteen, he was more mature and not the child he was when they first met him.  I made a deal with him.  He could come visit when my parents came to Indiana.  He had to understand that I would not tell my mother of his visit until he was close to arriving as she would be angry that I was meddling in her business.  She chose to not see them and I was forcing it upon her.

We agreed that he could come for three days and if things were tense, he'd leave early and if they were going well, he was welcomed to stay. I told my dad a few hours before his arrival and we both agreed to not say a word to Mom.  Robert pulled up and my Dad greeted him just like he would anyone.  The issue is not with my father.  We were all outside talking when I suggested we go in and face the music.  As we stepped in to the house, my mother sat on the love seat doing a crossword puzzle, her back to the door, "Hello Robert."

"Hello Grandma." He proceeded to sit down next to her and together they worked crossword puzzles.  You can not tell me she wasn't in heaven, but she will never admit it.  We sat and chatted a while about his graduation and recent break up with his girlfriend of seven years.  He was funny when he explained the situation.  His girlfriend had started dating his best friend and as he said more than once, "I didn't see that one coming."  He and his best friend had spoken of this situation and his friend assured  him he had no interest in dating her, but never say never, they did date and it broke my nephew's heart. He was preparing to attend college in the fall so he had that to look forward to.

The next three days were heaven sent.  He was not the fourteen year old my parents remembered.  He has my brother's temper but he tries to control it. He and my father went out to play golf.   I know my Dad was just over the moon golfing with his grandson.  I had a list of projects for dad and I to do, but he and Robert knocked them out and dad was impressed that his grandson had "common sense." Some thing he preached all too often to his  own children.

At night we would watch movies and talk.  After three days, we decided he should spend the week and at the end of the week, no one wanted him to go home. My mom had to admit he had matured, but that lasted all of five minutes as he wrote to  me shortly after that visit to tell me he had reunited with his girlfriend and she was pregnant.  My mom, you never know whether what she says is how she really feels or if it is a reaction to hurt.  I don't dwell on it as she wouldn't be honest with me if I asked.

I had been dreaming of an idea for a portable table for years. It came to me when Michael and I were boating on the weekends.  I drew the schematics and applied for a patent. I am still working on the logistics of bringing it to fruition. It takes time to develop the idea and find the resource to produce it in mass as well as market it, but I am hopeful it will happen soon.

Patent Pending

In September, I needed to have more drywall work done in the garage. It was not some thing that I wanted to do as the lower wall behind the water pressure tank and water softener needed to be replaced.  There had been years of water damage from multiple sources and I had put it off long enough.

Shortly after I purchased my house, the neighborhood had a meeting to update us on the potential of our neighborhood being purchased to expand the highway. I had not been made aware of this when I bought the house and was disappointed as I had dropped a lot of money in renovations. I was in the process of building the shed at the time so I have refrained from doing much more to the home until more information was available,  but some repairs just need to be done.

I hired a man who was starting his own remodeling company.  After he completed the job, I asked if he would be interested in repairing the master bath shower. He said it would take four days to do, but I knew from previous experience, he was underestimating his time. 

He was able to work within my schedule as I wanted to be home when he was there to work.  He had other obligations to family, so I understood that he could only work certain hours, but I have yet to understand how people who want to work are never available to work.

He started the tear out and left.  I finished it and the next day when he showed up to finish, he was surprised to see that I had torn the entire shower out.  I let him know that I knew what I was doing and demanded he step up his game if he wanted the job.

I spent a considerable amount of time with this young man and treated him with respect  and dignity. He shared his story with me that his father taught him how to do this type of work.  He was proud of his website and brochures. He was just trying to get his foot in a door and hoped for referrals.  He was a member of Angie's List, although that is not where I found him.

I gave him fifty dollars one night as it was his anniversary.  I knew he didn't have money to do any thing special as they had two children to support and she was bar tending twice a week. He was so grateful for my kindness.  The next day he told me they went to dinner and two movies and how much his girl enjoyed herself.  This is just who I am. I am probably too kind for my own good as, no good deed goes unpunished.

Six weeks later, he was still working on the bathroom.  I wanted a new vanity but the one in my bathroom would have required a custom made one, so I  bought the materials and drew up the plans, teaching him how I wanted it constructed.  He was so proud of himself when he finished it and said that he could now add that to his resume.

It was late October 2010, I had reached a point where I trusted him in my home and he'd been working there during the day when I was at work.  He had finished most of the work that needed to be done and I was going to finish up some of the work before he came back to put the final details on the project.

It was October 24, 2010 when he sent a text to inform me the high winds we  had that day blew his car off the road and he had a flat tire.  The next evening I noticed my diamond earrings were missing.

I had worn them on the bus trip to Chicago and had taken them off, placing them on the vanity in the main bath when a few days later, I decided I best place them where they belonged, but I was lazy, I just placed them on top of my jewelry box, not inside of it.  Two days later, they were missing from the top of the box.

I was beside myself as I was not sure if they had fallen off the box and I had swept them up or if they snagged on a piece of clothing and ended up in the washer.  I took the sweeper bag out in to the garage and went through it, dust particle by dust particle, finding  nothing.

I was sick to my stomach when I opened the door on my jewelry box to discover the diamond bracelet I had bought on the "divorce" cruise in 2001 was missing.  I pulled the appraisals from the safe and discovered more pieces were missing. My gut told me where the jewelry was, but I didn't want to believe it.  He started giving me every excuse to not finish the job and one day he finally showed up.

I confronted him.  His latest excuse was that his father had died and he had business to take care of revolving around him.  I looked in the newspaper and never saw a death notice for his dad.  When he arrived that day, I did not mix words when I accused him.  He swore he would never do that, although we had many conversations about his girlfriends brother being one to lift items off of customers in the past, he would never do such a thing.

Thieves are good liars so are addicts. I had filed a police report and within a few weeks, pieces of my jewelry had been discovered at local pawn shops. I understand stolen jewelry is not a top priority with the local police department, so I took matters in to my own hands.

The diamond earrings had been pawned and bought immediately.  When I was told how much they were purchased for verses how much I paid for them, I was sick to  my stomach. These were the earrings that I had continually traded up with the final trade after Bill died.  There were still pieces missing but the police didn't have time to go searching.  They had entered his name in to their system and when any one pawned an item with that name, it alerts the police.  I left work one night and told Tanya I was going to go window shop at the pawn shops on Tenth Street in Indianapolis.  She told me I was crazy to go to Haughville at night and I should do it during the day.  I  had no idea what she was talking about, I had never heard of Haughville, but discovered it is the most impoverished neighborhood in the city.

I waited as she asked and drove down the next day to the first pawn shop on my list.  I had never been in a pawn shop and I have to say, it was quite a lesson.  Puppers was riding shotgun with me so I was safe.  Pawn shops are busy on a Saturday morning after payday.  I was browsing the jewelry cases when I spotted my necklace. I didn't want to create a scene, so I waited until the line at the register cleared. I asked to see the manager and as he approached, I told him the necklace in his show case was mine and it had been stolen recently.  He immediately informed me he knew nothing about it and refused to help me.  

I went to the car to call the police detective to discover he had weekends  off.  The woman on the line told me to secure the number of the pawn ticket and the detective would review it on Monday.  I went back inside and requested the necessary information, but was told they did not have to provide me such.  I went to the corner of the show case, pulled my phone out and snapped a photo of the necklace.  The shop was full again and I didn't care at this point of whether I was making a scene or not.  I spoke loudly to the manager, "The police will be here on Monday to retrieve the stolen goods you have displayed.  I have a picture of it, so don't try selling it between now and then." Every one's eyes were on me as I walked out of the store on to my next adventure.

The next stop was a pawn shop just down the street. As you walked in the door, bright shiny tires were stacked to create a hall of shame, shame that one would so openly display these at the door!  I was surprised the rubber was not melting as the tires were so hot.  A very large black man was behind the counter, leaning on it as he spoke to another patron. "Good morning beautiful, any thing I can help you with?"

"No.  Just window shopping." I proceeded to browse the show case displays but came up empty handed. As I was leaving the building, Super Fly appeared from the back room.  A man dressed in a long fur coat, fedora cap, leather briefcase and sporty sunglasses held the door for me as I exited.  I knew I was staring, it is not every day you see Super Fly in the broad day light.  He crossed the street waiting for the bus.  I called Tanya, "You are not going to believe who I just saw!  Super Fly rides the bus in Haughville!" We could not stop laughing.  

I didn't find any more of my jewelry that day, but eventually it was all recovered with the exception of the earrings and an Omega necklace. I visited several more stores and found them to be a thriving business on a Saturday morning.

A few weeks later the detective called me to come into the station to identify the person of interest.  I told him I had a photo of him as I took pictures of any one I  hired just in the event it was needed at a later date.  While he thought I was taking pictures of the project, I was taking pictures of him and his license plate. 

Identifying some one in a line up, is not always as shown in the movies.  I drove to the police station and looked at six pictures of six different men.  I was surprised to see he already had a mug shot and questioned the detective about it.  I was not surprised he had a similar problem three years earlier and had just been released from his probation.

Within a few more weeks, Crime Stoppers posted a picture of him in the local newspaper.  Apparently he could not be found, so again, I took matters in to my own hands.  

He was on Facebook, so I messaged his friends and family notifying them of the reward Crime Stoppers was offering for his capture.  Some were down right nasty stating he would never do such a thing, some stated he was innocent until proven guilty, some of his family were interested in the story as they had not seen him in years and had just reconnected on Facebook.  It was through this venue that I discovered his father was alive and doing well.  His Aunts were a bit upset that he would use this as an excuse.  Finally, the mother of his girlfriend offered to tell the police where he was  for the reward if I promised to not tell her daughter.

He had not told his girlfriend, mother of his child what had happened. She had been interviewed as a suspect as he had given her some jewelry to pawn, telling her he found it in a house he was working on. The police were willing to work with her, if she was a witness for their case.

He had just proposed to her a few weeks prior when she learned of this latest escapade and after being told of what really happened, she ended the relationship.  He was arrested within days and spent some time in jail before his mom was able to pay the bail.

I faced him in court almost a year after the incident.  I drove down to the county court house and again, had a new experience.  I stood in line to go through a scanner much like you find in the airports.  All of these people in front of me and I was the one they picked to take to the side and frisk.  The officer was nice about it as I am sure he detected I was out of my element standing there.

I walked up to the court room and asked to speak to the prosecutor. She advised me what to expect and suggested I sit in the front row where the sign clearly stated, "For Attorneys and Police."  She thought I might feel more comfortable sitting there instead of among the others in the room.

Young kids were brought in to the room, dressed in orange jumpsuits to face the Judge.  I couldn't imagine their lives were over before they had even started.  Children stood there being accused of murdering others, drug charges and being under the influence.  The next group were parole violators, who didn't understand when you are sentenced to community service, you need to show up or if you are not to be driving because you have several DUI's against you, getting pulled over drinking and driving will end up with you facing the Judge again.

Another lifestyle that I never thought I would experience in the flesh was there for me to breath in and thank God I was blessed with common sense and knowing right from wrong.  

It was finally time to step up and be heard.  He couldn't afford an attorney so he was provided one.  The room was noisy with chatter.  The Judge turned to me after he had heard his side of the story to ask if I had any thing to say.  I had written out a statement as I was unsure if I would be able to talk as my emotions were raw that day.

As I began to speak, the victim of this senseless crime, his mother sitting in the court room, I spoke of my kindness to him, my disappointment in him, his lies that his father died and last but not least, he stole the one thing that my late husband had given me.  You could hear a pin drop in the room.  I sat across from him and never took my eye off him, but he could not look at me.  He was sentenced to pay me for the earrings as they were not insured.  He owes me over thirteen thousand dollars.  I go back to court every time he has a date with the Judge.  I want him to know, I have not gone away. I want him to look at me and know that I will be there every time he sets foot in that courtroom.  He has not done well paying me as outlined in his probation papers.  I have another court date in six weeks.  I have written to the Judge to stress the importance of making him responsible for this.  He is supposed to make a payment each month and he does if his feet are held to the fire, but if not, he makes one just days before his next court date.

I am hopeful the Judge will consider my plea and make him more accountable.  I  understand the system is filled with others whose crimes far out weigh his, but this is his second offense and apparently he did not learn the first time.

Tanya reminds me often, 'No good deed goes unpunished." I want to believe there are people who are good out there that just need a little help to get on their feet.  I am learning, they don't want to get on their feet as they have done well laying around taking advantage of others.

A Weekend Get Away is Much Appreciated

The presentation and dinner were very nice. Afterwards, we sat in the lobby and watched people.  Who would have known it was prom night!  I love to people watch.  I love to watch from a distance and conjure up a story line. Much like watching a silent movie and making up the subtitles.

I understand times have changed from when I was younger and there are some things that I enjoy seeing. Young people going to the prom with a crowd of friends verses one on one. It allows the young to enjoy a passage of time that in years past some would have sat home wishing upon a star.

Proms around the country vary upon venue.  In French Lick, the closest big city is Bloomington, Indiana.  It is less than sixty miles away, yet the only way to get there are on the back roads and can take you close to a ninety minute drive . On our adventure down, we wondered what people did on the back roads of this Indiana landscape.  We knew a lot of injured workers lived in these towns as we recognized the names of cities by where we sent weekly checks.

That evening though there was a celebration going on!  As we sat in this historic property that combined ornate details and charm of the early nineteen hundreds, you could hear the rumblings of Ford F 150's roaring to a stop outside of the entrance, giddy young girls in their gowns hanging on to their farm boys preparing to cut a rug on the dance floor.  As the evening drew to an end, the young poured out of the ballroom, heels draped over their hands, flips flops replacing them, young men, decked in bolero ties, converse shoes matching the band on their cowboy hat coordinating with their dates flowing garments.

Prom Watching Lobby

The gowns were not form fitting, they snugged the bodice, the skirt blossomed out resembling a hoop skirt from years ago. The satin material covered in yards of tulle. I couldn't imagine these young girls awaiting to be whisked away to sweet dreams of their evening, without that hoop skirt covered in mosquito netting slapping them in the face as they jumped aboard the F-150. Tanya and I laughed so hard we had tears in our eyes.  The colors exploded out of this ballroom, some exploding from their princess gowns, laughter had by all.  

We wondered where they bought their dresses that evening as gowns you see young girls wear today appear to come off Paris run ways, but as we drove out of town, on the main street of a small country town, was the only dress shop, the windows filled with mosquito  netting in technicolor.

No trip is worth going on if there isn't a little bit of retail therapy involved. As we were preparing to leave, we walked around the resort and shopped in the little boutiques nestled on the first floor. No matter where I travel or who I travel with, people always comment on what a "good time" we must be having as I love to clown around.  We were browsing in a swanky dress shop that was decorated all cute and colorful.  I love a good bargain and I have been blessed with being able to find them throughout my life.  These women, who write blogs now on being frugal, shoot, I could have written a series on that thirty plus years ago. This shop was not on the list of people who were shopping frugally. But a girl can dream of a really big sale in a shop she couldn't afford to step in or that she can afford any thing they have to offer, but didn't find a thing that interested her.

Holding Court

I was dressed in a black and white jogging suit, the shop was done in black, whites and hot pinks.  There was a chair positioned off to the side that I am sure was placed there for the wallet these women lugged in to the store called husbands.  I thought the chair was calling my name, in fact the whole corner was, as it sang, "Queenie, you need to sit here and blend in with the decor!" As I sat in the chair marveling at how coordinated I was with the shop  the clerk thought I should have a hat!  Now, I usually wear hats, but I didn't have one on that day.  Most women don't wear hats or if they do they will wear a visor or a ball cap with their cute little pony tail hanging out the back.  Ball caps are the only hat that I can not wear.  My curly hair just pops out underneath and I look like Bozo.

Dome Ceiling at West Baden

You would think if a clerk was going to suggest a hat, she would be talking about one in her store, but this woman traveled down the hall to a competitors shop and snagged the hat bringing it back for me to have my Kodak moment.

After our little trip through the shops, we headed next door to West Baden for a history tour of the resort.  I wish we had had the time to schedule the tour at French Lick, but we were limited and the tour of West Baden was quite interesting.

Some know it as the eighth wonder of the world.  I was built in 1855 to capitalize on the abundance of mineral springs in the area and was fashioned after a great mineral spring in Europe. Celebrities from around the world flocked here for a little rest and relaxation.  The original resort was host to an opera house, casino as well as a two deck pony and bicycle track.  

The Atrium

The mineral water baths claimed to cure almost any thing. I experienced one of these mineral baths  in Hot Springs, Arkansas years ago and I must say they  are very relaxing. In Arkansas they actually have someone bathe you. It is not for the meek. In its prime, West Baden  was the Disney World of the day. Until automobiles became popular and travelers headed south, this was the spot to be seen.

A fire destroyed the building in 1901 and was rebuilt.  It is absolutely breathtaking.  Prior to the completion of the Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, it had the largest free spanning dome in the world. The atrium is over two hundred feet in diameter and the fireplace can burn up to fourteen foot logs at a time.

Dreaming of days gone by

As always, in the atrium, chairs were calling my name.  I wanted to snuggle up and bask in the sunshine beaming through the domed ceiling reading a book, sipping on a ice cold soft drink.

The tour was interesting.  The history of the site and the stories of the past were enlightening of a time so long ago. The stories of over indulging and carelessness of previous owners reminded one of life, to see the beauty of this historic landmark, knowing the site had experienced much of what life has to offer, good times and bad.

Fireplace built to hold 14 foot logs

I could just imagine in the hey day of this resort the women dressed much like the prom attendees, parasols in hand verses their heels and all taking afternoon tea in the atrium after their much needed spa day.  A chance to step back in time to days when life was not so hectic and demanding.

Our drive home was rather uneventful.  We were both wondering of a day that we could get away to a place where dreams are made.

A Birthday Fit for a Queen

In 2010, I turned fifty years old.  There has yet to be a birth date that scares me.  I don't feel like I am fifty.  I can remember as a child people I knew that were certain ages and I thought they were "old" but as I've reached those milestones, I don't feel that old at all.

My father retired when he was forty nine and I remind him often that I too could have retired had he let me apply for a job at General Motors.  I probably wouldn't have had the life I have had and I have no regrets, but I sure would love to be retired!   Many of my classmates are nearing retirement or retired. I  believe most of my cousins are retired and many of my friends are nearing that age as well.  

I can't dream of winning the lottery, I don't play.  I can't count on social security in another ten years as I doubt there will be much there or the retirement age will increase significantly.  With my luck, it will raise as I approach that golden year.

I wasn't quite done helping Barry.  He was living back with Juli and her husband and once more was kicked to the curb.  Who do you call when you need someone to help? That's right, he called.  I was not allowing him back in to my home.  I had already had to call the police twice to have him removed from my property.  It is not that I dislike him, I dislike drama.

I was able to help him move his stuff to a motel that is similar to an efficiency apartment.  He was working a couple of jobs to make ends meet.  I will give him this, he is a hard worker, he just has a problem with will power when it comes to drugs of his choice.

He was working in the parking lot of the mall in a tent that sells rugs and paintings every year in the month of July.  They loved him and wanted him to go on the road with him.  He took all the tests and passed them.  He would live in a Winnebago parked in the lot next to the tent to act as a security guard at night and rug thrower during the day.

He was on his way to Fort Myers a week before I was to travel there in 2009 and he was afraid to leave.  He has a warrant in Florida from years ago and he  feared he'd get caught.  I tried to explain to him as long as he kept his nose clean, in more than one way, he could live under the radar.  It wasn't like he was going to cross the state line and a flashing light was going to go off warning the authorities.  I think there were more reasons, but he wasn't saying.  So he told his employer that he liked to partake in a little smoke once in a while and that pretty much sealed the deal that he was not south bound with the hammer down.

He took a job for a gold company in late 2009.  He stands on a curb and swings a sign encouraging you to sell your gold.  He has been on this curb through rain, sleet, snow and heat since. Any one who has been on the north side by Castleton mall, knows of him. He has done such a great job, when their other shops need an increase in business, they put him on the curb.  For a man who is fifty four, he can get people's attention and draw a crowd.

He wanted to celebrate my birthday with me, by taking me out to thank me for all I had done for him.  I wanted to spend it alone.  Every significant birthday from age twenty on had been ruined by a man and I was not entering the second  half of my life starting with another bad memory.  He was heart broken that I would not even go to dinner with him.

My birthday celebrations seemed to go on forever that year.  I took the actual day off and spent it getting pampered.  I had a manicure, pedicure, massage, saw a movie, did some shopping and had a nice dinner.

I have some wonderful friends who always make sure my birthday is extra special.  This year they took me to Peterson's which is a swanky little restaurant on the north side of Indy. Every one was going to meet me there.  As I walked in the hostess asked if I'd like to be seated.  I told her I was with the Poland party and she looked surprised. "You must be the Queen?"

Queen, Tanya, Tim and the Poland's

"Why of course!" I asked her if she'd do me a favor.  I had brought a crown with me and I wanted her to put it on a platter and walk a head of me announcing the arrival of royalty.  She did a splendid job! Tanya was supposed to bring my sash that says Queen, similar to what they wear in beauty pageants, but she forgot and left in the office. It would have just been the icing on the cake to be wearing my Queen Sash as I was being announced!

We had great fun that night as we always do when we get together. A few weeks later, we had a "business trip" scheduled for French Lick, Indiana.  Home of Larry Byrd.  I had never been and a doctor who was trying to increase his business had a select few in as guests.  Dinner, presentation and a room with a view.

I drove over to pick Tanya up for our weekend away.  There is no better way to travel than in the Royal Carriage.  I pulled into her drive way and as usual, she is "busy" with last minute preparations.

"You didn't notice what we were driving down in?"  She looked out at the car and turned back to what she was doing, looked again and started laughing.  I had placed the royal crown on the Lincoln to alert all along the way, they were among royalty.  What was so hilarious about this, a few years later when Prince William and Kate were married, they copied my idea with the crown on top of the cars!

The Royal Carriage

We wanted to go to breakfast but we had a late start. We were going to enjoy the drive down.  It was a beautiful sunny day.  We stopped in Greenwood, Indiana to do a little shopping and decided to have brunch at Ruby Tuesday's.

I was in prime form that day.  I guess just getting away was what I needed as things in the office were stressful. The restaurant was not that busy as we were there shortly after the lunch crowd.  We were seated, given menus and asked what we favored to drink.  I always get the same thing when I go to Tuesdays, so I did not have to peruse the menu trying to decide what I wanted.  Tanya on the other hand does not like to read books, but she does love to read magazines and menus, cover to cover.

The waiter came over to introduce himself.  I introduced myself to him as well, as "The Queen."  He let me know right off the bat there was only one Queen and that was his momma.  "Does she travel in a royal carriage?"

"No."  I pointed to my vehicle setting in the parking lot, a clear view of it from our table.

"Well, I do." From that point on, we bantered back and forth our entire visit. After our lunch, I asked him what they had to offer a Queen on her birthday.  Most restaurants have a treat for birthday guests, but not Tuesdays.

I suggested he might look into this and he came back and informed me the manager would give me a scoop of Graeters ice cream.  He brought the scoop over to the table and presented it with a large serving spoon.

"Do you expect me to eat my ice cream with this spoon built for Shrek?"

"Oh honey, just put the tip in."  I don't know what came over me, but out from my mouth blurted,

"That is the same thing he said last night." The waiter had to go hide behind the bar he was laughing so hard.  I looked at Tanya, "Did I just say that?" We could not stop laughing!

My Delightful Waiter

We had such a great time.  The waiter told me there was a chair in downtown Indianapolis fit for a Queen and I had to go sit in it.  I had no idea where he was talking about, but Tanya did.  I doubt I'll ever sit in that chair, but the memories of that day linger on!  We had such fun.  The waiter wanted a picture taken of the two of us. Tanya snapped that Kodak moment and we headed off for our adventures in French Lick.

The Best Time of the Year? Vacation Time!

Fort Myers Beach

Tanya and I had such a great trip to Hawaii in 2008, we decided to be thankful once more and celebrate Thanksgiving in Fort Myers Beach.  When we came home from Hawaii, our flight was delayed, but our limo driver had promised that he would keep track of our flight and if it were delayed, he'd know and would be at the airport when the plane arrived.  As my luck would have it, the flight came in late, close to midnight and no limo was waiting.  On top of that, I had forgotten the folder with all my travel information and so I did not have his contact information.

We had to take a cab from the airport to my house and it cost twice as much as the limo.  I was on the phone to Mr. Limo on Time the next day to voice my concerns.  He gave us a free one way ride to the airport, whenever we wanted.

I took him up on it a year later.  I'm betting he thought I'd forget, but I am all about free!  He came to pick us up early as we had a 6:30 AM flight.  The limo had been left at home, a luxury sedan drove up in the drive to whisk us away to sunshine and sandy beaches.

I'm not sure what happened in a year, but he had become extremely talkative and the conversation was rather bizarre. He wanted to know what we did for a living and we told him we adjusted workers compensation claims.  That opened the door to crazy.  He had had a claim while working in construction.  I am unsure of all the details but I remember he had been permanently restricted from returning to the construction industry and was unsure what he was going to do with his life. He was driving down the highway, much like the one we were on, when the "clouds parted, a beam of light hitting the windshield, intense heat felt in the car," and he had his answer, he would start a limo service.

Tanya and I glanced at each other, were we captive in a crazy car?  As we walked in to the airport, we swore, we would not be calling him to pick us up in a week.

The day before our flight, there had been a computer glitch with the system that collects flight plans causing widespread delays and cancellations across the United States.  We were anxious to start our vacation and boarded the plane.

As the plane prepared to pull back from the gate, there was an issue with the motor on the left wing.  After much delay, the airlines cancelled the flight and due to the delays from the day before, flights were still tight and  they were not going to be able to get us out as scheduled.

Hat Shop in the Keys

I instructed Tanya to stand in line to snag us another flight as soon as possible and I'd go back on the plane to secure our carry on.  Some how there was a misunderstanding and we both ended up on the plane. By the time we grabbed our luggage and headed back to the desk, the lines were miles long.  I stood in line for over two hours. I was three passengers from reaching the golden gate to a new ticket, when they announced all passengers had been booked.

Jamaica Momma

How could that be? We hadn't spoken to any one, but unbeknownst to us, they had automatically booked us on the early evening flight.  I stood in line for nothing.  Since we had been chauffeured to the airport by the crazy man, we did not have transportation to leave the airport for what would be twelve hours until our next flight.  Every thing had been timed perfectly, the flight, picking up the rental car and arriving at the condo we had rented, now every thing was off schedule.  We would not be getting into Fort Myers until after the rental and condo offices closed.  We would be paying for a day for each that we would not be able to use.  Typical of my vacations.

The upside of this?  I was able to get us two free round trip tickets.  The downside, they  could not be used during blackout periods, which just happened to be the week we always flew.  The great thing, I am one determined woman with sharp writing and negotiation skills.  I was able to negotiate two round trip tickets in 2010 for the same week to California so that we could take a Mexican Riviera Cruise for less than two hundred dollars a piece. The regular price was over eight hundred dollars.  So we were both pleased.

But, back to our vacation in November 2009. The weather had been beautiful, but our plane must have snagged a black could on the way out and it settled over the beach most of the week. While the weather was pleasant, it was not beach blanket bikini weather. We decided to take a day trip via boat to Key West.  The weather there? Perfect. But we were only there for a day and then we headed back on the boat that night.

Queen

We found this great hat shop in the Keys and I had to try them on! Earlier in the week, we had been at an accessory shop and I was trying on sunglasses when Tanya snapped a photo and we got out hands slapped. Apparently no photo ops in this shop. Girls just wanna have fun!

We didn't realize so many people ate out for Thanksgiving dinner and we would need reservations, so we were late making them and had the last reservation of the night.  All Tanya wanted all week long was Key Lime Pie and it was on the menu! Unfortunately, every one else on the island wanted Key Lime Pie as well.

Our trip was relaxing. It had been a rough year.  Work was a little trying.  My boss came to do my evaluation and told me I "was one tough chick." Didn't know whether to be insulted or not. I had been having issues with staff and needed to buckle down on them.  He made a bet with me.  If I could get someone to quit verses firing them, he'd take me to dinner, where ever I wanted to go and he'd eat crow.  Rule one, never bet me, I will always win.

I have always been fair, with everyone, whether a friend, family or some one I work with.  I try to be honest, even when it can be hurtful and I give you enough rope to hang yourself or pull yourself to safety.  I had an employee who struggled with her work, she knew it and I gave her many chances to improve, but some times other things get in the way.  When I knew it was no longer an option for improvement, I sat her down and was brutally honest, "you are on your way out the door, you might want to start looking for a job so that you aren't fired or without a job." She was in  her mid fifties and single.  No one wants to be treated poorly and those who are single, they have no other income to fall back on.  She was a kind woman to me throughout her employment, but she couldn't remember simple things and I needed someone to carry the ball in that particular court.  

I knew she had issues outside of the office and I took those into consideration, but in a small office, you can't carry someone all the time. In 2010, I had to crack down and force her to make a decision.  It was some thing so simple, she took the mail to the mail box every day and every day, I had to remind her, just one of many things that I had to remind her of.  She took the mail to the box that night, after I reminded her several times that week and when she got home, she must have thought about it. She called my office number at eight thirty at night and wished me " a good life."  I've had other employees wish much stronger things on to me, but I knew it was out of anger at their lack of production.

She didn't stay mad long, she called me several months later to see how I was doing and we chatted like old friends.  She has called me several times in the past two years to just catch up.  When you treat people fairly, they will go to the end of the Earth for you.  

My Dad is my Hero

My Dad

In the summer of 2009, Dad and I went to the Lexus Senior Open held in Carmel, Indiana.  I had noticed that Dad was not as sharp as he had been.  We work well together when doing home projects. We were repairing wood that had rotted on the bottom of my shed and I noticed some thing so simple as replacing the wood, was taking him a considerable amount of time. He was seventy six, but he was a healthy seventy six year old.  He had been retired for twenty seven years from General Motors and he kept active playing golf every day.  

They had driven straight through which was normal as mom does not like to stay in hotels.  She has a phobia for "germs," but she also does not  help with the driving.  When they arrived, it was late at night and they came in to go to bed.  The next day at the office she called me in a panic asking me if I could look up a phone number for her.  She wanted to know the number to my dad's cardiac physician. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "Nothing."

This is my mother.  Call me and ask for the phone number of my father's cardiac doctor and tell me nothing is wrong.  She can test my patience some days.  I refused to look up the number until she told me what was wrong.  Dad  was having heart palpitations. He had been having them and was on medicine but the medication was not working.  I gave her the number and rushed home.

She sat in the living room in tears.  She didn't know what she'd do without him.  He was in the guest bedroom laying down.  I came in and sat down next to him, taking his hand, "How do you feel, Dad?"

"I'm fine." Lord, have mercy, they were both going to give me a heart attack of my own!

"Dad, if you are fine, why are you laying in here?"

"I am just dizzy and my heart is racing."  I grabbed my stethoscope and blood pressure equipment.  Time to play nurse.  His heart was beating rather quickly, but his blood pressure was fine. It didn't make sense. He and I both have low blood pressure, so perhaps a normal reading was high considering it is usually lower than normal.  My mother stood in the hallway as though if she entered the room, she'd catch whatever he had.  I don't know how this woman raised two children and didn't flinch when they were ill or bleeding.  But as she has aged, it is difficult for her to show any compassion to any other human.

He hadn't eaten and so I made him a lunch.  He seemed to get better shortly after and we just kept an eye on his pulse over the month they were here. He refused to go to the emergency room, so there was not much else I could do.

My father has taught me so much over the years whether it is repairing some thing around the house or teaching me to lead and not follow through his actions, he has always been  my hero. He listens to me when I am frustrated with my mother and he supports me in my career.  I can't tell you how many times I can talk to him about work and he understands my frustrations.

The psychic had told me my father was here to teach me all he could before it was too late and that we'd do projects around the house.  I was to gather as much as I could absorb before he no longer was able to teach me his gifts.

My father was in the early stages of losing his memory.  It was why he struggled to do tasks that before had come so naturally.  He is in the early stages of dementia now, four years later and he has changed so much from the man I called my Dad.  He is still Dad, but he worries about every thing now, where before, he didn't worry about it if he could not do some thing about it.

He repeats the same stories over and over or mixes them together, all signs of this terrible disease.  He was in denial for a couple of years, claiming he was  old and just forgetful, but dementia runs on both sides of his family. They live to be dinosaurs, but they can't remember they are part of the human race.  I recently wrote to my father's doctor to express my concerns as I knew his pride would never allow him to discuss his deficits. He is aware of some of them, but not all of them.

The doctor recently shared my letter with him and ordered a MRI that supported he is having issues.  I thought he might be upset with me.  My parents are private about their health issues, but, he wasn't. The doctor told him that I cared and that he should thank me for bringing this to his attention.  My mother will not attend appointments with my Dad as he likes to go in the morning and she "doesn't do mornings," so if he is told some thing, he might forget it before he gets home.  I suggested they write every thing down and send it home with him.  It has made some things simpler, but we have a long road ahead of us.

Conflict of Interest - Lessons Learned

I had started selling my jewelry at craft shows and in home parties in 2008.  It had taken time to realize not all shows would be successful when you think the venue is worth the booth fee.  I discovered as well, I do much better at the holidays than any other time of the year, so I have limited my shows to just that.  

At one of the home shows I held, I met another psychic who was a woman.  Again, I had never met her before, so she didn't know any thing about me.  I found it interesting that her reading was very similar to that of Mark's. Both have described a man who is going to enter my life who I have known in the past.  The past, I have discovered could mean previous lives that I have lived.  I really had no interest in this "fortune teller" business until I met Mark and his readings were so on spot with what was currently happening in my life and  predicting what would happen in the future. It may take a while to present itself, but it always does.  Four years ago, he told me I would be getting a new boss and I never thought this would happen.  Two weeks ago, it did and it was due to a reorganization that he had spoke of as well.

So some days I have to be patient as I have learned all things happen in God's time and He is the only one that knows what truly lies ahead of us.  I just get a glimpse here and there to dream about and if it happens, it is like opening a present. In late 2009, Mark had told me I was surrounded by stress and tension and he hit it right on the head.

In early 2009, I was elected to the Board of Directors for a charity called Kid's Chance.  It is an organization that raises scholarship money for the children who have lost a parent to a work fatality or have suffered permanent disabilities.  I was excited about getting elected and working on the committees for fundraising.  Every year they host a golf outing, but I had ideas for other events as well and getting the word out about the organization.

The first meeting I attended, the group struggled with how to let those who qualified know of this opportunity.  I had personally handled six death claims in the four years I had been with my employer and knew of children who could utilize this money. The President suggested some one attend the National Board Meeting in West Virginia.  I had wanted to go, but the woman who sat on this Board with me, could not attend with me, so the chance was given to two others who had been on the Board for some time.

Two months later, at our meeting, these women were to report their findings of what was gathered at the meeting and share with us what other States were doing in fund raising and finding candidates for the monies we had collected.

They were at the meeting for three days, all expenses paid and all the one  could report was she had a "great time" and all that was discussed was the financials of the national organization.  Something smelled fishy.  The treasurer requested receipts for money that had been given to her for the trip and she gave feeble excuses about losing them.  I found it difficult to swallow that she had spent three days and came back with nothing to report. So did others, but no one did anything, except for me.

It bothered me that she had taken this trip and was only able to report what "fun" she had and nothing else.  I took it upon myself to do some research and called the new "President" of the National Kid's Chance Organization.  I introduced myself and requested a copy of the itinerary for the three day event.  She was more than willing to cooperate.  I asked her if a representative of Indiana was present and she stated, "she was, but she came to our national board meeting where we discussed financials, she was not invited to that portion of the  event, but I didn't see her after that."

Pretty simple. She described her to me and yes, we were talking about the same person, but only one person, not the two that supposedly traveled to this event. I asked how many people were present. Perhaps, she got lost in a crowd and could not be seen.  Less than twenty five people.  I'm thinking, if you attended a three day event, at some time, you'd be spotted in this small crowd.  She would ask others on the Board if they saw her as they did know who she was, since she interrupted their private meeting.

I got a call back a few days later and no one had seen her.  I listen, that is what I am trained to do.  She had mentioned where she had stayed, so I called the hotel.  Yes, she had checked in, but the other woman, had not and the room was registered to a man and woman.  This just gets more and more interesting! After a thorough investigation, I came to the assumption she had traveled out there on the dime of this organization, but merely for a vacation with her boyfriend.

I spoke to several others on the Board and they suggested they give her one more chance to produce receipts for the monies given to her up front.  She failed, so I took things into my own hands.  I had a meeting with five of the new board members who were willing to back me up, they agreed it was unprofessional to take monies from this charity and "vacation" on it.

I contacted this person directly with the evidence that I had collected and informed her that I would allow her the opportunity to resign, before I presented the facts to the Board.  I had written documentation from the President of the National Board supporting her non attendance.  I had a picture of the attendees taken at the conference and she was absent from it. I had enough to prove, she had scammed the organization and though she had been a Board member for years, it was time for her to step aside.

She was in charge of the golf outing and there had been questions about the handling of the money in previous years, but no one stepped up to the plate.

The problem with this organization is you have a mixture of people who sit on it that are vendors and customers, so if you are a business and you rely on this person's business outside of this organization, you don't want to risk pissing them off and losing the business. Sides are taken out of loyalty, not out of what is right and what is wrong.

I do not operate like that.  Business is business and friendships are just that. Ask anyone who does business with me.  If you do not provide the product, I don't care whether you were my best friend or my relative, I'll give you one shot to make it right and if you don't, I move the business.

She didn't take this news sitting down, she called in her favors and my phone started ringing. The first call was from the woman who chaired the Workers Compensation  Board, who also sat on Kid's Chance's Board.   She introduced herself in the capacity of the chairman of the workers compensation board in an effort to intimidate me.  She never attended the monthly Board meetings, so I was unsure of just what she knew.  I threw the facts before her, after she chewed my hide. She agreed it did appear questionable, but I had no right to investigate this?

I sat on the Board, I had every right to investigate it, but we got into a pissing match and when she refused to let me talk, I said good bye and hung up on her.  I was quite shocked, as this woman is the Chair on the Board that could make unfavorable decisions against the company I worked for.  I  made a note of the conversation and  I received another call from an attorney who sat on the Board and was employed time to time from the woman in question.  Conflict of interest repeatedly popped into my mind, but I was the new kid on the block.  She too, took a piece of my skin and chastised me for investigating this, informing me she would take issue with this at the next Board meeting and demand I step down from my position or I'd be voted off.

I have to say, it was quite alarming for me to find that people do not stand up for right from wrong.  Those who sat on the Board for a long time, were loyal to one another, but it may have been time to step aside.  I was not looking to replace any one, I was looking to make a wrong, right.

Emails among the older Board members were heating up and I was the topic of the day.  I didn't back down.  The treasurer agreed with me, that she should pay the monies back and so did many others, but I got wind of one of those emails that strayed from the private bashing I was taking for investigating this issue.

I realized that I hate politics.  I hate shallow people and I did not want to be associated with a charity that did not hold their Board members accountable for monies spent.  I resigned.  But out of it, there was a new President elected.  Rules were established that had not been previously on the book.

The whole reason they questioned my investigation was there nothing on the books "stating any one had to produce receipts for travel."  Common business sense would support, if you travel on "company" business, you should have receipts. The argument was "she took personal time" to attend and our “rules" did not outline what she was expected to do when she was in attendance.  Again, she volunteered to attend this on behalf of the organization, so if they paid her to attend and she had to take personal days, she knew this upfront.  But the attorney that was backing her firmly stated, we could not enforce some thing that was not written and we could not enforce common sense.

Leave it to an attorney to dream that one up.  I read the email. I was in shock that they would stoop to such ridiculous measures, so I resigned.  I saved them the time of holding a special meeting to force my resignation.  My efforts did not make a wrong right, but new rules were written, new codes of conduct were established and so my efforts did not go unnoticed.  But the lesson was learned, people will look the other way, make up foolish debates to save some one who is lining their pockets with cash.

So the psychic was right, some thing was happening that caused me stress and tension and it revolved around non trusting business associates.