Dancing 'Til The World Ends

• Everyone is ok from the accident. Juanita got the brunt of the force, so she is banged up pretty bad. Both she and my sister, however, had no broken bones or anything, and though are both excruciatingly sore from the incident, will be fine in a couple weeks.
• My mom's kitchen is covered by insurance. They'll be remodeling it soon.
• J paid my school last night so my holds were removed. I start my newest class, Sociology 101, on Tuesday.
• I got on the elliptical today. I'm in a good mood. "Endorphines make you happy. Happy people don't just shoot their husbands."

School

I passed my last class. I don't know how, but I did. Barely. I have a D, but that's better than nothing. It means I now have 27 credits under my belt. It means that when I join the military, I have the chance of advancing in rank faster. I wish I already had a degree so that I could join as an officer and become clergy.

I feel ill today. Jittery. I feel like I'm running on a caffeine high. I'm exhausted, though. I stayed up until 2 in the morning with my youngest, who is sick and miserable, so I cuddled with her until she relaxed enough to fall back to sleep. My heart is racing and I feel like I'm going to vomit.

Things to do today. Life changing things. I have an appointment with a new psychologist today as well as going to see a recruiter. I'm thinking of buying my husband an anniversary gift while I'm out. Our 6yr is in a week and I have nothing.

Last Resort

Next Thursday it will 7 months since my husband was laid off. We are struggling and it is becoming frustating. I am depressed. I have pushed away from my family, prefering being on the computer where no real interaction has to occur, keeping my distance from my husband and my children. I have very little skills. The skills I do have are not enough to get me a job that pays more than minimum wage. I have three small children, a mortgage, and a car loan to pay off. My husband and I are both going to school, and even though the girls have state medical insurance and we are on Food Stamps and WIC, my husband and I do not have medical insurance. I currently have bronchitis. I feel like shit and it hurts to breathe. I'm sick of not being able to buy what I need, making sacrifices so that my children don't notice the rammifications of their father being unemployed and their mother not being able to make enough to take care of them.

I'm at a crossroads. I've decided to lose some weight (just a few pounds, I'm not past the limit) and get better. I can't live like this anymore; WE can't live like this anymore. We are in so much debt, not because we have been frivoulous, on the contrary, we are extremely frugal, but because we are young, with children, and have many bills to pay. My husband has excellent skills, and yet he still can't get a job. He can't go back into the military because he was kicked out. The idea of the military was the last resort, and that's where I come in. I'm, for the most part, healthy. I can join. I wish to be a part of something that my children can look up to me for. I'm horribly useless in this house in this state. We need the money, we need the benefits, and J would be able to stay home with the children just like he always wanted and I get to take care of them financially just like I always wanted. It's a win-win in my head. Am I delusional?

If I am able to join, I'm not sure, due to the constant popping of my knees and the fact that I'm FAT ;), I hope to become clergy. I love the idea of it, and technically am through the Hosannah Bible Institute, but I would like to help people in a spiritual sense. (I suck at helping with anything else.) I'm actually pretty jazzed about the idea. I'd miss my family terribly for two whole months, but I'd get in shape and get paid and be able to take care of my family, which is extremely important to me. I have my fingers crossed. I'll be calling a recruiter Tuesday.

A Letter from the Senator

Today I received an e-mail from the Iowa chapter of Planned Parenthood letting me know that legislators are creating a waiver to strip Medicaid funding. Even though I do have private health insurance (that costs us a fortune) I am also on Medicaid, which has helped me through my previous pregnancies as well as this current one.

Anyway, with the help of IPPAN I sent an e-mail to one of our legislators today.

From: yvonnexxxxx@gmail.com
Sent: Thursday, April 09, 2009 2:39 PM
To: Windschitl, Matt
Subject: Oppose H1504, H1519 to HF811


Representative Matt Windschitl
Iowa Legislature
Second Floor, State Capitol
xxxxxxxxxx, IA 5xxxx


Dear Representative Windschitl,

I urge you to oppose all amendments which would strip funding
from the Medicaid family planning waiver and the family planning
line item. As the economy worsens, these safety net programs are
vital to ensure even more low-income women in Iowa can access
the health care they need.

Family planning clinics have seen record increases in the number
of low-income patients. During this tough economy, we absolutely
must fund these programs to protect Iowans.

I ask that you oppose this amendment to the Medicaid family
planning waiver and the family planning line item.

As a woman on Medicaid, it has come to help a lot in my time of
need. With the economy as it is right now, it has become
difficult to pay the hundreds of dollars needed for regular
health insurance.

This program has helped many women in this currently defunct
economy. We do not make the money legislators and CEOs make, so
if funding is stripped, we are left without insurance and unable
to acquire necessary medication and/or procedures.

Sincerely,

Yvonne xxxx
XXXXXXX St.
XXXXXXX, IA 5xxxx

Now I have sent many letters in the past to legislators for one issue or another. I have never had any respond until today.

From: yvonnexxxxx@gmail.com
Sent: Thursday, April 09, 2009 3:35 PM
To: yvonne.ames@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Oppose H1504, H1519 to HF811


Yvonne,

Thank you for taking the time to contact me and share you concerns regarding restoring funding to Medicaid. As you know there are many areas in the states budget that are enduring similar cuts in their budgets in order to cope with the declining revenue in the state. There is a good deal of Federal Stimulus money coming to Iowa, but I am not sure what exactly this money can be used for, as there are many strings attached to this money in regards to where it may be spent and how it is used.

We are going line by line through the budget trying to find ways to cut inefficiencies in order to be able to restore funding to areas that are feeling the brunt of the budget cuts. It is truly a matter of setting priorities in Iowa, unfortunately when suggestions are made by minority party members like me about where we need to be setting priorities we are often not heard. We will continue to have the discussion and emphasize where we believe we need to be directing funding and setting priorities.

Please feel free to contact me again at anytime on any issue.

Sincerely,

Matt Windschitl
State Representative
Iowa House District 56
Capitol 515-000-0000
District 712-000-0000