A Walk Around Our Complex

Ollie is a creature of habit and lately those habits include two walks a day.  The first walk is generally around noon and the second one is sometime between 5:00 and 7:00.  

The group of apartments to the north of us is where all the squirrels are usually found.  It is one of the only ones in our complex that doesn't have a pool. Instead it is full of trees, grass, gardens, and vegetation. This is also where "Lucy" lives.

Isn't she cute?  The residents take such good care of her.  They visit with her and feed her bread crumbs every day.  I often feel kind of bad for her because she is all alone.  

When Ollie finds a squirrel, they inevitably run up the nearest tree and he will spend some time going crazy trying to find them. 

Eventually he realizes they are up the tree.

One of the things I love about this apartment complex is they have grills and covered picnic tables available for the residents.

Ollie also has figured out which door is ours...

And, of course, after a walk in the 95* Florida muginess, a good drink is always on tap after our walk. 

The Funeral

In April of 1972 (when I was 6) a young family moved into the two-story Cape Cod (which was an exact duplicate in layout to our house) next door to us.  We quickly discovered that this family included two girls who were the exact same age of my sister and me.  

That was the beginning of our deep- rooted relationship with the Stelter family.  They had 5 children in their family...Debbie was the oldest, Carol was my sister's age and friend, Patty was my age and friend, and then, lastly,were the two boys, Tom and Paul.  Who at 3 and 4 were, of course, annoying, bothersome little imps!  

They lived 7 years next door to us before defecting to Florida in favor of milder winters.  But distance did nothing to sever our bonds.  We spent alternating summers visiting each other and after less than a minute together felt as if we had never been separated.  

I could babble forever reliving one memory after another but today was all about remembering Tom.

  
Kind, generous, comical, intelligent, ambitious, and gregarious.  

He was a great son, brother, uncle, nephew, and friend and was loved by many.  

He was a lover of the outdoors and spent much time rock climbing, hiking, and skiing.  

He was a proud backer of the Packers and of Georgia Tech, where he earned a degree in engineering.  

He was entertaining to be around, witty, and could be quite wacky and goofy.

His smile was contagious.  

The funeral was in Ormond Beach so Zack and I drove up to my parent's house yesterday and stayed overnight. 

Ormond Beach...Granada Blvd.

The service was a Catholic mass

Those Catholics and their statues 

And afterward was a nice luncheon with an unbelievable spread of food.  

What a great picture.  

Unfortunately, the inurnment was rained out.  

I drove back to my parent's house on A1A taking in some wonderful views of the ocean and pondering how infinitesimal we are here on earth and yet God holds each one of us in His hands.

Rows of colorful Oceanside condos

And then, I passed a funeral home that was holding a funeral for an obvious confederate redneck because there were trucks and Confederate Flags as far as my eye could see. 

Can't see the Confederate Flag but it's there...behind the American flag.  

We were going to stay over again tonight but I forgot my phone charger and Ollie's food.  And my mom was in quite a mood today!  

So we headed home about 6:45 and poor Ollie scarfed down two bowls of dog food within fifteen minutes of being home.  

Being Ollie

Just when we think Ollie can't get any more pathetic...he does!

This dog loves his cuddles.

Red Sky

Several of my Facebook friends from Oshkosh posted pictures of an eerie looking sky that moved into the area yesterday morning.  

Photos are from various sources found on Facebook.

I also saw a picture of a shelf cloud in Madison that was kind of neat.

Based on the fact that so many of my Oshkosh friends were commenting on the sky, I assume that none of these pictures were photoshopped.  

Obituary

In Memory of

Thomas Donald Stelter

November 7, 1968 - July 12, 2015

Obituary

Thomas D. Stelter, 46, Huntington Beach, California, passed away on Sunday July 12, 2015. Tom was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on November 7, 1968. He grew up in Ormond Beach and was a graduate of Georgia Tech with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Tom enjoyed the outdoors and many activities including rock climbing, camping and snow skiing. He touched many lives and lived life to the fullest. He had a great sense of humor and always brought a smile to our faces. Tom is survived by his parents Don &Jean Stelter, sisters Debbie Sams, Carol Connelly, Patty Hoolehan and his brother Paul.
A memorial visitation is scheduled for Thursday July 23, 2015 from 6:00 P.M. ~ 8:00 P.M. at the Volusia Memorial Funeral Home, located at 548 North Nova Road, Ormond beach, Florida 32174. A mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 A.M. on July 24, 2015 at St. Brendan's R.C. Church, located at 1000 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond Beach, Florida 32176. An inurnment is scheduled for 1:30 P.M. at Volusia Memorial Park, located at 550 North Nova Road, Ormond Beach, Florida 32174.

You will be very deeply missed.

Tom

I was unable to find any pictures of Tom on the internet when I wrote my post the other day but today his brother posted a couple pictures on Facebook so I stole them to use here.

Tom is the one that has on the darker brown shorts

Tom has the orange shirt on

He was such an amazing person.  

Simply A Friend

Today, as I was at work and running between filling sodas and grabbing food, I felt my phone vibrate in the pocket of my pants.  Thinking it was probably Zack I took the phone out briefly to be sure that there was no emergency at home.

Only...it wasn't Zack. It was my mom. And the text she sent me said simply:

Tom Stelter died.

I read it once. I re-read it.  Then re-read it again.  My brain couldn't comprehend what I was reading.  I immediately left the line heading through the kitchen while feeling my head spinning and my jaw was agape.  

I don't remember how I did it but I somehow made it back to the manager's office, found a chair, and lost my mind!!!!  

Quite honestly, I made a spectacle of myself sobbing uncontrollably.  You know, the real ugly cry with heaving where you are unable to even speak.  Two managers surrounded me and tried to figure out why I was creating this scene.  I didn't want to do this in front of people I hardly knew...but I couldn't control it either.  

Who was Tom?  Simply a friend.  But that does not do justice to the closeness we shared.  Our families have been friends for 43 years.  We grew up together and shared countless memories.  His parents are like my second set of parents (I even call them Mom and Dad S. and the Stelter kids call my parents Little Mom and DaddyO) ...he was like my brother.

Thankfully, it only took about 5-10 minutes to regain my composure and I was able to return to work.  But my heart is absolutely aching for this family and what they are going through.  

Even worse is how they found out he had died.  

He lived in Huntington Beach, California and was scheduled to fly in to Daytona Beach this morning for a week long vacation.  Mom S was at the airport to pick him up and so excited for his visit.  But he never got off the plane.  

Feeling a knot in her gut, she made a call to her younger son, a police officer, who called the Huntington Beach police and asked for a well being check.  Needless to say, that did not turn out well.  An autopsy is being done but early indications are that he had been dead a couple of days.  

I am simply sad and heart-broken right now. 
  

Birthday Boy

The last birthday I was able to celebrate with C.J. was when he was 18.  Before that it was 13.  So basically I have been with him for 2 out his last 11 birthdays which is why I was so excited for this year.  
So I wasn't too happy about that whole insurance fiasco yesterday but it all worked out in the end and we were able to meet together at TGI Friday's for dinner.

Birthday boy with his brothers

After dinner we headed over to Universal Studios...we had fun but no pictures.

Today we all headed over to my parent's for dinner.  Zack and I arrived a bit early so he could get in a swim...

...before everyone else arrived.

Of course it wouldn't be an Italian get together without some kind of drama so...yeah...there was a little of that.  But drama aside, we had a great dinner. 

Ollie thinks everyone loves him

There is something very nostalgic about my kid's birthdays.  It takes me back to the day when I first laid eyes on them and the first hug and the first kiss.  I think about all the hopes and dreams that were wrapped up those hugs and kisses.  And realize that they are the living embodiment of those dreams.

I love you, C.J. and am so happy to be your mom.  

Let's Talk Incompetence

Yay it's CJ's birthday but we're actually celebrating it tomorrow so I'll do a big post then. We did go out to eat tonight and to Universal so that was fun.


I'm a pretty patient person (um...except when it comes to driving) but I have had my limit for dealing with incompetence lately.  

It started last month when my health insurance was canceled because the lady who took my payment over the phone must not have processed it properly.  That fiasco took 3 days to clear up.

Three weeks ago I ordered two pair of shorts online.  My address is pretty confusing in that my mailbox number is not the same as my apartment number. Well, to shorten the story UPS could not deliver my shorts but left a note card instead with a number to call.  I called that number on July 1 and gave them the proper address and was told "it is scheduled for delivery tomorrow."  

Two days later...no package.  I said I'm a patient person so I waited 3 days before calling again ---and finding out that the package was instead sent back to the company!!!!!  I called the company to have them re-send it and was told it could take up to two weeks to get.  Glad I paid the extra money to get 3 day delivery when I placed the order on June 25!

That brings us to today!

In the mail today was a notice from Geico that they had discontinued my insurance because they require either an inspection or a bill of sale from the dealership (for new cars).  

I have called the dealership TWICE and asked them to fax the bill of sale to Geico...which they obviously didn't do either time.  So I called Geico and the conversation went something like this:

Me: "Obviously you did not receive the bill of sale from the dealership."

Man: "No, we did not"

Me: "Well what can I do to get my car re-insured?"

Man: "The quickest thing would be to take it for an inspection. The inspection takes two minutes and then we will be able to reinstate your insurance."

Me: "WHY WOULD I DRIVE MY CAR TO AN INSPECTION WHEN IT IS NOT INSURED?"

Man: "Oh...hmmm..

Me: "Look, I know this isn't your fault  but this is not a good weekend to be without insurance.  It's my sons birthday and we have parties planned. What can I do?"

Man: "Hold on...I'll see if we can come up with something."

A couple minutes later:

Man:"Maam, do you have the bill of sale ?"

Me: "yes"

Man: "If you could take a picture of it and e-mail it to us...we should be able to have things re-instated in about 45 minutes."

So I take about 7 pictures - because the bill of sale is too big to get in just one picture - and send the e-mail off at 12:54 pm. with a message to call or email when everything was taken care of so I would know it was okay to drive.

4:00 pm

I still hadn't heard anything so I call back.

Man: "No maam. Your insurance is still inactive."

Me: "Well, do you know if anyone checked the email I sent?"

Man:"I don't know but I will check."

A couple minutes on hold:

Man: "Maam.  We have everything we need.  We will review it and send you an email within 15 minutes."

4:22pm
An email from Geico

Case: 13148868

mythreesons311@yahoo.com

Dear Judy Koek:

Thank you for contacting GEICO.

We received an email from you with an attached bill of sale.

After reviewing this document, we are unable to accept this for the following reason:

-Unable to view the entire document

For your convenience, you can attach another copy of this document to a reply email or you can mail, fax, or email the requested documentation to:    

At this time I was beyond frustrated, got online and signed up for Progressive insurance.  Then I called Geico to cancel my policy.

Me: "I need to cancel my policy.  It has nothing to do with the company. I realize this was not your fault but I cannot be without insurance this weekend."

Lady: "I am seeing that you are covered.  Your policy was reinstated 15 minutes ago."

SAY WHAT???

Lady:"You were sent an e-mail notifying you."

Me: "I was sent an e-mail stating they WERE NOT going to reinstate."

I check the e-mails again. I couldn't believe I had read it wrong.  

4:38
E-mail from Geico

I have received your email with the attached bill of sale.

We have reinstated the physical damage coverage for your 2015 Toyota Corolla.  Your new premium is--------.

You may view your updated policy and payment schedule by logging in at service.geico.com.

What the heck happened between 4:22 and 4:38?   

***Groan***

Now I have to decide which insurance I want to cancel. Geico was a lot cheaper so I'll probably keep them. 

Side note: I am furious with the Toyota dealership and they are going to be receiving a call from me on Monday!

This Boy Loves His Dog

My Digs

Now that we've been here for 5 weeks I thought it was about time to get pictures of the apartment on here (minus Zack's room because - no. (#messyonadailybasis). 

Overall, the apartment is larger than our last one - but the bedrooms are smaller.  

Entering the door:

The doorway to the right is the kitchen.  

The kitchen:

Obviously the kitchen is much bigger and I am loving the gas stove.

The living room can be entered from either the hallway or the kitchen.
The Living Room:

The patio door leads out to a screened in balcony with a small storage closet.  

The above dresser was one of my grandma's.  At first, I didn't want it and was forced into "storing" it in my apartment for a while, but now I think it looks great there and think I'll keep it.  

This picture also shows the locations of our bedrooms. Mine is on the left and Zack's is on the right.  They have an identical layout and are the exact same size.  

My bedroom:

We each have a vanity, sink, and bathroom in our rooms.  

So that's it.  We love it.