the letter...and other things...

okay, i have a little time before i leave for work this morning, so here is the letter. pictures after it, and the description of the pic is underneath it. happy reading!

June 15, 2009

To Whom it May Concern:

My name is Amy Legg (Job # 3826262-01) and I am writing in reference to my recent move from Lubbock, TX, to San Antonio, TX.

I contacted Nationwide Relocation at the end of March to prepare for my move. I gave a complete furniture list (which was later revised) and was told that I would be contacted a week or so before my move to ensure that my furniture list was still correct, my date was still the same, and in general to make sure that all details were ironed out. All paperwork was faxed to me by a Nationwide representative (John Niewoehner). I signed the paperwork and faxed it back to John.

I was contacted by Nationwide on Sunday, May 24, 2009 to verify the contents of my home. I was given an updated estimate and new paperwork was emailed to me. I signed the new paperwork and faxed it back to Nationwide on Tuesday, May 26, 2009. On Wednesday, May 27, 2009, I still had not heard from the carrier, Express Relocation Inc. about what time they would be at my home to pick up my belongings and move them to San Antonio. I contacted Nationwide and they gave me the phone number for Express Relocation. I then contacted Express Relocation and was told that movers would not be at my house until between noon and 2:00 PM on Thursday, May 28, 2009.

Express Relocation arrived at my house shortly after 3 PM on Thursday, May 28, 2009. I went over the paperwork with the driver (Amir) and signed in the appropriate places, including a release stating that any pressed board furniture should be transported AS IS and not disassembled, either by me or the carrier as stated in the contract the driver and I both signed. Part of the contract also stated that the carrier had until June 4, 2009 to deliver my belongings, but I was assured that it would be well before then. When Amir opened the truck, I saw that someone else’s belongings were already loaded in the truck. He explained that the drop off he had attempted before coming for my belongings had fallen through, and so he would have to leave their belongings in the truck and ask his boss what needed to be done with them. He explained the process for distinguishing my belongings from those of the other person and began loading, assuring me several times that all of my furniture would fit in the truck and be protected during the nine hour drive from Lubbock, TX to Houston, TX.

Several of my belongings (including several large, expensive pieces of furniture) had yet to be loaded when it became evident that my belongings would NOT in fact all fit inside the truck. The movers made the decision to leave the load/unload ramp on the back of the truck up and to load the rest of my belongings onto it and then strap them securely on. My furniture and other belongings were loaded and the driver showed me that they were secure.

I asked the driver when I would receive my belongings. He stated that it would probably be either Friday afternoon May 29 or Saturday May 30. He stated that he needed to return one of the men with him (as he was only allowed to take 2 people; himself and another person, on deliveries) and also get some sleep. He stated that he would weigh my truck shortly after leaving my house in Lubbock, TX, and that I could call Nationwide the next day (Friday May 29) to find out the weight of the truck and thus the amount I would owe when he arrived in San Antonio with my belongings. He also stated that if I had any questions, I could call him on his personal cell phone.

I arrived in San Antonio at approximately 2:30 in the morning on Friday, May 29. I called Nationwide first to find out the weight of my truck, and they stated that they had not heard from the carrier (Express Relocation). I began calling Express Relocation around noon to find out the status of my delivery. I was not able to get ahold of someone until approximately 3:30 PM Friday afternoon. I was told that the truck had just arrived in Houston and that it had not been weighed yet. I was not given a time or date for when my belongings would arrive.
Saturday morning May 30, I attempted to call Express Relocation again to find out when my belongings would be delivered. The answering machine stated that the company was closed on Saturdays, which I found odd because the driver had stated that my belongings would possibly be delivered Saturday. I left a message for my call to be returned and then attempted to call the driver, as he had stated I was welcome to do so. I called the driver MULTIPLE times on Saturday and left several messages. The phone was never answered and I never received a call back.

Sunday morning May 31, I called Express Relocation yet again. The phone was answered at 10:00 AM by Ricky. He stated that the company is closed on Saturdays and the driver did not answer his phone for religious reasons. When I stated my serious concerns about the condition of my belongings due to the fact that they had been strapped to the back of a truck and I had not been updated on their status, he stated that my truck was in a warehouse and that my belongings were covered and “everything looks good.” He stated that my delivery would be on Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at approximately 8-9 AM.

Monday, June 1, I received a call from Nationwide to check on the progress of my move. I explained my frustrations about phone calls not being returned and not being informed about the condition and location of my belongings. The representative apologized and asked me to call Nationwide back if I had not heard from the movers by the time they opened the next morning.
Tuesday morning, I woke up early and made sure things were in order for the movers’ arrival. I still had not heard from the driver at 8:45 AM. I called Nationwide, and they contacted Express Relocation and had Ricky contact me. He stated that he was sorry, but it would be another hour before my belongings would even be loaded, so it would probably be between noon and 1 PM when my belongings were delivered. He stated that the driver would call me about an hour before the estimated arrival. I thanked him and hung up. At 12:30 PM, I still had not heard from the driver. I called Express back, and Ricky stated that the driver had just left 30 minutes before my call, so it would be approximately 3:30 PM before my belongings arrived in San Antonio.

The driver finally arrived shortly after 4:00 PM. I showed him where the main pieces of furniture would go and said we could just stack boxes around them. The first few pieces of furniture came in uneventfully. All furniture had been completely wrapped in blankets and taped to prevent scratching. Then the movers began bringing in my leather couch. It took them several minutes to figure out how to get it into the door, as it is rather large. In the process, the protective blankets slipped off. They merely tossed the blankets aside and proceeded to drag my leather couch through the door and across concrete, completely unprotected. It sustained several corner scratches which are documented in included photographs. Damage was also sustained to a supporting leg on the underside of a very heavy dresser. Photographs of the underside of the dresser and of the whole dresser are included. One box (photo included) sustained severe water damage. Another box had a side that was nearly shredded, compromising the integrity of the box and its ability to protect its contents. A large mirror had a v-shaped break (see photos) and one of the legs of my office desk was partially broken away from the desk, causing unsteadiness with any movement of the desk. The drivers were generally very careless about moving boxes into the house. Almost every box that had been marked “this side up” was turned upside down, and weight was unevenly distributed, causing the boxes below them to be crushed. After the movers left, I walked outside and noticed a very large pile (approximately two feet by three feet) of trash in the parking lot of my apartment complex. It contained mostly bubble wrap and large pieces of tape. The movers also left water bottles lying around the parking lot and even stuffed one empty plastic bottle into the bushes.

A few days after receiving my belongings, I realized that I was missing two end tables made of wood and a brand new vacuum cleaner, purchased only a week before my move. I found the end tables when I opened a box. They had been (obviously very carelessly) disassembled, the pieces all thrown into a box together. I never consented to have the tables disassembled and was never told they would be disassembled. The pieces of the two tables sustained multiple scratches and dings, and nearly all of the screws that would have been needed to reassemble the tables were gone (see included photographs). After consulting with my father, who was present the day of my move, I learned that he watched the movers hurriedly and haphazardly disassemble the tables in my front yard in their haste to load their truck and get on the road.

As of this writing, I am still waiting for my vacuum cleaner. Three days after I received my belongings on June 2, I finished unpacking all of my boxes and noted that the vacuum cleaner was still missing. The driver had also left a Bill of Lading with me that was blank on my copy and I needed something clearer. Ricky faxed me a copy of all of my paperwork and, when I asked him about my vacuum, he stated, “Oh yeah, we have it here. We’re going to bring it on Tuesday (June 9) when we bring another load to San Antonio.” I thanked him and hung up. I called on Tuesday at 4:30 PM to verify that my vacuum would be arriving. Ricky stated that I needed to call the driver and give him my address; that he would be at my house around 11 PM. He stated that the driver had left Houston at approximately 4:15 PM and it would take him about four hours to get to San Antonio. He would then need to deliver his first load before coming to me. I called the driver at approximately 10 PM and was told that he was already on his way back to Houston. No attempt was made to try to contact me before he left. I spoke with Ricky (who states he is the owner) on June 11, and he stated that he will call me when he has a truck in the area, probably sometime during the week of June 15th.

My family has moved multiple times in my life, and I have NEVER had such a negative experience as this one. The services Express Relocation has provided have been abysmal. Their employees have no respect for customer belongings and I have had to call multiple times almost every time I have contacted the company in order to get ahold of someone. I feel I have been outright lied to (saying my belongings would be delivered on a Saturday when the company is closed Saturday) and that they really have no concern for me as a customer. I will not be recommending their company to anyone. Although I have had a very positive experience with Nationwide, if they continue to retain Express Relocation as a carrier, I will not recommend Nationwide’s services.

I would appreciate being kept abreast of any and all proceedings following and I appreciate the help of all involved in settling my claims and making this right. Thank you again so much for your consideration and (to Nationwide) for doing all you can to help me.

Sincerely,

Amy Legg

Photograph Descriptions/Explanations
June 13, 2009

To Whom it May Concern:
This letter details explanations for each photograph. Photographs will be described in numeric order. The number in this letter matches the number on the back of each photograph and, in addition, the number in this letter is the same as the photograph’s file name (i.e., photo #1’s file name is express1, etc.).

End Tables: These two end tables were purchased two years ago and weighed approximately 10 lb. each. The tables are made of real wood and were disassembled without my consent or prior notice. The tables sustained multiple scratches to several different pieces. The tables are missing a significant number of screws/equipment that would be needed to reassemble them. The pieces were received in a box and appeared to have been thrown into the box with no care taken to prevent any scratching or other damage.

Photo is of part of one of the tables’ legs. A large scratch is noted on the edge of one of the sides. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Photo of another table leg. Long scratch noted along the side of the leg. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Photo of piece of end table documenting missing lock that would be necessary to reattach it to other pieces of end table. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Zoomed-in photograph of table leg. Note that the white screw stabilizer in the right side of the photo is broken off halfway down, rendering reuse impossible. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photos below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Zoomed-in alternate image of same leg documented in photo #4. Broken screw stabilizer is now visible on the left side of the leg. Note the gold of the screw visible due to broken stabilizer. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Detail photo of top of lamp part of end tables. One “halo” needed to hold lampshade in place was missing. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Detail view of underside of one of the two end table tops. This is the underside of the table. Only one of four sides for underside support is present; others were broken off. Also, note the presence of screw holes made to attach top to rest of furniture. No screws were found in the box the pieces of the end table came in. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Detail of underside of second of the two end table tops. Note again the presence of multiple screw holes with screws and attached pieces stripped from them. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Detail of top of one of the table’s supporting legs. Attached pieces were removed in such a way that damage shown occurred. Furniture will be unusable due to no secure place to reattach connecting pieces. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

View of all pieces of two end tables retained in box: two tops, two lamp attachments, two lower shelves, seven single legs/connecting pieces, and three fully assembled leg supports.

Leather couch: This leather couch was purchased two and a half years ago from Lack’s furniture store. I am unsure of the weight.

Detail of small scratches sustained to a corner end of a couch. This piece had absolutely no scratches prior to this move.

Detail of rough scratch measuring approximately one inch long on the front part of a couch cushion (look carefully in the middle of the picture).

Detail of corner scratch measuring approx ½ in by ¾ inch on the corner of the couch.

Detail of scratch on bottom corner of couch. The scratch is approximately two inches long. Also not multiple scratches to the wooden sofa “leg”.

Detail of scratches and scuffs to front bottom corner of couch. The scratch under the bottom row of nailheads is three inches long. Also note scuffing to the material underneath the couch and to multiple nailheads; this is a result of the couch being dragged across concrete.


Frontal view of couch.

Framed mirror: 1 photo.

This mirror measures 32 inches x 44 ½ inches and weighs approximately 20 lb. The straight crack measures 28 inches and the curved crack measures approximately 30 inches.

Dresser: This dresser was purchased two years ago at Furniture Row/Bedroom Expressions. The dresser weighs approximately 275 lbs.

Detail photo of supporting leg under the front middle of the dresser. The wood was stripped away from two supporting pegs that held the leg in place, thus compromising the supporting leg’s ability to do what it is supposed to do. In time, because of the weight of the dresser, there is a possibility that the front of the dresser will begin to sag.

Full photo of dresser and attached mirror.

Shredded box


This box was brand new when I received it, having been used only to mail lightweight paper hospital gowns from the company to the hospital I worked in. When I received it in San Antonio, it was in this condition. The inside of the box contained multiple breakable items and decorating pieces. Fortunately, damage was only done to the outside of the box.

Water-damaged box

This box was used to move dry goods and some small cooking utensils. The box was very obviously water-damaged when I received it and was, in fact, still damp. Several items in the top of the box (approximately $30 value) had to be thrown away.

Office desk: Purchased four years ago. Unsure of the weight.

Closeup of damage to right front leg of wooden desk. Desk now wobbles when moved and is not stable.

Full photo of office desk. Damage was sustained to front right leg.

well, there you go...what you guys think?

"one thing you know, in faith you find...something to stand on or you will be taught to FLY..."

so this whole experience has been a leap of faith, and i'm not sure if i'm flying or if God's given me something to stand on yet...but i definitely know His hand is here.

Sunday was my first full day in the unit. rolled out of bed around 5 and was on the road by about 5:45. got to the unit a little early (i know, all of my Lubbock people are shocked) and found my place. had one of the same kids i had on friday plus two cardiac babies. my preceptor's name was Cat...and she was hilarious. great about teaching (and picking on me) and gave me the twin that we had to take care of for the day. i did all care (with a little help) and all of the charting (with a lot of help!). got nicknamed "sparky" by one of the transport nurses, because i told her i want to eventually be able to do everything in the unit (ECMO, take care of head cooling babies, transports, and cardiac--only certain nurses take care of cardiac babies) and that i love to be involved and get really excited about stuff. first feeding went off without a hitch. got baby changed and assessed and such, and cat gave me a crash course in incubators. one of the really cool things is that if you have to open the doors or take down the side, there's a button you can push and it creates a "heat wall" between baby and the outside of the incubator to help prevent the cold air from getting in. kind of like that wall of air you meet with at the grocery store to keep the bugs out. *thanks for the analogy, beth! :)* in addition to the servo temp (set temp for non NICU people) and the baby's temp, the environment temperature is also displayed. got little one's feeding started (it's all over a pump here...usually 30 min to an hour) and then went to the computer. got as much done as i could without help, and then cat came over. "did you do your abdominal girth?" nope...didn't know i was supposed to. how often do we do it? "every shift." sure, got it. will do it at noon. we looked at the assessment, meds (the MAR is also computerized...no sheet to print out, and we don't doublecheck routine meds...still the narcs and serious stuff though), feeding assessment...it was really amazing. nice to be able to go back and edit if i needed to, but definitely slower than just whipping out my pen and writing it down, although some nurses will write things down throughout the day and then put everything in at the end of the shift.

the rest of the day went pretty well...i spent my time exploring the chart (which is much smaller because a lot of the charting is online) and playing with the computer system. the nurse who dubbed me sparky came to me about 10:30 and asked if i wanted to go on a c-section...of course! then she stood up for me when the nurse practitioner stated that they already had plenty and i would probably be in the way. "it's okay, she's not going to do anything, she's just gonna watch." mostly the same setup for deliveries, except the warmer in L&D stays there if baby has to come back to us. we have a couple of carts with an isolette and a transport bag set aside just for deliveries, and baby comes back in those.

now...for the things that are a little different...for starters, pretty much all babies in the unit feed every three hours. blood pressures are with every feed (on every baby) and we do abdominal girths every shift. the incubator was not as big a deal as i thought it would be. i could do pretty much everything i needed to with just the windows open, but i did have to take the whole side down to turn baby prone. another big difference is the developmental aids...they use something called a Z-Flo here. it's like a whole mattress that's a semi-solid material that can be formed any way you want and it will stay that way. you just squish it around with your fingers and form it the way you need it to be, and it has two straps (kind of like the snugglies) that you can sort of hold baby in with. i get the feeling that the nurses don't like them so much...they think they're a pain. also, they are trialing something called Prolacta with some of their babies...it's like HMF, only liquid, and i think it's got protein in it that HMF doesn't or something. so you have to thaw the stuff out (they have a milk thawer...that's cool) and then you add a certain amount of breast milk (10 cc prolacta+40cc breast milk). there's four different concentrations depending on what you want your final caloric intake to be. we also use donor breast milk that comes from the milk bank in austin. it has a lot number and expiration on it and has been pasteurized. when you take one out, you just have to log the lot # and expiration on a log kept on the baby's clipboard. very interesting.

so the day was relatively uneventful...i learned a lot and it was a good day. i'll be out of the unit for a week because i have new nursing orientation on tuesday/wed/thurs and then i'm off the weekend because friends are coming in and i'm going to SEA WORLD ON FRIDAY!!! cool!!! i haven't been since i was like 8 or something. can't wait!

on a different note...i emailed my narrative of my whole moving experience and photos to my original contact at Nationwide today, and I should have my claims stuff in the mail by the end of the week. for your viewing pleasure, i will be posting the letter and photos on here...get excited! hopefully i will actually get something out of this for all the work i've put into it...

okay, gotta go to bed so i'm not falling asleep tomorrow. much love to all!

another first day!

4:50 AM: Addison Road's "Hope Now" blasts out of my phone. time to wake up...

5:00 AM: crawling into the shower...more music blasting from the iPhone to help me wake up.

5:46 AM: heading out the door on my way to work. the drive is usually about 25-30 minutes depending on traffic, but it's nice to have a little time to listen to music or sing or pray or whatever. if it weren't so early in the morning, i might call a friend and have a catch-up conversation. :)

6:11 AM: I pull into the parking garage a little ahead of schedule. I get my stuff all together, and then here we go...

I was pulled back to junior high when i walked into the area where staff lockers and the lounge are. every locker has a combination lock on it...something i haven't used since high school! i bent down to stick my stuff in, praying that i would remember how to use them and not have to ask someone...and i did it! it was kind of awkward in the lounge...nobody really said anything to me, but i could tell they were all curious as to who i was. i found out where the assignments are posted. call me a dork or call it significant, but when i found myy assignment, my heart warmed a little...beds 21 and 22. 21 is my lucky number...maybe it was coincidence, maybe it was God giving me a little push and saying, "hey, get out there and be yourself...you're going to be fine!"

my nurse was running a little late (i found out later that her kid started getting sick at 5:30 this morning) so the transport nurse got report for her. we were taking care of a set of twins born at 25ish weeks, now 31ish weeks. the incubators were the biggest noticeable difference. the monitors and IV pumps are also different, and of course, the computer charting. they still do paper I&O's and the orders are written on paper, but all of the assessments and the MAR on on the computer. i had a class today to learn about all of that, and it makes sense so far.

since i wasn't even in the unit the whole day, i mostly just observed the nurses and oriented myself to my new environment. i left around 11:15 to get to my class (in a different hospital across town). the nurses were great once we got through report and into their routines. im excited...i can't wait to get into my real orientation with consistent preceptors and start LEARNING!

okay, now a rewind...

TUESDAY: second day of hospital orientation. also, i finally got ahold of my original contact with nationwide. i reiterated my frustrations and general disgust with the carrier, and he apologized profusely and asked me to send him a written copy of my experience and all of the photographs i will be sending to the claims department. i agreed. (still working on those...hopefully i'll get everything finished up tomorrow while i'm off.) that afternoon, i called Express to verify that they would FINALLY be bringing me my vacuum. the guy told me that the driver left houston for san antonio around 4:15. the drive takes around 4 hours for a big truck, putting the driver in san antonio around 8:15. the dispatcher gave me the driver's phone number and told me that i needed to call him around 8 to give him my address, which i thought was retarded...but ok. i mean, they just delivered my stuff a week ago...they've already lost my address? whatever. well, naturally, i forgot...i called the driver around 10. he said he'd left san antonio two hours before, because i hadn't called him. i know it's probably mostly my fault bc i was supposed to call him, but it just makes me mad bc that shouldn't be my responsibility. that was the first time in this whole experience that i was truly ANGRY. i'm just so sick of dealing with these people and their idiocy. they're the ones who forgot the vacuum in the first place; they should be the ones keeping up with how it gets back to me! stayed up for a couple more hours sorting through paperwork, and then off to bed.

WEDNESDAY: off. stayed in bed until 2. fantastic. got up and ran errands and mailed mom's birthday present. that night, i decided to take a field trip to Whole Foods and see what i could see. here's what i found...good times...

they have a MASSAGE PARLOR in the GROCERY STORE!!!! i can just see it..."relax, just breathe deep; in and out...*PRICE CHECK ON AISLE FOUR!!!*...in and out..." HELLO?!? go to a place where you can get commando and not worry about an overhead loudspeaker or hearing twenty people walk by talking on their cell phone! just sayin'...

crystal deodorant. hmm. so how do you know when you've put enough on? does it scratch your armpit?

frozen dog food. in tubes like they put hamburger meat in. interesting concept. do you have to fry it in a skillet, too?

digital price tags. how very cool!

as i was preparing to leave, i decided to run back by the soup and crackers aisle to get some water crackers...good snack. as i made my selection, a lady breezed by me and down to the soups. then...i saw the most bizarre thing i have ever seen. she took a can of soup and, while cupping it in the palm of one hand, she took a little arrowhead looking thing on a small chain and swung it over the soup. she put that can back, took another of exactly the same brand and type, and swung the chain over it again. apparently that one met her satisfaction, because she took it and walked on, never noticing that i was behind her. i called michelle to see if she had ever heard such a thing. she had not. i didn't want to offend the lady by asking her "what the heck?", but michelle made a good point...besides punk rocker goth people, hippies are more than willing to share their stories and and answer your questions, and are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. true that. so i get off the phone and yes...i track this lady through the grocery store. yes, only me. i find her, apologize, and say that i by no means intend to offend her but...what the heck was she doing? she starts telling me about her pendulum and how it helps her find foods/vitamins/etc. that mesh with her system and her body's energies. she says its an art that she began learning from a naturalist in albuquerque back in the 70s (shocker!). then, another lady she met a few months ago who happened to walk up start talking about this blood type diet...not a lose weight kind of diet, but like, if your blood type is O, you follow this diet, etc., etc. it was...enlightening. very interesting. like michelle said..."only at whole foods!"

THURSDAY: on wed. night, i couldn't find my schedule for where i needed to be thursday. i knew i had a meditech class for half a day thurs and half a day friday, but i couldn't remember what times and didn't know where. so i crawl out of bed at 5, get ready, and get myself to the hospital by 7ish. hung out around HR until 8, when i find out (at 8:20) that my class starts at 8...at medical center. i am at city center...downtown. med center is a mile from my house...in NW San Antonio. so i get in the car, haul it, at get to the classroom at around 9. i apologized profusely to the the instructor, and she apologized right back, saying that there was no way she could get me caught up as late as i was. could i come back at 1? sure. go figure. again...only me...

okay kids...it's wicked late, you're all caught up, and i'm wiped out. g'nite...leave me some love!

first day!!

ok, this is going to have to be quick because i have to be up EARLY!

i DID make it to orientation on time today (yay me...8 minutes to spare!)...so proud of myself. see, it's actually quite an ordeal for me to get to work. takes me about 25-30 minutes depending on traffic (and no, my precious lubbockites, i do not hate it yet), and by the time i roll into the parking garage, i have taken three different highways to get there. and i only needed my garmin the first few times. i feel like an old pro :).

so orientation was all the usual stuff...benefits, endless safety stuff, the talk about the hospitals history and values and the founding nuns, more safety stuff, glucometer training, and MORE safety stuff. did i mention safety stuff?

end of the day, i had to run up to the unit to get some schedule stuff. the educator remembers me from November and bless her sweet soul, she didn't run the other way when she saw me :). got all of that figured out and was done.

house is still kind of cluttered (such is my life) but i'm going to work really hard on that tomorrow evening and on wednesday. i have meditech training for half a day thurs and then friday morning. friday afternoon i'm off to the unit for my first day there. say prayers that i listen good, nod, say yes ma'am a lot, and keep my pie hole shut! i am so excited about learning new stuff. pray God makes me a little pint-sized sponge and that i take to it all like surfactant to a 24 weeker's lungs.

can't wait to see you Lubbock people who are coming down this summer. the ones who have no plans to come yet...YET...what are you waiting on? ;)

much love to all...more soon!

grace,
amy :)

the long awaited post...

okay...for all of my devotees, my apologies. i haven't been to michelle's in a couple of days, and time warner just came today to get my internet hooked up. loving the fact that i am up in my loft laying in my bed and updating my blog. yess!!!

some of you know the story, but for those who don't...go potty and get a fresh cup of whatever you drink before you start reading, because you're in it for the long haul!

MONDAY:

it's been such a crazy week, i really don't remember all that much from Monday. mostly, we just puttered around the (mostly empty) house, mom reading and me running various errands all over town. had to go up to the hospital to get my TB test and inprocessing paperwork. Occupational (employee) health then sent me upstairs to have titers (levels) drawn to make sure i have chicken pox and Hepatitis B immunity, among other things. then off to a clinic to pee in a cup and prove to "them" that i do not have an affinity for fentanyl, versed, morphine, or any other drug i might come into contact with in the hospital (and some that i would only come across under the I-35 bridge). i think there was probably a trip to wal-mart in there, somewhere. heaven knows i've been like 20 times in the last four days. got a confirmation call from the freaker idiots at express...*SOAPBOX ALERT* DO NOT EVER EVER EVER USE ANY MOVING COMPANY THAT IS IN ANY WAY AFFILIATED WITH EXPRESS RELOCATION...EVER!!!! *soapbox over* ...that my stuff would indeed be delivered Tuesday morning, probably around 9ish am. fantastic...and about freakin' time!! i crawled into bed feeling reassured that i would soon have my life back.

TUESDAY:

0700: alarm clock goes off. hit snooze.
0709: alarm clock goes off. hit snooze.
0718: alarm clock goes off. hit snooze.
0727: alarm clock goes off. turn off alarm. roll out of bed, tug jeans on. deodorant and perfume. grab keys and head off to Shipley Donuts *heaven!!!!*
0800: place order at Shipley's. proceed to dump out purse before realizing that debit card is at apartment. blast.
0819: retrieve debit card from home.
0834: retrieve donuts.
0848: pick up OJ and milk. call Nationwide to tell them that movers were supposed to be here between 8 and 9 and i still haven't heard from them.
0910: dispatch at Express calls. "we're really sorry, we're just getting your truck loaded and we're gonna have to weigh it. we should be in SA about noon." fantastic. see you guys then.
0935: after enjoying the bliss that is Shipley's, crawl back between covers on air mattress and proceed to weave in and out of dreamland for the next couple of hours.
11:50: check phone clock, realize that i should probably get off my hump and help mom start moving what little stuff is out, out of the way.
12:10: stuff out of the way. still haven't heard from movers.
12:30: called dispatch directly. um...i still haven't heard from the driver. when are you guys gonna be here? "oh, we're really sorry. we had a lot of trucks to load and unload today. they just left about an hour ago. tehy'll be there about 3:30, 4:00." grr! fine, i guess i can wait another couple of hours.
4:20: movers FINALLY SHOW UP!!! Hallelujah!!!

...or not. The furniture was in the back, so it got unloaded first. They brought in my office furniture, etc., and then started unloading my bedroom suite...the relatively expensive one that I bought when I graduated from nursing school. they got the headboard and footboard upstairs, and then scuffed up the ceiling dragging the mattresses up and not watching the height of the ceiling vs. height of mattress. (there's plenty of room). the list goes ON and ON...i'll save you the narration and just get right to the dirty, sucky details. they had a hard time getting my couch to fit through the front door. during their several attempts, the blankets the couch was wrapped in slipped off. they tossed them aside and proceeded to drag my leather couch across cement in their effort to get it inside. a big decorative mirror was broken (fortunately, it was from wal-mart and so not expensive, but still, it's the principle of the matter). multiple boxes were waterstained. most of the boxes looked like they'd been through three or four moves. mind you, pretty much all of my boxes came from the hospital or the surgical center that i worked at (thank you thank you my trisha friend) and so were in very good condition when i got them. they were all taped up very well. when i got them, they looked like they had been thrown around several times. i know that they were offloaded and reloaded at least once, because the truck they left Lubbock in and the truck they showed up to san antonio in were different. my two end tables were taken apart and thrown into a box and are not fixable. my washer and dryer are scratched. every box that i labeled "this side up"...well, that side was most definitely not up. grenadine syrup leaked all over one box, cough syrup all over another. the middle reinforcement leg under my bedroom dresser had small pieces of wood broken off at the supports so that it's integrity was compromised. they left a HUGE pile of tape and trash at the end of my walkway where they offloaded everything. they left water bottles all over the parking lot and even stuck in the bushes. then, they forgot to give me a reciept. after a day and a half of sorting through boxes, i realized that my BRAND NEW vacuum was missing. when i got ahold of the company on thursday to ask them about the forgotten reciept, i happened to ask about the vacuum. the OWNER OF THE COMPANY (i know he's the owner because i asked) told me, "oh yeah, it's here. we're gonna bring it back next tuesday when we're back in town with another shipment." HELLO!?!?!!?!! how's that for customer service? were they just going to show up here with my vacuum if i hadn't called and hope i was home? (the moving truck was nowhere near full, btw). they never called to say, "hey, by the way, you may have noticed that your vacuum is not there. we're sorry, we accidentally forgot to put it on the truck. we're back in town tuesday, so we'll drop it off then." HOW HARD CAN THAT BE???? so it has definitely been a series of most unfortunate events. note to all of yourselves...

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER USE EXPRESS RELOCATION, INC. (BASED IN HOUSTON) FOR ANY MOVE YOU MIGHT BE CONSIDERING. EVER. UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

As my friend beth said..."U and Haul could have done this one way quicker and with much less heartache...and with friends who would have been much more careful with your stuff!" yes, sister...you ARE correct.

Tuesday night and wednesday night were spent unpacking boxes like a maniac, just trying to get the boxes out of my house and make room. See, all of the boxes were stacked four high and three deep against my stair wall, which also happened to be the wall that my TV would be on. i had to get the boxes out of the way because Time Warner came and set up my internet and cable thursday (which is why you're finally getting this ridiculous-long post). Bubba got here last night, and we got up this morning and started hanging pictures and trying to get rid of clutter. We're getting there, very slowly.

tomorrow, we'll put mom on a plane back to Amarillo and then it'll just be me and mark. We'll probably spend the rest of the weekend unpacking and arranging. Bubba will have to go back Sunday night and then it will finally just be me. don't get me wrong, i have absolutely been so grateful for their help and would probably be sitting on the floor cross-legged and rocking back and forth if not for them. but until i am here by myself, i don't think it will be real. say some prayers, huh? that's gonna be interesting.

orientation is monday and tuesday...get excited! back to the grindstone. side note...met my right side neighbor today. older man. bubba was taking bridget out and saw him sitting on his porch, so he introduced himself. old man comes over to meet me (who hasn't showered in two days and is wearing pajama pants and a hoodie so as to put off the wearing of certain other garments), and waltzes right into my house and plops down in a chair at my kitchen table!!! he told me that he does free computer repairs and that he's a coffee fiend, so any time i need a cappuccino, just knock on his door and he'll fix me up. he kind of creeped me out a little.

ok, gotta take myself to bed so i'll be willing to wake up at a decent hour. much love to all!