Friday, December 25, 2009

Hello All

I haven't been too much into Christmas year. I may have sent some of you this before but it always make me giggle.

Merry Christmas



Just clock on the red dot to start and you have to put a name in



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Friday, December 18, 2009

Well we have it all sorted out it looks like. I did not get everything arranged quite as I would like but I couldn't stand the idea of waiting 2 months to lay him to rest
The service will be January 4th in Denver, if any of you need more info, just drop a message in the comments section at the end

Thank you to all of you who have sent condolences. It does make things a bit easier

I am just thankful his pain is over and he can be with my Mom where he wanted to be all along
Thank you
Lauri

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Venting

Hello All

Warning!!! If you don't want to hear some venting turn back now

I usually try not to post too many personal things going on in my life. Other than some pics of the kiddies. However I have a major.....................complaint? dilemma? I don't know just something that ticks me off

My Father passed away on Sunday. We were expecting it, just not so soon. I did get to go see him the Saturday before. So we were okay and have don't have any major regrets. ( Don't you always have some shoulda, coulda, wouldas when someone dies?)

When my Mother died my Father was in bad financial straits and I was in absolutely no position to help and neither was my sister. It took Dad 5 years to pay off her very modest funeral

So he made sure when he passed that he had insurance and at least some plans in place, which we were so grateful for.

Now for the part that ticks me off. My sister found out at 7:40 pm that he had passed, she called me 5 minutes later.

The funeral home that picked him up, and will only be holding him until he is cremated, called her at 8:25 and wanted to know how she was going to pay for this and had to have an answer right away. My sister finally grew a backbone and told them where to go. They would get paid when his insurance came through

Ok fine, got that sorted out kinda

Dad is in Missouri , we are in Colorado so he is coming back here to be laid to rest with Mom.

The VA will now only pay $600 towards his burial costs at the National Cemetery here. WTF?

His ashes will be sent by US Mail, for God's sake . Another WTF?

If he goes directly to Ft Logan, by law they must inter him the next day. And they can't say for sure what day they will get him. I can't possibly get to Denver with 2 hours notice. So I guess he will either have to come to me, my sister or a Funeral home

All the funeral home needs to do is receive his ashes. We would then need to rent a room for the memorial , have those little cards with his info and a guest book. That plus a VERY simple urn.

The cost?Around $2000.........................?...................... Okay I guess. Dad has an insurance policy that will more than pay for these things plus the Funeral home in Missouri , cremation and the price of mailing ( again WTF?). Not sure on the cost for this

Now the part that just kicks me in the a$$ . They refuse to wait for the insurance money, even if we can get the insurance to tell them personally that it is coming. They want $2000 up front. I do not have this, between a 5 day trip to go back to see Dad before he died and Christmas for my kids ( albeit a much smaller Christmas than planned, but I only have presents for 1 child so far and I refuse to ignore the rest, plus my dad would kick my butt if I didn't give my kids a Christmas) I don't have that money and my sister most definitely doesn't

SO.................... they want to run a credit check, then they will allow us to wait to pay until the insurance money comes in..........in about 6 weeks if we are lucky

The problem? My sister and I have about the lowest credit scores on the face of the earth. So that won't work

My question is how the hell do people afford a funeral? I hope to God no one I love and must pay for the funeral dies soon.
How many people have great credit and at least $7000 lying around waiting for this? Isn't that what insurance is for?

I mean he tried very hard to be sure we would have the money, and we wouldn't have a hardship. But for what?

We will probably have to wait until almost 2 months after his death for his interment and memorial

This just isn't right

If I ever get my hands on Eric Chamberlain in Rockport. Missouri. The funeral director with no tact and huge love of money. I will personally wring his lilly white mortician neck.
This a$$ and his family have been burying my family for over 35 years and they get worse everytime. His family is the only cause of cursing I ever heard from my Mennonite Grandma

My hubby must have the right idea. He wants to be cremated than have a huge Irish style wake ( even if he Swedish) than some ashes dropped somewhere in Disneyland. The rest of his ashes he wants put into a replica Viking ship, set on a lake and blown up. No muss no fuss. I must say I am thinking this way

IF I had $10,000 setting around just waiting in case someone dies, then I would have $10, 000 setting around to pay off everything on my bad credit and still have money left over.


I am sorry. I just had to vent

Later
Lauri