Continued from here. To start from the beginning go here.
January 7
Both kids are home, it's Saturday, the weather was gorgeous, so I left the door open & let them run amuck as I talked with Elvis, tried to comfort him, & kept myself busy. I'd had no sleep by this point in a day or two and should have been running on fumes..Elvis also hadn't had sleep for a day or two more...Brian was at work.
Brian was able to get off work early due to sheer exhaustion and was home not long after noon.
Elvis had just left out in my car to go visit Brian at work, so Brian called him to come back to the house. Elvis seemed quite jittery and upset and confused and didn't really know what to think.
Elvis & Brian developed a plan that Brian would take Elvis out to Missouri to Lady Gold's place to hang out for a bit so he could get a bit of breathing room. I do have to admit my house isn't the most peaceful of places - two kids, three dogs, a cat...yea, there's only peace here late at night.
The only problem was that Brian would be driving Elvis, leaving no solid way for Brian to get back home, since they were going to be taking Elvis's truck of belongings. So I volunteered to follow them out there - 10 hours one way - and that as Brian got him settled in, since he had the weekend off, I would drive another 3hrs out to go see my momma since we've not seen her since we moved to Tennessee two years ago & the kids have GROWN.
January 8
Surprisingly the kids did great on the drive. A few instances of fighting, but not bad...they eventually fell asleep since we didn't leave out until 4pm. We made it to my momma's at 5:30am, I went to take a nap, finally, at around 6:30...awakened at 10am so that I could get ready to head back to get Brian & then head home. If all went perfectly then we'd be home no later than midnight and with the kids sleeping in the car & Brian having at least 6 hours more sleep than I had the kids & Brian would be good to go to school & work on Monday & I'd spend the day slumbering.
So much for well laid plans. I got back to the town where I had to pick Brian up, but for the life of me could not remember exactly where I needed to turn - I'd only ever been there once, less than 12 hours before, at about 2am. So I tried calling...and calling...and calling Brian. I did not have anyone else's phone numbers there, so I was SOL until Brian answered the phone. His phone is a bit wonky ever since I threw a pair of pants of his across the room while gathering laundry & the phone was in the pocket...and I hit the wall directly with the phone...
Anyways, one would think a normal person would be like "hey my wife said she'd be here at 3pm, it's 4pm, there had been some car trouble along the way, lets try calling her or seeing if she's tried to call"...but no. Not my husband. Of course I also just have a super cheapy phone that gets 250 minutes a month of talk time...no texting, no email, no tweeting...just 250 minutes of talk time, of which in a normal month I might use 20 minutes. During this trip I used all 250 minutes. My phone cut out within the first minute of Brian actually answering his phone, finally. I'd already tried to see if I could recognize the road for the last hour in this town, calling him constantly...each call taking a minute of my time...
So I was a bit peeved after I finally convinced my phone carrier people to just give me 10 minutes..and they gave me 50....and then Brian STILL didn't answer his phone for a reallllly long time. To say I was pissed is an understatement. The kids were hungry, bored, and I was unable to recognize the road.
Eventually it was figured out & the reason I was unable to recognize the road is because I was on the opposite side of town as we had originally came in on....but for the last almost 2hrs I was within 5 blocks of where I needed to be. This caused us to have to add an extra 2hours to our trip...
January 9
Then add in a detour across the Mississippi River on the way home, through Kentucky through "The Hills Have Eyes" type of Kentucky...and given my extreme lack of sleep...and my tendency to hallucinate when I'm totally exhausted the trip home was HORRID for me. The trees were extremely creepy. The ghost towns along the detour were REALLLLLLY creepy. And overpasses looked like barns in the middle of the road. Maybe I watch too many horror flicks, but I love them...
Anyways...I also didn't have the return home directions, just the get to this town in Missouri directions...so after we FINALLY got into Tennessee and got to a town that we've both been to, granted only once each, but we were in the final home stretch...and only about two total hours behind original schedule.
Then we took a wrong turn.
We ended up in some part of Tennessee that I have no clue what/where it is...except knew it wasn't along the way home...and once we found a highway that went thru our hometown we took it...and by 4:30am...4.5hrs later than schedule we were all home & my nerves were shot.
Brian called into work, thus prompting the need for him to get a doctor's note - there went the money we'd pocketed from this trip. That sucked.
Mikeal was a complete crap cake so I let him skip school.
Thankfully Mikaila didn't have to be at school until just before noon, so she went & I attempted to nap...and that didn't happen, so still no sleep.
January 10
Most of the day proceeded as normal. Elvis had called early that morning & sounded human. He'd slept & had started eating again. He seemed to be on the mend from the break-up.
At around 8pm he calls Brian again in a panic. Prissy had started texting him again, angry with him about leaving, and was threatening to press abandonment charges against him for the Saleen still being in her yard and she'd be keeping it.
To be Continued....
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
The House of the Rising Shit
Prologue
January 5
Brian had been at work all day, I was home, stressed with the kids, when Brian called. Said that Elvis sounded very upset & wanted him to come over...I wasn't thrilled, but upset friends sometimes come before a stressed out momma - No, I mean that, no sarcasm - mommas are normally stressed out by the time dinner has rolled around & it's getting close to bedtime, especially when the weather is crappy.
Several hours after bedtime Brian gets back home. Apparently Elvis was very worried about Prissy, she'd been acting quite odd lately & a conversation he'd had with her to try to find out what was wrong only left him upset & she'd left out. After 5 years their first fight, of sorts...
I have listened to the voice recording her did of the conversation. She jumps around talking about how she was dying and how she'd felt like she's been in jail since her kids were taken from her...and now that one is in Afghanistan for the next year she'd decided that she's going to sit at home & not leave until both her kids came back. They're both grown, in their 20s, & she's not had a relationship with them since before they were teenagers. The way she kept going on & on in the recording sounded like she needed some serious medications & perhaps some counseling....ok and definitely some intense counseling.
Elvis was quite concerned about her & it showed in his opening statement to the recording, as well as during his whole conversation with her. She sounded like a complete nut case and he was recording the conversation so that he could perhaps take it to her family to listen to the next day or so & convince her to seek some help.
She left that evening & didn't return.
January 6
She had decided she wanted nothing more to do with going on the road with him or doing anything with him, whatsoever. During their 5 years together, as mentioned in the Introduction, they'd accumulated a number of vehicles. Each of which were registered in her name, because during this whole time she had lied to him & told him that because he wasn't a full US citizen he wasn't able to register a vehicle in his name. Because he'd believed these lies he'd made arrangements with Brian to put each of these vehicles in Brian's name. Brian was okay with that, but wasn't aware of the premise behind the request at the time, it was whatever.
~ Tell me later this shit wasn't planned ~
During the day Elvis met with Prissy so that she could sign the titles to some of the vehicles over to him....mainly a Chevy truck, the Saleen, the Coyote, and another one that escapes my mind, it's not important...The vehicle that escapes my mind he gave to her, told her not to worry about it, he also let her keep the Corvette & the Cadillac...he'd bought them for her, so in his mind's eye they were hers.
She signed off on all of the vehicles, did not fill out the 'buyer name' portion though...
Elvis had a buyer already lined up for the Coyote, so took the title to him, no issues.
That left Elvis with the Saleen Explorer & a Chevy pick-up.
Something happened later that afternoon that caused Elvis's alert to be raised. He went & talked with Officer Trusted about his concerns about Prissy & Officer Trusted, having know Prissy for a number of years, advised him to leave the house, to take all the guns out of the house, & to go to a safe place.
Elvis called Brian up, very upset, & Brian agreed to go back out there after work to help him pack all his sound equipment, clothes, and personal effects. Afterall sound equipment is EXPENSIVE & it's his livelihood...and well, with her mental state at the time & the warning from Officer Trusted it's best to not leave anything to chance. They loaded everything up into the Chevy & came over here to the house....they got here about 4am.
I was worried about them & totally lost on what all was going on, so had a really hard time falling asleep, so was up when they got in. Brian had to be at work at 7:30am, so I stayed up, drank coffee with them, & was filled in on the bits of the details & the recording from the 5th was played for me...and I agreed that something seemed to be a bit 'weird' about her.
Elvis was quite upset over it all & was having a hard time processing it. He never did go to sleep, so neither did I, and it was Saturday, the 7th so both kids were home all day....
Continued...
January 5
Brian had been at work all day, I was home, stressed with the kids, when Brian called. Said that Elvis sounded very upset & wanted him to come over...I wasn't thrilled, but upset friends sometimes come before a stressed out momma - No, I mean that, no sarcasm - mommas are normally stressed out by the time dinner has rolled around & it's getting close to bedtime, especially when the weather is crappy.
Several hours after bedtime Brian gets back home. Apparently Elvis was very worried about Prissy, she'd been acting quite odd lately & a conversation he'd had with her to try to find out what was wrong only left him upset & she'd left out. After 5 years their first fight, of sorts...
I have listened to the voice recording her did of the conversation. She jumps around talking about how she was dying and how she'd felt like she's been in jail since her kids were taken from her...and now that one is in Afghanistan for the next year she'd decided that she's going to sit at home & not leave until both her kids came back. They're both grown, in their 20s, & she's not had a relationship with them since before they were teenagers. The way she kept going on & on in the recording sounded like she needed some serious medications & perhaps some counseling....ok and definitely some intense counseling.
Elvis was quite concerned about her & it showed in his opening statement to the recording, as well as during his whole conversation with her. She sounded like a complete nut case and he was recording the conversation so that he could perhaps take it to her family to listen to the next day or so & convince her to seek some help.
She left that evening & didn't return.
January 6
She had decided she wanted nothing more to do with going on the road with him or doing anything with him, whatsoever. During their 5 years together, as mentioned in the Introduction, they'd accumulated a number of vehicles. Each of which were registered in her name, because during this whole time she had lied to him & told him that because he wasn't a full US citizen he wasn't able to register a vehicle in his name. Because he'd believed these lies he'd made arrangements with Brian to put each of these vehicles in Brian's name. Brian was okay with that, but wasn't aware of the premise behind the request at the time, it was whatever.
~ Tell me later this shit wasn't planned ~
During the day Elvis met with Prissy so that she could sign the titles to some of the vehicles over to him....mainly a Chevy truck, the Saleen, the Coyote, and another one that escapes my mind, it's not important...The vehicle that escapes my mind he gave to her, told her not to worry about it, he also let her keep the Corvette & the Cadillac...he'd bought them for her, so in his mind's eye they were hers.
She signed off on all of the vehicles, did not fill out the 'buyer name' portion though...
Elvis had a buyer already lined up for the Coyote, so took the title to him, no issues.
That left Elvis with the Saleen Explorer & a Chevy pick-up.
Something happened later that afternoon that caused Elvis's alert to be raised. He went & talked with Officer Trusted about his concerns about Prissy & Officer Trusted, having know Prissy for a number of years, advised him to leave the house, to take all the guns out of the house, & to go to a safe place.
Elvis called Brian up, very upset, & Brian agreed to go back out there after work to help him pack all his sound equipment, clothes, and personal effects. Afterall sound equipment is EXPENSIVE & it's his livelihood...and well, with her mental state at the time & the warning from Officer Trusted it's best to not leave anything to chance. They loaded everything up into the Chevy & came over here to the house....they got here about 4am.
I was worried about them & totally lost on what all was going on, so had a really hard time falling asleep, so was up when they got in. Brian had to be at work at 7:30am, so I stayed up, drank coffee with them, & was filled in on the bits of the details & the recording from the 5th was played for me...and I agreed that something seemed to be a bit 'weird' about her.
Elvis was quite upset over it all & was having a hard time processing it. He never did go to sleep, so neither did I, and it was Saturday, the 7th so both kids were home all day....
Continued...
Prologue
I know this is going to be a bit out of order in the way of blog posts goes, I should have taken the time to squeeze out a minute to blog each day - yea right, I don't even do that when it's quiet & boring here - but I didn't, so now you get the "after" story...
What makes this story even more fun is it's not even done yet. I'd say at this point we are at the intermission.
But I'm going to start with the introduction, then each post that follows will detail another day.
*Due to the sensitive nature of all details & to protect the privacy of persons involved in this story names have been changed (outside of my family) and places have been generalized. Also, all opinions are my own unless otherwise stated. I will present all facts as I know them to be. My posts here and here will serve as the Epilogue for this series, even though they were written first.
Characters:
Elvis - Friend of ours, from England, mainly works as an Elvis impersonator - LOVELY man & great talent.
Prissy - ex-girlfriend of Elvis. Former FBI agent. Current gas station attendant. They were together 5 years.
Officer Trusted - Local officer of the law. Friend of Elvis.
Tim - new boyfriend of Prissy.
Lady Gold - Influential Missouri Friend
Brooklyn - Fun Twitter friend who helped give Elvis some distractions.
Mr. Orlando - Orlando lawyer
Detective Slip - Detective that first showed up & slipped down my steps
Officer NiceGuy - Officer that verified things were legit, originally, also friendly with Elvis.
Detective Fill-In - Detective that filled in while Detective Slip was being x-rayed at the hospital
Ex-Prissy #1 - First husband of Prissy; father of her two adult children
Ex-Prissy #2 - Second husband of Prissy - really huge dude that warned Elvis about Prissy early in their relationship
Sissy - Sister to Prissy
Sam - Ex-husband to Sissy
Brian, Mikeal, Mikaila - My husband & children, normally mentioned in this blog.
*Character list will be added to as needed.
Background:
Brian first met Elvis around the beginning of November when he brought his Saleen Explorer into the shop for an oil change. While there they bonded over fancy cars, music, and over a few days Brian was able to show & help Elvis with vehicle repairs from where a local mechanic had charged him out the ass for a half-assed job. I met Elvis this day, kinda, as well. I'd gone up to the shop to see if Brian wanted anything for lunch & offered his co-workers some lunch. Elvis was there, occupying a bay, while Brian's co-workers worked to fix a problem with the Saleen that was caused by a licensed, shady, money grubbing mechanic. When I returned from getting the guys their lunch Elvis asked me about where his was & I just shrugged my shoulders at him, saying he should have spoke up when I'd asked 30 minutes before. He was friendly enough then, he gave smack, I gave it right back, then went back on my way to go home & get Mikaila off the bus.
Over the next few days Brian spent quite a bit of time going over to Elvis's house fixing the Saleen, for roughly $100 where the previous mechanic had charged him over $1200 for a shitty job. They further bonded over cars & music. Elvis was on a seasonal break from touring & just enjoying the domestic life in the rural Nashville area.
I do have to admit fancy talk of knowing famous people & owning super fancy cars & yada yada related stuff had me quite skeptical about this dude. I mean, come-on, we live just outside of Nashville, TN - everyone here is trying to be a big star & think they're hot stuff if they have fancy rims on their Prius.
Mid-December I met Elvis & hung out with him for quite a while, in his kitchen. It's a modest house, smaller than the one I rent even, with a small OLD garage....inside the garage was a 2007 Ford Mustang Coyote - fire engine red. OMG OMG OMG...so one of the stories Brian had told me about the dude was true...not only did he own a Saleen Explorer, but he also owned a Mustang Coyote. In the backyard was a lovely Corvette. And Prissy showed up later in a fancy Cadillac. Brian's beater Chevy that's half primer & my 04 Taurus that's been "well loved" by the children looked like junk in this yard.
During the course of the afternoon I sat there with Brian & Elvis, waiting for it to be time to get the kids for school, I really warmed up to Elvis. A very lovely & likeable guy, even if the singing stuff turned out to be a far fetched thing, I was at ease in his presence. His cockney accent was hard to fake, so I believed him being from England as he claimed, the works. I left to get the kids & on my way back to Elvis & Prissy's place I stopped by the house to look him up on the internet. Sure enough I found different videos & announcements about him - now he's not quite Garth Brooks recognizable, but if you've seen his shows you know who he is & he'll likely know you, even years later, if you introduced yourself to him. Up to that point there was no evidence to doubt anything he'd said, I'd seen & touched the fancy vehicles for myself, I saw his videos that'd been posted months before, saw different tidbits about where he'd played locally even at both the high school & the middle school for fundraiser events, as well as at the fairgrounds a few times. So the dude was legit enough in my book.
Okay...so at that point the dude panned out to be legit. Prissy on the otherhand...well, her story was just strange, to put it mildly. Supposedly a former FBI agent...had lost her kids to Ex #1 because he'd bribed them away from her...had supposedly been beaten by both her ex husbands, & a former alcoholic. She was quite quiet, stand-offish, totally opposite of Elvis in the personality department.
Both of them took to the kids almost instantly. It did help that my children are not annoying brats around new people. Elvis was quite amused by them both because he'd never been around children in any sort of personable realm. He thought they were awesome. It also may have helped that he's like a big kid himself.
We ate dinner with them, helped cleaned up, went home to put the kids to bed & all that. I left there thinking he was awesome, she was a bit odd, but they seemed quite great together. Both would go on about how they'd been together for 5 years & never even had an argument or fight - WTF how does THAT happen!?
Time went on, Brian & Elvis got closer...I made them some candies for Christmas, invited them over for our Christmas dinner, but last minute she ended up with a headache and didn't want to come out & he stayed home with her. Her son was also getting ready to leave for Afghanistan the next day, so I didn't blame her, if my son was leaving I'd want to stay in bed & worry about it as well.
Things started getting weird after that.
Now, this is a couple that, according to the two of them never have company, never go over to friends' houses, just stay home & up each other's butts when not working. - Mostly weird, but okay, whatever, it's their life. They're both in their mid-40s, so okay. It didn't seem to suit his personality & I never could really get a good read on hers, but whatever, right? Not my life, they both seemed happy with it. So be it.
New Years Eve evening, about 4:30pm Elvis called up & asked if we were going anywhere, had any plans, the like - he wanted to come hang out for New Years. Sure great! We had no plans...and because we had no plans I'd done ZILCH in the cleaning department for a few days, so in less than 20 minutes my house was new guest ready. Floors mopped, toilet scrubbed, shitton of toys cleaned up, dishwasher filled, and Brian ran to the store to get some charcoal for the grill to grill chicken breasts for dinner since we were having guests. Hey - the weather was GORGEOUS for grilling & sitting around the grill fire...
Elvis learned to ride a 4 wheeler ATV for the first time...he did run over the brick fire pit in the backyard...thank goodness we'd burned off the brush, etc the day before & there were no hot coals left! He also promptly decided he was never doing that again. I commenced cooking the potatoes & veggies for dinner, Brian grilled the chicken & hung out with them...and mentioned that they seemed to be having a few troubles that they needed to talk out as we ate dinner inside & they sat outside, claiming to have already ate on their way over.
They left by 8pm, she complaining of a headache again, he just concerned about her & saying he felt she was just still upset over her son that she's not had a relationship, being overseas and made plans to see Brian the next day or so.
This closes the introduction. We knew them 6 or 7 weeks before the shit hit the fan...and splattered.
What makes this story even more fun is it's not even done yet. I'd say at this point we are at the intermission.
But I'm going to start with the introduction, then each post that follows will detail another day.
*Due to the sensitive nature of all details & to protect the privacy of persons involved in this story names have been changed (outside of my family) and places have been generalized. Also, all opinions are my own unless otherwise stated. I will present all facts as I know them to be. My posts here and here will serve as the Epilogue for this series, even though they were written first.
Characters:
Elvis - Friend of ours, from England, mainly works as an Elvis impersonator - LOVELY man & great talent.
Prissy - ex-girlfriend of Elvis. Former FBI agent. Current gas station attendant. They were together 5 years.
Officer Trusted - Local officer of the law. Friend of Elvis.
Tim - new boyfriend of Prissy.
Lady Gold - Influential Missouri Friend
Brooklyn - Fun Twitter friend who helped give Elvis some distractions.
Mr. Orlando - Orlando lawyer
Detective Slip - Detective that first showed up & slipped down my steps
Officer NiceGuy - Officer that verified things were legit, originally, also friendly with Elvis.
Detective Fill-In - Detective that filled in while Detective Slip was being x-rayed at the hospital
Ex-Prissy #1 - First husband of Prissy; father of her two adult children
Ex-Prissy #2 - Second husband of Prissy - really huge dude that warned Elvis about Prissy early in their relationship
Sissy - Sister to Prissy
Sam - Ex-husband to Sissy
Brian, Mikeal, Mikaila - My husband & children, normally mentioned in this blog.
*Character list will be added to as needed.
Background:
Brian first met Elvis around the beginning of November when he brought his Saleen Explorer into the shop for an oil change. While there they bonded over fancy cars, music, and over a few days Brian was able to show & help Elvis with vehicle repairs from where a local mechanic had charged him out the ass for a half-assed job. I met Elvis this day, kinda, as well. I'd gone up to the shop to see if Brian wanted anything for lunch & offered his co-workers some lunch. Elvis was there, occupying a bay, while Brian's co-workers worked to fix a problem with the Saleen that was caused by a licensed, shady, money grubbing mechanic. When I returned from getting the guys their lunch Elvis asked me about where his was & I just shrugged my shoulders at him, saying he should have spoke up when I'd asked 30 minutes before. He was friendly enough then, he gave smack, I gave it right back, then went back on my way to go home & get Mikaila off the bus.
Over the next few days Brian spent quite a bit of time going over to Elvis's house fixing the Saleen, for roughly $100 where the previous mechanic had charged him over $1200 for a shitty job. They further bonded over cars & music. Elvis was on a seasonal break from touring & just enjoying the domestic life in the rural Nashville area.
I do have to admit fancy talk of knowing famous people & owning super fancy cars & yada yada related stuff had me quite skeptical about this dude. I mean, come-on, we live just outside of Nashville, TN - everyone here is trying to be a big star & think they're hot stuff if they have fancy rims on their Prius.
Mid-December I met Elvis & hung out with him for quite a while, in his kitchen. It's a modest house, smaller than the one I rent even, with a small OLD garage....inside the garage was a 2007 Ford Mustang Coyote - fire engine red. OMG OMG OMG...so one of the stories Brian had told me about the dude was true...not only did he own a Saleen Explorer, but he also owned a Mustang Coyote. In the backyard was a lovely Corvette. And Prissy showed up later in a fancy Cadillac. Brian's beater Chevy that's half primer & my 04 Taurus that's been "well loved" by the children looked like junk in this yard.
During the course of the afternoon I sat there with Brian & Elvis, waiting for it to be time to get the kids for school, I really warmed up to Elvis. A very lovely & likeable guy, even if the singing stuff turned out to be a far fetched thing, I was at ease in his presence. His cockney accent was hard to fake, so I believed him being from England as he claimed, the works. I left to get the kids & on my way back to Elvis & Prissy's place I stopped by the house to look him up on the internet. Sure enough I found different videos & announcements about him - now he's not quite Garth Brooks recognizable, but if you've seen his shows you know who he is & he'll likely know you, even years later, if you introduced yourself to him. Up to that point there was no evidence to doubt anything he'd said, I'd seen & touched the fancy vehicles for myself, I saw his videos that'd been posted months before, saw different tidbits about where he'd played locally even at both the high school & the middle school for fundraiser events, as well as at the fairgrounds a few times. So the dude was legit enough in my book.
Okay...so at that point the dude panned out to be legit. Prissy on the otherhand...well, her story was just strange, to put it mildly. Supposedly a former FBI agent...had lost her kids to Ex #1 because he'd bribed them away from her...had supposedly been beaten by both her ex husbands, & a former alcoholic. She was quite quiet, stand-offish, totally opposite of Elvis in the personality department.
Both of them took to the kids almost instantly. It did help that my children are not annoying brats around new people. Elvis was quite amused by them both because he'd never been around children in any sort of personable realm. He thought they were awesome. It also may have helped that he's like a big kid himself.
We ate dinner with them, helped cleaned up, went home to put the kids to bed & all that. I left there thinking he was awesome, she was a bit odd, but they seemed quite great together. Both would go on about how they'd been together for 5 years & never even had an argument or fight - WTF how does THAT happen!?
Time went on, Brian & Elvis got closer...I made them some candies for Christmas, invited them over for our Christmas dinner, but last minute she ended up with a headache and didn't want to come out & he stayed home with her. Her son was also getting ready to leave for Afghanistan the next day, so I didn't blame her, if my son was leaving I'd want to stay in bed & worry about it as well.
Things started getting weird after that.
Now, this is a couple that, according to the two of them never have company, never go over to friends' houses, just stay home & up each other's butts when not working. - Mostly weird, but okay, whatever, it's their life. They're both in their mid-40s, so okay. It didn't seem to suit his personality & I never could really get a good read on hers, but whatever, right? Not my life, they both seemed happy with it. So be it.
New Years Eve evening, about 4:30pm Elvis called up & asked if we were going anywhere, had any plans, the like - he wanted to come hang out for New Years. Sure great! We had no plans...and because we had no plans I'd done ZILCH in the cleaning department for a few days, so in less than 20 minutes my house was new guest ready. Floors mopped, toilet scrubbed, shitton of toys cleaned up, dishwasher filled, and Brian ran to the store to get some charcoal for the grill to grill chicken breasts for dinner since we were having guests. Hey - the weather was GORGEOUS for grilling & sitting around the grill fire...
Elvis learned to ride a 4 wheeler ATV for the first time...he did run over the brick fire pit in the backyard...thank goodness we'd burned off the brush, etc the day before & there were no hot coals left! He also promptly decided he was never doing that again. I commenced cooking the potatoes & veggies for dinner, Brian grilled the chicken & hung out with them...and mentioned that they seemed to be having a few troubles that they needed to talk out as we ate dinner inside & they sat outside, claiming to have already ate on their way over.
They left by 8pm, she complaining of a headache again, he just concerned about her & saying he felt she was just still upset over her son that she's not had a relationship, being overseas and made plans to see Brian the next day or so.
This closes the introduction. We knew them 6 or 7 weeks before the shit hit the fan...and splattered.
*The following links will be updated as the posts are published*
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Do Unto Others
"All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them; this, in fact, is what the Law and the Prophets mean" - Matthew 7:12
Even when it makes me "crazy" that is the law that governs MY life. It doesn't say "If it's convenient for you do unto others". It just says "do". I don't do things for others because I'm making a profit from it or otherwise improving MY life. I do for others because it helps improve THEIR lives...and in my almost 30 years of life I have learned that whether my 'rewards' are immediate or left to be given at a future date I have not been disappointed.
Yes, sometimes it's been quite taxing on my own well being. There have been instances where I've had to just wash my hands of a situation because there is nothing more I can do to help with the situation, but even then I have been rewarded. My reward often comes in the peace of mind that comes from knowing I did all that I could and I trust that it'll be looked on in favor. MY conscious is satisfied and I've been blessed with another day to do it again.
The events I blogged recently about reconfirmed my resolve to live this way. My family has been blessed by having the opportunity to help this gentleman out. My family wasn't blessed so we helped this gentleman out. The same goes for every similar situation we've found ourselves in.
Over the last two weeks I have spent most of my normal sleeping hours awake. My poor car has clocked almost 6,000 miles over these two weeks. And our bank account became VERY well DRAINED. It's a big possibility that we'll never physically see our friend again and it's possible that there are still some legalities ahead of us left to get sorted out.
In return for our troubles over the last few weeks Brian and I have learned to better trust & rely upon one another. We have reconnected on a few levels and have shown our children what it means to be a friend to someone in need of a friend. We have built awesome connections with some very lovely people. We now have a vacation spot to go to whenever we like in Branson, with connections to do a number of things at no or minimum cost to us. We have the same sort of invite if we ever decide to go to England. Additionally we've been rewarded for our assumed troubles..so all is well that ends well.
Without all those 'pay-offs' though we still would have done it. He was a friend in need. It just saddens me that so many would turn their backs on people, even friends, in need simply because they didn't feel it would be 'worth' it to them.
It sucks.
Not sure exactly what sucks though.
Over the last two weeks of an ordeal my husband & I have been called a number of things...
Saint
Angel
Too Nice
Crazy
Too Trusting
Friend
Bloodless Family
But really? Why?
We had a friend in need, in an extreme sort of situation, and we stepped up to help him out. Unfortunately along the way we learned that he also suffers from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Not terribly sure when/where his stress started, but after doing some intense research & asking the right questions, or sharing the right info we've learned the signs have always been there, or at least have been for a number of years, but everyone has blown them off as "just the way he is".
I know Brian and I haven't known him long, but the things some folks that he's loved & trusted for years have said about him just don't make the least bit of sense.
One person said that he was violent - like BADLY violent. We've seen him upset, HIGHLY upset, held him as he's broke down into tears & all during a very bad week where if he went off & punched a tree until he broke his hands it'd be completely understandable. But no. He didn't even swear until after I found out his (now) ex girlfriend had been having an affair behind his back...and even then it was just a very sad "oh my god, she's a bitch" Over and over. Like he couldn't believe that the woman he loved & idolized for 5 years was actually having an affair. He'd simply thought she was having a hard time over her son leaving to go overseas with the Army and was just having a mental breakdown when she kicked him out.
She turned around a few days after he'd left & tagged a vehicle that she'd signed over to him and called the vehicle in as stolen. Even then, after the cops stopped by to question him about it (with all the paperwork in his hand showing that it was legally his) he gave the vehicle back to her, just so she'd leave him be. Not once did he cuss her. He did say she needed some mental help, but he didn't cuss her or get angry...just sad.
Later that same evening she filed a temporary restraining order against him. The statement she gave for wanting the order didn't make the least bit of sense, especially since he'd already been gone for over a week at the time and had not once even shown the first sign of wanting to cause her harm, as her statement claimed. He did send cops to her place a few days after he left to have them check in on her & make sure she was okay....he was a 10 hour drive away at the time.
But after the day of dealing with the cops & detectives coming in & out of my house it was like something snapped in him. Continually flighty, scared, worried, and deeply heartbroken.
By that time he'd barely had any sleep whatsoever. Of course neither had I since he was back to staying at my place. It was almost like he was afraid to go to sleep, completely amped up on everything that had happened just days before.
His mental health only continued to deteriorate. One bit of vital-ish info - he's not from the US. He's from England. He's not totally wise to the way all the laws work, has never had an encounter with the law, not even a freaking speeding ticket in the 8yrs or so he's been here on & off. The girlfriend he'd had for the last 5 years kept him secluded from people - I'm quite sure she's been feeding his paranoia/PTSD tendencies all this time and knew exactly which buttons she'd be able to push to get the right break.
The whole ordeal over the last two weeks has done a number on my family. On our finances, our mental well being, physical well being, & definitely has played havoc on our emotions.
It'd be fair to say we care for the guy, he's a VERY lovely & likeable guy & since he has no family here in the US we basically adopted him quickly into ours. He does have trust issues and I really don't blame him given the mental abuse he's been through over the last several years he's been in the US at the hands of people he'd care about & trust. We did all we could to help him through all this.
I kept a very select few in the loop with what was going on, because, even though he seemed like an awesome terrific guy...there's also no telling if a person is actually how they seem to be and it's always a good idea to let others outside of the immediate circle know what's going on, as it goes on.
Of course that had me having to hear about how I was stupid, I was being used, being taken advantage of, etc. and that they would never do even an ounce of what we'd done for him for someone, much less a 'stranger'.
Yes, it's true. Brian met him in early November. They bonded over music & cars almost instantly. Then right after New Year's all the crap started with the girlfriend, from out of the blue. They'd both boasted about having been in their relationship for almost 5 years and never once having a fight, rarely even had disagreements, etc and he was convincing. I never really trusted her. She seemed too sly...and really didn't like when I'd question things or talk about my past with an abusive/secluding husband. Here they'd lived in the area she grew up in, together for 5 years, and until Brian started coming around never once had visitors over, not even her grown kids...They never went out to friends' houses or family's houses..ever. New Year's Eve was the first time they'd been to ANYONE's house. He's a LOUD outgoing, person. EVERYONE that knows him loves him & adores him. There's absolutely no reason for him to not be surrounded by tons of friends...I really don't think he's ever really met a stranger. Yes, he's leery of people, and doesn't give everyone his life story, but his job is a stage entertainer - and he's AWESOME at it. And yet not a single friend to turn to in a crisis? I only voiced my skepticism about it all to Brian - and I was just concerned that many of the things the guy would say about himself were far fetched...of course as I got to know him & such I no longer had a reason to doubt him...everything he'd say panned out.
Of course over the duration of the last two weeks I learned even more about him and her. She'd been divorced twice - the first time she was with her husband for 14 years, had two kids. The marriage ended after she was thrown in jail for beating her husband at the time & it ended in her losing all rights & custody of her children. The second marriage only lasted about 5 years. That second husband went as far as to seek out our friend after he'd started dating this psycho woman & warn him to get out as soon as possible & to buy him a beer when it was all said & done.
Our poor friend was so completely enthralled by her that he didn't see the signs. As I said previously he also likely showed signs of having a weak streak to him that she easily preyed upon. His previous relationship he had to leave the state completely because he'd awakened with a gun being pointed to his head & then the chick stalked him for months before he left. I understand his fear.
I worked to get him help, but there's only so much one can do in a short amount of time, especially when one has a family to also consider.
I'm saddened that during this whole ordeal that the persons I'd confide in would call me crazy, would warn me, and state things like they'd never do half what we did to attempt to help him...because they "don't do crazies". To me that was even more incentive to try to get him some help. He's not processing things mentally like a normal person would be, making him in need of more help. I don't believe it to be enabling someone to "be crazy" if you do what you're able to do to help them feel safe, especially if you're trying to make them feel safe enough to accept help.
Maybe I'm overly sensitive to persons in similar situations because I've heard the same things about me when I was going through my divorce...at one point I asked a family member to pray for me, to help me get back into going to church, and to just help me care for my toddler; my request was returned with the statement: "you don't need help from us, you need to get some serious psychological help". I cracked that day completely. Of course I needed some psychological help! I also needed help restoring some sort of peace & order to my life as well! That's all our friend was needing - some peace, stability, and order - so that he may be able to get the mental help he desperately needs.
Both the psycho girlfriend's actions and the actions of persons I'd confide in about the situation make me sad. It's very disheartening to know that so many believe that it's perfectly acceptable to take advantage of someone's mental shortcomings or acute illnesses. Doubly disheartening that persons would rather turn their back on someone in need of obvious help than do anything to even attempt to help.
Our friend is now on his way back to the British Consulate so that he can get back to England. My prayer is that he stays in contact and that being back home does him some good and he's able to get the help that he needs to be well again.
To our dear friend, if you happen to read this in the future, do know that we love you & hope to see you around again soon after you've had time to get well! Oh...and I'm keeping your CD!
Over the last two weeks of an ordeal my husband & I have been called a number of things...
Saint
Angel
Too Nice
Crazy
Too Trusting
Friend
Bloodless Family
But really? Why?
We had a friend in need, in an extreme sort of situation, and we stepped up to help him out. Unfortunately along the way we learned that he also suffers from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Not terribly sure when/where his stress started, but after doing some intense research & asking the right questions, or sharing the right info we've learned the signs have always been there, or at least have been for a number of years, but everyone has blown them off as "just the way he is".
I know Brian and I haven't known him long, but the things some folks that he's loved & trusted for years have said about him just don't make the least bit of sense.
One person said that he was violent - like BADLY violent. We've seen him upset, HIGHLY upset, held him as he's broke down into tears & all during a very bad week where if he went off & punched a tree until he broke his hands it'd be completely understandable. But no. He didn't even swear until after I found out his (now) ex girlfriend had been having an affair behind his back...and even then it was just a very sad "oh my god, she's a bitch" Over and over. Like he couldn't believe that the woman he loved & idolized for 5 years was actually having an affair. He'd simply thought she was having a hard time over her son leaving to go overseas with the Army and was just having a mental breakdown when she kicked him out.
She turned around a few days after he'd left & tagged a vehicle that she'd signed over to him and called the vehicle in as stolen. Even then, after the cops stopped by to question him about it (with all the paperwork in his hand showing that it was legally his) he gave the vehicle back to her, just so she'd leave him be. Not once did he cuss her. He did say she needed some mental help, but he didn't cuss her or get angry...just sad.
Later that same evening she filed a temporary restraining order against him. The statement she gave for wanting the order didn't make the least bit of sense, especially since he'd already been gone for over a week at the time and had not once even shown the first sign of wanting to cause her harm, as her statement claimed. He did send cops to her place a few days after he left to have them check in on her & make sure she was okay....he was a 10 hour drive away at the time.
But after the day of dealing with the cops & detectives coming in & out of my house it was like something snapped in him. Continually flighty, scared, worried, and deeply heartbroken.
By that time he'd barely had any sleep whatsoever. Of course neither had I since he was back to staying at my place. It was almost like he was afraid to go to sleep, completely amped up on everything that had happened just days before.
His mental health only continued to deteriorate. One bit of vital-ish info - he's not from the US. He's from England. He's not totally wise to the way all the laws work, has never had an encounter with the law, not even a freaking speeding ticket in the 8yrs or so he's been here on & off. The girlfriend he'd had for the last 5 years kept him secluded from people - I'm quite sure she's been feeding his paranoia/PTSD tendencies all this time and knew exactly which buttons she'd be able to push to get the right break.
The whole ordeal over the last two weeks has done a number on my family. On our finances, our mental well being, physical well being, & definitely has played havoc on our emotions.
It'd be fair to say we care for the guy, he's a VERY lovely & likeable guy & since he has no family here in the US we basically adopted him quickly into ours. He does have trust issues and I really don't blame him given the mental abuse he's been through over the last several years he's been in the US at the hands of people he'd care about & trust. We did all we could to help him through all this.
I kept a very select few in the loop with what was going on, because, even though he seemed like an awesome terrific guy...there's also no telling if a person is actually how they seem to be and it's always a good idea to let others outside of the immediate circle know what's going on, as it goes on.
Of course that had me having to hear about how I was stupid, I was being used, being taken advantage of, etc. and that they would never do even an ounce of what we'd done for him for someone, much less a 'stranger'.
Yes, it's true. Brian met him in early November. They bonded over music & cars almost instantly. Then right after New Year's all the crap started with the girlfriend, from out of the blue. They'd both boasted about having been in their relationship for almost 5 years and never once having a fight, rarely even had disagreements, etc and he was convincing. I never really trusted her. She seemed too sly...and really didn't like when I'd question things or talk about my past with an abusive/secluding husband. Here they'd lived in the area she grew up in, together for 5 years, and until Brian started coming around never once had visitors over, not even her grown kids...They never went out to friends' houses or family's houses..ever. New Year's Eve was the first time they'd been to ANYONE's house. He's a LOUD outgoing, person. EVERYONE that knows him loves him & adores him. There's absolutely no reason for him to not be surrounded by tons of friends...I really don't think he's ever really met a stranger. Yes, he's leery of people, and doesn't give everyone his life story, but his job is a stage entertainer - and he's AWESOME at it. And yet not a single friend to turn to in a crisis? I only voiced my skepticism about it all to Brian - and I was just concerned that many of the things the guy would say about himself were far fetched...of course as I got to know him & such I no longer had a reason to doubt him...everything he'd say panned out.
Of course over the duration of the last two weeks I learned even more about him and her. She'd been divorced twice - the first time she was with her husband for 14 years, had two kids. The marriage ended after she was thrown in jail for beating her husband at the time & it ended in her losing all rights & custody of her children. The second marriage only lasted about 5 years. That second husband went as far as to seek out our friend after he'd started dating this psycho woman & warn him to get out as soon as possible & to buy him a beer when it was all said & done.
Our poor friend was so completely enthralled by her that he didn't see the signs. As I said previously he also likely showed signs of having a weak streak to him that she easily preyed upon. His previous relationship he had to leave the state completely because he'd awakened with a gun being pointed to his head & then the chick stalked him for months before he left. I understand his fear.
I worked to get him help, but there's only so much one can do in a short amount of time, especially when one has a family to also consider.
I'm saddened that during this whole ordeal that the persons I'd confide in would call me crazy, would warn me, and state things like they'd never do half what we did to attempt to help him...because they "don't do crazies". To me that was even more incentive to try to get him some help. He's not processing things mentally like a normal person would be, making him in need of more help. I don't believe it to be enabling someone to "be crazy" if you do what you're able to do to help them feel safe, especially if you're trying to make them feel safe enough to accept help.
Maybe I'm overly sensitive to persons in similar situations because I've heard the same things about me when I was going through my divorce...at one point I asked a family member to pray for me, to help me get back into going to church, and to just help me care for my toddler; my request was returned with the statement: "you don't need help from us, you need to get some serious psychological help". I cracked that day completely. Of course I needed some psychological help! I also needed help restoring some sort of peace & order to my life as well! That's all our friend was needing - some peace, stability, and order - so that he may be able to get the mental help he desperately needs.
Both the psycho girlfriend's actions and the actions of persons I'd confide in about the situation make me sad. It's very disheartening to know that so many believe that it's perfectly acceptable to take advantage of someone's mental shortcomings or acute illnesses. Doubly disheartening that persons would rather turn their back on someone in need of obvious help than do anything to even attempt to help.
Our friend is now on his way back to the British Consulate so that he can get back to England. My prayer is that he stays in contact and that being back home does him some good and he's able to get the help that he needs to be well again.
To our dear friend, if you happen to read this in the future, do know that we love you & hope to see you around again soon after you've had time to get well! Oh...and I'm keeping your CD!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
BooMonkey Creations
Happy New Year Everyone!
I am pleased to announce my official hardcore launch of Boo Monkey Creations!!
What is a BooMonkey Creation, you ask? Quite simply - it's whatever you're willing to imagine it being. My focus is on creating stunning painted glass pieces using re-purposed sheets of glass that would otherwise find their way into a landfill. I use any glass materials I am able to acquire - windows, picture frames, jars, vases, plates - if it's glass I can create beauty to last with it!
Each piece is 100% hand painted using various types of paints & methods of painting. Most of the work is done with a toothpick to ensure beautiful detail and design! I'm also always looking for new ways to challenge myself, so please do not hesitate to approach me with an idea you have that may not be similarly showcased. I do offer a significant discount on your first piece when the piece falls into this experiment category! An existing piece with a different painted design does not fall into this experiment category.
Pieces start as low as $5 and increase from there.
Shipping Prices are as follows:
$7 for small single pieces, up to 5"x7" *
$13 for 7"x7" - 10"x12" size pieces *
Larger pieces start at $35 shipping and most often will be shipped via UPS Ground**
I DO combine shipping on multiple orders going to the same address. Do keep in mind shipping charges include the cost of delivery confirmation and any box, peanuts, bubble wrap, etc that I may have to purchase to ensure safe delivery. I take the time keep costs as cheap as possible by researching my shipping options! Rush delivery charges MAY apply, but only on pieces I have in stock.
Custom orders can take up to 2 weeks to complete with an additional week for shipping. Larger custom orders can take longer to complete, but I will keep you updated at all steps along the way and work studiously to ensure that each piece is shipped out by the payment due date on the invoice I send to you. Absolutely no piece will be shipped out without the invoice being paid in full!
Replacements are always 100% free in the event the piece breaks while in transit, but only if a photo is emailed to me of the broken piece within 48hours of delivery confirmation. Also, in the event of a piece being broken in transit, if you return the empty frame to me I will either reimburse you the shipping cost of the frame OR give you credit towards a future order. Also, if you, for whatever reason, are unable to email me a picture, but you return the empty frame I will recreate a new piece for you. You are not required to send the frame back to me, that is purely optional and at your discretion. BUT if you do NOT email me a picture of the piece broken or do NOT return the empty frame to me I will NOT replace the piece without a minimum of a $25 replacement fee, plus new shipping costs.
*Insurance coverage is available on packages totaling more than $50
**Insurance coverage is included
I take great care to ensure that you will be satisfied with the piece as I am creating it from start to finish. I take photos from start to finish and email them to the email address you provide to me.
So, what are you waiting for! Check me out here.
I am pleased to announce my official hardcore launch of Boo Monkey Creations!!
 | |
| Also Like BooMonkey Creations on Facebook! |
What is a BooMonkey Creation, you ask? Quite simply - it's whatever you're willing to imagine it being. My focus is on creating stunning painted glass pieces using re-purposed sheets of glass that would otherwise find their way into a landfill. I use any glass materials I am able to acquire - windows, picture frames, jars, vases, plates - if it's glass I can create beauty to last with it!
Each piece is 100% hand painted using various types of paints & methods of painting. Most of the work is done with a toothpick to ensure beautiful detail and design! I'm also always looking for new ways to challenge myself, so please do not hesitate to approach me with an idea you have that may not be similarly showcased. I do offer a significant discount on your first piece when the piece falls into this experiment category! An existing piece with a different painted design does not fall into this experiment category.
Pieces start as low as $5 and increase from there.
Shipping Prices are as follows:
$7 for small single pieces, up to 5"x7" *
$13 for 7"x7" - 10"x12" size pieces *
Larger pieces start at $35 shipping and most often will be shipped via UPS Ground**
I DO combine shipping on multiple orders going to the same address. Do keep in mind shipping charges include the cost of delivery confirmation and any box, peanuts, bubble wrap, etc that I may have to purchase to ensure safe delivery. I take the time keep costs as cheap as possible by researching my shipping options! Rush delivery charges MAY apply, but only on pieces I have in stock.
Custom orders can take up to 2 weeks to complete with an additional week for shipping. Larger custom orders can take longer to complete, but I will keep you updated at all steps along the way and work studiously to ensure that each piece is shipped out by the payment due date on the invoice I send to you. Absolutely no piece will be shipped out without the invoice being paid in full!
Replacements are always 100% free in the event the piece breaks while in transit, but only if a photo is emailed to me of the broken piece within 48hours of delivery confirmation. Also, in the event of a piece being broken in transit, if you return the empty frame to me I will either reimburse you the shipping cost of the frame OR give you credit towards a future order. Also, if you, for whatever reason, are unable to email me a picture, but you return the empty frame I will recreate a new piece for you. You are not required to send the frame back to me, that is purely optional and at your discretion. BUT if you do NOT email me a picture of the piece broken or do NOT return the empty frame to me I will NOT replace the piece without a minimum of a $25 replacement fee, plus new shipping costs.
*Insurance coverage is available on packages totaling more than $50
**Insurance coverage is included
I take great care to ensure that you will be satisfied with the piece as I am creating it from start to finish. I take photos from start to finish and email them to the email address you provide to me.
So, what are you waiting for! Check me out here.
Look Out 2012!
I totally plan to rawk this joint!
In the coming weeks I'll be:
A - Getting a new laptop
B - Starting a new school where I'll be majoring in Criminal Justice, with a concentration in Social Services
C - Adding a new tab at the top to showcase my BooMonkey Creations so that I can better serve you with your painted glass desires
D - Getting more tools & equipment - YAY ME! - to attempt to expand on my abilities.
And that's just the tip of my iceberg.
I can't wait to get it all rolling!
In the coming weeks I'll be:
A - Getting a new laptop
B - Starting a new school where I'll be majoring in Criminal Justice, with a concentration in Social Services
C - Adding a new tab at the top to showcase my BooMonkey Creations so that I can better serve you with your painted glass desires
D - Getting more tools & equipment - YAY ME! - to attempt to expand on my abilities.
And that's just the tip of my iceberg.
I can't wait to get it all rolling!
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