Today was our first day back to work and it was fun. I rather enjoyed spending time with other people again. It was a stark contrast to my first day of working there back in August. I was so very nervous and then you know when you come into a previous established team, very much a newbie? There were about 12 newbies in August, and six or seven of us remain from my original newbie group. Only now we are not newbies. We get to be the ones with the inside jokes and the prior knowledge and such. We talked about the crazy things that happened last season, as well as the crazy Christmas party where I found out about The Panty Sniffer. A day of fun, and we got paid for it. The rest of the week will not be as much fun, but the new girls will loosen up a little bit and we can have fun with and get to know them too. I already know one of the newbies as she nannied for my coworker that lives up here; she used to bring said coworker’s daughter to dance class and such.

Anyway.

Health insurance. I have to get medical, dental, and life insurance (comes with medical through work, it’s automatic to a certain dollar amount). My word, it is EXPENSIVE! See, in case you didn’t know, my dad is retired Navy and Bryan is Army, and we have never had the need for civilian insurance before. The kids and I need health insurance come February 28. I think we qualify for TennCare, which is Medicaid, but wow, that makes me feel so freaking poor. My options are hoping that Bryan will pay for insurance for the kids (hopefully, but I have to cover my bases), paying for Blue Cross Blue Shield and having next to no money, or going on Medicaid. (And here is where my best friend lectures me on not letting my pride get in the way of me doing what I have to do. lol.)

Today, of course, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I wish I didn’t have to work today – there was a parade downtown (Memphis) and I would have loved to have celebrated today down at the National Civil Rights Museum, which is actually in The Lorraine Motel, where he was killed on April 4, 1968. While we were watching TV tonight we heard “Martin Luther King, Jr.” and Jaiden says, “Hey! I know him! He was on my book!” I asked her to tell me about the book and she told me about them walking ‘on the street’ and such. She said they saw a big orange monster that appeared to be striped. I don’t know what all that’s about, but apparently it was left out of my history book. lol. I was proud of her, though. She is learning so much! I didn’t realize – somehow – that she already knew how to write some of her numbers! My mom got her some workbooks and she worked in those all day long, I think. Such a smart cookie, that girl, and she loves learning. I hope she still loves school this much in ten years.

Tonight at dinner the kids were talking about how old they’d be in the future – like Jaylen would be five and Jaiden would be seven, and then Jaiden would be ten and Jaylen would be eight. And Jenna would be six. Oh my. That’s just .. wow. It’ll be here sooner than I am comfortable with, I know. The last five years have gone by so fast – five more and she will almost be ten.

And that, my friends, is where the fun ends, I’m afraid. Tonight I got a call letting me know that my dear sister-in-law’s husband’s uncle (get all of that?) has passed away unexpectedly. My brother-in-law’s uncle. I’ve met him a couple of times and he was such a silly guy, loved life. They hadn’t heard from him, so they called the police. He died of an apparent heart attack. It’s very upsetting, even to me. My in-laws’ in-laws are really, really wonderful. My heart really hurts for them.

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