I know 😢 and it will probably be a few years before I go back to Orlando. Omaha wasn't bad, once I found something to distract me from the traffic. I had only been to the zoo twice before. Chris took me to Omaha's Old Market, and I really enjoyed the older part of town. But it would be nice to go back to Orlando and revisit some of the places I went 8 years ago. I'd love to start planning a trip, but I'd hate to pick a place that we couldn't afford to go to when he gets back (thinking Hawaii or Orlando), but I don't want to plan another trip to Omaha. I don't mind going to Omaha, because I enjoy the zoo and Old Market, but I'd rather save that for a different time. Chris said he had a few trips planned but they were for later in the year and he didn't go into any other details. He said he wouldn't mind being surprised but honestly I don't want to plan out a trip and then find out that we can't go because it would be too expensive by the time he comes home or that he doesn't want to go to the place I picked. If I'm leaving a friend's house late at night, they always ask me to text them when I make it home, but they don't hound me afterwards if I forgot to text them. Her check-in message last month just said that she was thinking about me after my allergic reaction and hoped I was feeling better, then she hoped I would make it to the family Christmas party. That was it. I didn't respond to that one because the last thing I wanted to deal with was having to go into detail about the 2 allergic reactions I had, because I knew she'd want the details. I haven't gotten a check-in message for this month, that will probably come after Christmas and she'll probably ask if I enjoyed my gifts. I donated two of last years Christmas gifts from the in-laws to the thrift store this year. One was a pair of slippers that was too tight for my feet, and the other was a set of deviled eggs cases that don't stay closed very well and are just too bulky. I have no clue what I'll get this year. Chris does all the driving when he's home, unless we're going to feed my horse or going into town. I refuse to drive in big cities with multiple lanes of traffic because it's just too nerve-wracking for me. But then I end up trying to tell him what lane he should be in so we don't miss our turn, or I'll put my hand out to brace myself for sudden braking or grab the door handle on a sharp turn......I'm a terrible passenger sometimes. I never paid much attention to the numbers on the dashboard until I started checking where I rank for richest user. I doubt I had any avatar likes from my earlier years on here because I rarely posted in the forums. Yeah, it is an odd name for the page, but I don't know what else they could call it, since it has information for our account but also the friend feed. I'm going shopping tomorrow, so I've started making a list of things I need to pick up. I've got the list in the kitchen and I've added it to every time I walk by.

Thank you SSS ❤ Happy Lumi!

I have never been to Omaha. It looks beautiful :) I love visiting older areas. Especially if they have a lot of preserved. What if you plan out 2 or 3 trips? One that is closer to home, another one that is further away and one that isn't too distance or budget friendly in case you get to go all out! Then you can take it from there once you get more details and your better able to make definite plans. It can be a pleasant distraction. Just try not to get your heart set on one plan just in case that one doesn't work out hugs. If he says he wants to be surprised, then he should love whatever trip you decide on :D I would probably just say something like "Feeling better. Thanks for asking". Something generic and simple. Ugh nothing worse then an in-law wanting to know how much you just LOVE their weird gift. I can't even remember the gifts that my ex's mother gave me. It is horrible to sit there and try to look so enthusiastic about something when sometimes you don't even know what it is lol. Have you ever driven through downtown Atlanta? OMG it was a nightmare and I had to do it twice! (Drove through it back and forth from Florida), The traffic was insane and the lanes just seemed to go everywhere and weave in and out. I clung to one lane and desperately searched signs while praying that I did not get miss one. I gripped that steering all hunched over scanning the signs and I was so nervous I kept yelling at anyone that said anything "less yapping and more looking!". I will stick to driving through my small towns lol. It only took about 20 minutes to get through it but it felt like hours. I had to get off the road and take a break after that! You currently have 47,394,083 sP! You are the 6,435th richest user on Subeta. I am subeta poor lol! I spent almost all of it on Lumi presents :D I always forget that friend feed thing even exists! I make lists sometimes and then most of the time I forget it at home!

I guess I've been to Omaha 4 times, but the first 2 times I only remember going to the zoo. The last two times I've been have been for the honeymoon and then a vacation/anniversary trip the following year. I had looked up some places that Chris and I could have gone but we pretty much stuck to the zoo and Old Market, but we did walk through a rather large mall before we left. I really like Old Market, there are quite a few older buildings that are still preserved and there are some that they were working on last year. Ted and Wally's is an ice cream parlor in Old Market, they always have a line because their ice cream is good. It's hand churned and they have different flavors every day. Then there's Spaghetti Works that's in a converted loading dock and the place is filled with antiques too as decoration. There's also about 3 or 4 antique stores and one of the antique stores also has a diner and candy store inside. It's pretty neat. I could do that. The one closer to home would probably end up being Kansas City or Omaha because it isn't a terrible drive. A trip further away could be to go up to Minnesota or go somewhere in Texas. And the last one would be Orlando or Hawaii. It would be a distraction, but I do think I'd end up getting set on one trip and be disappointed that it has to wait years to happen because we're saving to build a house but really haven't been able to save much and we'll have to get a loan to build the house anyway. I could have said something like that, but I was just annoyed by having the notification on my phone be from a message from her instead of a message from Chris. What's worse is that my sister-in-law and I got the same gift last year too, we were both given horse socks because we love horses. I'm not even sure the socks will fit me, haven't tried them on I just stuffed them in a drawer. My SIL might have gotten the slippers too. That's the most annoying thing, getting the same gift as someone else and seeing that they got the same gift, like really, you couldn't put a little more effort into getting each of us something unique? No, I've never driven through Atlanta, I just sat in their airport for hours waiting for my flight to Orlando and then my flight back home. I'll never be able to drive through big cities, it just stresses me out too much. I was gripping the door handle while riding through rush hour traffic in Omaha, after that, I started playing games on my phone to keep me distracted. Anytime I'm driving somewhere I'm not familiar with, I'm driving slower so I don't miss my turn and triple checking GPS to make sure its still working. I have a little over 300 mil and am the 1680th richest user but I finally started Lumi shopping today since I'm running out of time. I also hoard my sP because I remember how hard it was to make sP when I first started. I'm typically pretty good about taking a list with me, but I forget coupons at home all the time!

Wow, thank you to my Secret Sharky Santa!! I love everything, especially the little mystery notes inside both of the boxes. A shadowy, sharp-toothed secret you are. <3 <3 I loved it all!!

I love going to the zoo, We usually go to the Detroit Zoo. It is huge! That sounds like a lot of fun :D We are still waiting to go to Disney World, so I know how that feels. I know that Emily will always love Simba and Disney, so I know she will be ready to go when we are able to! Oh I know! Like she didn't want to be bothered looking for something else so she just grabbed two of something.It is like she just lumped you two together. I actually hadn't planned on driving through there. It was supposed to be someone else's turn to drive! I was driving along and suddenly I was in a mess and no clue how to get off the road. All I could do was just keep going! So nerve wrecking! Woohoo and huge congrats! I have a bad habit of spending til its gone lol! Same! I get them in the mail and lose track of them when I need them.

I set up some more trades for you! :D

I am glad to hear you are well. I missed talking to you!

Hey Hun :) Same! Been a little busy off and on lately. What have you been up to?

Another huge thank you to my Secret Santa Shark! ❤

I'm off on a shopping trip so I will answer the ping and check out the trades when I get back home. Phone likes to autocorrect things it shouldn't.

Have fun shopping! :D

Hey and Hi everyone waves [item=Shake It! Santa Toy][item=Shake It! Santa Toy][item=Shake It! Santa Toy][item=Shake It! Santa Toy][item=Shake It! Santa Toy]

pops in Lurking a lot and trying to get things done in RL. Ian's quests are SO expensive.... Thankfully I can swing them, but it's getting me back into the habit of questing more, so I can be sure to gift trees.

I just wanted to share some incredible news! I've been contacted for an interview for the residence. It won't be for the autistic part. Instead, it will be for a handicapped apartment.

My social worker and I managed to pull off a small miracle... I found out they had only 3 candidates for the 5 handicap apartments. When I found out I would not get in as an autistic, we tried the angle of being disabled. Under their original definition, I would not have been accepted because one must be wheelchair-bound. However, the admin council met this morning and decided to expand their definition so that I was accepted as handicapped.

I don't have the date of the interview; however, it will be in mid-Jan. They need to find people for the jury and then I'll be contacted for the date. I'll get the news of the outcome before the end of Jan. I found out not long ago... still in partial shock and excited but I'm also tuckered out because I got my Christmas basket today. It was delivered (rare exception) and I was able to give them the things I couldn't use so I didn't wind up having to deal with getting rid of it after. I got 2 chickens! Normally we get one. I'm happy happy happy.

I need to do more questing, too. Gifting is expensive! How exciting! That's great news! waves Cute HA! Are you enjoying the CW pawn shop? I've only bought one thing this year from there.

How's everyone else?

Thanks Hun :) I was until I ran out of csc lol! Managed to grab a couple of really hard to get items! CSC: 147 I hate having such an odd number. I wish when they did the BF sale they would make sure the numbers end in 5 or 0. Something that will help the math in the end.

That is great news Hun hugs congrats!

Thanks :) It's not a guarantee but I beat almost insurmountable odds of my disability being accepted so I figure I have a good chance of being let in ^^ I should do more questing but it's always a challenge for me. I do manage to do Sarah's quests once in a while :D

I'm excited but tired, no nap, big stress this morning not knowing if I'd have to deal with an excess amount of food, and then exciting news. Roller coaster ride of emotions so I'm tuckered out happy. I think I'll watch a movie then call it a night.

fingers crossed for you :) Good thing you didn't give up and slink away like they probably thought you would.

Well, it's more like most don't fit in both categories... who would have thought someone autistic could be handicapped? It makes me think of "brick walls" mentioned in Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

It's an incredibly inspiring video that speaks volumes to who I try to be. The residence is one of my brick walls and dag nab it if I need a chisel I will find a way through ;) The one that seemed tough and grumpy when she originally talked to my social worker was crying with me because I was so happy. She's looking forward to meeting me in person. She's a volunteer and tired, but like all of them, they're trying to make peoples lives better. They have the tough task of saying no to some but also the joy of improving the lives of others. I hope I'll be amongst those that will be privileged but understand if it's not possible.

I am trying right now to get help for Emily. The only thing holding it all up is her school. The social security office has been trying to get her records sent to them, but no luck so far. I called one day last week and someone actually answered the phone. I told her that the SS office needed the records of Emily's IEP meetings and stuff. She told me another woman handles that and that she would see if she was available. I waited on hold for 10 minutes until she came back and said she was available and that she would transfer me, The transfer went straight to voicemail! I have called and left a message every day since then. No one has answered the phone or returned one call! I have been trying to get this taken care of since Sept. It makes no sense and I am so afraid they are going to deny her because of it, They can not tell me that a ton of students suddenly need records in December! College time has long passed and most people never need their IEP records. It is just very frustrating.

I love going to the zoo too! 😀 I think Chris is tired of going to the Omaha Zoo, but I love going and they are still building more exhibits. I think they've either completed an Asian exhibit area, or they will have it completed sometime soon. When I was in El Paso visiting Chris, we went to the zoo there. It was small but they were rebuilding some areas. I still enjoyed it though. The only downside to going to the zoo in the summer is having to deal with all the summer camps that are going on. I'll always love Harry Potter, but I'm not the most patient person about some things. I've waited 8 years, I don't want to wait much longer. Maybe next year, I can start saving up money from work since I won't have to buy things for care packages and I won't have to send any. That's what it felt like last year, like we were just lumped together for most of the gifts. This year since I won't be there, I won't know if we got the same gifts again, but I'm hoping the gifts are better this year. She knows I like to quilt and that I'm a creative person, so she could easily find something. There are quilting subscription boxes that let you send one as a gift, that would be an easy option as well. The first year she got me a Christmas gift, she took me shopping to a craft store because she didn't know what I would want, the year after I think I got a gift card. Other gifts have been lotions and soap sets, which is fine because it something I can use. It's just upsetting when I find out that she struggles to find a gift for me. Don't you hate when that happens? My mom always wants to trade off driving when we go to Minnesota, but it never happens because I'm always the one reading the map and making sure we're going the right way. Chris knows I refuse to drive through big cities, so he does all the driving whenever we go on a trip somewhere...and he's also realized I need distractions when driving somewhere with multiple lanes. The first time we were in Omaha, he asked why I was playing games on my phone instead of talking to him, I said I need to focus on something other than the road so I didn't freak out and the phone was the best option because I was looking down. Thanks! When I saved my first million, I went on a spending spree, then I had to start all over and that pattern repeated for awhile. Then I set a goal for myself to get the richest user achievement. I know I'll probably never get there, but it gives me a reason to get online every day if I can and do my quests. I actually have a rack on the wall in the kitchen that I put the coupons but I still forget them. I'll get to town to do my shopping and realize I forgot the coupons at home. A few weeks ago, I had some coupons in my pickup and I forgot to take them in the house with me, so I never took them with me when I went shopping with my mom. Thank you! Once I get all the faeries released, I'll have released 711.

I agree, Ian's quest's can be ridiculously expensive! The first day I was asked to get a sticker that's selling for 4.5 mil. I'm skipping 2 to 5 of his quests if they are too expensive.

OMG! That's such exciting news!! I'm so happy for you! Hopefully things pan out after the interview!

Awe sweetie ❤ Maybe try waiting till the holiday season is over and then going there in person. It's easier to ignore a phone ringing than a person. Try to be polite and friendly since you want them to help you out (honey gets more flies). The person might be overwhelmed, got sick, etc. or a total royal pain that deserves a smack on the head but the person has access to the file.

If it doesn't work out, ask to see a person in charge & explain your case to him/her. If that doesn't work... head on up the chain until you get the principal/director. There's always a way to get through the brick wall... use dynamite if necessary ;)

Edit: thank you :) posted while I was writing. I'm confident it'll go well. I'll do the best I can and then the rest is out of my hands.

Emily loves to go just to see the lions! I love pretty much all the animals. We also love riding the train :D The Detroit zoo has a lot of school activities going on during the summer. We try to go on an off day. Usually later in the year when it is not so hot. I am not that patient either lol. I really want to go now! Yeah it can make you feel like you are not important enough to get to know :( I hate that. Even if she only knows one thing about you (which is ridiculous since you are her DIL) she should at least be able to come up with something she knows you will like. Oh you would hate to go on a road trip with me. I am horrible. I have to stop at every rest stop and when I am there I always want to get snacks and drinks cause driving is so boring. Thanks to all the snacks and drinks I have to stop at all the rest stops lol. There is something about getting a little baggy of snacks out of a vending machine that my brain finds appealing. I am never getting that ach. I love to spend the sp way too much! Especially this time of year. I have been broke a couple of times this month. I just make more and then spend that lol. It is hard to find a system that works 100% of the time. I need an alarm on the door so when I try to leave to go shopping it goes off and tells me to get my list and coupons! Yay congrats :D almost there!

Not possible :( Emily attended an online virtual charter academy. I am not even sure where their office is. I think it might be in Grand Rapids. I am always polite, but 5 people in the special education department and no one can call me back? Even if they want to ignore me, they should not be ignoring an official request from a state office. That is just crazy to me. I need to search around online and see if there are other numbers to call. This one is just an automated one and I can't get anyone to answer the phone even after pushing other numbers.