"Just Surviving - You're Not Alone"

 

Who would have thought that I would find a song to express my blog today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r_ubcUd-gE

 

As I sit here fumbling through old documents and receipts to prepare for tax time 2013, I stumbled across several old calendar planners. Some with only a few pages written on, while others were filled in the months that I presume were very significant in our lives at that time. I can't help but notice what bills we had and the income that was coming in - where are those days now?  I can't help but feel that in this worldly economy, the worst is yet to come. Does anyone else agree? I know, not a very positive statement from the girl always pushing to be positive life is too short to be negative. Let’s face it; I'm only one in the gazillions of people in this world that are starting to fear what the future really does hold for them. Our credit score - SUCKS! And that is only the tip of the iceberg.  I won't pretend that all is well, and in fact it is just a matter of just getting by, but I can deal with that as we now have a plan. But let me start from the beginning on this financial horror story.

What I can't understand is the freedom that companies now believe they have when it comes to collecting monthly payments.  How many of you out there used online bill pay?  It's relatively easy, you set up the information and chose the day in which you entrust that a computer will collect and send your bill to whatever designated company you have indicated. For most, this works out rather well. Yet even if you pay your bills on time, there are still people out there who don’t and companies are doing their best to bring in the income. But what would you do if you learned that companies are finding a new way to say they have the right to call you asking for payment even if it is not due yet? That's right and they get away with it by saying, "This is a courtesy call about your payment."  I know when I first heard that line, the word courtesy didn't register and I suddenly felt obligated to whip out the checkbook and make a payment - my downfall.  Never let yourself fall for that line. As I spoke with a Representative, they ever so cleverly walked a fine line of wanting to say that I was late - which I wasn't, but their choice of words, that was very unnerving, quickly had me setting up a pay-by-phone payment, but soon found myself, on the day my online arrangement was set up, was also drafted from our account and caused it to be overdrawn. UGGGH!!!

I was surprised, but then realized that the error was on me for not cancelling the arrangement - however - the company did not see this as two months’ worth of payments and would not reverse either to retain the set budget that my family lives upon - and I felt the total fool, but a lesson learned. Now since this accident on my part, I am seeing a strong patter that has me believing that what happened next was only a matter of time - all my creditors were using this deceiving tactic. My phone rings off the hook with companies wanting to help me with a the so called “courtesy payment” for a payment pending that needs immediate attention on a bill that is still two weeks away from its due date - WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?  How can it be immediate attention needed if I still have two flippen weeks before its due!

 

What I'm thinking is that once I fell for the first trickery for payment, that company got on the phone and was like, "Hey, Hey, calling all Creditors! We found a Sucker! Start calling! You can get money out of that one!" We have gotten to a point that when we see these repeated numbers on our caller Id's, we either let it ring or our kids have fun with them and answer the phone as a fictitious company or better yet – a name well known. I think the best one was my older son answering the phone this way - "Good afternoon Pizza Hut, can I take your order?" Only a click was heard on the other end. Now I will be the first to admit that we all found this rather entertaining and believe we were finally getting our revenge - but the joke was on us when we realized one day that many of the calls were coming from our mortgage company and before we knew it we had foreclosure threats in the mailbox. Two words to describe our initial shock in reference to this situation - Oh FUDGE!

 

In 2006 we refinanced our mortgage from SunTrust Bank to Navy Federal Credit Union. We had been offered a great rate of 5.8% fixed VA Loan for 30 years. We were so happy with a great new rate and it got us out of our arm loan that we jumped at the chance and refinanced. On the day of our signing, there was information on our documents that were not discussed. We learned that our account had been set up as bi-weekly plan that was in the form of mandatory auto drafted payments. We had indicated to the lady that represented the title company, that we wanted a monthly payment to be drafted from my retirement check, and that we wanted a VA loan, to which she replied - "Not a problem, just call your bank after the three days that this funds and they'll change the payment schedule for you, but if you stay with the way it is set up, you end up paying it off quicker." If only her words had been completely true.

 

I wanted to share that tid-bit about our loan so that you'll understand the rest of my story. So anyways, in November, we are getting excited about our trip to New Hampshire for Thanksgiving. I have not seen my family in three years and a get together was long overdue. Needless to say, because of the financial fiasco that was about to shake our foundation, our trip was cancelled. Going on - As I was talking to my mother on the phone about our travel plans, there was a knock at our front door, that abuptly ended our happy plans. I was rather surprised to see my mailman standing there with thirteen largely stuffed envelopes all addressed from Navy Federal Credit Union, with delivery confirmation tags on each one. For the life of me, I was in complete and utter disbelief when I opened one of the packages and found that all thirteen had the same documentation in them and were sent on the same day - and we wonder why we are depleting our natural resources. When I got on the phone to obtain what the problem could be, I was sent through several representatives until I was finally connected with James, who worked in the 90 day office - meaning he had reason to believe we were 90 days late in payment. "NO FUDGEN WAY!” but I didn't say Fudge…I said the F --- word. I screamed in the phone as I sat there in my makeshift home office staring at all the checks that had cleared my account for all my payments. If this was a joke, I wasn't finding it the least bit funny. Now you remember when I explained that our account was set up on an auto draft plan. We'll I was able to stop the auto drafting many months earlier and would go into the bank and make my payment, and without question the teller would take my money. All seemed well and good with one exception - nine cents. What happens is that when you make a payment, if the payment isn’t 100% of the amount that was written in loan, the money will go to a suspense account. For example, if you write a check for $101.00 and the payment is $100.00 then the dollar will go into a suspense until it adds up to the next payment amount. Now if your payment is $100.09, and you write it for $100.00, then your $100.00 payment goes into a suspense account and you get a late fee added to the payment. If you’re not aware that this was the problem, things get out of hand with quickness and well, honestly, this is how our nightmare began - nine cents short and that generated payments being put into suspense and hundreds of dollars in fees (No lie), and what was the big shocker of this entire situation is that this had been going on since July of 2012.

How would someone know, things were bad, if you got a receipt, after every payment, in the mail that read as follows, “We have received your payment of $XYZ, check number 000, and it has been posted to your account. We thank you for doing business with us, followed by the usual, if you have any questions please call, and so on and so forth. Never once did we get anything indicating a payment issue until the big bundle of document packages. We also never got any phone calls referencing this problem until a week before the packages were sent to us. By the time they had finally gotten a hold of us in November they clamined we 90 days deliquent and were due for a total of $5,927.00. Their records showed non-payment for two payments in Sept, two payments in October and a half payment in November. Immediately my brain was become scortched. I am not math wizzard but if you added up each of my bi-weekly payment amount, the five they claimed they didn't have totaled 4,455.00 and what was worse this time frame also didn't total 90 days - where were they getting 90 days from and the $1,470 difference? It was then I learned another sneaky bank trick about the madatory bi- weekly auto drafter low rate loans, that I still think is bullshit.  Because the auto drafter was inactive all the funds that I made for my payments were immdiately going into a suspense account and the COMPUTER was saying I was late that all started because I forgot the 9 cents on a check. Then because the COMPUTER said we had a November half payment due, and it wasn’t anywhere near the end of November, but to them it didn’t matter, it didn’t go by days, it went by monthly names. That my friends is how my credit got it’s throat cut, when our bank reported we were 90 days past due – but our money had been sitting in a suspense account to make several of these payments. Trust me, I didn’t just sit back and take it.  We got the account corrected and one, of the several fees reversed, but as for anything sent to the credit bureau, they wouldn't fix and stated they needed to complete the investigation which is still on going. I am frustrated as I review all the information about this situation and who benefited here - certainly not us. The bank not only got payments and fees from us; they also go all the interest this large sum of money generated in the suspense account - Sad hua?  The next big hit we took, was went we learned that our loan was also set up as a conventional – NOT VA – WHAT THE HELL! CAN’T ANYONE DO THEIR DANG JOB ANYMORE!

Ok, needed to get that last line out. I will say that what happened last year, really didn’t register with me, until once again I get a letter saying the same shit as it did in November. So I made a phone call to the person indicated in the letter, but he was not in, and so I spoke with a lady who took the time to share with me what she believed was the problem – this time it was not our error. PHEW! But I will say this time a scary reality sank in. I realized that we need to learn to save better and it’s time we pay our debts off in full – and that is exactly what we are about to do. I will say, it’s not going to be easy, but we are going to take it one day at a time and have already began to find ways to cut back and I am going to try my luck working again, but part-time. Wish me luck. *wink*

 

I want to thank Malida, from Norway and Ellis from Washington State, who gave me the courage to share my struggles, after I read their questions and their stories about the worldly economy and their personal struggles, and had asked how my family and I make ends meet, as prices continue to escalade and jobs are fewer and far between. As for the rest of the emails, I promise that I will do my best to write on your serious topics, and yes I’ll also do my best for the others to keep writing more short stories. 

To Malida and Ellis – Yes, we are trying to survive our own set of financial setbacks, and have said many prayers that often go unheard. Weather is another factor that hurts our budget and now we have some medical things rearing their ugly head. I have learned that communication with my husband and our creditors to find an end to the madness is just what the doctor ordered. What I also found to be extremely helpful was when I took the time to speak with a knowledgeable financial advisor in SunTrust Bank, and she has mapped us out a road to a full recovery and future financial freedom. Just hang in there you two, and everyone else who has been effect by our ever changing financial world, you are not alone. Always know you can write to me freely and if I learn of any new ways to making ends meet, I will send the information your way.




 

To all of my loyal readers, let me say a few last words before I sign off. I'd like to  leave everyone with some very valuable words in reguards to troubles in life and especially Bad Credit - it is just like weight loss, it can’t be fixed overnight, but with patience, understanding, and a good plan, it will get better.

 

 

I thank you for your time, and I wish you all a pot of gold at the end of your rainbows. Until next time – Blog ya later.

Beware of Banking Fees - Update

G

ood Morning Everyone. Since my last posting "Beware of Banking Fees" a lot has happened that I wanted to update you on. As you remember the problem I was facing was with several overdraft fees on my personal account that was never overdrawn.  I had tried to rectify the problem with a call to the customer service 800 line, only to be told - there was nothing they could do. Now I would have to say with the challenges that I have experienced in my life over the past twenty years, minor things can weight just as heavily as major things that come up during day to day experiences. I would prefer to avoid confrontation, but if I feel like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, confrontation is almost guaranteed until I feel I am getting a complete and honest answer.

Now if you haven't had the pleasure of seeing me react when I find out I am being lied to or had been lied too it can't be a very intense moment that if my head could spin around and around - it would, but that is another blog post for another day as I don't want to shake up a perfectly good Thursday. On that note I'm going to move away from the lying  topic and get back to my this banking saga. I decided that I was going to once again get  a face to face meeting with someone from customer service to see what their answer would be this time. The next morning my day was anything but routine. The bus never came to pick up my kids so that meant I was their ride. I got myself together forgetting many important details, Hair, makeup, matching clothes, etc., etc., etc., and we headed out the door by 6:59am. As we headed on our way to take my oldest son to the High School and my younger son to the Vocational School to the next town, because at this point he had missed the shuttle from the High School to get him there for his 7:25 class, my cell phone began ringing. Immediately my heart started to pound with excitement - it's my sweetie, but his call was not one of speaking sweet nothings to me, he wanted me to bring him his other work boots as he was working with asphalt and didn't want to get tar and stuff on his new boots. By this point I had almost forgotten that I set into my mind that I was going over to the bank to address what I feel is a way banks try to scam people in this drowning economy.

I got the kids to school, when back home and got the boots, and now I am falling into a funk that I just want to go home and do nothing - remember I hold a Doctorate's in Procrastination. (smile). The traffic was getting backed up due to the morning rush and the gas tank was reading lower than I'd like, yet somehow I found the ability to get my mind back on track. I arrived at the bank two minutes before they opened, which gave me time to plan out what I was going to say rather than come off as some demanding ranging mother that didn't have time to do her hair or make-up. (I'm surprised I wasn't arrested for indecent exposure from the neck up - hahaha).

So there I stood in the lobby, oversized work out pants that were all stretched out, a jacket that looked like my pen had taken it upon its self to randomly write on it, my hair crazier than Reverend Jim on the 80's sitcom Taxi, and I was sporting a blank and very pale canvas color to my face that could have landed me a roll on the AMC series "Walking Dead", and this is NO LIE! I was a walking horror story. There wasn't one sign that this girl had been asked to pose for Playboy as Miss August. I still have my letter. There was only one customer in the bank that was standing at the teller window and took a look at me and then quickly looked away so that he wouldn't turn to stone. I'm telling you, I am one scary mother, no pun intended, in the morning that even I don't look into a mirror until at least after 7:30am.

 

I will have to say that the customer service lady met me with smile, but I can just envision what she was thinking.  She asked me to come into her cubical and we both looked over my account on her computer screen. Her screen was displaying the same information as mine - never been overdrawn.  her explanation was that the computer - I so love how people blame inanimate objects, saw the debits of the day and then the deposit on that same day so it believed that I didn't have the money when it implement the charges before the credit posted. It was all I go do to refrain from going into one of my sarcastic modes where I say - "AUH DUAH! HELLO! DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF! FUDGE!!!!!"

However I didn't say anything and just kind of shook my head in disbelief that I was even sitting there listening to this. When she looked up at me after typing on her keyboard, she said something that completely shocked me - I have reversed all but two charges Mrs. Bolin, and the reason for that is a check that was written to you for $150.00, was returned today and that is what produced the additional charges after the fees you have been trying to fix. But the fees you got today were not overdraft fees that were return check fees. With that, I was content. I was finally given a straight answer.

So as you have probably guessed by now, our account is now in good standing - knock on wood. Phew! I'm relieved that this drama is behind me and I have learned a lot. When all else fails and it is physically possibly, always try to resolve a problem in person. Never try to use e-mail or texting as you can't tell what a person is feeling through their words and unless they state what the emotion is one can jump to false assumptions. Calling on the phone is convenient, but can still lead to stress as the persons tone could be nothing like their body language and again you could take their tone in a negative way, but it just might be the way the person is. I'm glad I went with my instinct and chose to go back in. I am also happy to report that the maker of the bad check - they paid me in cash and paid for the fees. So what had started out as a morning without my routine, feel back into a regular schedule and I completed the rest of my tasks for the day without any problems.

Thanks so much for listening and remember, always be mindful of your money. Know where it is going, why it is going there and who is trying to get you to part with it. Have a wonderful day everyone and I'll blog you later.

 

P.S. My fictional mystery, suspense thriller titled "Deemed Crazy" is in it's final stages to be ready for print. I can't wait. I have really enjoyed stepping outside the box and write in a genre that year ago only read. Again, thanks for sticking with me and can't wait to share more blog stories on topics that people have sent in.

 

Life changes in a struggling economy .

Here it is 2012. The economy has not improved. Prices and going up, people are doing everything they can to get by, the family budgets are becoming more and more restricted and their end of the month figures just are not meeting in the black, as they once did.  But the biggest problem that Americans are having these days, their losing their jobs by the thousands, because of company cut backs, and believe you me, jobs are becoming fewer and far between for all of us. Yes, you see it too, oh the times they are a changing'.  My topic today was inspired by my husband and oldest son.  It is one that has been stewing in my mind for quite some time. Seriously - I never thought I'd have issues until yesterday.  My problem...CELL PHONES!

Now, let me explain before you rip me a new one. I totally get that this technology is at the forefront of our ever changing and constantly growing world. For my family, I see this more as a luxury and an unwanted place to spend our hard earned money. I know cell phones are the must have accessory and I think if you were to stand in the middle of any town or city and asked how many people had one - 9 out of 10 people would raise their hands.  I understand that they make working easier, you can get in touch with people quicker, many people send text messages to communicate so they don't have be confined to a computer, they are great in the event of an emergency and many people opt out of owning a land line phone, for just a cell phone, to cut expenses and other personal reasons. So don't start thinking that I am some old fashioned person that wants to change back to the days of no cell phones. What I want...in my house hold is for my husband and boys to see the expense of something they really don't need endless services on. 

Years ago we used to have phones that would lock us into a two year contract and we paid $200.00 plus, for services every month. This was only for three phones. When we got the phones they were supposed to be emergency/quick call phones only. Pay-As-You go options were not even heard of at the time. My family clearly didn't hear me the day I said the use of the phones were for our family use/emergency use, and so I got rid of them and switched to the Pay-As-You go Net10 phone service, which reduced my spending, at the time, from $200 plus, to $80.00 a month. Great, we saved over $100.00! To my family they were like, it was only $100.00, and what if you used up all your minutes before your service days. Then what? My response, "then you go without. You will have to learn to budget your minutes as if it were money". Yet then they came back saying well if you don't have minutes then you can't make calls if you have an emergency. Get the idea of what I am dealing with. I decided to show it to them on paper as to how much would add up in a year if you put the $100.00 you saved, into a bank account.  I thought sure that seeing the numbers on paper, and the end of the year total of $1,200, would be impressive. Nope. That meant nothing to them and in the long run, they went from using their phones as family only/emergency/update phones, to handing out their numbers like candy. There are just some days when I would like to pull all my hair out and stand naked in my yard and scream...but ya know...I really don't think they'd notice. Ha-ha.

So now the damage has been done. They are phone addicts and either way, unlimited service or a Pay-As-You go service, they want a phone. I'm cool with that. Paying $50.00 a month for each phone putting us right back where we were when we have Sprint, Nextel, and Verizon family plans - I'm not cool with. My philo and yes you may not agree, and again, it's not you paying my bills each month. We have a working land line at home. People can call us there if it's not an emergency, right? Last I remembered the home phone only concept worked years ago. If you were out, you were out. They'd call back later, or if it was busy, they'd call back later. So my question is - then why do we have to have a cell phone connected to our hip if we are not in a job or skill that requires it be with us 24/7?  My husband's boss is big on, no personal cell phones during the work day, but what happens, my husband still gets occasional calls from every Tom, Dick and Barbara (Made up names) and I know it wasn't 911 related. He complains all the time he hates his phone and tired of people calling him, but never says anything to the callers. Now he gets photo text messages of things that are uncalled for. I decided to just ask the question rather than dwelling on it. Timing is everything - when asking a question that appears confrontational in my family. I questioned why we are paying $50.00 a month for his phone? So he could receive dirty text message and jokes and talk on the phone during working hours? They could have called the house after you get home...right? He was correct in responding that he doesn't get or make calls as much as he did before he changed his number, and I attest to that statement. Work has him so busy; he doesn't have time to chit chats. And so my point again, if you don't use many minutes, then what pay full price for this service. Now my husband is not the only one with a phone, we have my oldest son whose phone is connect to his hip. For a while we were paying $50.00 so my oldest son could have endless texting so he could talk to his girlfriend who lived out of the area, but that has since changed with they stopped seeing one another. And to make the matter worse - now my younger son wants a phone. Oh, I can you hear some of you right now - 'What about you Stacey? You’re doing all this bitchin', what are you doing to conserve your phone use? I'm just Bitchin' the facts, but funny you should ask.

Little did they know, since August of last year, I have been doing an experiment with my own personal cell phone and guess what...it worked.  I have a Net10 Pay-As-You go phone. I don't purchase the $50.00 a month unlimited because you can't accrue service days. Every thirty days you have to buy the unlimited or go back to cards that offer a specific about of minutes.  So I bought a card that gave me, 1000 minutes and 500 service days, so my phone will never shut off if I run out of minutes or when I get to 500 service days. I still have 245 minutes on my phone and 250 plus service days, any why - I don't use it for hour long chatting with friends, endless texting friends, etc.  I use it to let my family know where I am, or call a doctor's office if I am running behind, or if one of the kids get sick and I have to take them to the doctors, my husband is aware. But the best reason I would text - To let people know it is snow outside...BTW its snow in Annapolis right now. WAA WHOO! And that is the text I sent my husband today. There was more to it, but you get the idea.

Now I had pondered this idea for my family for quite a while. I want to change their ways and consider trying, what I had been doing with my phone for some time.  I am still out of work and blogging isn't considered a paying job, so maybe this is a good of a time as any to implement the changes for the whole family. If we don't try things could be getting cut in other areas of the budget, hum like maybe...oh I don't know, let’s say the cable for instance - No way they could live without that.  For right now, I don't accept the reasoning that they plea, as to why they have to have full service phones at all times, and so we are all going to make a change to see just how much we don't have to have them. The deal is, from now on, if people want to chat with you, they call the house phone. If they want to have long conversations with friends etc., use the house phone. Our cell phones are for emergency and quick calls only.  I'd love to capture all this on video. I'd call it - Cell Phone Withdraws of the Average Family. I've heard of many families doing their part in cutting back expenses that are much more drastic than my asking to reduce our cell phone fees. I am taking a very active role in our budget so that we are not hounded by collection agencies, or threats of foreclosure. That we are prepared if we need a new furnace, or the trucks die, or the roof leaks, or someone is sick. My role as a parent and a wife is also to provide for my children and husband. To make sure, since I am home all day, or even if I was out working, we always have heat, hot water, food, the ability to cook that food, oil, clean clothes, a warm place to sleep, shoes on their feet, and the list goes on and on. So while you may think I am trying to be controlling, you are so far from the truth... I am doing what any responsible person would do. My questions to you while everyone is trying to survive in a failing economy - What will you give up?

"Making Summer Memories in a Bad Economy"

Have you ever had a summer that had a schedule that was so jammed packed that by the end of it, you have to look back on the calender to try to remember what you did? That you were so exhausted, that you needed a vacation to recoup from your vacation? That if you weren't constantly on the go...something was tragically wrong?

We used to be that family, long summers spent in Maine, camping trips in Pennsylvania, day trips to the Blue Ridge mountains, and all kinds of amusement parks, movies, lunch outings, and so on and so on. We truly ingulfed ourselves with all the sensations of instant gratification and the need to be constantly entertained by others. Money just flew out of our pockets. It was grand and glorious, so we thought, until I was laid off from my job in June of 2010.

In the summer of 2010, a summer I'll never forget and will always remember it fully. We were hit with a financial storm that rendered us literally trapped in our home. No money for gas, we could barely pay the bills, let alone put food on the table, yet somehow we managed, how - I don't have a clue. I did odd jobs, and made crafts to sell at local events. My husband worked his butt off with no time off.  No matter what we did, it was never enough, we had hit rock bottom in our budget. It got to a point when we would have to fill travel jugs with diseal fuel to put in our oil tank so we could have hot water. That even though the kids were growing out of their shoes, they would still try to wear them. That breakfast wasn't a smorgasbord of that special sugary cereals in the panty.

Yes, I know your flippin' out, "cereal" you say?  "You were worried about not having sugary cereal?"  To a parent that is not a need, but to kids, it's this kind of simple change that sparks their thinking that something is wrong. For my kids the cereals caught their attention briefly, it was when we had to put an end to cell phones and electronic devices - This was when their reality of our situation woke them up. 

Losing a second income to us was devistating. Yet we learned something that summer to help us transition into a new way of summer fun for 2011.  It's not about big trips and going here and going there. It's not about filling up that suit case full of tourist trap items that seem a necessity at the time, but then fall victim to the growing years of travel clutter you finally realize you never needed. 

We found out, what was important was family and good health.  That first summer that I was out of work, I felt depressed that I couldn't give my kids the constant busy schedule of always going off and doing something. I know, Dumb hua?  I felt that the only way they would have fun is to go everywhere and anywhere.  I was so wrong. Did you know that kids really enjoy watching Shark Week on the Learning channel, especially if you make a big bowl of popcorn and some red Kool-aid to make it fun. That they really do love dad's old train set, that had sat in the garage for the last 15 years, and still have an imagination to bring that train and it's buildings new life?  That if you let them use your craft paint, they will create something if you give them time?  And the biggest of all, planning one or two small trips means more to them, than having a calendar with every day filled to the brim. 

A lot has changed for our family since last year. Financially the road is still unpaved. My husband is still working and I now have been able to claim some of the unemployment benefits that is offered to those of us, endlessly trying to seek work. We can now pay our bills and not wonder where the money is coming from, but clearly the days of spending friviously is no longer a part of our lifestyle. 

This summer we were able to go to Michigan to see some very dear friends over the 4th of July and then in August, we took a day trip to Ocean City.  We were very careful with our funds and didn't fall victim to aquiring souviners to mark our trips and it's memories. We used our cameras and took pictures to capture the fun that we all had.  We found that just being able to spend time with friends and family were more important than any huge oversized rollercoaster or water park. That simple gave us so much more...the ability to bond as a family once again. That those two trips that we took meant so much to us, and the best part...we can remember everything we did.

So next time when your putting together your crazy schedule of family togetherness, whether you are financially stable or doing your best to balance your budgets, remember that sometimes just being together in the same room watching a movie has more of lasting impact, than constantly filling the car or packing the suitcases. There is nothing more important in life than simply being with the ones we love.

Reese  Ryan  Ron (My husband) and Myself
Michigan 2011

Reese and I, in Ocean City
August 2011