Update

Wow...Sara is pretty prolific on the posts. The stuff she comes up with cracks me up...and makes me think. I keep telling her she is smarter than I gave her credit for.

Sara is doing well. Pretty healthy, despite her condition. I had swine flu a couple of weeks ago, but she didn't get it. I isolated myself and got put on Tamiflu. Then the next week both Michael and Mike got regular flu, but didn't give it to her because they isolated also. We are pretty careful around here when it comes to her health...have to be.

Its been getting colder at night. Actually have to start running the heater to keep it pretty even in here. She can't take temperature extremes. She does like to be a little colder, rather than hotter.

As a family we are struggling pretty hard. As always I don't put the day to day up here. Gets hard to face. I'm not making money yet and my unemployment has been held up for the period I was eligible. Ugh. Freaking california.
Well, the landlords have finally blown a fuse. First they push and harrass me to get the bathroom finished on their timetable (using up all the money I had set aside to pay the first month bills above the IHSS money I get to help take care of Sara) and since then my rent is late every month. I told them why. They know what the deal is with my changing careers. They know the timing of everything I have coming in. But they decided to get mental and have sent me a certified letter saying they are not going to be flexible anymore and then sent me two separate 3 day notices to Pay Rent or Quit (on two different days - one from them, one from their lawyer.) I paid them everything I had but still owe $1K. I sent them back a detailed letter re-explaining the situation and telling them what I could do and when. I also told them that I cannot move Sara. It took months to get this house ready and safe for her - not to mention thousands of dollars. I told them I don't think they want to assume liability for her health if they terminate my tenancy. So...long story short...me and the landlords are now on opposite sides of the fence.

On the work front, I have gotten appointed with Farmers Insurance and am working with a managing agent. Despite my credit he has taken me on and put me under his business insurance and bond. He knows me and knows that I am very trustworthy and conscientious. He also sees how well I am able to understand and sell insurance. I have my fire and casualty license and am working on my life and health license. I should have done them both at the same time, but didn't have the $$ to do both classes and tests. He is paying for my life license and test now. So I am trying to finish those this week. Then I'll be licensed for everything except securities. I'll wait on that.

The lawsuit for Sara's injuries is going pretty well. The legal team has been working for over a year on the case and we now have a court date. We are going to trial in May. We are very hopeful for a favorable outcome. Lord knows Sara deserves a win with everything she has been through and will endure the rest of her life.

Until then, we are just trying to keep everything going. I have sent in my last piece of jewelry for appraisal. Then it goes down to an auction house in SF. We've gone through everything in the house and taken pictures for an estate sale. We will probably call an estate liquidator and let them just come buy it in a single lot. Then the house will be pretty much empty, except for Sara's stuff, my mattress, all of michael's room, and kitchen stuff. I struggled over whether to get rid of my kitchen collection. I finally decided that I really wanted to keep it. I have stuff from my Grandmother, her mother, my mother, both sides of the family, silly stuff, specialty items, and they all mean something to me and nothing to anyone else. There would be so little value to another person. I can look at pictures of feasts my grandmother had prepared and know exactly what she used and where. And, although my own daughter could be less interested in cooking, she does love it when I tell her the history of something. And nothing is better to share history over than food and food preparation. Anyway, there it is.

My ex husband is still here, helping take care of Sara. He's unemployed, too, but his business is starting to pick up. He should be out of here around the first of the year. By then hopefully my business is picking up too in the insurance field. Until then he has been helping where he can and donating some of his unemployment payments to the cause. its all good. Turns out we are still pretty good roommates. If we had been smart the first time we wouldn't have messed up and gotten married. Some people can be good friends and roommates, but horrid married people. That was us. Ugh. Anyway, we are good roommates. But this is definately not a permanent thing. Do like some privacy around here.