Data Stream - OPEN

Happy Easter from the BEST Grandparents EVER!!!

2008-03-24T20:21:08Z

Last year at this time Denise and I decided that our local public school wasn't giving our daughter the kind of education she needed or deserved. So we decided it would be better for her if we sent her to the Catholic School down the road.
Schoolastically speaking a much better school, though I hate the idea of them brow beating dogma into her, it will prepare her much better for a successful tenior in both High School and then College.

Now for the big pill to swallow....

It costs $4500 per year for her to attend and the payment schedule runs from February, at enrollment time, to Nov. It sounds crazy but it actually works out really well.

Since we decided to make the switch so late in the year last year we missed the opportunity to get on the payment schedule and had to make other arrangements.
We came up with $1500 (which we squeezed ever so gingerly out of our already skin tight budget.) and I phoned my parents to ask if they could help with the rest. Just for this year.
My parents, who we've never asked for anything from, are fairly well off. They own a home in an exclusively upperclass suburb or Detroit (with a neighbor that owns an NFL team). Another home they just had built in FL and a condo in Traverse City MI. They drive new cars every year or so all with names like BMW, Cadillac, and Range Rover.
Surely they can afford to help, not me, their GRANDDAUGHTER who they love and charish.

Sure they say, we'll call the school and arrange something.

YES!

So the present school year ends and the new one begins.
Things are going swimmingly.
February comes and it's time for enrollment for the 2008-2009 school year. Denise and I are excited we've saved and we're ready for the payments.

Upon dropping off the enrollment forms we are told Leahna can't be enrolled for next year until this year is fully paid. Okay, how much is still owed? We'll just make a phone call and get it taken care of.

$2700

WHAT!

It took me four phone calls to track down the grandparents who were in Florida at the time.

"What happened?" I asked, "I thought you guys were taking care of this?"
"Well things have been tight and we've had to cut back," the grandmother said.
"Cut back?" I thought. "You couldn't even call us to let us know you weren't paying?"
"Are you through?" said the grandmother.
"Yes" I replied.
"So are we" she said as she hung up the phone.

Infuriating.

Wow.

So that was a month ago.
Yesterday was Easter and these wonderful grandparents who have always said that everything was for the kids, never for themselves, couldn't even lift a finger to CALL THEIR GRANDDAUGHTER!!
Her heart is broken
Thanks Mom and Jim for everything and nothing all at the same time.
It wasn't bad enough you collectively ruined my life tima after time, now you've started the cycle all over again with a new and innocent child.
My daughter.

I hope she never feels the way you've made me feel today.

Ashamed of her own parents.
I'm sure yours are rolling over in their graves watching your behavior.

It's been a few weeks...

2008-03-10T02:28:09Z

Milton Street's case didn't go as planned. Oh well, he was a crook anyway.

Been busy working on soap recipes. Check out the new site : www.eastfallssoap.com

Leahna's Doggy Blog is kicking ass. See it here: http://leahna.douglasdittrich.com/

Here's a new picture.

Milton Street is my hero....

2008-02-16T00:24:03Z

Milton Street is on trial for tax evasion. His defense is that there is NO LAW in the ttax code the says that the IRS can collect tax from the American worker.
Read the article here.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20080215_Milton_Street__tax_resister.html
If he wins it will set a precedent for the rest of us giving us the opportunity to get out of paying taxes.
I for one will be watching the outcome of this very closely.

Leahna's blog

2008-02-11T21:04:37Z

Check out Leahna's Doggy Blog
http://leahna.douglasdittrich.com
It's all written by her about her Rescue experiences.
There are lot's of pictures too.

Here's a picture of Lady, our dog, taken last summer in Alpena MI.

Overheard Leahna...

2008-02-11T16:25:58Z

For those of you who don't know Leahna (pictured below), she is my nine year old daughter.
She is very active in pet rescue, she is a great student and just an all around great kid.
Ocassionally she says things that just blow us away.
For instance: last night after dinner she was thinking she was finally going to get online to play with her Webkinz. When we told her she didn't have time and she needed to get ready for bed she said, "That's okay, I was busy saving puppies lives today."
This isn't normal for a nine year old, but we think it's great.

Baby steps

2008-02-11T16:04:21Z

This is a new beginning for me here.
Getting away from the old, cumbersome website and into this new blogging thing.
I love it already. It is so much easier to update and I can do so much more with it.
Anyway, here's to hoping it attracts some new people to my site.
In honor of my first post I thought this picture was appropriate.