The Turner Report: Class action lawsuit calls for Rita Hunter to be removed as conservator for 450 to 500 wards

The Turner Report: Class action lawsuit calls for Rita Hunter to be removed as conservator for 450 to 500 wards

My final decision

I have finally made a decision about something that I've been pondering. I have decided that this year I am going to run for Jasper County Public Administrator. For those of you who don't have a clue what the Public Administrator does (like most of Missouri) here's a brief synopsis:

The Public Administrator is elected by the county to:
1. Act as conservator for deceased estates
2. Act as conservator for minor estates
3. Act as guardian/conservator for individuals who have been deemed incapacitated by a court.

Number 3 is actually the largest part of the Public Administrators job. This job is a big job and requires accessibility 24/7.

My desire for this job began when I was in college and did an internship in the Public Administrators office. I spoke with the P.A. at that time, Janice Tusinger, about my desire to run for the office when she decided to retire. Janice decided not to run in 2004 and I considered running, but decided not to because I work for the state of Missouri and state employees are not allowed, by statute, to run for an elected office while employed by the state. Four years ago I didn't see a way that I could feasibly leave my job losing my income and benefits. Four years makes a big difference. Financially, things have changed that makes leaving my job less threatening coupled with watching what happens to people who are incapacitated when someone who isn't right for the position is elected to the PA office.

This is just one small part of a series of article and certainly not the only story to be told about the current PA's office:

http://www.joplinglobe.com/siteSearch/apstorysection/local_story_341152428.html

I am taking a leave of absence beginning at the end of Feb 2008 to begin campaigning for the position. I am no politician. I have no political ambitions- at all! I just want to be the Jasper County Public Administrator. The campaign process is totally new to me but I have 2 advisors who are very knowledgable both with campaigning and with the PA position. I also have a very enthusiastic campaign committee/team who are in total support of me. The primary election is the first Tues in August. Everyone who runs for this position will probably run Republican so the primary will most likely be the deciding vote. Now, I just need to find a job in the interim so that I can make my mortgage and keep food on the table.

Other than that things are well. The kids are all busy. Lucy will be turning 2 in February. She is a hoot! The holidays were great. Very relaxing. I took time off between Christmas and New Years and just enjoyed myself.

I can't wait to get my gun back from being painted pink. I told you before that I passed my concealed carry class, didn't I? As soon as my gun is back I'll post a pic for you to see.

Oh, only 13 months until my 40th birthday.....still can't wait! I'll be much busier this year that I had expected so I won't be able to spend as much time planning my shin-dig, but it's still going to happen.

Here's a pic of all the kids. This was actually taken right after Thanksgiving dinner. We used this photo for our Christmas cards:

16 months until my 40th Birthday!

I'm so excited!

Woo Hoo! It's getting closer...I'll be 40 before I know it. I know most people dread it, but I REFUSE to be upset by a number.

I promised last time to tell you about Tony. Well, Tony is my brother. He is exactly one year and one day older than me. We've (my siblings and me) known that a brother has existed since about 1992. We knew that we'd look for him some day and someday came last fall. We found Tony from a website that he had posted on 2 years earlier looking for his birth family. Long story short, Tony is our brother. He lives in Miami, Oklahoma just 30 minutes from me. He's a wonderful person with a wonderful family. We also now have a fabulous new niece, Sammie. We've all taken to calling her Sammie Girl because my sister has a son named Sammy, who is now Sammy Boy.

I've always wonder what it would be like to find family you didn't know you had. Can't believe it happened to us, but I'm so glad it did!

Back to me and turning 40....

I still can't decide where to have my party. Oh, the horrors of it all! I'll think of something.

Do you know who Dave Ramsey is? If not, checkout DaveRamsey.com. I have become completely Dave Ramsey obsessed. Since March of this year I've been on a debt free kick- inspired by Dave. I used his envelopes to put money in. I do a budget every two weeks when I get paid. I have to admit, I LOVE doing the budget. I love knowing where every single penny is going. In December my car will be paid off and I'll be debt free except for my mortgage! Woo Hoo! The reason I'm telling you all this is because I'm going to be debt free except for my mortgage, I have some freedoms now that I didn't when I had payments coming out my ears. I am beginning to seriously consider doing something that I've considered doing for about 15 years. I was never able to do it before because I needed to have my current job to meet my bills. Now, I have a little more freedom (thanks Dave!). I have given myself until Jan 2008 to make the final decision on whether or not I am going to bite the bullet and do it. I'll let you all know as soon as I've made my final decision.

• Oliver is in college in Broken Arrow, OK (outside Tulsa) at Rhema Bible College. FINALLY! He has a "close friend" that Tom and I both love. (We can't wait to be grandparents, is that bad?)
• Stewart is busy as ever with Boy Scouts and home schooling. Still has his sights on West Point.
• Henry is turning 14 this week. Yikes! He'll be driving before we know it.
• Hannah is just loving life. Having fun with her friends, fun at school, fun fun fun. She is all about having fun. I wonder where she gets that?
• Lucy is about to kill us all. She is on the go every second. She recently lost one of her big toenails after dropping a can of soup on it. She knows a lot of signs for words which really takes the pressure off of the communication barrier since she's not saying a lot of words yet. The signs we see constantly are "more please". Well, she comes by it honestly. When food is involved, "more please".
• Me? I did it! I passed my firearms safety course. I just have to make application with the sheriffs dept to get my permit to carry a concealed weapon. I still have to send my gun in to be powdered coated pink. I've told Tom after it gets painted I want to change the handles to pearl white.
• Tom took the firearms course with me. It was fun and very informative. He's working on several projects at one time and keeping Lucy during the days while I work, except on Fridays when Lucy stays with my Aunt Linda.

So long for now. I'll fill you in on the life change that I'm considering as soon as I decide 100% one way or the other.

18 months until my 40th birthday

Thought I'd share some interesting facts about me. Skip this part if you don't care:

1. I HATE talking on the phone. I don't enjoy chit-chatting at all, I don't have the time. I don't sit still easily so I'm ALWAYS in the middle of something. I'm more into e-mail. I know it's not very personal, but that's where I chit-chat.

2. I HATE forwarded e-mails. Always have. 99% of the time I delete them without opening them. Angels will NOT bless me within 7 minutes if I forward an e-mail to 10 of my friends and any e-mail that has some gut-wrenching tear-jerking information is FAKE. Check it out, call the phone number of the person who originated the e-mail (there's almost always a phone number- FYI, when you call it- it won't be a real phone number) google search it....It's fake! Oh, by the way I can forward as many e-mails as I like- Bill Gates will NEVER share his fortune with me!

Ok, that's enough hate talk. Something I love: ICE CREAM. It makes me really happy. Lucy has inherited that from me. She is crazy about ice cream. That's something else that we'll have lots of at my 40th b-day party....ice cream. IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!

This weekend (Aug 16-19) I was in St. Louis with Emily. We went to Archivers, one of the largest scrapbooking supply store chains, if not the biggest. Oh, I was in heaven. That was my first visit to an Archivers. This Thurs the 23rd I'm having some ladies at my house for a scrapbooking page class that I teach once a month. Friday I'm going to Springfield to spend the night so I can be at a scrappbooking fund raiser for CMN on Saturday morning at 7:30am (I'm helping with the even, not participating). Sat, Sept 8th I'm having a group of ladies to my house for the day to scrapbook. DO YOU SEE HOW SERIOUS MY SICKNESS IS? If you only knew how much time I spend reading a scrapbooking message board. UGH!!!! Seriously, my husband better find that 12-step program....QUICK!

Next time I'm going to tell you about Tony:

Preparing for my midlife crisis

19 Months until my 40th Birthday!

I'm really looking forward to it! I'm planning a big shindig for myself. It's going to be an "All About Me" party. I'm inviting the people that I love, we're having all the foods that I love (lots of hot dips!) and we're going to do things that I love- like talking about me and scrapbooking! Yeah! This whole 40th birthday party thing is my way of heading off any unhappiness the big 4-0 may try to bring.

So, in anticipation of my midlife crisis I told Tom that I was going to make a list of things I want to accomplish before I die. I figure 40 is half-way through my life so I better get with it. Everyday for about 2 weeks I would think about things to put on my "list". Skydiving? No, biggest fear is life is to die by falling. Travel abroad? No, afraid they'll get that darn fence up and I'll never get back in. Another degree? PLEASE! I'm still having panic attacks from my last stint with college. Can't think of anything. I guess I'm perfectly happy with life...

"Ok" I think to myself, "I always wanted to be an EMT. I'll do that". Hehe. Let me think. An entire semester of school 2 nights per week so that I can make absolutely no money. Nope! Well, maybe I will do it just so I can say I've done it. Driving an ambulance really fast and playing with the sirens does sound like fun, but it will have to be on a strickly voluntary basis.

Then it finally hits me... I call Tom...."I want to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon, do you think they make pink handguns?". Bless his heart. He checks on it for me. Can't find anywhere that makes them, but he does have an idea- He'll get one powder-coated for me! Perfect! I'll get a pink gun. The crime rate will go down for sure- no one will want to admit they've been shot by a pink gun!

The only other thing I can think of is that I've never taken a cruise and I'd really like to do that. I want an old persons cruise, not a Carnival cruise. I want to be with people that are so old that partying would be a very lonely group. Do you think I could do a search on Travelocity for "old person cruise"? But then there's the border fence issue again.....

Here's my midlife crisis list:

1. Become an EMT

2. Get a permit to carry a concealed weapon

3. Go on a cruise

4. Become debt free (I just added this one as I was typing-good goal, don't you think?)

#4 came around because I took Hannah to the orthodontist today for our "Treatment consultation". Almost had a heart attack! $5,500. Yikes! The price of vanity... I asked the dentist what I would be driving for the next year. "Huh?". "Well" I said, "I figure I'm going to be making your car payment for a while. If I'm making it, I'm driving it. So, what kind of car will I be driving for the next year?". It seems that I'm getting a Chevy Avalanche. Kinda big for me, but I'm ok with it! We also got to watch a video on everything that could go wrong with the braces- irritated skin inside the mouth, placque build-up, cavities, root shortening, tooth nerve damage... on and on and on. "Any questions about the video?" he says. "Yes" I replied, "what are the effects of global warming on the orthodontics?" I don't think he likes me.

Ok, I'm done. I hope that you all are doing well. Until later....Peace Out! (I'm trying to stay in touch with the young people)

My First Blog Entry!

I'm so EXCITED!

My very first blog! And why in the world would I create a blog? I doubt anything that I have to say will be very interesting or different from any other blog. Oh well, it'll give my kids something to read when they are trying to avoid homework.

What's my goal of this blog? I guess to give my friends more insite into my teeny brain and to hopefully not embarass my kids who are the reason for my passion....SCRAPBOOKING!