The Perfect Scam

This Morning I had the great privilege of receiving a scam email. This meant that all the turmoil I was feeling about not having a post for my blog came to a screeching halt.
-Without further adieu-

 

From: Num Xaab Vaaj [censored
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2013 3:08 AM
Subject: Please be of help!!Num Xaab Vaaj

 

Hope you are in good health.Could you please help me if you can?this has had to come in a hurry and it has left me in a devastating state. I traveled to Manilla Philippine for a Seminar,unfortunately for me all my money was stolen at the hotel where I lodged. The Embassy only cleared me of my traveling documents and ticketing since I came in on official purpose. I only need to clear the hotel bills before I can leave but of course they stopped billing me since the incident. I didn't bring my phones here and the hotel telephone lines were disconnected during the robbery, so I have access to only emails. Please i want you to send me $ 2,000 dollars so I can return home. As soon as I get home I would refund it immediately. Western Union seems to be the safest and quickest option for now. Please email me back so i can forward my information to you.

XF. Num Xaab Vaaj (Pastor Xang Vang)

Censored

__________________________________________________________________________________

From: Wilkins, Joy
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2013 8:08 AM
To: Num Xaab Vaaj
Subject: RE: Please be of help!!Num Xaab Vaaj

Dear Pastor Xang Vang,

What a horrible and tragic story! Thank you for asking about my health. Several times I have had bronchitis and I have to get a Zpac each time in order to cure it. One time I had tonsillitis AND an ingrown toenail -at the same time! Currently, I'm feeling rather healthy although I fear my sinuses might be acting up. Nothing that a little Constant Comment tea and honey doesn't help.

Before I can commit to helping you in any way, there are a few things I must know. What happened to the $2,000 I sent when this same thing happened to you while you were in England? I'm just curious. I guess you were able to get home. More importantly... what seminar were you attending? Was it good? What did you learn? What hotel are you staying at? I have heard that hotels in Manila have bed bugs, is this true? You should ask for a discount from the hotel.

Let’s discuss the issue of money. $2,000 seems a bit low! Are you absolutely sure that is all you need? I would think you would need at least $5,139.27. Don’t you want to bring home any souvenirs from your trip?  Certainly I can wire the money from a laundered account. Although, I do have a friend in the FBI that poses as a Western Union Worker to catch criminals.He will be able to ensure that you receive your money safely! Perhaps we should go that route instead. I’m ready to receive the information I need. In the meantime, do some sight seeing and enjoy the time you have in Manila.

Joy D. Wilkins
Church Services Assistant

Censored

 

Congenital Ptosis: The Surgery

Our God is so faithful. I'm so glad I have Him to trust and turn to not just on days like today, but every.single.day.

Bright and early this morning at approximately 4:50 a.m. Jason's alarm went off. I actually didn't need the alarm because I had just woken up from the strangest dream ever. About knowing Evan was going to have his eye surgery and there was a great white shark in our bedroom (I think the shark was in our room to keep us from feeding Evan or giving him anything to drink, because I went to bed last night stressed out that we would forget and give him food in the morning) and my mom was in our garage with some ladies from Haiti or Ethiopia or Africa, (I never found out where they were from) and they were doing laundry, and Jason had grown a beard. I know. I didn't want to wake up, it was so awesome.

We had to be at the surgery center for pre-op by 6:30 a.m. I was so grateful to be able to have this procedure done first thing in the morning. I wanted it to be behind us.

Jason was selected to take Evan to get the anesthesia. Jason was back in the waiting room with me in minutes.He said Evan didn't love having the mask forced to his face but he took it like a champ and whimpered just a bit before he was out.

His surgery was scheduled for 7:30, but actually began at about 8:00 and by 8:30 we were called back into the post-op room to comfort our miserable little man. I held him, while Jason fed him snacks, but he cried inbetween bites. Evan did. Not Jason.

By 9:30, we were released to come home.

We took a before picture of Evan this morning, but because Evan was so tired, and the angle was not straight on, the picture really didn't do justice as a good before picture. So I used a picture we took a few weeks ago.

You can see the mark the surgeon put above his eyebrow on his right side so that he knew which side to operate on. Smart man!

His eye is a bit swollen, as expected. However, I do believe that once the swelling goes down, his eyes are going to look the same, for the most part.

When we got home, we fed Evan and then he and daddy cuddled on Dawson's bean bag and watched Baby Einstein: Baby Wordsworth. Jason learned to say "chair" and "ball".

Then Evan napped for about 15 minutes:

Speaking of naps. ...

Whew. I might need a nap. Or some chocolate.

A Visit with Victor

Welcome to Victor, Colorado. 

Not you, just me. I was the one who took the picture so I'm invited. I love this little ghost town. Jason is scared of it. Every time I got out of the car to take pictures, he would yell "hurry up and get back in the jeep, we look like creepers!"  I don't know about you, but I thrive on creeping. Yeah, I don't really. We were recently cautioned by our neighbors that we shouldn't get out of the car if we visit there. I can't remember why though. Maybe we'd get shot by the few people that actually live there. Pshaw. No one has ever seen how fast I can dodge a speeding bullet! Because, I never have. So. I really wanted pictures, so I threw caution to the wind. Why do people say that anyway? You can't throw caution.

First Stop:

Who can pass up a store called Kinnikinnik?! Jason wouldn't let me get out of the car for this one. He took the camera and did an inconspicuous point and click and hoped he got the words in the picture because he knew that was the important part to me. I find it odd that there is a glass lamp shade sitting on a chair outside the store. Here is another important detail. Kinnikinnik was OPEN for business, had we dared to venture in! Someone should name their kid Kinninkinnik. Do it.

Look. Here is a non-creepish shot of the actual little town, full of its dilapidated buildings. I do believe my mom instilled in me a love for old buildings. I'm not sure why I think that. She used to collect old bottles. Maybe I related the two somehow. I do know that when I was growing up, we had a house by ours that we affectionately called "The Haunted House" because it was old and falling apart and I always wanted to go in it. But I didn't want to find a dead body or a ghost.

If you keep going down the road, which Jason felt the need to do to keep me from getting out, you find this:

Who wouldnt' want to drive this home to mama? Here it is when I saturate it in color:

You have to turn around once you drive past the truck because it's a dead end. Sometimes I think my end is dead. At least I would, if it made any sense.

Look at these neat super-old-falling-apart-crappy-paint-job buildings!

My guess is that the windows are all boarded up so that people don't go inside and loot. Because I know there are treasures in there. Like, dust. And pitchforks.

Now I know this building has something exciting inside! Like wooden spoons.

I don't have anything to say about this old mine. It probably has dirt inside.

This is the pretty view surrounding the town of Victor. I can't really say "This is the pretty view surrounding Victor" because it implies Victor is a person and not a town and I don't like the structure of that sentence.

Bobbie, this picture is for you. I'm not sure why I wanted to take a picture of this storefront and show it to you, or why you came to mind when I saw it, because I don't, in any way, think the mannequin looks like you. Or is dressed like you. Maybe I think you'd pose like that for a picture? No, I'm just kidding. But I did think of you and wanted this picture for you to see, so there you go. I'm going to guess that store 108 1/2 wasn't open.

Our last stop on the way out of town was to an old mine. Not the mine in the previous picture a bit ago, but a different mine.

I think Dawson looks a bit like he's afraid the big cables are going to attack him.

He looks happier in this picture. More like he's standing in front of a huge spool of thread.

Here's a picture of the gear box. Every person should own a picture of a gear box in a mine, wouldn't you say?

I don't know what this is. But it seems important in the grand scheme of mining.

This room could use a little TLC.

The boys in front of an elevator.

This was under the elevator. Jason was curious.

So he decided crawl down there and get a picture to see how far down the hole went.

Pictures of the side of a mine are prized possessions this year. Get yours today.

Last picture. Do you see the outline of a Christmas Stocking in Christmas lights?