In January 2012 I go see my rheumatologist for an RA appointment. I have new insurance but forget to bring them the card, however I give them the information they need. Within a few weeks I bring an actual insurance card. They copy it.

In April I receive a call from this particular office. My insurance needs more information from me before they will pay the bill. Needless to say, the doctor’s office wants this settled ASAP.

I call my insurance company and apparently there’s some sort of waiver/policy/what-have-you on my plan regarding preexisting conditions. They MUST HAVE proof these conditions were covered for at least 12 months under a previous plan. A phone call is not good enough; they need a letter.

Okay.

I call the old insurance company and go through the rigamarole to have them send a letter of credible coverage to the new insurance company. They won’t do it. It MUST be sent to me first.

Yes, please. This is what we need more of in this world. Why not start using the Pony Express while you’re at it? 3-5 business days for the letter to get to me. Probably another 3-5 days for a photocopy to get to the new insurance company. Then I don’t know how long until my doctor’s office gets paid for my visit *four months ago*.

Is this annoying? Absolutely yes.

Dealing with insurance makes me think it’s not long until I have another condition to add to my list: high blood pressure.

I’ve heard we’ll be changing insurance companies again in 2013. Guess who’s excited about that? This girl!

**Brief but important note: I am incredibly grateful for God’s provisions for me via insurance. I’m a walking-talking example of someone who benefits from good benefits. Still, I reserve the right to complain when they become ridiculous and taxing.

The New Year started out right with a photo shoot of the Kluver family on January 1st. Why yes, now that I write that I realize that I’m a little behind with this blog post. I love the results from our shoot, though, so this definitely falls under the better-late-than-never clause. And man, do I miss my friends Jenni, Kirk and Kyree. A few weeks after our session they moved right on down to Birmingham, Alabama, where sweet tea reigns and the dogwoods bloom. Lincoln’s loss is Birmingham’s gain! I hope the folks down there realize what an amazing family they get to enjoy.

The rest of the shoot will show up in the next post as I have a packing party to prepare for. Unlike the Kluvers I’m just moving across town. My tea will remain unsweetened. But I will totally be planting a dogwood in the new place…

Selling a house.
Buying another three days later.
Signing lots of paperwork and
Scheduling two home inspections.
Holding my breath ’til those are complete.
Asking for boxes and
Receiving many from kind friends.
Praying while my dad has back surgery, then
Cringing as my husband suffers from the same problem.
Hanging out in waiting rooms during doctor’s appointments and
Thinking of how to arrange furniture in our next home.
Attempting to have faith that God, the very God who has provided so much, will take care of the details, including Jeremy’s back.
Wondering how everything’s going to work out and
Reminding myself, over and over, that God will take care of us.
Drinking hot coffee and
Taking bites of cake and
Feeling glad to put a little something down on the blog this morning.

Our world changed fast in Lincoln this spring. We went from mild winter weather to summer-like temps overnight and the grass and trees and flowers bloomed really quickly.

I don’t want to take this beauty for granted though. I want to remember that just a few short weeks ago it looked like someone had sucked all the color out of our neighborhood, and every neighborhood. I’d be driving around town looking at houses for sale and feeling absolutely uninspired as I looked at bare trees and shrubs and yellowed grass. Bo-ring. But now, everything is alive and begging to be enjoyed. The sun is warm, less summer-like than before actually, and we can play in the park in short sleeves. We sit on the porch to eat dinner and we bend in the grass to pick weeds from the garden. We see the little blue flowers that spill over walls and sidewalks and admire the way the branches are layered and lovely on the burning bushes out front.

It’s the best free therapy on the planet, this world of green, growing things. And I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

More of the charming and adorable Johnson twins!

Check out these handsome, blue-eyed dreamy babies! I had the opportunity to capture them for their nine month portraits several weeks ago and found myself falling in love with their sweet faces while editing the images. So. darn. cute. For now, one shot. Tomorrow I’ll show you more!

It’s Easter morning—He is risen, He is risen indeed!—and I am at home blogging and partially watching episodes of My Little Pony on Netflix. The stomach flu not only knocked me out of attending Redeemer’s Good Friday service, it also left me as weak as a kitten Easter morning. So while our church family gathers this morning to worship our risen Savior, we are at home resting. The ingredients for our Easter feast sit quietly in the refrigerator awaiting a postponed meal with my folks. Fortunately Livia was still able to hunt eggs, an annual tradition with Grandma & Grandpa, yesterday afternoon. I’m pretty sure she would’ve burst into a million disappointed pieces if she had to wait longer to find all those fun Easter treats.

I leave you with shots from our egg-dyeing extravaganza Thursday afternoon. In the past I’ve run to the grocery store to buy more eggs to dye as one dozen is never enough. Lesson learned: three dozen eggs is just right to wear out my crafty kid. We had fun and she was ready to close up shop before the last three or four were complete—perfect. This year I baked the eggs in the oven per Renae’s suggestion, using this Alton Brown recipe. Though it felt incredibly odd to place the little eggs directly on the oven rack, I loved this method of hard-cooking eggs. They turned out perfectly and only a few cracked (with no drips at all). I should note that not only did I steal Renae’s idea of dying eggs in glass coffee mugs, I also requested those specify mugs for Christmas as I’ve long coveted Renae’s. See what living next door for eight years does for you? Identical kitchenware.

Happy Easter, friends. We worship a living Savior today, and every day of the year! Praise God.

I don’t know who is responsible for planting red, purple and yellow tulip bulbs in this garden, but thank you, thank you, thank you! They brighten up one small corner of my neighborhood in the loveliest of ways.