Marty
Precious Moments
Haverty
Techinical Consulting
San Antonio
Medical Problems
IRS
Medical Problems Cont
Connie’s Recovery
Fall of 1992
Winter of 1992
January 1993
Shoulder Problems
Stock Tip
Financial Planning
Connie Decision
Shoulder Surgery
Vacation and EDS 20 Anniversary
Sales Trip
Connie Back To School for Medical Transcription
Rest of 1993
1992
Marty
I had forgotten that a good friend of Connie and I passed away in November of 1991. His name was Marty Bell and his wife was Jeanette. Marty was very young only in his 40’s at the time. Marty had seizures from epilepsy and he and Jeanette had traveled from North Caroling to Virginia for Thanksgiving when he had an episode while driving at night and had a car accident. It was fatal for Marty but Jenette made a full recovery.
Marty and I met in January of 1975 when we were both assigned to assist a team of programmers at Horace Mann Life Insurance company in Springfield Illinois install the Life Insurance System, they had purchased for EDS. The four of us became very close friends and live across the street from each other. Marty was one of the smartest people I knew and was such a likable guy. It was through Jeanette that Connie first encountered a sheltie. She fell in love with their dog Beau Bell and after that, we always had shelties for pets. Her love of shelties would last the rest of her life.
Precious Moments
I am not sure or if much of anything happened in January of this year but I do know that Connie’s Precious Moment Collection was growing as I found a list of the Precious Moments, I bought that year.
| Date | Check # | Occasion | Amount |
| 1/19/1992 | 6952 | -18.94 | |
| 2/8/1992 | 6999 | VALENTINE DAY | -60.57 |
| 3/14/1992 | 7056 | -6.39 | |
| 5/28/1992 | 7209 | -18.56 | |
| 5/31/1992 | 7229 | -43.3 | |
| 5/31/1992 | Anniversary | -59.54 | |
| 6/8/1992 | 7246 | -11.24 | |
| 9/26/1992 | 7460 | -5.85 | |
| 10/10/1992 | 7502 | -7.85 |
Haverty’s
February was a very expensive month for us. We made a major purchase at Haverty’s Furniture store. I am not sure what we bought but it was almost $900.00. I do know we paid it off on a payment plan of $90.00 a month for ten months. Our spa also had major problems and we spent over $700 getting it fixed. The spa was something Connie really enjoyed and I used it almost daily as it helped me a lot with my rheumatoid arthritis. It was also during this period that we decided to have a home security system installed. We went with Brinks and use them until we sold the house in 2004. I also took a business trip to the Security Connecticut Life Insurance company in Avon that month.
Technical Consulting
In March, I started a 15-week class called “Technical Consulting”. It was 3 5 weeks sessions. I was a new class that they were giving to some of their Senior Engineers. I think I was in the sixth or seventh class that they conducted. It was a very time-consuming class that also required a lot of weekend work. If I remember correctly we were given a couple of 5-day breaks which included Saturday and Sunday between sessions 1 and two and again between sessions 3 and 4. Toward the latter part of the class, the weekend work was still there but it was much less as we did not have to spend the whole weekend there. It would finish about the second week of June.
San Antoino
In April, the young man who had been doing our yard was now much older and he had decided not to mow yards anymore. We hired a service that went by the name of John Henry Lawn care. The other thing we decide to do was to take a trip to San Antonio. I know we left and went there on a Wednesday and I think it may have been April the 22nd, so we could celebrate her birthday there. But I could be mistaken it may have been a week earlier. I decide not to include this one in the “Trips” page as it was such a short trip. We left late on Wednesday morning getting to San Antonio in the early afternoon, we were staying at a hotel near the airport. That evening we just spent time driving around the downtown area enjoying the city. The next day we went into the city and visited the Alamo and the river walk, and just walked around the city. On Friday we went into the city again as there was a mall right downtown that Connie wanted to go to. We then took a ride on the riverboats and stopped for Mexican food at lunch. We finished our ride on the riverboat and looked around a little more. By late afternoon Connie was not feeling well, so we went back to the hotel. We thought it was something she made have eaten and hoped she would be better by the morning. But she was not, I was up at six and at the drug store buying medicine when it opened at seven. We were supposed to stay till Sunday, nut Connie said she needed to go. I said could your stomach be upset because you are missing “Sugar” our sheltie. She took offense to that and I knew she was really sick. By ten-thirty, I was on the phone with Southwest Airlines and changed our tickets. I got us on a one o’clock flight back to Dallas. She still was not feeling much better after we got home and picked up Sugar. On Sunday she was feeling better and was able to go back to work on Monday, but she called Dr. Swicegood and made an appointment.
It cost us only $128.00 for the plane tickets and the three-night at the hotel which was a Marriott Courtyard cost us $211.05.
Medical Problems for Connie
I am not sure whether it was the first week of May or the second week but Connie, finally had her appointment with Dr. Swicegood. He sent her for an X-Ray and read it immediately. He then sent her to see an OBY/GN doctor. Her name was Dr. Umholtz. I was not with Connie at this time, but she saw Connie that day, within a couple of hours so Connie, knew it was not good, but she did not want to worry me. There was a large growth in Connie’s abdomen, and it was extremely large. The doctor told her she was going to need surgery, but she should start thinking about if she wanted to make any changes to her will. Connie was already shaken up and after she told me the news so was I. We both met with the doctor the next week to discuss things and schedule her surgery. We both like her even though she was blunt. She told us no was ever sure about these things, but this was a large tumor. But how bad and what was going on, we would have to wait until after the scheduled surgery for the first week of June.
She was scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, June 2nd, we were in the middle of our project phase but none of that mattered to me and everyone was understanding. Connie and I arrived at the hospital early around six-thirty or seven and the surgery was scheduled for nine or nine-thirty, but I remember they were late taking her. I sat in the waiting room, waiting for the doctor to come out and tell me what had happened and what was going on, but it took a long time and I was getting worried. It turns out that they told the doctor that I was waiting in her room, so she had gone there instead of the waiting room. Finally, she found me, and I was a nervous wreck as I had been expecting to hear from the doctor about an hour earlier. Back in 1992, not everyone was given a private room and I had agreed to pay extra for a private room. There was one problem, they would do that provide one was available. The room Connie was put in before surgery was for two patients but luckily after the surgery, a private room opened up and she was able to get it. Even though the insurance did not cover a private room it was worth the extra money for Connie.
It turns out it was a large fibroid tumor, and when I say large, I mean it weighed over 5 lbs. What amazed me that it was not more noticeable before. Now Connie was not fat maybe a little overweight at the time, but you would have thought something that big growing in your abdomen would be noticeable. The doctor said it was the largest one she had ever removed and that she got it all. Connie was going to be just fine and that was what I needed to hear. The surgery was on Tuesday and Connie was in the hospital until Saturday when I got to take her home. Connie’s mother arrived while Connie was in the hospital and I picked her up. Her mother was a big help when she got home.
IRS
Something happen when I got home from the hospital, that Tuesday night. I had a note from the IRS that they had stopped by. I went to talk to them the next morning after checking on Connie. It a long story and it just shows how government agencies work. I have posted it under “Stories” – “Other”. I think you will also be amazed at this story.
Medical Problems for Connie — cont.
Medical Problems for Connie – cont.
Connie always felt when I was in the hospital and it was the same for her and that is you are in here to get well, and not to entertain. I always discouraged visitors, but the second night she was in there, Michelle’s father stopped by and spent 3 hours just talking to her and it wore her out. Even though she did not want visitors, one of her best friend’s husband showed up and she felt bad that it was not her friend, whom she thought would at least call. It was kind of an irony, she did not want visitors, but when her best friend did not show up, she was hurt. This was the first time Connie had been in the hospital since we had been married. She had been there several times for my surgeries but never for her self. Those five to six weeks were times of great reflection for Connie and time of apprehension for me. Connie would never go back into the hospital until the cancer diagnosis.
Connie’s Recovery
On Saturday, Connie was able to come home and her mother was there for a week to help her out. I had bought Connie some flowers while she was in the hospital. Her doctor had two small children, so that morning when she released her, we gave the doctor a cookie bouquet so she and her kids could enjoy it. Connie had really taken the time, to rest while she was in the hospital. Her mother left after about a week and Connie then had time to think about all she had been through and just find some time to enjoy herself. She found it so nice not to have to work and many days just sit in the backyard breathing in the fresh air. We had been wanting to get the bathroom floor done for a while now. So, we had Rodenbaugh come in and replace our bathroom floor.
After about a month she started having lunch with some girlfriends that did not work. I remember how much joy she got out of that. They would stay at the restaurant for three to four hours and she was enjoying it so much. She loved not having to work. I do not remember going anywhere in July, but we may have as I am showing we spent $600 on airline tickets in July. I just cannot remember. So, maybe we did or maybe we did not. I do know besides getting the bathroom floor, we bought a nice mirror from Plano Glass as we spent about $750 on it. I am assuming it was a nice wall mirror as we had a beautiful one in the dining room.
Connie’s sister made curtains for our house and we got them in August of the year. Her sister was great with a sewing machine. She even made me a suit once. But one of the best things she ever made me was a winter jacket that I just loved but somewhere over the years, I lost it I think I left it at a Maverick game.
Fall of 1992
In September, I think I bought a new printer for the computer. I also get a speeding ticket that month. I do not remember it, but I have recorded that I pay a speeding thicket that month, and I do not believe it was Connie. Toward the end of September, I bought airline tickets on American Airline for $420 to Orlando, where we went on vacation in October. You can read all about that in “Trips” – “Disney World 1987 & 1992”. We went to the Grand Kempinski for a brunch, and I am assuming that was with our friend Frank and Chris.
I am not sure what was wrong with my computer but in October I had to get it repaired at a place called Texmatic in Plano. It must have been something very wrong because it cost around $429. That month we also spent a lot of money on house repairs.
In October we had a couch, love seat, and chair that we liked a lot, but it was time for a change. Rather than buying a new set, we decide to have it reupholstery. In retrospect, we could have probably bought a new set cheaper. We looked at several places but finally decided on a place just outside of downtown Dallas to do the upholstering. They pick the furniture up in October and did not return it to December. We spent over $1900 for that project. In looking back on it now, I still wonder why we did not just buy new furniture.
Winter of 1992
I think I am correct but could be wrong. I know it happened in November of this year. We went to Service Merchandise and bought Connie a Christmas present. It was a bread machine, that we had to just a little while after I lost Connie. I gave that bread machine to our good friend Margaret. That month I also bought a new pair of Rocky Boots. They had been recommended to me by one of my doctors back in the mid-80s. I always had an extra pair on hand. Back in the mid-80s, it was almost two years before I could get a pair because the place that made them also made ski boots and only made these shoes in their slow times. My surgeon also wore Rocky Boots.
It seemed like we were always doing repairs in December of each year and this year was no exception. We bought new bedding this month and had our blinds repaired. Also, this was the start of us using the internet at home as I signed up for Prodigy starting in December of this year.
Since I started with the money we spent on Precious Moments for Connie. I will end with the money we spent on coin collection for me.
| Date | Check No | Amount |
| 2/8/1992 | 6988 | -35.00 |
| 03/15/1992 | 7064 | -11.00 |
| 04/12/1992 | 7135 | -7.00 |
| 09/13/1992 | 7447 | -34.00 |
| 10/29/1992 | 7536 | -23.00 |
| 12/14/1992 | 7643 | 15.50 |
| 12/21/1992 | 7664 | 20.50 |
January 1993
I do not know if I mentioned this in my earlier writing but since Connie worked for a CPA and a lawyer, she was a notary.
Since I had finished the Technical Consulting program, I was assigned to a new project toward the end of 1992. That was the Workers Compensation Reporting system. We were using PC technologies to develop this system, we used visual basic and Microsoft Access. There was a team of 6 of us with e being the lead system engineer. In the past, we had been a mostly mainframe company and would stay that way as long as the company existed. But we did take small steps into venturing out into the new technologies. Since the workers’ compensation were run by the states, they all got together and used the same First Report Of Injury (FROI). It was a standard form.
The PC system that we developed, would allow worker compensation companies to enter their information for and FROI and we would edit it, and return it to them when any errors that needed to be corrected. If it pasted all the edits, then we would send it to the correct state. Our group did some things that are quite common today. Once the software was installed, we would check the version of the software site that was transmitting it and if needed we would automatically update the software.
Since I was the lead technician on this project, I got to make several trips with the salesman over the next few years demonstrating our system and assisting with the sales.
I do not recall much about what happened early in this year, but I have included in “Stories” – “The Funnies” called “The Baby Bet”. Link to the Baby Bet.
I do remember that in January Connie purchased a lot of wallpaper from a place called King’s Wallpaper. Based on the amount that we spent, I am sure we must have done the dining room, the kitchen, and the breakfast area. As much as Connie loved to paint, she did not do wallpaper. So, we hired someone to come in and do the wallpaper. I do not know if I mentioned it before, but Connie liked to paint. Not only was she painting the inside of the house but in the 24 years, we lived in that house Connie painted the trim at least three times. We had several issues with the spa that year as I can see we had 5 visits from Blue Island Spa.
Shoulder Problems
In February, I was in a meeting at work when I pitched a piece of paper toward the garbage can, and suddenly, I had tremendous pain in my shoulder. I think I forgot to mention it but back in 1989, my shoulder started bothering me, and y rheumatologist had given me a couple of steroid shots and they did not help. I saw the surgeon who had replaced my hips about a month later and he said those rheumatologists do not know how to give those shots, I will do it. Now he had about four medical students following him around that day. They prepared the shot and it was the longest needle I have ever seen. He tells me the first part of it will numb my shoulder area up so it will not hurt that bad. So he sticks the needle in way deep into my shoulder and leaves it there then he has all the medical students come and feel and he is telling them to feel how he has gotten into some little sac that exists between the should blade and somewhere in my back. I did not feel a thing but there was a mirror there and I could see this syringe sticking out of my back. Finally, after everyone had felt it, he injected into my shoulder. Except for a little pain from the shot, it worked miracles as I did not have any pain in that shoulder until I made the paper throw this year, and then it started hurting badly.
Stock Tip
The spring was fairly normal, this year. I do remember my good friend Tim S. given me a great stock tip about a stock IGT (International Gaming Technology), which I bought and did ok on. I also had started going to a class for one of the CLU exams, I was taking. This one was “Estate Planning” and the only other time I took a class for a CLU exam was “Income Taxation”. I believe the class started in February as I would be taking the exam in April. During the time of this class, I had a problem with a wart on the bottom of my foot. After seeing a podiatrist, he cut the wart out. I must tell you it was hard getting around for several days when someone had cut the bottom of your foot and sewn it back up. But I struggled through it.
Financial Planning
In March we met with a young lady named Kimberly, she was about our age about Financial Planning. Since I had begun my courses at the American College to earn my CLU, I had become interested in Financial Planning. One of the first courses I took for my CLU was Financial Planning and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It even crossed my mind about becoming a financial planner, but I know all the hours and work it would require building a clientele was not worth it to me. I had already put in enough hours early in my career, and now was not having to but in so many hours. It would not have been fair to Connie nor was I willing to give up my current career to start all over. Taking that course made me realize the importance of financial planning. While Kimberly was just starting, we found her to be very sharp and she had a way of explaining things so that Connie could understand them. So, we decide to go with her and the company she worked for IDS, which became American Express Financial Advisor in 1995 and around 2005 became Ameriprise Financial. Ameriprise. It a decision that neither of us ever regretted.
During this time, my shoulder was starting to bother me even more and I was having a hard time sleeping. By the end of March, I was having to sleep in a chair as lying in bed cause so much pain in my shoulder that I could not sleep. The chair helped but I was still having a hard time sleeping.
In April, I saw my orthopedic surgeon who had done my hips and give me the steroid shot and he said it was time we replaced the shoulder. I scheduled it for May. That month we found out that a Pizza Inn had opened in McKinney and they had 0s night on Thursday night just like the one in Allen did. The one in Allen had closed in the late 80s. Connie had I went there two or three Thursday nights each month. I cannot remember the cost of a Pizza, but the sodas were fifteen cents. It was a buffet and their dessert pizza was so good. We continue to go there until it closed in the early 2000s. It was during this time that AOL was given out all the free cd’s for their services, and I switched from Prodigy to AOL.
Connie’s Decision
Connie had been working at the CPA and Lawyer for over nine years, and as thing go there was a lot of things, she liked about it and a lot of things she did not. They had brought a financial planner into the office and Connie was not supposed to have anything to do with his business as she was busy handling Steve and Michael’s business, It was not long after he arrived that he wanted her to answer his calls and then he would ask her to do some typing or a spreadsheet for him. One of the helpers had been let go during tax season and Connie had always had help during that period. While Michael and Steve tried it to make sure she was just working for them, it was hard as things came up. Anyway, after the tax season of 1993, where she did not have any help and having to say no to the financial planner in the office whom she did not work for, Connie decided it was time to quit. So, on April 26th, after the initial rush of ax season had slow down, Connie decided to quit. It was one of the best decisions ever because it made our life much simpler and happier.
The first part of May must also have been a month in which Connie did a lot of painting as I can see we both a lot of paint during April. I also bought her a precious moment from “The Mustard Seed” for her birthday which was on a Friday that year.
Shoulder Surgery
May was the month of my surgery and I was scared, I just did not like hospitals and the fact that someone was gone to be cutting on me. At that time, you still had to go into the hospital the night before, and I remember hardly sleeping that night. My rheumatologists came around about 10 pm to check on me and he was back making rounds again at 6 am. My surgery was scheduled for early that morning around 7 or 7:30 but I remember them coming to my room around 6:30 and I was not wanting to go, finally, they just went ahead and put me under there and took me. I do not remember anything until the next day. For some reason, the anesthesia took me a while to recover. For this surgery and my hips in 1986, I did not remember anything till the next morning. The surgery took place on Tuesday, May 18th and I was in the hospital until Saturday, May the 22nd at which time they let me go home. I remember stopping by Tom Thumb. Connie and I went to get a prescription refilled and then we were off to home.
I started physical therapy immediately the next week and it was tough, The doctor had warned me at that time that I would probably not get any more motion out of my shoulder than I had before but the pain would be gone. I got a little bit more but not much. To this day I do not have very much motion in my right shoulder. I remember the surgeon asking me at one of my follow up about the motion and I said I can lift a spoon and fork to my mouth and that good. I could actually do better than that, but he got a kick out of that line.
Rehab was tough and I went three times a week. After two weeks I went back to work but still had to take off two to three mornings a week for rehab.
Vacation and 20th EDS Anniversary
Vacation and 20th Anniversary at EDS
June was time for a vacation, and a time to celebrate my twentieth anniversary with EDS. You can read about our vacation to Colorado in “Trips” – “Colorado 1993”. Link to Vacation — Colorado 1993.
After the week off I was back at work on the 23rd of June and then on the 30th, we celebrated my twentieth anniversary with EDS. Even though it was officially on the 1st of June but because I was still at home recovering from my shoulder surgery and was taking a vacation it was postponed.
Sales Call and Study in Pennsylvania
I had not been back to work long when I was sent on a quick one-day sales call in Pennsylvania. I remember there were at least three of on the one-day sales call and they were Mike the salesman, my good friend Nolan who died in November of 2007, and myself. I cannot remember if the sales support person was on this call or not. We had a 2-hour meeting with some of the decision-makers about our system.
Evidently, it went well because we were given a one-week study to come up and look at their systems and make a proposal. In August we there were several of us that went to perform the study. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon and when I went to pick up my bag, it was gone. There was one that was like mine, but it was not mine. Luckily, they deliver my bag to me around six am the next morning. There was nothing any different about his study than for one thing that sticks in my mind. We were staying at a Marriot Courtyard and had a free breakfast each morning. One of the guys from sales support had Fruit Loops and then he would put Pepsi cola in them. I had never seen anything like that, and I have never seen it again. The fizzle was amazing.
Connie and Medical Transcription
It was during August, that Connie decided she was going back to college. Even though she had earned her degree in 1970, she thought she would like to do medical transcription. The community college had a two-year program for it, and she decided she would take it as she thought it would be something she would like. She enjoyed anything medical and it turns out she was incredibly good at the medical words and their derivates. I think maybe it was her background in Latin. When we first got married, she could do about 108 words per minute on an electric typewriter. She was so good at that. I know because she typed a lot of my papers, even though we had a manual typewriter she was still amazingly fast. So began a two-year journey to become a medical transcriptionist.
That same month, I started paying $36 a month to go to a Plano rehab hospital. They had a swimming pool and had a pool program for people with arthritis. It was two nights a week and the nights wee Monday and Thursday. I also got new glasses that month.
Rest of 1993
In September we discovered this new restaurant that we went to once or twice a month for the next seven to eight years. It was called Island Fine Burgers. It had a Hawaiian them that made the place nice and bright. Besides that, the food was great and reasonable.
October, we had all the carpets in the house done, by Dal-Worth, which we continued to use to this day. We also went to several places to find a new grate for our grill. We had a gas grill that was connected to the gas line from the house and it was there when we bought the house. We had been there since 1980 and we could not get the grate as clean as we thought it should be, we finally found a store in North Dallas that had one that would fit our grill.
In November, I bought airline tickets on Delta and I am not sure what they were for. They may have been tickets for Connie’s mother to come during the holidays, I am just not sure. I also bought a new suit form Men’s Warehouse. It was during this month that Connie and I discovered two new restaurants that we ate at for many years to come. One of them was Angelina’s Mexican restaurant that not only had great food but reasonable prices. We used to buy extra salsas and take it home. The other one was a wine store that had a place in the back that made sandwiches, They made the best sandwiches ever, It was called Mr. G’s and if you did not like your sandwich they would kiss a pig. It turns out it was a plastic pig that they kept on the counter.
That is all I can recall about 1993,