Adventures in Car Insurance Run Around

Remember over a month ago when my quiet Sunday evening was ruined by an incident with my neighbor's newly purchased vehicle ramming my car?  Since then I've been working with her insurance to get my claim paid.  At first the adjuster said he wasn't sure it would be covered, and then he said he was waiting for some documents from my neighbor . . . and still waiting.  On Monday I got a hold of the adjuster (and up to this point he had always been good about getting back to me in a timely manner).  He called my neighbor and was able to get a hold of her.  She told him that she had sent the paperwork to her agent, but the agent claimed he hadn't received it yet.  The adjuster told me he was going to have the agent call my neighbor.
That was the last I had heard.  I called yesterday, left a message, but got no call back.  Scott, the newest dispatcher at CrossCountry Courier, used to sell car insurance.  He told me yesterday that if I didn't hear from him by Friday that I should call the Insurance Dept of ND.  Last night I went shopping with Erin and I told her about it.  She said, why wait a couple days?  It's not going to make a difference!
This morning, I decided not to wait any longer.  I went on the internet and found out that I could file a complaint online (through email), so I did just that. 
To my surprise and amazement, not much longer after, I got a call from the insurance adjuster.  He said, "So did you not think I was doing a good enough job?"  Those were the first words out of his mouth.  It took about an hour from the time I submitted my claim to the time I got a call from the adjuster.  I was shocked, to say the least, especially since when I saw the number of the person calling me, I started to think that maybe I didn't need to file that complaint after all!
It turns out that in the course of his conversation with Kathy (the nice lady who works with the insurance commissioner) and the hour after that she spent tracking down information for him (aka, doing his job for him), he discovered that he didn't need that information after all and that they could process the claim.
Now I just need to wait for someone to call with the amount/options.  I have a phone number to call in case I don't hear from them.
It is sad that I had to go to such great lengths to get this taken care of, but I am convinced now that if I hadn't, this would not have been resolved until long after I was no longer in Bismarck.

New Name

With the iminent launch of my career as a Foreign Service Officer, I have changed the name of my blog.  I hope this doesn't cause any confusion.

Back to the real world

Well, I just got back from my cruise last night and have to say that it was great! I made some new friends, tried some new things, and had an incredible experience. I am so glad I went!
I am really tired from the trip, but have decided to take a day to relax before I start worrying about my upcoming move. I will be back dating some posts for the past few days to share my experiences with you. Although the cruise was only 4 nights, it feels like it was much longer.

As for other news, my last day of work at my current job is a week from Wednesday. Then the moving company comes Thursday to pack my stuff, Friday and Saturday I'll have one final "vacation" (of sorts: it's the Bismarck YSA Conference) before I leave for DC (technically I'll be living in Falls Church, VA, but it is much easier to say that I'm moving to DC) on Sunday morning. That will begin a new adventure that I've been anticipating for the past 2 plus years. As far as I know, Sunday night will be a welcome reception. Monday morning I begin Orientation/A-100 training. I have no idea what is to follow, but I will attempt to keep everyone up-to-date.

Miami and beyond

Karen and Colette waiting in Boleros on our cruise ship

No more cruise. I am on my way back to Bismarck. We had to get up early this morning to get ready. We ate breakfast and then went to find our waiting place. When we arrived, we were surprised to find Karen in the same location.
We sat down to wait. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long. Then we had to file off the ship and go through customs. That was easy, they didn't even stamp my passport upon reentry. The guy who took my customs form saw that I was from North Dakota. He asked which city, but then saw that I was from Bismarck. He made a funny face, so I asked him what that look was for. It turns out that he was stationed in Minot. He thinks ND is too cold, and doesn't know how we can handle it. I told him that you get used to it, and he had to agree.

Colette and I tired at the airport, waiting for our flight

Going through customs was way easier than any other time, or rather way faster. It was never really difficult before, it just took longer.
Anyway, from there we took a taxi, along with Kristi, to MIA (Miami International Airport).  Surprisingly, there are several people from our group on our flight. But we are exhausted. It will be nice to get home.

Coco Cay, Bahamas

Today started off as a lazy day. I slept in until 9:00, then went up to breakfast with Colette. (Right - Coco Cay, we with my beach bag that I bought in Nassau) When we were almost done, Lorana saw us on her way out. She waited for us to finish eating, then we all went to get on the boat that would take us ashore. Coco Cay is a privately owned island that belongs to Royal Caribbean. It is beautiful.
Right away, I went swimming. Then I walked up the beach with Kristi. We ended up looking for shells. After we walked a ways up the beach, we turned around and headed back. I swam some more before deciding I was done.
I had set my stuff near a chair and laid my towel out on that chair. When I got up there, Chris was sitting on my towel in my chair. I asked if he had moved my towel, which of course he hadn't. (This, by the way, was the same person that was rude yesterday). He gave me his towel instead. That would have been all well and good except I checked a towel from the pool and he just brought a towel from his room. If I lost that towel, I would be charged $20, which I definitely don't want.
I didn't worry about it too much because I wasn't planning on sitting there. Instead, I went walking with Colette and a couple other girls, Jaime and Jenny. (Left - me, Colette, Jaime, and Jenny near the Island Oasis. If you look in the background, you can see our cruise liner) We got some good pictures. The island really is beautiful. We saw several iguanas. One was HUGE!
We also did a little shopping. Then we went back to the beach where we dried off in the sun. I was frustrated and more than a little upset to discover that Chris had taken my towel with him when he left the beach and went out on a sail boat. That made me very upset because it was MY money on the line, not his. At 3:30, we went back to the ship.
I needed to head back at that time to make my Gotta Dance Rehearsal. When I first arrived, there were only two other girls there for the dance. (Right - Colette and I enjoying an hammock in paradise) A little later, Lorana arrived and another lady joined us. All in all we had 5 women performing our dance. We rehearsed a little and then went off to shower and get ready for dinner.
After I showered, Lorana called down to my room to invite Colette and I over for aloe treatment on our sunburns. We went over there. That felt really good, and I think it was necessary. My shoulders are pretty badly burnt, at least in a couple spots. And I even put sunscreen on! Also, strangely enough, my left ear got burnt. My right ear did not...
Then we got ready for dinner. (Left - Colette, Jenny, me, and Jaime on the beach in the Bahamas) It was our last night in our fancy restaurant, so we got our tips ready. Colette and I forgot to take our envelopes with us to dinner. Luckily, we had already prepaid, so we didn't have to worry about that.
I had to leave quickly to get ready and make it to the final performance. At the end of the final performance, I got up on stage with my fellow dancers and we danced for everyone. It was a lot of fun, and rather short. But, now I can say that I have performed a dance for an audience on a cruise ship. How many people can say that? Of our 2600 passengers, only 5 can (unless some have done it before . . .)
After the dance, I went back to my room to finish packing. During that time, Colette called around to try and find out which room Chris was in so I could get my towel back. (Right - Postcard worthy spot) We couldn't find him, but we got a hold of Kory who said he had picked up an extra towel on the beach. I knew it wasn't mine, but he agreed to go up to the pool with me to explain (he had already returned it). They took the towel off my account. It was a huge relief.
Then I went to Karaoke. I only caught the end of it, but then went to see Battle of the Sexes. That was a lot of fun. I made it in time to have my shoes stolen to be put in a pile with a bunch of other shoes. They were trying to see which team could pile the most shoes onto a square area. The guys got 78. When he was counting the women's shoes, he got to 80 and stopped. There were probably 100 or more there. But women's shoes are often smaller and more compact than the tennis shoes that most guys wear. The guys' pile was twice as high, too.
The next competition was to see how many people you could have touching a pillar. I piled on, more piled on top. It was quite uncomfortable, especially since I had my face stuck in someone's armpit. But, we won that too!
(Left - BAHAMAS!!!) The final competition (I missed the first one) was a kind of relay. 4 people had to take turns blowing up and popping a balloon on one other victim. Again, the women won. The host said it was the tenth week in a row that the women had won the game. It was fun.
After Battle of the Sexes, they had an 80's dance. We stayed a little for that then went to the comedy show. That was great, but I think you would have to be there to find it funny. After the show, we hung around, took some pictures, exchanged information and then went up top to play games. We didn't end up playing anything. Instead we talked until everyone went off to bed. After all, we have to get up early tomorrow to get off the cruise. It is almost over. It is almost time to return to the real world . . .

Above - me, Colette, Jaime, and Jenny

Above - Wild Iguanas. Look below to see how close I got to these particular ones. There were two more on a rock near the bridge.