The Saturday 7

1. The IRS update you've all been waiting for . . .

In case you missed it, I got a letter from DHHS saying my kids' medicaid is in jeopardy because the IRS discovered that we didn't claim $15,000 we received from a life insurance company in 2023. I was panicked that someone stole Justin's identity (it was aligned with his social security number) and dreading all the calls I'd have to make to clear things up.

I had the day off Wednesday, so I settled in and started the process. My first call was DHHS since they were the one that sent me the letter. I was on hold for half an hour until I reached a representative. After explaining my situation to her, she told me to call the IRS. Thanks, lady. It took me longer than it should have to find the phone number for the IRS, but I eventually tracked one down. The automated system is frustrating because my question did not fall under any of their menu options, and they don't have a "representative" option. I finally just chose one that I thought was close. After 15 minutes on hold, a guy answered and decided my problem was too advanced for him. He tried to transfer me to another department, but dropped my call. 🤦 So I started over with the menu options, held for 10 more minutes, then talked to a girl who didn't even understand my question. She finally said, "I'll transfer you to advanced tax law." After another 17 minute hold (I kept track), I was connected with someone who actually understood my question and had some helpful advice!! He told me that I couldn't do much on my own, and Justin would have to call back. But he gave me a number to call that would bypass the people who don't know anything and told me exactly which forms to ask for. I was so thankful for him! He also suggested calling Principal Life to see if they could give me any information. That was already on my radar, and since I couldn't do anything with the IRS thanks to not being Justin (we're one in Christ, dangit), I decided to call them next.

On the form I received, it simply said we had received a gross payment from Principal Life, with an address in Iowa. Of course, when I googled that address, it revealed that that's their corporate office. I didn't think I'd get very far with them, but I didn't even have to. The first thing the automated voice said when I called was, "Thank you for calling Principal Life Insurance and Investments" and a little light went off in my brain. . . . Investments . . . retirement . . . And the mystery was solved.

Justin has been working at his current job for 7ish years, but a couple years ago we were notified by his old job that we had never transferred the money from his 401k . . . which was through Principal Life! We had to sign a couple of papers to have it rolled into his current retirement account, so it didn't make a big impression on me. Somehow the IRS just got word that we moved that money and their system flagged it as "unearned income" even though we never saw that cash. It went straight into our current 401k and is already included in our current retirement account holdings. Whew! No stolen identity! And I probably don't have to deal with the IRS again! The letter said that my caseworker will call me in the next few weeks. So I'm not going to worry about it until he does. I'll explain what I've discovered and see what steps he thinks I should take next, but I don't foresee it being a problem!

2. I spent a lot of time this week researching vacation destinations for our 20th anniversary. I signed up for a new Southwest credit card and will get 50,000 points after I spend $1000, so that should mostly cover flights. But I still can't decide where to go. Haha. Help me narrow down my options . . .

- The Southwest: Justin loves nature and hiking and all that jazz. We did the Grand Canyon a couple years ago, but it was January so some of it was closed. And we only had one day there. Justin would love to go back and see/do more. Plus there are a bunch of other national parks close by. We could do Zion and Bryce Canyon and a couple smaller ones that I can't remember right now. I think it would be affordable, because after my mostly free plane tickets, we'd just have to pay for a rental car and lodging. We're fine with cheap hotels. If we go in April, it won't be peak season yet, but the weather should be nice. And my kids will still be in school so my parents won't have to entertain them 24 hours a day. Lol. Pros: no passports, beautiful scenery, lots of activities and flexibility. I'm happy as long as it's warm and we get to go out to eat. We could go either spring or fall. Cons: the only place we've ever really traveled (other than Florida) is the southwest. Is it lame to do it again?

- Mexico or the Caribbean: I've always wanted to do the typical all-inclusive tropical vacation. I see people doing them all the time and I have major FOMO. There's a huge variety of options and plenty within my price limit. I love that everything is included and we can eat so much good food without worrying about the price. And I would be thrilled to lay on the beach or by the pool most of the day. But Justin is worried that he'll be bored. He's not excited about typical resort entertainment, and thinks it's dumb to fly so far and pay so much just to sit on the beach. I'm ok with paying for some off-site excursions, but I'm suuuuper nervous about leaving the resort. I don't want to get kidnapped by the cartel! Pros: it would be a bucket list thing for me. Cons: we'd have to get passports (which would make it hard to schedule a vacation - I've heard horror stories of people's passports taking forever to arrive), Justin might be bored/I'd be anxious about leaving the resort. I'd have to get in swimsuit shape. 👎 We're limited to Spring or Summer because I don't even want to be close to that area during hurricane season.

- Caribbean Cruise: there are cruises that stay within US waters so we wouldn't have to get passports. I know so many people who love cruises. The prices are good. But, again, Justin is worried that he'll be bored. He's not a big fan of shows or casinos or any of the other usual cruise entertainment. And I'm worried that my anxiety won't be able to handle claustrophobic rooms and potentially rough seas. Pros: I'd love to at least try it, I do think we'd have fun, the prices are good. Cons: boredom, anxiety, and swimsuits. We'll be limited by our lack of passports. Limited to Spring and Summer.

I'd love for y'all to weigh in. Have you been to a resort in Mexico or the Caribbean that's in a super safe area? Am I worrying for nothing over cruising? Is the Southwest national park tour amazing and totally worth it?

3. I didn't read any books this week! (I was too busy trolling vacation websites.) But I did learn some things. Lena and I randomly started talking about King Arthur and she wanted to know if he was a real person. I had no idea, so I googled it. Verdict: fictional! And that reminded me that I've been wondering recently about the Trojan Horse, so I googled that one as well. Verdict: also fictional! 😲 So there you go. If you too are curious about these subjects, I just saved you the trouble of consulting the google. You're welcome.

4. Actually, here's a bonus edition of What Sadie Learned . . . One day this week, Lena left her water bottle in the van. When she came home from school she said, "Ugh. I have such a headache from not drinking water all day." I said, "I have a headache today too, but water doesn't help." To which she had the audacity to respond, "Have you actually tried?" Mmmm . . . she had me there. So I filled up my 24 oz. straw cup with water and forced myself to chug it . . . and it helped. 😳 Convinced it was a one-time phenomenon, I didn't put much stock into it. But then this afternoon I had another raging headache. I took ibuprofen but it didn't help. Added some extra-strength Tylenol. Still no better. Finally, I got out my cool neck/shoulder ice pack and made myself guzzle 24 oz of water . . . and the headache went away. Are you telling me that my body really does require something other than coffee and Dr Pepper to function well?? This is nonsense. Stinking aging.

5. Well, I guess that's it for today. Enjoy these pics and memes . . .