If You Fail to Plan...
Oh, sigh.
I try to keep things on THIS blog fairly light, right? I mean, I tell you all about my daughter and the new stages we are going through (BTW, we are all still assigned rotating characters from random ass Nick Jr. shows, just in case you we wondering). But, I find that what we did as a family today, along with some news stories, will take the levity out of this post. What can I say? We will be back to shits and giggles in the next post.
Today, Luke Perry died. If you didn't know, he grew up a short car ride (think 35 minutes or so) from our neighborhood. In the early 90s, when I was barely a teenager, he was like the end all be all on 90210. He was hot and his hair was perfect and I loved him. (Didn't love the show, but Dylan... I totally loved Dylan). Last week Luke had a massive stroke. He died today, while I was in a meeting, at the age of 52.
A few reasons why this freaked me out: 1. Hubs is 51, 2. Luke seemed to be in great health (and I am sooooo not currently) and 3. when all news outlets were reporting his death, Hubs, Baby K and I were in an attorney's office, outlining our Estate Planning.
Yikes, right? Listen, no one likes to be reminded of exactly how fleeting life truly is. Estate Planning is hard. Having to answer questions about who gets Baby K if I die unexpectedly is heart wrenching. Honestly. Having to think about raising a kid all by myself, should something happen to Hubs is one of the most awful situations to be in. BUT-- you gotta do it. So we did. Getting your estate in order isn't that hard when you aren't a bajillionaire, but still necessary. Who gets the fruit of my crazy loins if Hubs and I take a dirt nap? And an alternate. Who gets this nutso pups? Who gets to make medical decisions on my behalf? Who gets to pull the plug? Who gets to spend the one hundred five dollars I have in a secret savings account??? (Now, now, don't everyone clamor to get in line!!) BIG MONEY!! You get it. Make no mistake-- I did not enjoy this meeting, but every responsible adult (and parent) should make sure that there are plans in place should they pass away: Wills, Medical Directives, Living Wills (if you like) AND Life Insurance. Do it today.
I read some comments under an announcement of Luke Perry's death and got some really great ideas. Someone said that you should let people know where your important papers are kept. Someone else said that you should have a list- that is in a place where people would think to look- of your passwords (think phone, email, bank accounts, etc). If you are old, like us, that list already exists because it HAS to in order for you to function and check your email on a daily basis. Being completely transparent though, I could see Hubs being in a lurch if I am incapacitated in any way-- because he doesn't have the passwords for online bill pay. The things that I handle around the house would be absolutely foreign to him, so I am going to fix that.
In conclusion: get this shit done. ASAP. The law student in me wants to also tell you that you should go to the google machine and find an estate planning attorney in your city. I know that there are things like LegalZoom-- and for some things those sites are fine. But for Wills and all that jazz- even super simple ones, please, please, please go to an attorney to get that taken care of. If can be quick and rather inexpensive and it will totally be worth it. Do it.
My thoughts are with Luke Perry's family and friends. I go through severe reflective periods when my peers (and completely unattainable stars from my formative years) start to pass away. Everyone keep an eye on Ralph Tresvant, Donnie Wahlberg and Eddie Vedder. If something happens to them, I'm going to become a monk or a nun or some other job where solitude is your friend. Seriously, check on your girl, ok?
Back to our regularly scheduled shenanigans in the next one.
I try to keep things on THIS blog fairly light, right? I mean, I tell you all about my daughter and the new stages we are going through (BTW, we are all still assigned rotating characters from random ass Nick Jr. shows, just in case you we wondering). But, I find that what we did as a family today, along with some news stories, will take the levity out of this post. What can I say? We will be back to shits and giggles in the next post.
Today, Luke Perry died. If you didn't know, he grew up a short car ride (think 35 minutes or so) from our neighborhood. In the early 90s, when I was barely a teenager, he was like the end all be all on 90210. He was hot and his hair was perfect and I loved him. (Didn't love the show, but Dylan... I totally loved Dylan). Last week Luke had a massive stroke. He died today, while I was in a meeting, at the age of 52.
A few reasons why this freaked me out: 1. Hubs is 51, 2. Luke seemed to be in great health (and I am sooooo not currently) and 3. when all news outlets were reporting his death, Hubs, Baby K and I were in an attorney's office, outlining our Estate Planning.
Yikes, right? Listen, no one likes to be reminded of exactly how fleeting life truly is. Estate Planning is hard. Having to answer questions about who gets Baby K if I die unexpectedly is heart wrenching. Honestly. Having to think about raising a kid all by myself, should something happen to Hubs is one of the most awful situations to be in. BUT-- you gotta do it. So we did. Getting your estate in order isn't that hard when you aren't a bajillionaire, but still necessary. Who gets the fruit of my crazy loins if Hubs and I take a dirt nap? And an alternate. Who gets this nutso pups? Who gets to make medical decisions on my behalf? Who gets to pull the plug? Who gets to spend the one hundred five dollars I have in a secret savings account??? (Now, now, don't everyone clamor to get in line!!) BIG MONEY!! You get it. Make no mistake-- I did not enjoy this meeting, but every responsible adult (and parent) should make sure that there are plans in place should they pass away: Wills, Medical Directives, Living Wills (if you like) AND Life Insurance. Do it today.
I read some comments under an announcement of Luke Perry's death and got some really great ideas. Someone said that you should let people know where your important papers are kept. Someone else said that you should have a list- that is in a place where people would think to look- of your passwords (think phone, email, bank accounts, etc). If you are old, like us, that list already exists because it HAS to in order for you to function and check your email on a daily basis. Being completely transparent though, I could see Hubs being in a lurch if I am incapacitated in any way-- because he doesn't have the passwords for online bill pay. The things that I handle around the house would be absolutely foreign to him, so I am going to fix that.
In conclusion: get this shit done. ASAP. The law student in me wants to also tell you that you should go to the google machine and find an estate planning attorney in your city. I know that there are things like LegalZoom-- and for some things those sites are fine. But for Wills and all that jazz- even super simple ones, please, please, please go to an attorney to get that taken care of. If can be quick and rather inexpensive and it will totally be worth it. Do it.
My thoughts are with Luke Perry's family and friends. I go through severe reflective periods when my peers (and completely unattainable stars from my formative years) start to pass away. Everyone keep an eye on Ralph Tresvant, Donnie Wahlberg and Eddie Vedder. If something happens to them, I'm going to become a monk or a nun or some other job where solitude is your friend. Seriously, check on your girl, ok?
Back to our regularly scheduled shenanigans in the next one.
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