Gramma Ray's Blog

Today was a no-spender. I typically just take coffee creamer to work (fat free Hazelnut) and my job supplies the coffee. And that's ususally my breakfast...I know, not very healthy, but it sure is good.

Last week there was a sale on some frozen breakfast sandwiches (weight watchers and they're not too bad) and lunches. $1.88 for two sandwiches (which makes it under a buck for breakfast) or 1 entree....which is way cheaper than the $5-8 I usually spend. So I bought enough to last for breakfast and lunch this week. It is nice to just pop one in the microwave and eat a quick lunch then have plenty of the hour left over to go wander somewhere...library, park, etc.

I got home and had leftovers for dinner.

So, a nice cheap day today. However, tomorrow I will need gas- so it won't be a no-spender.

I have worked out a new budget based on estimates for the hubs take home pay and the new house...and everything is penciling out nicely. We should be able to pay down the debt and sock away for his retirement well.

DD3 is doing great. She has weaned off the pain pills and is getting back into her routine. She is so much happier now that the surgery is behind her...

The hub will be home for his time off in two weeks. It will be nice to have him here...He loves his new job...so I think this routine is our new reality for a while. and thats ok too. Because we have always worked opposite shifts, this is not a major change really.

Life is good.

We are 5 weeks away from owning house #2. The home inspection went well. There are a few issues, none of which were deal-breakers on either side...so now, we order the appraisal.

DS and I talked about the business arrangement for the new house today. He will rent one of the rooms, be in charge of the major repairs, and upkeep the yards for his half of the partnership...we will pay the lions share of the mortgage and pay for upkeep. I think we are both happy with the arrangement. Luckily, DS is either skilled at the repair or is friends with someone who is...so we should be able to accomplish all updates for a very affordable price.

The hub is due home in two weeks. He should find out tomorrow what times I can schedule flights for. I am looking forwared to having him home for a couple of weeks. I think this new schedule will work ok for us. His first paycheck came last friday and it looks like he will be paid very well while he works at this company...so our budget should pencil out well.

DD3 is doing GREAT after surgery. She is almost back to normal. She can start showering again tomorrow, which will make her very happy. She got out of the house for several hours today- which did much to lift her spirits...Best of all, she seemes to be DONE with creepy BF.

Tomorrow is back to work...Does anyone else find it amazing that weekends fly by so quickly???

The surgery went well. DD3 will be bandaged for a couple of weeks so she wont fully see the results until then. She is sleeping, and probably will on and off until the anethesia wears off (tomorrow, most likely). She was a great little patient. I am very proud of her!

So, since I took the day off and she is resting peacefully, I am using the time to tidy up and peruse the net. I did make her some jello just incase she wakes up and wants something lite to eat. DD3 invited a friend over to stay until Saturday--she will be taking care of DD3 while I work tomorrow and Friday.

The home inspection for the new house is Friday afternoon. It is costing $300 but for the peace of mind, I think it is well worth it. I want to know that there arent any major issues. I will be taking my camera and snapping lots of pictures. I will try to post some this weekend.

If all goes well with the inspection, we will order an appraisal, which will help determine if I got a good deal. (I think I did!)

Well, time to get back to broom and mop.

I timed my new commute from work to the new home tonight...11 minutes...If I forget something at the grocery store...3 minutes...I can WALK to Olive Garden.

DD3's surgery is tomorrow. She is nervous and excited. I am sure all will go well. I am looking forward to taking her shopping for some new clothes when she is recovered!!

Other good news...she broke up with creepy, contolling boyfriend finally. (yay!) He was not healthy for her and I am THRILLED that it looks like she is moving on.

The hub is liking Alaska. He enjoys the job. Right now it is 24 hours of daylight where he is at. He should be coming home on July 6 for two weeks...but we arent sure yet. Not sure when the first paycheck will arrive (they have to mail the first one and then it should be direct deposit), so I have no idea how much to budget...our expenses are a lot less (especially groceries)...I hope in the next week a paycheck will arrive and I will have a better idea for what to expect.

Life is very good...perhaps I should have someone pinch me??? No, Ill just bask in the goodness for now.

Nana is not happy that I am making this change. I wont go into all of the mean things she has been saying, or all of the victim statements she has made...but this morning when she implied that I lied to my dad when I promised him that I would take care of her....I exploded. I am moving closer to town for a plethora of good reasons...but she see it only as a desertion to her.

Sigh.

I have no intention of disserting her or not making sure she is ok, everyday. I am doing something I want to do. So ouch. Implying otherwise and telling me a am letting my dad down...is just way, way harsh. It's going to take some time to forgive that one.

My job hosted our annual picnic in the park today for staff and their families. It was great fun. I took a lemon cake as my donation. The food was fantastic, and the friendship, well just fun!

I bought an artichoke for dinner. I am not really that hungry, so I thought an artichoke would hit the spot. I am going to make a batch of oatmeal for breakfast this week and have left overs from this weekend for the next couple of night's dinners. Thankfully, this week is not busy like last week was. I dont have any evening plans at all.

And no more babysitting until next Saturday night....so, let the unwinding begin!! (well, in between packing that is)

The sellers accepted my offer today without any changes...so it looks like I will be moving in August. I am excited and terrified at the same time. Another house payment is very scary, but it is a tax write off and an investment...and if the hub decides he wants to come home, we can always rent the new house to one of the kids.

On the other hand, I am so looking forward to things like a 10 minute commute, 5 minutes to the store and library, city water that is reliable and drinkable, PIZZA DELIVERY on super tired nights, new flooring that does not have evidence of puppies, dogs, and mechanic hubs...FAR FEWER MOSQUITOES, a walk in closet, insulated everything which will keep the spiders and critters out, a beautiful patio and backyard...and on, and on....

I am babysitting tonight and I have FINALLY got the kiddos to bed, so now it is time to relax!!

Week One..

Monday.
The hub flew to Alaska and I went to work. Met with our lending officer and get pre-approved for a second home. (wow, it was very easy!!) Stopped by DD1s to discuss whether or not they REALLY want to move into this house. End result, no. They want a place to call their own, but this big house and acreage are really more than they want to tackle at this stage in their life. On the drive home, I let DD2 know that she has the green light to move into the house if thats something they really want. (whew) Got home and our black lab was injured pretty badly. DD2 and her SO come out and take him to the emergency vet...$195 and then home until they can get him into the lower priced vet in the morning. Nana calls, she is in pain-- advised her to take a pain pill and get some sleep.

Tuesday-
Nana needs surgery. SOON. Get her scheduled for Thursday. DD2 gets dog to vet and they want to keep him for a few days...$111. DD2 and her SO waste NO TIME in coming by to start cleaning out the house. I looked at two homes today...but not sure about either really.

Wednesday-
Follow nana to town as she is on pain meds until surgery. Meet realtor at a home at lunch and FALL IN LOVE with it. (Needs new flooring and counter tops, but it is priced very low and is a great floor plan with beautiful front and back yards...I am willing to pay for the needed upgrades) Ask realtor to write up an offer. (Egads, did I really do that??)

Thursday
Nana has surgery and I get a call from the realtor...so far the offer is being met favorably by the sellers. Once we get the final paperwork signed and back from the hub, the offer can be 'officially' submitted. The hub calls to say that his pay will be substantially more than we originally thought because of overtime. Plus, he will get paid weekly! (this is what was happening at his old job, so it will be easy enough to redo the budget.)

Friday-
Realtor gets final offer paperwork back from the hub and gets it to the sellers. tick, tock, tick, tock...they will be letting me know for sure tomorrow...WOW.
Stay tuned!

I have been running like crazy all week. Dogs, nana, work, etc. Tomorrow, I am sitting with two of the grandbabies...GD (3) and GS (10 mo)..who by the way crawled for the first time today!! How cute is that???

Sunday, is MY day. Can't wait...I plan to savor every moment of it!

The more I think about moving into town, the more excited I get.

DD3s surgery is next Wednesday. We are getting pretty excited about it!!!

The hub flew out yesterday morning and spent most of the day traveling and completing all the new job paperwork yesterday.

Then, they flew him from Anchorage to Prudhoe Bay today. He just called to say he is there and in his room...his new 'home'. Of course, since he left, his dog was injured and is in the dog hospital tonight (he fought with a chain link fence and the fence won...lots of stitches), my mom learned she needs urgent surgery (tomorrow), I have been approved for a home loan, I found a home I like, and DD2 has started working on this house and preparing it for the transition...hard to believe that just 3 short weeks ago this wasnt really even a blip on the radar.

The prospect of living closer to work is very appealing. I live about 25 minutes from work now...and will live within 5 if this house works out. An extra hour per day will be nice.

I am still getting back into the work routine...so much has been going on that Im pooped.

My posts are so sporadic-but I am paddling as fast as I can and having a hard time keeping up with the day to day stuff + the dog, my mom, etc...I hope you all are well!!

I had a wonderful birthday Wednesday at Disneyland. We went one several rides, shopped, people watched, and just enjoyed a day of magic and wonder.

Yesterday, we kicked around town and did dome window shopping and enjoyed "Tea" in a little cafe called Paris in a Cup. It was adorable...decorated in pink, black, gold...the food was amazingly good and the tea was superb.

Today was travel home and visiting with the kids and giving souveniers. I think everyone was very pleased.

Tonight is the hub's last night on his job. He leaves for Alaska on Tuesday. He will be in Prudhoe Bay. I looked it up, they have a population of ONE family there. wow.

He is nervous and excited. This weekend we will pack his things and get everything ready for his month-long initial departure.

DD3s surgery is in two weeks...she is so excited and I am excited for her.

Much going on here. And it is good to be home after two weeks to take care of everything!!

My buddy and I are doing Disneyland today!! A day of being 'kids' at heart and enjoying the 'happiest place on Earth'.

Vacation is going well. I am having a great time in Cali..

The hub shipped his tools to Alaska yesterday...$1200!! (ouch) He leaves in less than a week.

But thats a ponder for another day...today, its all about fun!!!

hola
Here is the view from our room at the Westin. We spent the first three days cooling off in this pool after hot days of shopping!

This is a lovely statue on the Malecon, which is located downtown along the beach. This is one of many.

The Last Supper in sand. Amazing. The statues are each much larger than normal. WOW

This is our pool at the villa. The pool was so nice an refreshing during the day and evenings. Simply amazing.

Tomorrow is our last full day here. This week has flew by. Next week I will be in southern California with my long time BFF (since we were 12)...and doing Disney on my Bday...but tonight is all about Puerto Vallarta and this amazing villa!!!!

Greetings!
We are having a fabulous time here in Puerto Vallarta! This truly is one of those adventures that has been one great experience after another!
The flight here was very uneventful, just a short, 1 hour delay in LAX. Arrived to PV under an hour late. Got off the airplane to major humidity (at least for an Oregonian) filled out a form to determine if there was any risk of us bringing in the swine flu (hey, that’s kinda backwards??) Hit the button as I was told and got a red light, which meant my luggage was searched, then, off through the maze of people hoping to get us into a timeshare presentation. (holy cow) Made it through without being sidetracked and found our ride to the hotel. Whew.
The Westin was beautiful. Our room was very nice…service was great- the view, well, unbelievable! We enjoyed dinner under the stars…and slept to the sound of the ocean. Mmmm!
Day 2 was a day of exploration. We went to the marina and enjoyed a nice Italian- with a Mexican twist breakfast. I learned that the Mexican definition of hot is not the same as mine but enjoyed my eggs and Serrano(?) chilis all the same. Dinner was a fabulous carnivorous feast. The restaurant where we dined served 10 different tastes of charbroiled meats, 1 at a time…bacon wrapped filet, new York, flank, turkey, chicken, etc There were had two local dogs hanging outside of the railing who enjoyed the scraps that we shared. Unfortunately, we learned that you are not safe from the timeshare pitch even at dinner. Our waiter, who was so friendly and fun, turned out to be a salesman too,and we realized that we were being pitched near the end of the dinner. We were very straightforward and polite, and he stopped, but his demeanor certainly changed. However, we did not allow that to get in the way of our fun. Took a nice leisurely stroll back to the hotel and fell into bed.
Day three we went downtown. Here is where it really started to dawn on me that this economy is suffering greatly from the recession and the flu scare. THE PLACE WAS VIRTUALLY DISERTED. Of course, this meant an even greater plea from the merchants for our business. We shopped until we were weary of everyone asking us to come inside and then pushing products until we could take no more and then headed for the Malecon, which is a wonderful boardwalk along the ocean. There was an amazing sand castle display of Mermaids, a dog, etc. Then, this FABULOUS one of the Last Supper. WOW. It was larger than lifesize. I have some great pics that I will download when I get home.
We were told to take the blue and white bus back to the marina, so we hopped on the blue and white bus, it took a long time, and this guy sitting next to me asked what hotel we were staying at…(uh oh, another salesman.so I was vague,but (thankfully)he asked more sternly a second time and so I told him and he said we were on the wrong bus. We ended up getting off in the middle of nowhere, but he assured us that another bus would come in about 20 minutes. He had gotten off at the same stop and he showed back up about 3 minutes before the right bus arrived to let us know that this was the bus we needed to take. And low and behold, 30 minutes later we were back at the hotel.
We arrived at the Villa on Tuesday afternoon and were greeted with a tour. OMG this place is unbelievably gorgeous,and some chips, homemade salsa and guacamole (Marta is an amazing cook) and icy margaritas. The rest of our groups flights arrived during the early evening and by dinner time, we had all arrived safely. We enjoy the first of many wonderful meals by Marta, then turned on the music, swam, visited, played cards until the wee hours.
Wednesday was incredible! In the morning and from our patio, we watched dolphins, stingray, eels, crabs and many other fish playing and feeding in the ocean. It was spectacular.
We went to a place called El Eden. Gramma Ray did the zip lines! OMG. I literally flew over the tops of palm trees and soared with the birds. All in all, there were 10 zips. I made it to all but two in the middle. The climb was steep and the sun was hot. I could tell my asthma was not happy. So I sat out those two and waited with a huge iguana that was sunning on a nearby rock, for the group to zip over the canyon and back to where I was. Then came the granddaddy of all the zips. 350 feet high over 1650 feet long. It was one of those experiences that will be forever ingrained. Beautiful, terrifying, and an adrenaline rush like no other all tied with a glorious bow when I landed on the other end having experienced it.
We zipped our way down the mountain and the tour was over. Then, we swam in a huge, natural pond where you can slide off a rock. I did that too, ONCE. Lol for some reason, I slid in such a way that my hind-end flew up higher than my head and I did an incredibly clumsy, spread-eagle flop into the pond all caught on camera by my ‘friends’ for future laughing pleasure Im sure. After a long, hot day that pond was Heaven.
Crossing over the rocks to get back to the taxi I managed to slip and land fairly hard on a rock – ouch. My little purse, money, passports, all were soaked. So last night, I did not sleep well. I am sure this bruise will be getting much worse before it gets better. However, it is no big deal…afterall, I SURVIVED THE ZIPLINES!!! Wa-hoo. We got home to an amazing meal of carne asada and homemade flan. Ok,nummers! Swam, watched a movie and tried to sleep with little success, finding a comfy position was too tough, so I have been up for several hours. I have watched the sun come up and enjoyed some coffee while recording these memories while they are fresh.
I have never had a vacation like this.
Ahh,hope all is well at your end!

I will try to figure out how to post some pics later!!

We are off for vacation at 5am tomorrow!! So adios friends!

The hub took the job in Alaska...he leaves on June 9th..so not long after I get home.

Lots to think about while I am away.

I will try to post a few pictures while we are there...

In the meantime, blessings to all of you!!!

So, the hub comes home last night and talks about his day. For such a long time, we're talking over 10 years, the hubs job has been 90% stress and frustration and 10% good days. He has worked at this company for 16 years.

It gets old.

Very Old.

So, last night he mentions that he got a job offer. My ears perk up...maybe, just maybe he will be HAPPY at work finally...it has good benefits, pays VERY WELL...and he gets 13 weeks a year vacation...

Holy COW.

The catch? It is in Alaska. He would be gone 6-8 weeks and home 2-4. (No, I wouldnt go...I love my job and would not move from the rest of the family)Hmmm...so, we are seriously considering him taking it. We have tried the semi-traditional life for the past 18 years...semi, because- while he works 40 or so a week and its local, he works nights and I work days...so we usually only see each other on weekends. This new arrangement would actually put him home for 13 weeks a year....

I said I would support it...so the ball is in his court to find out the details, etc....

wow.

I am now T minus 3 for vacation. I am so much more than ready. I am packing and getting everything ready to go.

Of course, weather reports in PV for the next several days are for THUNDERSTORMS...lol...but who cares? A king size bed with a view...and NO RESPONSIBILITY...its all very, very good.

but....ALASKA? hmmm....stay tuned!

Sorry if I am driving everyone crazy with my excitement...but I am just giddy that our trip is in 6 days. Tomorrow we are going to pick up the last few things we think we need. Since the hub and I work opposite shifts, after tomorrow, we wont have any time to do this together. I ordered a travel book on Puerta Vallarta last week and got it Friday...so I have been studying the various things we can do. ALthough, I am also planning on spending lots of time enjoying the villa, the ocean and our friends.

GS (age 5) is spending the night tonight. SInce I will be gone two weeks, this is really the last time he can do this for the next 3 weeks...we are watching "Milo and Otis" and munching popcorn in the big bed. It was 90+ today, so the house is really hot. We do not have central air, so we run a small air conditioner in our room. Saves money only cooling one room... but it means we spend alot of time in here during the summer months.

DD3's (17)surgery is also sneaking up on us. She has been a different kid since we've scheduled it. I am excited for her too. We are having a buh-bye party for her prosthesis (nicknamed Bob) that she has had to wear for the last 4 years. She is looking so forward to her first summer as a young lady without it.

DD2 and I went to some garage sales today. I didnt get anything for me...but we got quite a few clothes, toys, books and shoes for under $10. We actually would have spent under $5 for everything, but one of the sales was to help a class get to DC this year, so I donated $5.
When we calculated what it would have cost for all of our finds new..(about $130) she was a convert and said she is going to start shopping for everything this way. It was pretty fun, her small town was having a town-wide garage sale, so we hit many. ( Got some great near new-name brands...Stride right, nike, osh gosh)

GS was a cheap date for dinner...he asked for apple slices from Mc Ds so he could play in their play yard...we sat for a while and watched him have fun, then came home where he rode his battery powered Jeep all over the yard (2 acres) for an hour or so ( my parents and us bought it for him for his first Christmas, so it is now 4 years old and has been all over our property with the three oldest grandbabies and still runs perfectly...seemed expensive at the time, $199, but has been WELL worth the cost for the hours of fun it has brought to the babies.)...and now, we are winding down.

Giddy grandma has had a great day!

I turned my work laptop in so that it could be used in a 'pool' for my staff as part of our expense cutbacks. This meant using one of the house puters in the evenings. My puters wireless card needs to be replaced, which left the hubs tiny 10 inch puter that was ridden with bugs and viruses...so I have spent the last several days tring to debug this poor thing. I seem to have gotten most of the issues off, but there is still one virus scan program that wants to take over periodically...but Ive figured out how to shut it down once it starts...so at least I can use this one for now. My SIL said he would try t replace the wireless card on mine...so I am going to let him try.

Our Mothers Day was a dream. The kids and all the grandkids came for burgers, dog and toasted marshmallows on the fire. Since we live in the country, a small campfire is allowed. It was so much fun to have them all here for the day.


And now, coming very fast, is VACATION!! 10 DAYS AWAY!!!!! woohooo!

I am getting ready to go. I am charging the camera, making sure there is plenty of storage for the pics...(2G) Getting all important paperwork together...making sure the necessities are covered...

I am so excited!!!

Life is very, very good here...

I am excited to report that our vacation is back on! Everyone has become less nervous about traveling to Mexico...so, two weeks from tomorrow, I am Puerto Vallarta bound!!

So, today we had a day off (I took a vacation day and the hub had a comp day)so we went shopping to buy the hub some new clothes for the trip. He bought some nice touristy-type clothes. Normally, he wears (daily- even out to dinner) logging clothes (suspenders, carhart jeans, steel toed boots, and all)...so seeing him in Dockers shorts and a tropical shirt was very different, but nice! New sandals, 4 shirts, two pair of shorts= $125

He decided to do some pre-tanning too, so we bought a small tanning package for $35...which is just enough for two weeks for a newbie.

Then, we bought two snorkeling kits from costco for $40 each..not taking any chances with recycled mouth pieces in Mexico right now...

I think we are very close to being done with all of the pre-vacation shopping now.

I would like to splurge on new haircut, perhaps that will be my Mother's Day present?!?

Sunday all the kiddos are coming here with the babies. We are going to bbq some burgers and dogs. It will be fun to have the whole gang here. (and definately less expensive than taking everyone out to eat!!)

Tomorrow, we are doing a big house cleanout and make dump run and make a big garage sale/donate pile...followed by carpet cleaning.

I love the endorphine rush of knowing we are back on track for the trip...and plan to use it to get lots done in the next couple of weeks!!!

Today was a tough day at work. I love my job but like in any place of business, sometimes political crud rears its ugly head and today was one of those days. sigh. At my age, Ive been through this all before, it aint my first rodeo. Usually it rolls off as quickly as it hits...but somedays are just plain frustrating. argh.

Today I lunched by myself. I decided to go to a sit down place...and ended up in small, locally owned itailian bistro-type restaurant. I ordered a calzone (never had one before). It was very good. Very fresh and so tasty. $10.50 and there was plenty for a second meal. I got a window seat with a nice view. I forced myself to focus on my breathing. It is amazing how much you can relax and unwind when you are conscious of your breathing. I spent 45 minutes savoring the view, the food and the time alone. While I was enjoying myself, I heard the waitress talking to some diners about how hard the economy has hit their business. Made me glad I chose a locally owned small business to patronize.

It was after I got back from lunch that work got so crazy.

When I left work, I decided to go tan... Now that vacation may be back on the radar, I decided its time to get serious about preparing for the trip! The tanning bed was relaxing after the last half of my day. Got home, started a load of laundry and am getting everything ready to head back to work tomorrow.

I am ready for a vacation.

"Maybe" is back in the same sentence as Puerto Vallarta today, so that is good news. Our most nervous Nelly co-horts are reconsidering their no's and are at least back at maybe. I am not seeing a compelling reason NOT to go at this point. But we will wait one more week before making the final call.

We had one of the worst rain storms today that Ive seen in a very long time. It was very windy, rainy and dense cloud cover..wow. I needed to stop by the library after work and was soaked between the trips to and from work-car-library.

As I was in the library, you could hear the rain beating on the roof. So, I stopped and looked out the window. Boy, what a show that was!! Quite the site to watch as a real downpour took over. It was actually relaxing to stop and watch.

I then, went on to look for some books of interest. I passed a boy of about 15 who had a stack of books. At first glance, he looked like any other 15 year old...then I noticed one of the books he had in his stack...Dating for Dummies. The mom in me just wanted to hug him and tell him that life works out, be true to yourself, treat others the way you want to be treated and you'll be fine. But, I simply smiled at him and walked on.

A few minutes later, a young mother stopped next to me and sat her baby carrier down, rubbing her hand. She mentioned that her baby was heavy at just 3 months old...so I took the opportunity to admire her little one and make small talk. She rested, and then headed off to check out.

I checked out 7 books and one DVD in all...didnt spend a dime. But enjoyed a birdseye view of the storm, took some time to relax and observe, hopefully gave that new mom a mini-break in her day and sent a silent wish for peace to that young boy. All for free.

and, I have 7 books and a dvd to savor...

does it get any better than that?

Last night, after I got my mom home from the hospital and settled in at home, I came home and collapsed (thankfully not literally!) I was so worn out, I dont think I have ever been so glad to see Friday night. So this morning, I am just relaxing. The hub had to work today, and DD3 is walking in the local March of Dimes Walk for Babies. I am playing hooky from life.

We are still in holding pattern on a vacation decision. Although my compadres are all displaying serious signs of reluctancy and change of heart...I have started to resolve that we may not be going. If we don't, I will use what money I get back (from airfare and hotel) plus the money I saved for spending, towards DD3s surgery.

My debit card expired at the end of April. While it was slightly embarrasing when I couldnt pay for lunch yesterday (the hub whipped his debit card out, so no worries)...there is good that comes from expired cards. I received an email this morning that my Netflix autopay was unable to process, so I went to my Netflix account and cancelled. I rarely watch a movie, and the email was a reminder to cancel. I have a movie on hold at the library that will suffice for my next movie craving...and then, I'll watch what's on tv. Savings: $4.99 month.

Tomorrow, the hub is playing in a golf tournament, so my goal today is housework and laundry, so that tomorrow can be just a fun day.

I worked on the budget this morning. I am happy to say that, because the kids have been repaying their loans, all of the tax money has been repaid to the CHristmas Club, Vacation fund, and emergency fund.

Well, best get the laundry going!

Updates on life in general:

* Nana might be discharged tomorrow. She is doing much better and is sounding like her old self again. I am sure she will be ready to sleep in her own bed tomorrow night!

* The hub is feelin better and went back to work tonight. (yay)

* Knock on wood, I have not had any symptoms of catching whatever Nana and hub had. (double yay)

* DIL's blood test came back with an affirmative on the pregnancy...#6 is due January 4th. (triple yay)

* DD3 received all the instructions for surgery today and is starting on her vitamin regimine to be in tip top shape when the big day arrives...

* Have decided not to worry about vacation. It is what it is...and unless they close the borders, I am going..that is until I decide otherwise...lol...in other words, positively optimistic about the doubtful unknown...

* New budget is going GREAT. Since the tax bill earlier this month, I have rebuilt our vacation fund to 100%, our Christmas Club to 100% and the emergency fund to 50%. Emergency fund will be back to 100% tomorrow afternoon. Now I just have to come up with $5k for the surgery.

* Its almost Friday. The weekend is hours away...and I plan to get some serious RnR in on this one!

WHEW. Life is good.

Could it get any better than this?

WHO raised the bar to Level 5 today, which means we are that much closer to sayin buh-bye to vacation. So, I kick into high gear checking out our options and realize that we do not get any $$ back on the villa once we are within 60 days of arrival...um, we are within 30 now...

So, I pull out that travel insurance that I bought thinking this is plan b...wrong! Plan b is completely excluded in the event of CDC declaring a pandemic.

WT???

We do not know how this is going to play out yet...clearly, we have nothing to lose now by waiting out the next couple of weeks, but its not looking good.

I worked a long one today...7:15am - 7:45pm and had a working lunch...I didnt even make it by the hospital to visit my mom...

Nana is doing better today though...it is amazing how good, strong, IV antibiotics can kick pneumonia...nana should be out of the hospital by this weekend.

So...cruddy vacation news, in the midst of a long day, entwined with Nana feeling much better...

And THEN the icing on the cake....

Im gonna have another grandbaby in January!!! #6 will be born to DS and DIL. Such sweet news on such a crazy up and down day...but all in all, it doesnt get much better than this now does it????

Between last night and noon today Nana went downhill. She called me at work and was having trouble breathing and having chest pains...I left work and rushed home, got her to ER and she had pneumonia. She is admitted and resting tonight and getting IV antibiotics to hopefully get back on track quickly.

I sent an email inquiring about our options with the villa..some of my travelers want to cancel...I dont, so I am still holding out for a turn in public opinion and advisories...I am keeping my fingers crossed and appreciate all the good wishes from all of you. I dont want to be foolish, but I also dont want to knee-jerk.

I spent $5.47 on McDonalds today since I had to hit the road and get Nana to the ER...but didnt spend anything else..

And now, its time to unwind.

This CNN excerpt says it all:

In light of the swine flu, the U.S. State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plan to issue a warning against any non-essential travel to Mexico....

I am 3 1/2 weeks away from a trip we've been planning for for over a year... First there was drug wars, then, swine flu and today an earthquake??? I feel really bad for the people living in the midst...and am getting the feeling the trip is slowly slipping out of reach.

SIGH.

My eternal optimism is refusing to pull the plug just yet, although some of my co-travelers are ready to...

I want to wait one more week before making a final decision. But there are nine of us, not just me so I will go with the team on this...we will see how the next few days go.

On the other hand, my heart breaks for the families who have and are losing loved ones to this newly born epidemic...it is hard to feel sorry for myself when others are suffering much bigger losses. Perspective, Ray.

Today was a no-spender. My mom is sick, so it was also a short day for me because she was unable to drive and so I took her to dialysis and brought her home after and I just took a sick day. (Technically I did not have to since I am exempt and worked four hours, but I will feel better charging my sick time.) The hub is very sick as well and he will probably be calling in sick tomorrow...luckily I haven't caught what everyone around me (work, home, kids, grandkis, etc.) has had...

I have enjoyed a quiet afternoon...it was cold enough to start a fire...the house was 58 when I got home this afternoon...now it is up to a toasty 64. So I have enjoyed one of the last fires for the year, stayed on top of the swine flu news, and just enjoyed my (guilt free)free time.

Our vacation to Mexico is under a month away and I have to say, the headlines lately are waning my enthusiasm. So far, Puerto Vallarta sounds fairly isolated from all this crud...but it is very concerning. Needless to say, we are keeping a close watch as this possible epidemic/pandemic develops. Who knew when we planned this trip last year (and my first 'big' trip ever) that we would have to worry about drugs/violence and deadly viruses...gads.

My GS (5) spent the night last night and as always, we had a great time. This morning we are watching cartoons while gramma wakes up with some coffee. The hub is sick, so he is sleeping in.

A short time ago I bought some Classico pasta sauce on sale with a coupon and we used it last night...it was REALLY GOOD. What a nice surprise. I love it when you get a good deal and enjoy it too.

Yesterday was housework and laundry...today will be grocery shopping and some decluttering and general 'get ready to go back to work' stuff....But right now, its coffee time.

A short time ago, I posted about DD3 needing surgery which is considered "cosmetic" by our insurance company and therefore, not covered. The estimate for the surgery $8700

Today, we got a second opinion. This second doctor recommended the same surgery that the first did. I explained to him that he was the second opinion and that the first had learned that this surgery would not be covered so I would need to pay cash. Bless this man's heart, he reduced his fee drastically and is only going to charge us $5600. That is a $3100 savings over the first estimate. When his scheduler talked with us, she was blown away by the price and explained that this was much less than the normal charge. DD3's surgery is now scheduled for June 17th. She is so excited. Her defect has meant wearing a prosthesis for the last 5 years...and she has never worn 'normal' things because of it...for the first time in her life, she will go shopping like other teens this summer!!!

Then, when I got home there was a new credit card in my mail box with a $9k limit. Unfortunately, I just paid unexpected taxes for $3000 and so we do not have a savings to fall back on for the surgery. But what are the chances of finding something like this in the mailbox on the day we learn of the surgery??

I also can borrow against my 401k @ 4.25% for the surgery...so I have a couple of choices on how to pay. I just have to decide which is the best option.

I wish I could pay cash for it...but we just paid the taxes...and the savings have been depleted. But the surgery is going to happen NO MATTER WHAT WE HAVE TO DO so that DD3 can finally feel 'normal'. (There is simply no price tag on that!!)


My vacation is ONE MONTH from today!! I am getting very excited!!!

Blessing abound...what a great day!!!

After my depressing adventure with the IRS yesterday, I was reluctant to get out of bed this morning...but up and off I went.

Work was very productive. After a second glance at my finances, I felt a little better that we still had $$ in savings and werent completely wiped out...and then, I received all the perspective I needed. One of my coworkers came in to say goodbye...she is flying to Florida tomorrow for her dads funeral and is devasatated...because she is a single mom, she wont be staying...the funeral is Saturday and she will fly back home on Sunday.

I got home to a gorgeous boquet of flowers from my mom. I am so grateful to still have her in my life.....

Ok, woe is me... NOT.

No, these are not tears of joy....Now for my disclaimer...this entry is a complete pity party, kick myself in the butt and growl at the unfairness of tax day kind of post... read at your own risk.

I way misjudged our taxes this year. Seems the income we earned, combined with a wd I took from the 401k to help the kids business at the first of the year put us into a higher tax bracket and VIOLA...just like that, my Christmas Club, my vacation savings, and my Freedom account were all depleted (wiped out) to pay my taxes...I guess the $8k I already paid wasnt enough...so I had to pay over $3k more today.

Never had a tax day quite like this one...hope to never have one like it again.

Now, to figure out how to rebuild those accounts before we need them...first on the list is the Freedom account, followed CLOSELY by my vacation fund. Of course, somewhere in all this I was also trying to come up with $8700 for a surgery my daughter needs but which is not going to be covered by insurance. ugh, this could get really depressing really fast if I dont just focus on the fix rather than the problem....

Why is it we seem to always take one step forward and two back...I have been so flippin careful and was feeling so good about our progress. poop.
no, make that double poop.

end of pity party.

The travel agent emailed today and THANKFULLY got our flight changed back to route through LAX (sorry basselle....)So, I am back on track for vacation. I tanned again today for 7 minutes...THEN, walked out of the salon and into a SNOWSTORM...huh? Only in Oregon. And have a repeat appointment again for tomorrow. Cant really tell yet, but hopefully it is helping.

I returned the last of my overdue library books today...and paid my $9.20 in fees. (ugh) Then I stopped by the college and picked up my final paper from last semesters class. (A+...and the teacher wrote some great, encouraging comments!!)

After work, I stopped at Kohls and used my $20 Kohl's cash. I got a big floppy hat for Puerto Vallarta half off for $12, some black slack socks for work, 60% off, a WONDRFUL candle 50% off, and a gorgeous faux diamond ring 50% off. Why the ring? Well, it looks very real and I will wear it to PV instead of my real and very sentimental jewelry...just in case anything happens. The faux ring? $6.49. No biggy if it is lost or stolen, but it looks real to me. My rings are all very special- one was a gift from my parents when I was 16, another was my dads pinky ring, and the third is a ring that my dad gave to my mom 30 years ago...and then, after my brother died, they put a diamond that he had in the center and gave it to me. If I lost ANY of the three, I would be forever sad. So, they will stay home in the safe deposit box.

My biggest surprise today was a phone call from my DIL apologizing that they had taken so long to talk to me about a repayment plan for the money I loaned them. I wracked my brain and could not recall a loan...and then it hit me...I loaned them almost $1300 to catch up their house payment while we were on our holiday vacation...and I had completely forgot! wow. I told her to come up with a plan that fit their budget and thanked her for being so honest and reminding me. wow.

I got home tonight and DD3 had rented 'Marley and Me'...we are watching it now and it is so funny. I bred Labs for years...and know quite well how much 'puppy' labs have in them, especially when they don't get attention.

Did I mention that DD3 got the movie...and she is watching it with me?? That, in itself, is best of all.



UPDATE...ok, Marley and Me, not a comedy through and through...but such a touching film. RIP Gracie.

40 days to vacation...so we are starting a master list with everyones travel, etc...and I decided to get my flight number by looking up the date/time of my flight...only to find that there is no matching flight number/date/time..WTF???

After checking in with the travel agent, I found that not only did our travel times change, but the airline also changed our flight plan...so instead of a layover in LA where I was planning to hop off the flight and spend a week with my friend and do disney for my birthday, the layover is in SEATTLE?????

I let the travel agent know this is not going to work, so she is doing what she can to get us on the flight that stops in LA. I am soo glad we are double checking everything now.

Living in Oregon, sun is still several weeks away...so I decided to buy a tanning package today to get a small advantage over burning while on vacation. so, 200 minutes for $50. We will see how it goes. I am worried about my Oregon skin FRYING on vacation. Hopefully, this temp fix will help. I tanned for 6 minutes today...and have a second appt tomorrow on my lunch hour. It is relaxing...although vision of skin cancer danced in my head the whole time I was in 'the machine'...and talk about clausterphoic...gads. But the machine has fans and a stereo...so at least I will bake in semi-comfort. Tomorrow, I will stay in 7-8 minutes.

Thats all the excitement here...