Posted in daily, myra on December 30, 2006| 1 Comment »
Today is the one year anniversary of when I started this blog. 243 posts in a year, not too bad.
There will be more later, year in review kind of thing, plans for the coming year.
But for now, some pictures of Myra on Christmas morning. She didn’t know what to play with first and was happy with all her new toys (several of which she happily destroyed, but most of them are still intact).
Posted in attitude, daily, money on December 28, 2006| Leave a Comment »
The bad — Collection agency called today, to collect on the money we owe the first (nasty) apartment we had out here. We broke our lease, and it was worth knowing we might owe money, just to get out of there. And we don’t owe them all that much really, I just hadn’t paid it, thinking it would go away (foolish I know, it never goes away). I was planning on paying it off in the new year anyway, because I want all the niggling litle debts gone when we go to apply for a mortgage.
The good — It actually hasn’t been reported on my credit report yet. By paying at the end of the month, it stays off my credit report, and the debt is gone, I don’t have to think about it.
I actually feel better knowing it is paid, and knowing I won’t have to get it removed from my credit report. Now all I have left are some fairly small outstanding medical bills (thank you, former employer, my insurance was awful, even though I worked for a hospital). And then my credit will actually be in pretty good shape (virtually no debt, nothing currently in the negative check mark column).
So, I am looking at this as a healthy way to start the new year.
Posted in daily, money on December 28, 2006| 1 Comment »
One more week, and I will get paid, and it will have been seven weeks since the last time I got paid. That is a VERY Long time.
That’s been the hardest part about freelancing, the delay in getting paid. My old company, the one I’m freelancing for, is on a 30-day pay cycle. So I submitted my Nov. invoices on Dec. 2, which means they don’t have to pay me until Jan. 2, which means I won’t have money till probably Wednesday of next week.
Once I get paid, I can pay all of our monthly bills, put a lot of money back into savings, and keep some around as extra in our account to tide us over until my next check. It’s just hard right now.
I’m trying to resist the urge to take money out of long-term savings (which we already had to do for T and I to buy presents for each other, and we have already budgeted to replace that money). But that money is for our house. And really, it’s only another few days. It’s just hard, because now we really can’t do anthing until then.
Patience. Patience is a virtue.
Posted in christmas, Tim, toys on December 26, 2006| 1 Comment »
We did it! We waited until Christmas morning to open most of our (wrapped!) gifts. Definitely a first for us.
We were both really happy with everything. T got me a new knife set with really nice knives (they make such a huge difference, it’s a lot easier and more comfortable to cut things now), nice baking sheets (it was a very cooking-focused christmas, and I love it), a down lap duvet from Restoration Hardware, new comfywarm slippers, not to mention my pizza stone and nice martini glasses.
He loved his down vest, smartwool shirt and socks, books, new tool cd, popcorn bowl and other stuff.
We bought Myra a stocking full of toys from Petsmart, and put them in her stocking, with one sticking out the top. She was so excited, she had never had so many new toys all at once, she didn’t know what to play with first. At one point, she managed to lay on top of most of her hoard. She promptly destroyed the two tennis balls and then defluffed a stuffed reindeer, but she looked very happy while she was doing it. She still has a few new toys left, and she is getting three new tuffy toys from my parents that she can tug on and chew on and not destroy.
I made blueberry oat muffins that were incredibly good, and we watched some of the extras on the Firefly discs. The extras were cool and funny and sad all at the same time, because they had this great show that didn’t even get to live for a full season. And now we are getting ready for our holiday casserole (cauliflower, tomato, potato casserole with leek/cheese sauce) and will probably watch a movie.
No stress, no drama, just a nice day for the three of us.
Merry Christmas!
Posted in christmas, Tim, toys on December 25, 2006| 1 Comment »
where I long to be.
What a perfect, very Tim and Kelly christmas eve.
Tim watched football during the afternoon, I did some knitting, then went to Tryon Creek for a long run through the mist and fog and mud, having fun being a little wild mudbeast. Tim wrapped presents while I was gone, we planned what we wanted for Christmas morning (I’m going to make blueberry oat muffins) and christmas dinner, and then opened one present (initially, but T had me open two) each. (We gave Myra one of her presents, a stuffed animal stocking face thing, that she immediately ran off with to kiss and hug).
I had said I wanted to pick up some wine or drinks and get a little buzzed and watch a movie, so Tim had me open one of my presents that related. He got me really cool martini glasses, apple martini mix and apple sugar rim. Mmm! And these are my first alcohol glasses, I feel so grown up lol.
We decided to do pizza and munchies for dinner tonight, prompting Tim to give me another present, even though I kept saying I didn’t want to open any more presents. I got a pizza stone! A really nice pizza stone, I love it. I can’t wait to use it with homemade dough or Trader Joe’s whole wheat pizza dough.
We watched Zathura, which is a really cute, funny movie, and oddly feels like a christmas/holiday movie even though it had nothing to do with christmas.
“What do they eat?”
“Meat.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
“Dude, your meat.” 🙂
Then we decided we had to open stockings as well, and we both loved our stockings. I got Tim a book on how to be a villain, he loved it 🙂 I got a wind-proof umbrelly that has a light on it, so I can actually see where I am walking at night with the mutt.
We had lots of fun, and I can’t wait for tomorrow morning for Tim to open his stuff, I had so much fun buying things for him. And of course, I want to see my loot as well.
Posted in christmas, memories on December 24, 2006| Leave a Comment »
Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to come out of my room on Christmas morning until my parents were up. Some years, my stocking was in my room, so I could open that first before my parents got up. Most of the time, it wasn’t, and I would get up (not too early), open my door, creep down the hallway to see what I could see under the tree, without actually going all the way to the tree.
I would start making noise (going to the bathroom, closing my door loudly, etc). Then I’d have to wait until my dad had the camera ready before I could come out, so he could take a picture of me when I first came out. This went on all through high school.
When I got older, high school, college, and older, I didn’t have to have a picture taken as I walked down the hallway, but I would come out, talk to my parents, have cinnamon rolls and pretend like I wasn’t interested in opening presents. Then when enough time has passed to be acceptable, I’d open my stocking and then presents. Since my dad loves taking pictures, there are pictures of me every year holding up various presents.
Growing up, my favorite christmas album was Wayne Newtown Christmas, on vinyl no less. First side of album one was the best. I remember thinking it was a girl singing when I was younger, because he had a high voice. Anne Murray christmas later became my favorite, and I have a lot of her songs in itunes.
And now T and I get to make our own traditions. I’m looking forward to that, as much as I looked forward to sneaking down my parents’ hallway to get a glimpse of what was under the tree.
Posted in christmas, daily, happiness on December 24, 2006| 1 Comment »
While it may not look like christmas outside, inside our house it does. We bought our first tree and first ornaments and decorated our tree Friday night. And of course, at the end of decorating the tree, I did my famous conducting of the Trans Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas in Sarajevo. Tim’s presents and stocking are wrapped and under the tree. We have snowmen decorating a small christmas tree in one corner, and a snowman skating on top of our television. Tim still has to wrap my presents, but it’s so nice to have it look and feel like christmas.
Last night, we intended to go to The Grotto, some religious pilgrimage site that has a festival of lights. But it was in a REALLY trashy part of town (along the way we saw strip clubs called Pink Kitty’s, X-otic tanning for men, and more total dumps proclaiming hot nude girls), and it was really crowded and looked a little cheesy. So, we decided that instead of paying $14 to look at lights, we would go to the best donut shop in the world, get some donuts and drive around nice neighborhoods looking at lights. Our way was much more fun.
And now we just have to be good and wait till tomorrow to open presents. To quote Inigo, “I hate waiting.”
Posted in myra on December 21, 2006| 1 Comment »
Myra usually sleeps at the foot of the bed, either curled up in a ball or stretched out horizontally. Occasionally she will come up by Tim’s pillow right after I get into bed, but she usually leaves if I try to pet her too much or try to sleep with my arm on her.
Last night, she came up by tim’s pillow, and stayed there, with my arm draped over her. When T came to bed, she had no intention of moving from that spot, so I scooted over closer to her, and T slept on my side of the bed.
It was so sweet, and such a nice feeling to be so snuggled with the puppy.
Then this morning, she lay under my desk with her head about 1-2 centimeters from the wheel on my chair (dog has no sense of self preservation) but it was just incredibly cute.
Posted in money on December 21, 2006| Leave a Comment »
Thank dog T is getting paid tomorrow. We haven’t had our bank account this low since I was flying back east every other week for work, or since Salem before I got obsessive about budgeting. A large part is due to our recent trip, eating out while there, presents, etc. But also, I haven’t received my first freelancing check yet. From here on out, it should be easier, because I’ll have enough to last until I get my next check, but for the first check…our money got strrrrretched.
My last paycheck was Nov. 17, and my vacation pay was only through Dec. 1, so we had most of December on one check and a trip back east. A rather impressive feat, and not one I’d like to repeat too often.
Posted in thoughts, Tim on December 21, 2006| 1 Comment »
Wheeeee! T and I just bought our first christmas decorations! We bought some ornaments, and stockings for us and Myrapup.
This is the first time we are actually doing christmas, and I am so excited. Last year, we didn’t make it out of the mall before we gave each other stuff. While that was really fun, there was no buildup, and nothing special on Christmas day, at least nothing special that was just for us, we always had my parents on Christmas day. I’m realizing how much I like the buildup, decorating, making our own traditions, buying presents, wrapping them and then opening them Christmas morning.
I am feeling very christmassy now, and I wasn’t for a while, and I’m glad it’s back.
Tra la la la.
Flying Mermaid 