A Year of Change

It's hard to believe it is New Years Eve day. This year has gone by so fast. It has been a year filled with changes, most of them positive. (Putting on weight that I worked my arse off to lose is NOT one of those positive changes.) Nathan and I have had rough patches, but we are really trying to work on our relationship. The kids have grown exponentially, in so many ways. They never cease to amaze me. (Or irritate the crap out of me, but I guess that's their job.) I decided to take charge of my happiness and made some command decisions. As much as I miss my friends in Olathe, moving back has been a great thing. I've become closer to my brother and sister in law and that brings so much joy to my heart. I've reconnected with old friends and made some amazing new friends at work. I've started recarving my niche at DPD and really like my job for the first time in a long time. Sometimes starting over at the bottom isn't a bad thing. I've made a point to put myself "out there" and joined in activities on my mom's group and have formed friendships that are true lifesavers. I never knew what it was like to have friends like this. My life is so much fuller because of them. I never knew that Bunco and MNO could bring so much laughter!

So now we look onto 2009. I imagine it will bring about many more changes. While I'd love to lost 20 pounds, I'm not putting that expectation on myself. What I do expect is to bring on a healthier lifestyle for myself and my family. Mariah starts her schooling on January 5th. She'll be a peer model for the early childhood classes. She is ecstatic. In the fall she will start Kindergarten and Haley will begin 4th grade. Grayson will soon begin preschool. It will be strange to not have to fix boo-boos, quiet screams, and wipe away tears. I suppose Nathan will expect me to be a better housekeeper. I'll have to work on that. I have a nephew who is expected to make his entrance any day. I can't wait to meet Connor and see Peyton interact with him. My friend Christie is also due soon. I imagine Ms. Ivy will be just as beautiful as her older sister. Nathan and I started Financial Peace in 2008. While we have gotten off track, we are making it a goal to start over and use the tools we were taught.

I can't wait to see what this year brings; the laughter and the tears. It is sure to be a year I will never forget.

Happy Stinkin' Holidays to Me!

OK, I generally try to not complain about money. But, today just SUCKED! It's bad enough our tags have to be renewed right before Christmas, but we plan for that and try to work a little overtime here and there to cover that added expense. Well, today we socked with a huge, unexpected expense. Let me backtrack a little. We used to own 2 jet-skis and a double trailer. We sold them in April 2007. Last November I went and paid the 2006 taxes on them and I informed them we no longer had the skis or trailer. They said to send them a bill of sale so that our 2007 taxes could be pro-rated. So, when I got back to Gardner I photocopied it and stuck in the mail never giving it another thought. Fast forward to today. I call Sumner County to inquire what our 2007 bill looks like so I can come pay it. I'm expecting maybe $100. Well, it turns out the bill of sale never made it to the treasurer's office. So, we got stuck with an almost $500 tax bill. I am just sick over it. That had to come out of Christmas money and money I had saved up to pay my friends Peppi and Rudy. It just really sucks. And while I don't want to let it ruin my Christmas spirit, I must say that "Murphy" is doing a good job of dampening it. So, I'm going to rummage through my stuff and see if I can't get some of my Coach bags sold. I hate to do it, but I want to give the kids/family a Christmas and I want to pay back my friends. So, if I seem to say "no" in the next few weeks when it comes to going out or doing something fun, please don't think I'm being a scrooge. I'm trying my best not to be. I'm just going to scrooge-like when it comes to my money!