Today is the Cal vs. Oregon State game in Berkeley and J.'s cousins (who attended Oregon State) and family came from Oregon and So. California to attend the game. This morning, we had a 'mini-reunion' at - of all places - Hometown Buffet in San Leandro - kind of a mid-way point for other cousins coming from Oakland and Sonoma to meet for brunch. It was a great morning full of kids and fun and getting caught up on what we've all been doing since we saw each other last.
After brunch, we took J's brother home to Hayward and then headed up the hill to see where we used to live. WOW, it's changed a lot. Not our 'house' - the condo building looks EXACTLY the same. But the neighborhood is very different. Many more homes, condos, etc. built. The elementary school the kids would have attended if we had ever put them in public school while we lived there (which we never did and probably never would have) has closed and a new K-6 school has been built high in the Hayward Hills. The homes are gorgeous, with beautiful views. But they are seemingly inches apart and while the views are great, there is NOTHING up there. No grocery. No stores of any kind. It's 20 minutes down the hill to any kind of 'commerce'. That's one of the things we never liked about living there - it was a ways 'into town' to shop. And the freeway was very far away.
It was fun to cruise the neighborhood, feeling disoriented because it's changed so much. At one point I said to J. 'we're near Tine's house'. And he said 'yep, it's up that ways a bit'. And we both knew we were talking about Christine, B's former babysitter - only B. always called her 'Tine' (pronounced 'Teen') and that's what we still refer to her as. There were a lot of memories in those hills, but I realized how happy we are to be where we are. Even with the commute for J., buying this house and living in this town is still the best thing we've ever done. Those 'hillside' homes aren't really neighborhood homes - it's pretty hard to ride a bike or skate or play when it involves steep streets. The neighborhood seemed 'remote' and not really kid-friendly. I saw two young kids playing on the retaining wall in their backyard - only that wall had at least a 6 foot drop onto a steep 'lot', which is part of the backyard but unusable since it's just a hillside, really, with a wall to hold the dirt the house is built on. I shuddered about those kids playing up that high - seemed dangerous to me.
Our kids are so incredibly happy here. They're having the childhood we did - jammed with zillions of friends, constant activities and always something to do. Tracy is a great town to raise kids! and we love our home. We wouldn't have anything even remotely close to this had we stayed in Hayward. The trip of memories just reconfirmed that for me.
J. asked if I wanted to look at the models. I said 'no, let's just get home'. I had no desire to look since I have no desire to buy. I don't want to live anywhere but here, ever, really. I've thought about us selling this house in a few years and down sizing - lowering our expenses and also providing cash to help with looming college expenses. But truthfully, I don't want to leave here. I will never feel the same about any other house - this is the house of my dreams and I can't imagine living anywhere else. I know someday, we'll need to move. It's a big house and will reach a point where it's just impractically large for two retired old people. But for now, it's the home I have the happiest memories of my entire LIFE and I never want to leave it. And I know J. and the kids feel exactly the same way.
Home is home.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Text
So we converted to an unlimited text plan to save us the headache of docking the boys' allowances repeatedly for going over their text limits. I have concerns about their frequency....they are texting too much. B. fell asleep with his phone in his hand the other night and it was still there when J. woke him up the next morning. That's not good. We could eliminate texting all together? perhaps? Not sure, and would probably require a plan change and the penalties for changing before our 'term' is up...but it's worth considering. It is 'the times' - kids write each other. And they use that 'ring' that adults can't hear. H. tested it on me the other night - and I said I could hear it, but I couldn't. I kept saying I could over and over until he realized what I was doing and turned it off - then when he asked 'can you hear it now?' and I said 'yes', he said 'well, no you didn't 'cuz it's OFF'. Busted. So they can 'hear' someone texting them without an adult knowing. And I WILL be monitoring their use of their phone and from whom during school hours. ANOTHER motherly duty added to the list, one which my own mother never would have imagined ever doing in the 60's and 70's when her kids were growing up. Times they are a changin', as they say. And I'm not sure I 'like' all the changes, but I'm adaptable - and -
On the other hand, they taught me how to use my phone to send texts and it's revolutionizing my relationship with my kids. I can REACH THEM now - and THEY WRITE ME BACK. And for that, it's worth keeping. Though they are texting at school, which they shouldn't...but they do. I wrote to both of them this morning - a quick 'hey, hope your day's going OK and I love you' and they both wrote back right away. Which bothers me on many levels - and then on others, I like it. Liked that it got a response and a relatively cheery one. Liked that I know they HEAR ME tell them I love them and they know I'm thinking of them during a(nother) hectic day. I wrote them both back and said 'be careful - don't get in trbl' (I'm trying to use vowel-less texting as they do) and they both wrote back 'we won't'. And they won't, most likely, because they are INCREDIBLY fast at it. I'm a dinosaur and if I were to be in a position of 'getting in trouble' for using a cell phone when I shouldn't be, I'd be in deep doo-doo 'cuz I was texting them in a class this morning. Silently. And reading their responses. Silently. LOVED IT, though I shouldn't admit that.
Of course, we do have strict rules regarding B. using his phone and driving. He doesn't. He shuts his phone off so he won't even be TEMPTED to pick it up and take a call or read a text. I am triple checking on that practice daily, making him crazy in the process. But I am vigilant about that.
The class was OK. Long. Too much information packed into a quick day and then it leads to the inevitable list of things I'm worried about related to compliance, audits, etc. So there's more on my to-do list, as there usually is after a class.
C U ltr.
(and I'm amused that spellcheck doesn't accept the word 'texting'. It needs an update, apparently).
On the other hand, they taught me how to use my phone to send texts and it's revolutionizing my relationship with my kids. I can REACH THEM now - and THEY WRITE ME BACK. And for that, it's worth keeping. Though they are texting at school, which they shouldn't...but they do. I wrote to both of them this morning - a quick 'hey, hope your day's going OK and I love you' and they both wrote back right away. Which bothers me on many levels - and then on others, I like it. Liked that it got a response and a relatively cheery one. Liked that I know they HEAR ME tell them I love them and they know I'm thinking of them during a(nother) hectic day. I wrote them both back and said 'be careful - don't get in trbl' (I'm trying to use vowel-less texting as they do) and they both wrote back 'we won't'. And they won't, most likely, because they are INCREDIBLY fast at it. I'm a dinosaur and if I were to be in a position of 'getting in trouble' for using a cell phone when I shouldn't be, I'd be in deep doo-doo 'cuz I was texting them in a class this morning. Silently. And reading their responses. Silently. LOVED IT, though I shouldn't admit that.
Of course, we do have strict rules regarding B. using his phone and driving. He doesn't. He shuts his phone off so he won't even be TEMPTED to pick it up and take a call or read a text. I am triple checking on that practice daily, making him crazy in the process. But I am vigilant about that.
The class was OK. Long. Too much information packed into a quick day and then it leads to the inevitable list of things I'm worried about related to compliance, audits, etc. So there's more on my to-do list, as there usually is after a class.
C U ltr.
(and I'm amused that spellcheck doesn't accept the word 'texting'. It needs an update, apparently).
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Lazy
It's a quiet Saturday evening and I am ALONE in the house - a rare and wondrous thing! H. and J. are in Hayward visiting J.'s brothers and family. We hosted pizza dinner last night as J.'s younger brother and his wife and kids made their way from Tulare to a 49'rs game. H. and J. are having dinner in Hayward and will be home in a few hours. B. had planned to go since visiting cousins is loads of fun, but he opted instead to go to a birthday party, primarily because his new 'friend' (who happens to be a girl) will be there. The two of them had a date last night and from all indications, it was a smashing success. So the chance to spend more time with her was the deciding factor in him opting out of the Hayward visit.
I am fixing a Trader Joe's dinner - mushroom risotto and birds nest tempura. What I want is loads of sushi - but that involves getting across town and since I have no makeup on what so ever, and have not left the house today (though I am showered and cleaned and dressed, albeit in appropriate Saturday attire of jeans and a sweatshirt - and am so excited that the weather is cool enough for me to need a sweatshirt today) but I am not presentable. That's the bad thing about working in the town you live in - you get 'seen' a lot and people know you. It's an odd feeling to think (whether they are or not) that people are trying to figure out where they know you from. Yes, I want to say, you may have seen me on the local cable access channel. No, that's not being famous, but it feels like it sometimes. I know how the 'stars' feel kind of - how you feel like you don't dare leave your house without being completely together, 'cuz the one time you run to the gas station for a quart of milk with no makeup and your hair not 'fixed', in grubby clothes, you will run into someone who will never forget they saw you looking like that. And, they will most likely share all that information with their friends. So I'd rather eat sushi but will eat what's here instead. Save $$, time and it will be good. [Just finished and it was yummy. Thankfully, we had paper plates 'cuz there's not a single clean plate in the kitchen cupboard. Dishwasher now running]. Started a load of laundry, too - the bathroom rug was in need of a washing so in it went.
Our shipment of Medifast arrived today, thank goodness, 'cuz we were getting kind of tired of eating pudding non-stop. Oh sure, it sounds great - pudding. PUDDING! All day, breakfast, lunch and dinner - but in reality, you get pretty darn tired of pudding. Especially J. who is far more disciplined about sticking to the program. He enjoyed a cup of beef stew for lunch and savored every bite - warm, filling, satisfying and NOT pudding.
On Wednesday, I attended a surprise wedding shower for N. at the college. It was great fun - visited with friends, saw the new 'remodeled' office I used to inhabit, including (now, after I've left) an office for my former position. It was great to see everyone and it was a fun afternoon! I felt homesick the minute I left, driving down the new drive past the vineyard and the new (and I think, ugly) houses. It's still 'home' to me.
Dani is whining incessantly. Since she hurt her back, she can't get up into her chair on her own. So we lift her up, now, and help her get all snugly and hope she'll quiet down. We have some stray cats hanging out in our backyard and it's making the dogs CRAZY. They are constantly on the alert and when the door is opened, they CHARGE outside, ready to do battle. Of course, the cats just head for the fence and hop over top effortlessly, leaving us with two hyped up dogs going crazy over the smells in their yard. It's nuts. And it goes on all day. Yesterday, when family was here, we put both dogs in their travel kennel out in the garage. They whined for a bit and then realized we weren't going to let them out so they quieted down. That's going to be an option, though it's pretty darn cold in there during the winter and hot in the summer, so it's not a permanent living space. Though it's tempting. She just jumped down from the chair for a cat check and is now whining AGAIN to get back up.
Tomorrow is church and errands. J. is playing at both services and H. is on 'slide' duty at the 11AM. So it will be 11AM for me, since I'm transporting H. there for his AV duties.
Time to go empty the dishwasher of the water that pools in the tops (bottoms) of the glasses. Then I think I'll read a good book - currently working on David Baldacci's "The Collectors".
I am fixing a Trader Joe's dinner - mushroom risotto and birds nest tempura. What I want is loads of sushi - but that involves getting across town and since I have no makeup on what so ever, and have not left the house today (though I am showered and cleaned and dressed, albeit in appropriate Saturday attire of jeans and a sweatshirt - and am so excited that the weather is cool enough for me to need a sweatshirt today) but I am not presentable. That's the bad thing about working in the town you live in - you get 'seen' a lot and people know you. It's an odd feeling to think (whether they are or not) that people are trying to figure out where they know you from. Yes, I want to say, you may have seen me on the local cable access channel. No, that's not being famous, but it feels like it sometimes. I know how the 'stars' feel kind of - how you feel like you don't dare leave your house without being completely together, 'cuz the one time you run to the gas station for a quart of milk with no makeup and your hair not 'fixed', in grubby clothes, you will run into someone who will never forget they saw you looking like that. And, they will most likely share all that information with their friends. So I'd rather eat sushi but will eat what's here instead. Save $$, time and it will be good. [Just finished and it was yummy. Thankfully, we had paper plates 'cuz there's not a single clean plate in the kitchen cupboard. Dishwasher now running]. Started a load of laundry, too - the bathroom rug was in need of a washing so in it went.
Our shipment of Medifast arrived today, thank goodness, 'cuz we were getting kind of tired of eating pudding non-stop. Oh sure, it sounds great - pudding. PUDDING! All day, breakfast, lunch and dinner - but in reality, you get pretty darn tired of pudding. Especially J. who is far more disciplined about sticking to the program. He enjoyed a cup of beef stew for lunch and savored every bite - warm, filling, satisfying and NOT pudding.
On Wednesday, I attended a surprise wedding shower for N. at the college. It was great fun - visited with friends, saw the new 'remodeled' office I used to inhabit, including (now, after I've left) an office for my former position. It was great to see everyone and it was a fun afternoon! I felt homesick the minute I left, driving down the new drive past the vineyard and the new (and I think, ugly) houses. It's still 'home' to me.
Dani is whining incessantly. Since she hurt her back, she can't get up into her chair on her own. So we lift her up, now, and help her get all snugly and hope she'll quiet down. We have some stray cats hanging out in our backyard and it's making the dogs CRAZY. They are constantly on the alert and when the door is opened, they CHARGE outside, ready to do battle. Of course, the cats just head for the fence and hop over top effortlessly, leaving us with two hyped up dogs going crazy over the smells in their yard. It's nuts. And it goes on all day. Yesterday, when family was here, we put both dogs in their travel kennel out in the garage. They whined for a bit and then realized we weren't going to let them out so they quieted down. That's going to be an option, though it's pretty darn cold in there during the winter and hot in the summer, so it's not a permanent living space. Though it's tempting. She just jumped down from the chair for a cat check and is now whining AGAIN to get back up.
Tomorrow is church and errands. J. is playing at both services and H. is on 'slide' duty at the 11AM. So it will be 11AM for me, since I'm transporting H. there for his AV duties.
Time to go empty the dishwasher of the water that pools in the tops (bottoms) of the glasses. Then I think I'll read a good book - currently working on David Baldacci's "The Collectors".
Monday, October 01, 2007
Friday
was TERRIFIC! My friend J. was held up at a meeting, so I moved our meeting place to a restaurant closer to the college, in downtown Livermore. I was waiting for her in the outer wait area. We were talking for a few minutes, waiting for our table. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw my former boss in his car. The door looked out on the one driveway entrance into the parking lot - and I thought I saw him. But when J. asked me about my reaction - a sort of startle response - I said 'oh, I just thought I saw someone I knew'. Didn't want to seem all obsessed, or acknowledge that every silver Honda Accord I see in Livermore might be him. I do miss him and wish I saw him more. We haven't talked in ages and I miss laughing with him everyday.
So, we chatted more and they took us to our table - a small table near the fireplace for two. When we sat down, J. seemed sort of uneasy. So she finally said 'um, do you think we could pull up a chair here for a 3rd person?' And I said 'it's B., isn't it? He's here, isn't he, 'cuz HE'S who I thought I saw as we were waiting'. So we asked the waiter for a bigger table and there he was!!! It was so great. I was so glad to see him. He joined us for chips and salsa. I offered dinner and drinks but he was on his way to a football game to hear is son play in the band, so he had to go. It was a quick visit, but so incredibly fun and such a cool surprise. Thanks, J. for arranging it and for suggesting to him that he stop by - it was great to see him!
Then, J. and I visited for HOURS. I didn't get home until after 10. We had a great time eating, talking, pondering the mysteries of various college things and life. We're looking forward to N.'s wedding in 3 weeks and we will all have a great time there, too, including B. and his wife and other campus friends. It will be fun.
The weekend was uneventful. [My] J. did some yard work. He got caught up on his emails since he was off all last week. We went to Costco, our grocery store of choice. I spent 3 hours catching up on my shred bin. I shred EVERYTHING and it builds up - but the bin is now officially EMPTY. And we checked out the new Rite Aid which opened across the street last week. Great ice cream. Not so great service. Won't be popping in there anytime soon to pick up something 'quickly' 'cuz they aren't very quick. It is the new 'hangout' for all kids in the neighborhood - groups of them going there for ice cream on a regular basis. Including our kids, though they have no money. We got the cell phone bill and they owe us major bucks for going over their 'text message' allocation. J. fixed it by stopping by the cell phone store while B. and I were at the pet store and upped the plan to unlimited text. Only cost us $10 more per month for all 3 phones on the plan - so that was $10 well spent. The boys were relieved. H. will not get an allowance for 6 weeks to pay us back what he owes for the phone and an advance on his allowance that happened before we knew about the phone charges. B. is glad to only have to forfeit two weeks to pay us back. Kids. We're glad to be connected to them, but also glad for the phone company being flexible and having plans we can afford to avoid the issue.
OK - it's time to head upstairs to shower and get dressed and out the door for a busy week. Talk to you soon! Have a great Monday and a terrific week, y'all.
So, we chatted more and they took us to our table - a small table near the fireplace for two. When we sat down, J. seemed sort of uneasy. So she finally said 'um, do you think we could pull up a chair here for a 3rd person?' And I said 'it's B., isn't it? He's here, isn't he, 'cuz HE'S who I thought I saw as we were waiting'. So we asked the waiter for a bigger table and there he was!!! It was so great. I was so glad to see him. He joined us for chips and salsa. I offered dinner and drinks but he was on his way to a football game to hear is son play in the band, so he had to go. It was a quick visit, but so incredibly fun and such a cool surprise. Thanks, J. for arranging it and for suggesting to him that he stop by - it was great to see him!
Then, J. and I visited for HOURS. I didn't get home until after 10. We had a great time eating, talking, pondering the mysteries of various college things and life. We're looking forward to N.'s wedding in 3 weeks and we will all have a great time there, too, including B. and his wife and other campus friends. It will be fun.
The weekend was uneventful. [My] J. did some yard work. He got caught up on his emails since he was off all last week. We went to Costco, our grocery store of choice. I spent 3 hours catching up on my shred bin. I shred EVERYTHING and it builds up - but the bin is now officially EMPTY. And we checked out the new Rite Aid which opened across the street last week. Great ice cream. Not so great service. Won't be popping in there anytime soon to pick up something 'quickly' 'cuz they aren't very quick. It is the new 'hangout' for all kids in the neighborhood - groups of them going there for ice cream on a regular basis. Including our kids, though they have no money. We got the cell phone bill and they owe us major bucks for going over their 'text message' allocation. J. fixed it by stopping by the cell phone store while B. and I were at the pet store and upped the plan to unlimited text. Only cost us $10 more per month for all 3 phones on the plan - so that was $10 well spent. The boys were relieved. H. will not get an allowance for 6 weeks to pay us back what he owes for the phone and an advance on his allowance that happened before we knew about the phone charges. B. is glad to only have to forfeit two weeks to pay us back. Kids. We're glad to be connected to them, but also glad for the phone company being flexible and having plans we can afford to avoid the issue.
OK - it's time to head upstairs to shower and get dressed and out the door for a busy week. Talk to you soon! Have a great Monday and a terrific week, y'all.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Reunion
I can't believe I've done this, but I did. I told J. to invite his entire family here for Thanksgiving. I will regret it somewhere between now and then, but we will manage. My one requirement is: I have to have a room to myself to 'retreat' to when the 6 kids, 8 adults and barking dogs start to get on my nerves. As long as I can go to bed 'early' and have some quiet time, I'll be fine. Of course, cooking for several days for that many people will be a challenge - and expensive. But we'll manage. It's less of a challenge to host company now that we have the cleaning ladies to help keep the house presentable. Less to stress about in preparation for the big dinner. And I've got a few recipes for breakfasts that are quick and easy - and with Thanksgiving, lunch is always just leftovers. Turkey sandwiches with dressing and cranberry sauce are the BEST.
And, we're attending J's 40th high school reunion the first weekend in November. He'll play golf on Saturday morning, I'll head to the mall and the kids will stay with their cousins in Tulare, about 1/2 hour away from Visalia. We'll all head back home on Sunday. J. and I will stay at a hotel in Visalia, near the party location. We attended his 25th and it was a lot of fun. I just can't get over that it's been 15 years. [We're both sitting here trying to remember if we went to his 25th or his 30th? It had to be his 25th...and we just had B. and left him with J.s brother and his wife for the night.]
Time to head to bed. I had a wonderful chat with N. on the phone a couple nights ago. I always love talking to her. And Friday night, I'll be meeting another college friend for dinner - can't wait to see her again. We had lunch with another friend just last week, but we didn't get nearly enough opportunity to chat 'just the two of us', so we'll get together again. It'll be lots of fun and a great start for the weekend.
Weekend will be the usual - laundry (which J. does most of - thanks, sweetie), yard work, house stuff, errands, etc. Stuff. I hope I can get a nap somewhere in the two days. I'm going to try.
I always fantasize about idyllic weekends, filled with productive accomplishments and much family 'fun' and good spirits. They typically aren't. They are full of angst filled teens, with long lists of demands and needs and wants. The accomplishments I yearn to get to often times don't happen. But I keep trying.
It's like weekday mornings...when you wake up briefly, uncomfortable, just slightly, maybe a bit chilly. So you pull up the covers and sink into that warm, 'oh great, I'm going back to sleep' feeling. Then you glance at the clock and realize your alarm is going off in a few minutes. And you are so disappointed, and then think 'it's OK. I can sleep in on the weekend'. Only on the weekend, you never, EVER have that same 'feeling'. Never wake up just slightly and have that joy-filled moment of sinking into a warm bed and realizing it's Saturday and you can sleep as long as you want. It just doesn't happen. I can't figure that out - why that feeling happens 2-3 times each week, during the work week, but is never recreated on weekends when the drifting back to sleep is completely possible and oh so delicious a feeling. I'm usually up, awake, realizing that if I go back to sleep, I'll feel horrible when I wake up. Because I'd be forcing myself to go back to sleep.
I want to have that 'slipping back to sleep' feeling this weekend. Just once.
And, we're attending J's 40th high school reunion the first weekend in November. He'll play golf on Saturday morning, I'll head to the mall and the kids will stay with their cousins in Tulare, about 1/2 hour away from Visalia. We'll all head back home on Sunday. J. and I will stay at a hotel in Visalia, near the party location. We attended his 25th and it was a lot of fun. I just can't get over that it's been 15 years. [We're both sitting here trying to remember if we went to his 25th or his 30th? It had to be his 25th...and we just had B. and left him with J.s brother and his wife for the night.]
Time to head to bed. I had a wonderful chat with N. on the phone a couple nights ago. I always love talking to her. And Friday night, I'll be meeting another college friend for dinner - can't wait to see her again. We had lunch with another friend just last week, but we didn't get nearly enough opportunity to chat 'just the two of us', so we'll get together again. It'll be lots of fun and a great start for the weekend.
Weekend will be the usual - laundry (which J. does most of - thanks, sweetie), yard work, house stuff, errands, etc. Stuff. I hope I can get a nap somewhere in the two days. I'm going to try.
I always fantasize about idyllic weekends, filled with productive accomplishments and much family 'fun' and good spirits. They typically aren't. They are full of angst filled teens, with long lists of demands and needs and wants. The accomplishments I yearn to get to often times don't happen. But I keep trying.
It's like weekday mornings...when you wake up briefly, uncomfortable, just slightly, maybe a bit chilly. So you pull up the covers and sink into that warm, 'oh great, I'm going back to sleep' feeling. Then you glance at the clock and realize your alarm is going off in a few minutes. And you are so disappointed, and then think 'it's OK. I can sleep in on the weekend'. Only on the weekend, you never, EVER have that same 'feeling'. Never wake up just slightly and have that joy-filled moment of sinking into a warm bed and realizing it's Saturday and you can sleep as long as you want. It just doesn't happen. I can't figure that out - why that feeling happens 2-3 times each week, during the work week, but is never recreated on weekends when the drifting back to sleep is completely possible and oh so delicious a feeling. I'm usually up, awake, realizing that if I go back to sleep, I'll feel horrible when I wake up. Because I'd be forcing myself to go back to sleep.
I want to have that 'slipping back to sleep' feeling this weekend. Just once.
Rancheria
We left the house shortly after 8. Headed to the bank and then out of town, leaving Tracy at 8:30. At the Casino just after 10. Might have (in hindsight) been a bit early. Machines were cold. Oh so cold. By 10:30, I was down a bit - then hit a $60 quarter jackpot to get closer to even. Then lost more throughout the morning. I switched to nickels and played a fun 'video slot' game - kept getting the 'bonus round' and was up, at one point, $60 in nickels. Sadly, I did not cash out. Oh well. We had lunch around noon and then headed home. J. turned his $20 in chips into $55 on the way out. I turned another $20 into zero. It pays to have a hubby with silver hair, 'cuz we got the senior discount for lunch, too - which didn't matter anyway, since they comped our meal. I think they took one look at my play for the morning and thought 'the least we can do is give them a free lunch'. J.'s getting Sr. discounts all over the place. He's playing golf tomorrow and is a senior there, too.
We lost less than we budgeted to lose. I'll be returning the leftover cash to the bank tomorrow. I never feel badly about losing because, basically, we're gambling our spare change. Since we were married, I've kept a 'fun money' account. Every night, I take all my loose coins and put them in a coin bank - then roll that change and bank it. There's currently $129.50 waiting for deposit in my nightstand. It adds up. I've finally got J. trained to contribute regularly as well. Used to be, if something was $1.09, he'd dig around for a dime or a quarter or nine cents and pay. Now, he gives them $2 and gives me the change.
I'm working on the kids. The other night, I asked B. if he had any change - and he cleaned $10 off his desk. Seeing how gleeful I was, he brought me another $5 from his sock drawer - including some 'pence' leftover from his Europe trip. I gave those back. I'm trying to demonstrate how quickly little sums add up.
So we 'lost' some spare change today...and we had a lovely time. The weather was beautiful, the drive was pretty and relaxing - I love J. going with me for a lot of reasons, but especially because I don't have to drive and can just enjoy the scenery.
Tomorrow, it's back to work. Thankfully, it looks like I won't have to work this weekend. YEAH. That's a great feeling - it means I've 'caught up' a bit and while there's still a ton to do, I feel OK about getting it done during the normal work week. I will probably bring a few things home to work on over the weekend, but I'm fine with that. Just not having to 'go in' this weekend is a nice treat. I'm hoping nothing happens in the next two days to change that. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Or say a little prayer. Your choice.
We lost less than we budgeted to lose. I'll be returning the leftover cash to the bank tomorrow. I never feel badly about losing because, basically, we're gambling our spare change. Since we were married, I've kept a 'fun money' account. Every night, I take all my loose coins and put them in a coin bank - then roll that change and bank it. There's currently $129.50 waiting for deposit in my nightstand. It adds up. I've finally got J. trained to contribute regularly as well. Used to be, if something was $1.09, he'd dig around for a dime or a quarter or nine cents and pay. Now, he gives them $2 and gives me the change.
I'm working on the kids. The other night, I asked B. if he had any change - and he cleaned $10 off his desk. Seeing how gleeful I was, he brought me another $5 from his sock drawer - including some 'pence' leftover from his Europe trip. I gave those back. I'm trying to demonstrate how quickly little sums add up.
So we 'lost' some spare change today...and we had a lovely time. The weather was beautiful, the drive was pretty and relaxing - I love J. going with me for a lot of reasons, but especially because I don't have to drive and can just enjoy the scenery.
Tomorrow, it's back to work. Thankfully, it looks like I won't have to work this weekend. YEAH. That's a great feeling - it means I've 'caught up' a bit and while there's still a ton to do, I feel OK about getting it done during the normal work week. I will probably bring a few things home to work on over the weekend, but I'm fine with that. Just not having to 'go in' this weekend is a nice treat. I'm hoping nothing happens in the next two days to change that. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Or say a little prayer. Your choice.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Respite
Finally, a day off! Tomorrow, J. and I are heading to Jackson for a bit of casino action and a nice lunch. J. is off this week - using some of the 7 weeks vacation he has available and needs to use before year-end. It won't happen. It never does. He'll carryover a bunch and try hard to take that by the end of the 1st quarter. He gets so much time off - and has so much work, he can never take the time. I know the feeling. I'm paid by the day. I work a set number of days per year. If I work weekends or holidays, those count toward my contract days. I have so many days I've worked that I need to take off - but so much work, it's hard to find the time. But finally, I'm taking a mid-week day off. We'll spend a nice morning and afternoon together before the kids hit home.
Today is the 19th anniversary of the day J. and I met. Pretty amazing how quickly time has flown by. This time 19 years ago, we were just finishing up drinks at El Torito at the San Leandro Marina. And I went home thinking 'he's really nice. I hope he calls again'. And he did. I also was pretty sure I'd met 'the one', though I was trying really hard NOT to think that...but I did, and he was.
Wish us luck. Nothing I'd like more than to hit a big jackpot. Well, maybe one thing....I'd like a nap. A really good, uninterrupted, long nap. And a 6 or 7 figure jackpot.
Today is the 19th anniversary of the day J. and I met. Pretty amazing how quickly time has flown by. This time 19 years ago, we were just finishing up drinks at El Torito at the San Leandro Marina. And I went home thinking 'he's really nice. I hope he calls again'. And he did. I also was pretty sure I'd met 'the one', though I was trying really hard NOT to think that...but I did, and he was.
Wish us luck. Nothing I'd like more than to hit a big jackpot. Well, maybe one thing....I'd like a nap. A really good, uninterrupted, long nap. And a 6 or 7 figure jackpot.
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