A lesson in humility

Everyone has goals in life that aren't particularly lofty, but still something that feels just out of reach maybe because either you are too lazy or don't know how to start - to lose weight, to spend less money, to get rid of junk, to be organized...the list goes on & on. I am part of that bandwagon...I'd love to lose 40 pounds, I wish I had $20K liquid in the bank, I'd love to have a perfectly organized house where everything has it's perfect little place in it's perfect little basket, bin, or other fabulous storage container. The reality is that I have been a "member" of a gym for 2 months that I have not been to once...I have a LOT less than $20K in the bank & my house is so far from organized, it's not even funny. We REALLY want to buy a house, so the money goal is most important on our list for now.

Aside from "knowing" that we need to save more & spend less, we didn't/don't have a flipping clue how to do it realistically. I'm pretty sure we weren't even on the right planet. That, however, has all changed now. With plenty of free time on my hands, I have scoured the internet, twice, for the best advice and ideas that I could find on how to save money, improve our credit and spend less. Let me tell you before you follow in my footsteps that the vast majority of what you will read is B.S. I wouldn't say I stumbled upon Dave Ramsey - I'd heard of him before, but never took the time to listen to what he was saying or read his advice. I became more interested in his philosophies towards the end of 2010, and I broke down and bought the Starter Pack about 10 days ago. Like thousands of people before me, I have to confess that Dave Ramsey has COMPLETELY changed my view of how to handle money from management of my own to how to trust & invest it to benefit myself & my family.

Money is one of those taboo subjects that your "not allowed" to talk about, like you're not allowed to ask a woman her age or how much she weighs. I'm done not talking about it, because talking about it makes me accountable to someone other than myself - not because the opinion of others matters, but because it's a true lesson in humility...stay tuned.

Summer Vacation

I can't decide if summer vacation is dragging on or flying by...When we were out in Nevada, oh how quickly 4 weeks went by, but now that we're back in Virginia, it seems like forever until school starts again.

Braeden starts football on August 10th...so that is essentially the end of "life as I know it" until mid November. Perhaps that will help make the time pass.

I have decided that I do not love humidity. It makes my hair frizzy, and it's uncomfortable, and you feel like you haven't showered for a week...100 degrees in Reno was 100% better than 80 & humid. Barf

It's the first week of life to get back to "normal," or as normal as life in this house can be. Had to go to Wegman's on a Sunday afternoon, which, let me assure you is less than enjoyable, to say the least. Trying to get my house into some resemblance of order is a task within a task. As much as I love my husband, jesus he's a slob. I came home from Reno to find bread with not just mold but BLACK mold. I'm surprised they didn't sprout legs & walk around the kitchen. A pot in the kitchen sink that he said he'd wash for me...yeah, full of mold when I got back. Toilets dirty, floors a mess...I could continue, but I won't. Sadly, I will most likely have to start packing again as we're probably moving out of this house. NOT paying $2200 in rent for this place for another year. Have I mentioned how much I hate to move???

OK, off to bed. Have to rest up for another day of hot, humid misery.

Love NV

After a LONG day on the airplane, last week, we've been in NV for a week now. The flight was not awful, but because we missed the checked baggage cut off by a couple of minutes, we had to fly "stand by" all day, which sounded like flat out hell. The gate agent in Dulles was awesome, though, and not only got us on the next flight out of Dulles (via SFO), but also got us sat in a row of seats, all together!! Ainsley did great on the flight, sleeping most of the way, and the boys took advantage of flight attendants, asking for beverages at record pace. All in all, it worked out good.

Arriving in good old Reno, was good. Dad met us at the airport after we walked by the scores of slots... After all of the moisture was sucked out of my skin, we made our way to our first buffet visit of the trip. Zak was so happy; he loves a buffet. :)

Some things I have noticed:

• Aside from having new stores in new places or new stores in place of others, it hasn't changed a bit. There are still girls with bad (and really big) hair, guys that wear tight jeans and cowboy boots, people of an unspecified heritage with late model cars decked out in plastic "chrome."
• Slot machines really don't need to be in every grocery store, bar top, gas station, 7-11 or all the places they are.
• It can be 98 degrees & not miserable! It's the beauty of humidity under 10%.
• Lake Tahoe is absolutely a beautiful place.
• I don't think I could ever live here again, but it sure is nice to come & visit.

We're having a great time, though. We're going to watch 3rd of July fireworks from my grandparents' house, overlooking Kings Beach...awesome, go see Transformers at the drive in (VA really needs a drive in...they rock), spend some time at the beach, and who knows what else. I've seen some friends I really miss a lot, and will be seeing more - which is always fantastic. Aside from missing Charles, all 4 of us are happy as clams. :)

101 in 1001 list

I can't take credit for this list - I saw it on Dana's blog, but I like the idea, so I'm going to do it too. The list is a work in progress, so I'll have to update it as I add more things. :)

June 10, 2009 - May 7, 2012

The List:

1. Make 20 new recipes. (0/20)
2. Bowl a score over 150.
3. Talk to a different friend once every week either via phone or in person...no email, facebook or text messages. (3/156)
4. Grow my own herb garden.
5. Lose 20 pounds of baby weight...or hell, any weight for that matter. (0/20)
6. Read a book with over 600 pages.
7. Treat myself to a massage at least once a year. (0/3)
8. Update my blog weekly for at least 6 months.
9. Donate 10,000 grains of rice through Free Rice. (5020/10000)
10. Try 15 new wines. (9/15)
11. Go to a show on Broadway.
12. Take Braeden to a Denver Broncos game.
13. Read 25 of the 100 all time novels by Time Magazine. (5/25)
14. Send 50 birthday cards per year via USPS mail. (2008 - 6/50)
15. Buy someone I don't know a cup of coffee.
16. Go to a professional hockey game.
17. Go to a professional baseball game.
18. Go to a professional basketball game.
19. Go to a professional soccer game.
20. Pay for the order of a person behind me in the drive thru.
21. Take 5 cooking classes. (0/5)
22. Get laser eye surgery.
23. Go to 5 new states I've never been to before. (0/5)
24. Carve a turkey that I cooked myself.
25. Run at least a 5K.
26. Donate $500 to charity (not the PTA).
27. Buy an expensive pair of jeans just because they fit perfect (after losing the 20 lb!).
28. Stay out of Target for a month.
29. Install new wood floors in my house on my own.
30. Use an ingredient in a recipe that I have never used before.
31. Go for a walk every day for a month.
32. Take my family on a road trip.
33. Ride 5 new roller coasters I've never been on before.
34. Get & use an iPod or Zune.
35. Visit Yankee stadium.
36. Build a sandcastle.
37. Go to a concert.
38. Visit the Statue of Liberty.
39. Catch my own fish.
40. Take dance lessons.
41. Visit 5 National Parks.
42. Own my own house.
43. Pay off (and keep paid) all my debt (except car & house).
44. Play 5 new Board games. (1/5) - Careers
45. Take a "girls weekend" away.
46. Sell something on eBay.
47. Clean out my closet & donate.
48. Go see 3 rated PG-13 or higher movies, in a theater.
49. Have at least 1 date night with my husband every month.
50. Watch a new movie at least twice per month.
51. Ride on a motorcycle.
52. Teach my kids how to use a real card catalog at the library.
53. Take a vacation with my husband (and no kids).
54. Inspire another person to come up with their own 101 list.
55. Go pick our own Halloween pumpkins.
56. Help someone accomplish one of their 101.
57. Go to an opera.
58. Send someone flowers, just because.
59. Send a care package to a US soldier.
60. Get a dog.
61. Visit all of the monuments in DC.
62. Read 5 biographies. (0/5)
63. Have a yard/garage sale.
64. Actually spring clean each spring. (0/3)
65. Take the kids & go kite flying.
66. Decorate a birthday cake for all 3 of the kids.
67. Visit another country.
68. Plant a garden.
69. Go 1 full month without eating out at all.
70. Buy 100 shares of stock of something I use regularly.
71. Smoke ribs in the grill.
72. Reconnect with a childhood friend.
73. Drive an exotic car.
74. Play on a softball team.
75. Watch fireworks on the 4th of July from the National Mall.
76. Save $5000.
77. Complete a NY Times crossword puzzle.
78. Give up Facebook for a week.
79. Learn how to play cricket.
80. Participate in a Community Service project.
81. Cut down my own Christmas tree.
82. Host a dinner party.
83. Cut 2 TV shows out of my repoitoire.
84. Try 10 new restaurants that are not chains. (0/10)
85. Be on an HGTV show.
86. Meet a celebrity.
87. Take a photography class.
88. Learn to write calligraphy.
89. Make a plan to graduate from college.
90. Do the Breast Cancer 3 day 60 mile walk.
91. Learn how to change a tire on a car.
92. Earn a Traveling Vineyard incentive trip.
93. Buy a Louis Vuitton handbag.
94. Take golf lessons (and make my husband REALLY happy).
95. Try a new food.
96. Build a snowman.
97. Swim in the Atlantic & Pacific oceans.
98. Tour a winery.
99. Give up something for lent even though I'm not Catholic.
100. Bake a cheesecake from scratch.
101. Donate $5 to charity for each one of the 101 I didn't accomplish.

telling the truth

So, Zakary, yet again got caught in a lie...although I can guarantee that he didn't mean to get himself caught. We have 1 week of school left. It's almost over, yet he failed to mention last night...no, allow me to correct myself...he flat out lied to me & to Charles, telling us he didn't have any homework. Oops, he slipped this morning that he had sentences to write.

After doing pushups & leg lifts, he had to write "I will not lie to my parents" on every line of the front & back of a piece of legal pad. Of course, he felt his life was coming to an end. I caught him calling BJ (my brother), in hopes of getting sympathy, which he didn't get & boy did that create a thorn in his side.

Sooner or later, they say, he will get it. Until then...the frustration continues.

the big 4...4 months that is

Well, Miss Ainsley is officially 4 months old now...technically as of last Thursday, but who's counting.

She had her 4 month checkup yesterday and she weighed in at a staggering 16 pounds & 26 inches! She's over the 95th percentile for weight & over 90 for height. Clearly, she's not starving to death. Overall, she's doing great...or so the doc thinks. Unfortunately it also meant shots. I do firmly believe that little children are seriously overvaccinated. I struggle with needles as it is, but to listen to my daughter scream as she gets stabbed over & over with a needle just put me over the edge.

I'll try to take a picture of Ains soon to attach.