The push?
I had til midnight to take advantage of the cheap (ish) flights to NYC. Tomorrow the price triples.
So I bought 4 tickets.
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And I put the deposit down on the last 20' motor home that was available for rent (for the dates that I needed.)(Creation.)
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And Josh, dear sweet Josh, found a way for me to pay for my house painting on Visa (he set up a Pay Pal account) so I paid that bill today too.
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And if someone had called me with a deal on a Ford Escape that I could pay for on Visa, I would probably have tacked that on to today's purchases as well.
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I better not get fired or laid off or I'm hooped.
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And lest you think that's all I did this evening, let me set you straight.
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In addition to spending gobs of money that I don't have at this minute, I accumulated a whack-load of points to help me pay for this little family get-away. You gotta spend money to make money I always say when I'm a little nervous when I spend alot of money.
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Some of these expenses are 'investments' - like painting the house. I just increased the value of my home by well, alot, with this peach-to-brown facelift. AND I get 15% of that expenditure back next year at tax time. Win, win.
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The motor home for Creation ... an absolute necessity for me. For, alas, a princess I be. And as long as I have a child who wants to attend and bring a gaggle of friends, I will forego lipstick and beer for a year to make it happen.
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And the New York excursion? Hey. Don't judge me. I'm just a mom, desperate to make some happy memories with her boys. ALL her boys. And the last time the 4 of us have been together on a holiday was 2000. So it's time. High time. And this is what they wanted to do. Thank goodness they didn't chose hiking in the Andes.
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After I spent all that money, I went outside (it was after 10 pm) and weeded my front garden in the dark. Because really? Who wants to have an audience when one bends over that awkwardly whilst pulling evil plants out of possessive soil.
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I hope I don't obsess about my recent expenditures. What's done is done. I do have a job. And I can mostly afford this.
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I'll put that new truck purchase on hold though. My heart can only stand so much financial risk.
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Three things I'm thankful for:
1. These boys: I took them to White Rock after school. Drew was very insistent that I NOT be anywhere near them this afternoon. A carload of girls were meeting them and he did not want me within 1 mile of them all.
I was lucky to get these 3 pics just seconds before we headed back to Langley.
And that was only because they remembered that they needed a ride to Flip City at 9.
2. So thankful that no one saw the 250 jumbo sized, brightly coloured gumballs explode out of the back seat of my truck this afternoon in the Staples parking lot when I opened the back door. I started to pick them up, but my clothing did not allow for easy manoueverability, and it was Just Too Unsightly to be bending over in a skort that short. So I drove away, leaving a festive mess behind me. Honestly.
As I was leaving, a woman was entering, and she pointed out all the gumballs with a huge smile on her face to her passenger. Like it was a pleasant surprise or something. A unexpected treat. A cheerful addition to a bland parking lot, even. Seriously. Someone should thank me.
I was thisclose to turning back and taking a few pics of the cheerful sugary mess of biodegradable litter I was leaving behind. I was in a hurry though.
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3. I'm thankful for the two books I received this week from friends who love me. Or something like that. :)
One is like a journal for tracking the books I've read and THE BOOKS I WANT TO READ. I absolutely love the cover. Maybe I'll take a picture of it one of these days. And the other one? "Praying the Scriptures for Your Teenagers." I have a feeling I'll absolutely love the content. I started to read it while tanning at the beach under a hazy sky.
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Don't hate me, but I'm loving my life this week.
Shalom,
3 comments:
I'm so glad you're having a good week. Remember it for later. As you and I both know, you'll need it when life throws another curve. And by the way . . . you're such a good writer. Got any ideas yet for when your my guest blogger????? :)
money does not buy happiness....spending $1'000's to get 15% back is silly. - but then you don't sound happy...
Hi Anon -
I didn't spend the money painting my house thinking it would bring happiness.
My house is an investment and it needs to be maintained or else it loses value.
It needed to be painted anyways, and if I do it THIS year, I can take advantage of a special tax advantage that expires at the end of 2009.
Regarding my happiness level - some days are better than others... I've got teens, hormonal teens. 'nuff said. :)
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