The raise and alternate Friday's off deal went through at Matt's job. Now, by raise, I mean a tank of gas a paycheck, not new car, but ANY rise in pay is better than what we've had the last 4 years, which is no raise at all and certainly no bonus checks, ever.
I am more happy about the alternate Fridays off. That will be like 26 more vacation days a year, what a great thing! Of course our doctor and dentist are both closed on Friday's, so it won't really make that aspect of having a weekday off better, but 3-day weekends twice a month will be awesome! Eep!
In other news, I bought the parts to fix the van today. It has a warped rotor and needs a new stabilizer bar on the passenger side, so that means the other side gets them as well. It's insanely close to Matt's week off to be shelling out the $300 to get it all done, but I think when that noise stops, I will reach a new level of consciousness, like a soul and karma and all of that. One step closer to enlightenment. The brakes are making an occasional metal noise, might as well go ahead and get the bars done while the tires will be off anyway. Less on labor when I don't have to pay for the time to get the tires off and on on another visit later. If they take the tires off...I have no actual idea. But I will Monday because I get to help! : )
When I was little, Daddy would move things around in the house, or we'd get a new appliance or move things from one floor to another-you think I am bad with rotating furniture every few weeks, my mother remodeled whole floors and changed their purpose five different times in my 8 years of living in that house. I always got to carry the cord. Daddy lugging a TV to the living room which was moved upstairs and later to the basement, then back upstairs again and me trotting along holding the cord, Daddy taking the skill saw out to cut some wood and me running behind him holding the cord off the ground. That kind of 'I get to help'. Mainly watch and ask questions and poke at things.
Speaking of Daddy, Judy is healing, but exhausted. She gets out of the hospital tomorrow, we did not go see her today because he said she was flat wiped out and in a cranky mood due to pain and lack of any sort of rest. After she gets home and can sleep a couple of days and get some of the drugs out of her system, we will descend upon her. I think Daddy is excited about having her an invalid for a little while, it will be the first time in their marriage that he can locate her. hahaha! She is on the go ALL of the time.
I am FINALLY back down to my personal low weight again. Birthday and Thanksgiving and birthday and another birthday all with big meals and sweets combined with the cold/wet had me packing on about 8 pounds rather suddenly. It's taken a week of 1200 calorie days, walking 2 and 3 miles a day on the treadmill and really being careful with getting enough to drink to get rid of that. I am pleased with the return and am focused on dropping another 5 pounds as quickly as I can, that will put me over 40 pounds lost and below where I need to be for my weigh-in in February. And that will put me with less than 40 pounds to go! I feel mired up in this middle area, but I have already done what I still need to do, so even if it takes 2 more years, I know I will get there-and stay there.
I can't begin to say how good running makes me feel, even if I can't run for long. I can do every other 1/4 mile, which is more than I could do a week ago. A week from now, I will do more than that! Or my hip will totally dislocate and my right leg will fall off. It's a toss-up. Right now, a heating pad for half an hour every night stops the pain from getting too bad. It had stopped hurting at all about 15 pounds ago, but running I imagine puts the same stress as the extra weight on that joint and it aches. Good reminder to not get this heavy again, as if I needed another one.
Tomorrow Matt is taking the kids out for part of the day. I have rented One Day to watch while they are out. I have a bag of popcorn set aside, I have a caffeine free diet Mt. Dew in the fridge and my snuggie blanket is washed, dried and waiting. I am excited about a few hours alone for the second time in a week! Literally the first time in 16 years that I have had time by myself at home twice in a single week. The more time I spend by myself, the more I cruise the adoption websites...Zeppie is flat adorable and I love her, but she's not even close to another person tooling around somewhere nearby. Which, for all my talk of alone time, I will miss as much as I would miss my right leg if it really falls off.
