I am still working on my goals - I’ve been sick since Christmas Day. On the 27th I had a PET Stress Test Scan and had trouble with my sinuses and the coughing.
On Friday I went to the local urgent care with coughing and a sore throat only to be told I had a virus and it would go away in a few days.
Nope. By Friday night, my throat was on fire and the coughing was getting more intense.
Now, it’s Tuesday and I spent the weekend using a bunch of different medications plus some hot herbal tea to keep me going over the weekend.
On Monday I called my primary care physician’s office and they were very kind in getting me in yesterday morning. Particularly after I told them that my throat was so sore I was having a lot of trouble swallowing. That was no joke.
The doctor took a look at my throat and indicated that it looked very painful. Yep.
Now I’m on the antibiotics and steroids that I need.
The doctor also said that the mucus from my sinus passages was seeping out through the tear ducts in my eyes. So he also prescribed some eye drops for me to start after I’ve been on the other meds for a couple of days.
I got home and made a few phone calls and posts, then I went to an appointment to have a psychiatric evaluation done. I’ve decided, with everything that has happened over the last 18 months, and the feeling of being emotionally drained and checked out, that I need to get some help for the depression and anxiety. We decided we would start with therapy and see how that goes before any medication needs are looked into.
This is definitely going to be a new and different year.
There are a few reasons for this, but first let me break down (without exact numbers) the debts that I had in 2013.
I owed the IRS in back taxes for withdrawing from my IRA - roughly around $4,000 including the interest
I had a car loan which was around $10,000
I had a credit card that was maxed out at around $14,000
When I had several rounds of dental work in 2014, I ended up with around $11,000 in bills to Care Credit.
I paid off the IRS first, with the help of a CPA. The reason that was first? They can garnish wages. There were no settlements on this debt, it was paid in full.
The car loan was next to get paid off early. The reason for this was I was also the caregiver for my Mother and there were instances when I was driving her to doctor’s appointments as well as to the emergency room on a few occasions. I wanted to make sure the car was mine.
The Care Credit free term expired with about $4,000 still on the bill, costing me around 23% interest, so, while it took longer to pay that off with that much interest, I got it paid off. I swore to never go through them again, and so far I’ve been able to keep that promise.
The final debt was my credit card through the financial institution I go through. It was in the process of getting paid off when Mom passed and I was able to make the minimums while bankrolling the expenses for the monthly bills on her home and the probate costs, until I could be paid back from her estate. That enabled me to pay off the card.
Unfortunately, that meant that the Emergency Savings account was at $15,000, but with the medical bills I got hit with this year that balance is now back down to $1,000. The credit card balance is at around $4,000 with a Pet Scan and a Doctor’s appointment before year end, plus a dental appointment to get the implant tooth ordered the first week of January, which will cost around $1,500.00.
I using roughly 50% of my monthly pay at this point to pay that card off as quickly as I possibly can. Thankfully, with Christmas almost behind me, that should make it easier.
So, did I follow Dave Ramsey’s Baby Step 2 as he prescribes? No, but I had some specific reasons as to why I didn’t and, up until all of the medical bills this year (so far totaling over $20,000 for the year), I had succeeded. My hope and prayer is that 2019 will see me getting back out of debt.
Unfortunately, Congress is still having to be shamed into providing care for the first responders who answered the call to serve at the site of the twin towers.
My eyes are tired, but a quick post before I go to bed.
I got a call on Monday that there was a water leak being found in my downstairs neighbors house.
During that time: I called the plumber I go through, they couldn’t show up until the next morning. The next morning turned into 5:30 in the evening after I told the receptionist at 12:30 that waiting three hours isn’t going to work for me, considering I was trying to get back to work. They came and found the house appeared dry. I notified the contractor working on the condo downstairs from me. Turns out the neighbor is going to be selling his condo and is having it fixed and some remodeling done to get a better price on it. That would explain the days of banging and thuds, as well as coming home to find the water sputtering out of the faucet because it had been turned off earlier. I had pretty much figured the neighbor downstairs was having renovations done, but it would have been nice to hear about it before experiencing it.
The plumber came this morning so we could see what was the problem was, and yes, my incoming cold water pipe was leaking, however it was under the concrete, so that would explain why nothing showed up in my condo. The plumber was indicating he night not be able to get to it, and wanted $450 for the job. He said this to me in front of the neighbor and the contractor. After we both left (the man left for his next gig and I left to go back to work), I got a call from the contractor: the job shouldn’t cost any more than $175 and I was being taken for a ride. He offered to do it, and indicated the neighbor wasn’t sure he wanted someone who didn’t want to do the job anyway, so I called the plumber’s office and told them the neighbor wanted his contractor to make the fix instead and they agreed after talking to the plumber who came.
A lot of stress, anxiety but a much better outcome. Since then, I’ve started putting some of the stuff from the area affected back where it belongs in the living room, going through some grocery purchases from Monday night, taking a load of cans and plastics to the recycling center, running a load of dishes, and a load of laundry.
I think I’m finally tired enough to sleep, now. LOL.
I’m a little late starting at this, but at the same time, I’m not. As you can see I’ve done some, but I have more to do. I’ll be updating this as much as I can during the month. So far this month:
December:
1 - 1 pencil box gifted to a student.
2 - 2 red ink pens gifted to a student.
3 - 3 journals purchased at Costco, also gifted to a student.
4 - 4 YouTube Channels unsubscribed from
5 - 5 - pack of hilighters, gifted to a student
6 - 6 retail chain email lists unsubscribed from
7 - 7 apps removed from my iPad
8 - 8 glasses (2 sets of four matching glasses), gifted to the grandparent of a student
9 - 9 empty cardboard rolls put in the recycling box
10 - 10 pack of black pens, also a 10 pack of blue pens, gifted to a student
11 -
12 =
13 =
14 -
15 -
16 - 16 books (Digital copies have been purchased to replace these)
Thankfully it only lasted a few hours, however I’m also thankful to have purchased the solar LED bulbs demonstrated by Prepper Princess on YouTube. I was able to hang them up and turn them on. I also had my Luci Lights already out and charged up.
Luci Lights:
And if the blackout was prolonged, I would also have the means of cooking and baking food, plus boiling water:
I still need to purchase a generator, and the solar panels to go with it, I’m hoping I can wait until next year for that, as I’m figuring it will be at least $4,000.00 for the entire system I’m planning on buying.
The Annual Christmas Devotional for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has just ended. What a wonderful program, ending with Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.
This is in conjunction with the Church’s Christmas Campaign called Light The World, intended to encourage a worldwide effort of charitable giving.
I had the oral “surgery” on Tuesday morning - only it turned out to not be surgery. I was told there would be a small incision and 1 or 2 stitches. But because of my dental care regimen, the area was opened up from the teeth brushing, so all that was required was topical numbing gel and putting some pressure to switch the tip of the implant to the tip that will allow the implant to go in. No cutting, no stitches.
That’s okay, I’m enjoying the food anyway.
While I was out, I went ahead and gassed up the car at Costco and picked up a few items. I also took out a large amount of recycling. Then I took a three hours nap. I needed it after an apprehensive night’s sleep.
Wednesday we had a big meeting at work to talk about some of the upcoming work we will be doing and also the plans for the family our department is sponsoring for Christmas. I had mentioned that I should probably see about getting another one of the rolling trunks so that the goodies can be delivered in it. That evening after going home, I checked my email and found that the Container Store had them on sale for a 1 day only Cyber Week sale. I went ahead and ordered it to pick it up at my favorite store Thursday evening. And since I had already purchased stuff totaling over $100 previously, I had a $20 credit on my Pop account, so between the sale price and the $20 discount, I purchased a $40 trunk for $13.
Thursday I picked it up, along with the bags for the gifts. I drew two gifts, because as it turns out, two of the angels on the tree asked for items I already had at home. That Costco trip on Tuesday? I picked up a package of journal books - which ended up being one of the angel requests. The other was for a set of glasses, which I had back in the closet from a wedding gift from 20 years ago. I had two 4 packs of glasses that are now in the bag purchased for the family.
Friday, after work, I stopped by Changing Hands bookstore to pick up a dictionary and thesaurus for the journal writer and found a book I was thinking about ordering for myself on sale. So I picked that up and the two books for the student. At checkout I realized I still had my frequent customer stamped cards - with one of them filled up already - so I saved $10.00 on my purchase, cutting the amount to almost half of what I was paying.
Today I started gathering everything so I could wrap it all in the bags - I got the glasses out and pulled out one of my extra pencil boxes (I stock up on them every year at back to school time at Walmart) and got some unopened packages of pens and highlighters I had in my own stash and put them in the pencil box for the journal writer. No charge for those, either!
My work day today was wild. Phone calls, questions and requests for help via Google Hangouts, plus emails. The never ending emails.
Then the plea from an educator with a big meeting tomorrow, whose computer no longer wanted to let her log in.
This meant working until six, but I was planning on taking care of some business with my HOA (getting a parking permit for my car). I managed to make it home in time before they closed up shop and got that taken care of. Took my stuff up to the condo and started on some laundry and feeding the cats.
While home, I got a ring at my doorbell. A very special treat awaited me! My solar oven came in!
I realized it was only 7:00, so I went over to Walmart to pick up some food as I’m having oral surgery tomorrow and I know I’m not going to be up to dealing with anything after that, I’ll be too busy trying to get the bleeding controlled. It’s supposed to be a minor surgery this time, they need to take out the cap on the implant post to put the post in for the actual implant. We’ll see how it goes. This time I bought two six packs of pudding. I’ll be well prepared to eat to my heart’s content after the surgery.
I hope everyone will feel the love from at least one person in their life today, whether it be family, friend or a complete stranger. If not, I hope you feel it here. You are loved.
I went to work after coming home with an empty carrier. Two of Mom’s pets (a dog and a cat) were given new homes and new opportunities in California. One of Mom’s cats (Jamey) passed away after being in my home for a few months. Faith made it to a little over a year. I still have two cats from Mom, Beezer from a friend of mine and my Rachel, who has been with me since 2005. They all need to be taken to the vet for shots, microchips and any other checkups they need. This will need to take place in 2019.
I got to work 1 hour 45 minutes late, thankfully I was able to work an extra 45 minutes tonight, and I can take the rest as General Leave time.
I have a slight headache after everything that went on this morning. I also feel drained. Emotionally and physically.
It felt weird feeding only 4 cats instead of 5 and the house is quiet without Faith, who I lovingly called “The Town Crier” because she would just start meowing.
I am thankful to have had this much time with her and I hope she knows she was loved here.
Poor little Faith, had a seizure last night at around 11:00. After about a 1/2 hour she was back to normal, although her eyes were giving me a scared look, so I held her for a little while as she purred in my arms.
This morning she was fine until after she ate breakfast, she had another seizure and this one didn’t stop. She was crying in pain and I called the vet. They had me take her to an emergency vet and they found what they believed to be embolisms as her limbs were cold and not giving a heartbeat. She was unresponsive when I said goodbye before they euthanized her.
They were very kind in giving me a clay paw print as a keepsake.
Welcome to Heaven, Faith, where Mom is waiting for you.
It’s just hit the 9 o’clock curfew and I’m reconciling the October budget so I can move on to the November budget.
I’ve gotten quite a bit done this past week and hope to get more done on Saturday.
Sunday I have to meet with colleagues from work to take care of some business, so Church is not an option.
This will get better, this will get smoother, but I’m off to a great start.
The vitamins do wonders for my moods, as does the 8 hours of sleep.
I haven’t actually started in the journal yet, these are freebie pages from the Clever Fox Planner site where you can get a free sample. It’s helping me to get started so that when January comes, I know what to expect.
I went to bed around 9:30 last night, I didn’t wake up until 8:50 this morning. Yeah, I’m that tired.
Thursday night I did a load of dishes. Last night I did another load of dishes, so load #3 is going right now in the dishwasher.
Load #1 of laundry is in the dryer, load #2 is in the washer.
Cats were fed late this morning, so they were very hungry and vocal when I got up this morning. Faith gave me a scare, I think she just got stiff with her back legs, because for a while there she had lost her mobility with her back legs. I thought she had a stroke or something this morning. I sat with her on my lap and she started walking like normal again after getting warmed up. I bought her a comfortable bed, but she won’t sleep in it.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday leading up to Thanksgiving. Yes, I have a place to go for Thanksgiving. I went over to my former school this past week to fix some internet issues, and checked in with one of the teacher’s I’ve known since I started working at the school. She realized that with Mom gone and Sister moved to another state, that I would be alone for Thanksgiving and invited me to her family party, to which I gratefully accepted. It will be wonderful!
I had never heard of Friendsgiving before, but I saw this video and thought it was cool.
Have a great day, still marking off my daily habits on my planner and really enjoying some peace and quiet. I’m up to Alma 51 in the Book of Mormon challenge and have found it really starts my day off with peace in the morning before I go to work.
After feeding the cats, I ate breakfast while listening to the Book of Mormon, I’m now at Alma 30. I’m picking up on teachings I either missed the last time I read it, or listened with new ears to things I had already marked in my scriptures.
After taking a shower, I then grabbed my grocery bags and made a 2 - 3 hour trip around Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert.
The first stop was the cemetery to pay a visit to my parents and my husband.
I’ll have to get some new silk flowers for their graves over Thanksgiving.
The next stop was the Gilbert Arizona Temple. The Temple is closed on Mondays, which meant that the parking lot was not busy, the streets were not all that busy and I was able to have some quiet time to reflect and to feel the Spirit of The Lord.
Then I went down the road to the Walmart that actually carries my favorite Voortman’s Lemon Wafers. Yum yum. I assisted one elderly woman who needed some direction to back out. She thanked me for my “mothering”. An elderly couple were getting a little turned around inside the store and looking for the bread aisle. I was able to tell them where it was at so they could find it.
Picked up a few supplies mentioned in one of the books on goals while there.
Afterwards, I remembered I had my blue recycle bin filled with paper recycling in it that I had forgotten about on Saturday, and since I was down the road from the East Mesa Recycling Facility, I took it over there and emptied it out before coming home.
I’ve gotten two more loads of laundry done, including my bedding, I’ve been drinking my water (along with CranApple Juice) and getting my vitamins in me, along with my medications. I’m trying to get into some basic habits of self care, as well as taking time out for myself spiritually.
FYI: I’m not in the affiliate program, so I do not get any compensation for the links provided in my blog.
As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I purchased the Clever Fox Planner. It comes in both a daily planner and a monthly planner, I purchased the daily planner.
By the way, if you would like to purchase one, they do have a 10% off deal going on (the code is CFP10OFF, or you can go to My Great Challenge on YouTube, Sophia has been given a code for 20% off!
Along with that, I’m adding some additional helps in getting some of the things accomplished in the coming year, but I’m going ahead and starting on those now.
In addition to the planner, I’ve also purchased a monthly planner to use to keep better keep track of the FlyLady system in order to be more productive in cleaning and maintaining my home.
Another item, to help me determine what my goals are, is an ebook I found out about from watching HTGYST (I’ll post the video if you want to know what the acronym means). The Your Best Life 2018 ebook is still available from the author’s web site, but I’m not certain as to how much longer it will be available. Click here for the link.
Another booklet on ebook that I am also using to help in determining goals and lifestyle changes to set is from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s the Young Women’s Personal Progress booklet with required goals and some additional alternatives for Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice & Accountability, Good Works, Integrity and Virtue.
Along with that will come reading a chapter out of the book Simplify by Carolyn Rasmus where each letter of the word Simplify is used to stand for a quality to work on. Stillness, Integrity, Mercy, Prune, Let go, Impossible, Fortify, You.
Between all of these I will hopefully be able to find some goals and make some lifestyle changes in the coming year. We’ll see how well I do!
I didn’t take pictures of the facility, but here is the stash...
And After!
Now, some thoughts. It was great to be able to do this and there were no lines.
They don’t take medications. They handed me a card with the Mesa Police medication bins, however they are only open on Monday - Thursday during the day. No weekend hours at all. I have some thoughts on the Mesa Police Department, I’ll keep them in my head, but I’ll leave it to you to have your own thoughts.
Then they told me I could go to any Walgreens, so I went to the one up the street. Nope. The only Walgreens in my area that does this is the one I go to that is in Tempe by my workplace. That’s it. So I got to go through ASU basketball game traffic so I could dispose of the medications.
So I went there with the stash of not only my medication, but also my late Mother’s meds as well. The box was locked. I had to wait in the pharmacy line so I could get someone to unlock the collection box. I understand why they would lock it overnight, but it was 11:00 am. They unlocked it for me and I was finally able to dispose of the medications. Thank you, Walgreens.
Thankfully, I don’t do this that often, hopefully things will go smoother the next time. The good news: it’s out of my home.
I’m not the first to talk about this, I know I won’t be the last. A recent post on YouTube has prompted this, but much of what has been said has already been documented in:
The Millionaire Next Door
The Debt Diet - The Oprah Winfrey Show
I.O.U.S.A.
Capitalism: A Love Story
Inequality For All
Enron: The Smartest Guys In Town
Inside Job
Maxed Out
Minimalism: A Documentary
Money For Nothing
The One Percent
Several Frontline Documentaries including Money, Power & Wall Street
It’s basically that the middle class is disappearing. The model for the middle class is no longer sustainable with companies going out of business to make way for giants in those industries taking over to the point where it will only be a matter of time where price fixing will begin to occur, if it hasn’t already.
With that, people are going for low wage jobs to pay for food and housing, meanwhile the titans of industry demand, and are compensated, a higher level of pay and compensation, with the divide between CEO pay vs. the wages of the lowest on the ladder growing.
Yes, change is happening, and that change is going to lead, ultimately, to fewer people being able to afford the luxuries once enjoyed by the middle class.
Example: When was the last time you tried to buy a house?
I didn’t take pictures during the tour, but I did take pictures of the booty I brought home.
My employer, in an effort to get some of us to be healthier employees, held a class after work where we got a free tour of Whole Foods.
We received a bag that can be later used for groceries, the brochure about catering for the coming holiday season, spaghetti and Alfredo sauce and chips.
We also were privileged to get to taste test fruit, chicken, a cold salad and some bakery items.
At the end of the tour, we were asked to look at the catering guide in our bags for someone to have one with the word, BOOK on it. It ended up being me! The bags were handed out in a totally random manner, so it wasn’t like being the lucky seat winner for Wallace & Ladmo Show (which I also won as a child).
Now I just need to look through the book to see what great stuff I can try, and to see if any of it can be fixed in my new Instant Pot (to be posted on later).
Do you remember hearing the old adage: the only constant thing in life is change?
Here’s the reality: ALL of life is about change.
My life changed when I was sexually assaulted by a drunk neighbor at the age of six.
My life changed when I saw one of our dogs get run over by a car and killed.
My life changed when, as a high school freshman, I wanted to end my life, but instead went looking for God to find out if there was more to life than what I had known.
Thankfully, I did not cut my wrists that night, but went looking at religions different from the Baptist upbringing I had experienced up to that point.
I attended a mass at a Catholic Church and partook of the Sacrament. I attended a Lutheran Church service and did research on the beliefs of several other religions. I attended a non-denomination church and witnessed people speaking in tongues while under a spiritual influence. The closest to my heart were the Messianic Jews (Jewish people who believe Jesus is the Messiah while continuing in many of the Jewish traditions and following the Law of Moses).
Then I decided to go to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for Easter Sunday. After a full 3 hour block of meetings the family living across the street from my parents took me to the Visitor’s Center for the Mesa Arizona Temple. I received my first copy of The Book of Mormon to read and I read through it, along with the Doctrine and Covenants.
The interesting part? It was on Section 132 (regarding eternal marriage) that I felt the Holy Ghost upon me for the first time.
My family did not approve and was against my joining the Church, in fact Mom joined a local anti-Mormon group and the battles began.
I loved my parents, I respected my parents, however my mind and will were made up and I chose to honor my Father In Heaven over my earthly father. In fact, doing the former ended up allowing me to accomplish the latter. Both were honored, as well as my Mother.
I was baptized on December 22, 1984. My family chose not to attend.
I still lived at home, working jobs while paying my way through community college and university. Attending Wards, wondering when that special man was going to come into my life. The first serious relationship did happen when I was about 26 years old, only to have some other abusive incidents happen with my family at home. The memories of being sexually assaulted, long buried, came back with a vengeance.
I went to my Bishop crying. I had done nothing wrong, but I honestly had no idea of how I was going to handle a marriage if I couldn’t stand to have a man touch me. This Bishop, who is married to a counselor, knew what was going on and what needed to happen. I found a roommate, together we found an apartment and the men in the Ward assisted in moving my stuff out of the house. While there was an emotional distrance between my Father and I, my Mother understood and knew I needed some distance and healing from decades of abuse.
My Bishop also had me go into counseling. After 3-4 months, I was better equipped to handle my thoughts and emotions to be able to handle intimacy in a marriage.
With that, I started a new life where I was able to say my prayers without having to hide my religion from my parents. It was at that point that I prayed and received the answer that it was time for me to received my endowments in the Temple. In the Mesa Arizona Temple.
A few years later, though, I had to move back home. My Mother had collapsed at home and thankfully I was able to quickly run over to their home to take her to the hospital. We had throught it was a bad flu, it turned out it was a mini stroke. Thankfully, because of the quick response and actions in getting her to the hospital, she didn’t suffer debilitating effects, but rather she was forced to retire from her stressful job and take blood pressure medication for the remainder of her life.
So, with Dad asking for me to help, we made amends with our relationship and when the lease was up for the apartment, I moved back home. I was home for roughly two years when I met and married Decker, moving out again for the last time. This was under joyous circumstances, a home of our own and for the first time having a Priesthood holder under the same roof.
Unfortunately it didn’t last. Two years, two months, two days into our marriage, my Decker unexpectedly died from a pulmonary embolism on August 14, 2000.
I was in a fog for a long time, then went into overdrive with Family History callings (I ended up with seven callings at the same time) while taking a course a semester at the community college to learn computers. I had already graduated with an AA degree in Business Administration and later a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management. Decker had said I was a linear thinker and would be great at computers, so I decided to give it a try. He was right.
All of this while assisting Decker’s niece with her educational and mission goals as best as I could, and trying to be strong for her during her grieving period. She left to serve her mission in Argentina around early 2003 and I found myself alone. Really alone. But not quite.
You see, my Dad, who was a smoker and beer drinker, was diagnosed with cancer of the tongue in December of 2000. This meant I needed to be there for Mom emotionally while helping Dad physically while he went through surgery and radiation treatments. In 2005 he was diagnosed with lung cancer and he passed away on December 13, 2006. I was there with Mom at the hospice when this happened. I had a moment of grieving before I had to stop my own grieving to help my Mother. After being widowed for six years, it was my turn now to teach my Mother about widowhood, while also being informed by others that I was now my Mother’s sole caregiver.
I did my best with that, and getting out of debt in the process to take care of her, until Mom passed away July 13, 2017. I was the only child there with her when she passed.
After the first four months with my sister living with me while we got the estate settled and Mom’s house sold, my Sister moved to her new home and I was alone. This time for good. No one else to look after (except the cats).
The reason for this long post is to hopefully provide some help for those who have suffered any kind of shock that leads anyone to contemplate suicide. I was suicidal as a teenager, and suicidal right after Decker died. Thankfully there were others, including some angels on the other side of the veil, keeping me from committing suicide.
Each of the major changes in my life came with some after effects of questions such as “what to I do with my life after this?”.
What I’ve learned is that with each major juncture in my life, I’ve had to realize that my previous life is now gone. It’s not going to come back, but with that comes the promise of a new life. A life that I, with Heavently Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, must create. Trust me, it works better when you include the other three. There are lessons to be learned from each of the previous lives I’ve lived and there will be more with this new life I am living now.
For me, depression and suicidal thoughts have put me in a dark tunnel with no end in sight and no light. You cannot see any light at the end of that tunnel. Keep in mind, however, that the tunnel is a lie. Blow up the walls of the tunnel and step out into the light. You will find yourself on a path that forks out in at least two directions. You must seek personal revelation in order for the guidepost to lead you into the way that will take you to where your Heavenly Father want you to be. Is it scary? Yes. Will there be moments of failure? Yes. Just keep praying and keep living. You will get there someday.
To better explain the 10 day fast from social media:
The reason for my delay in doing this was due to some education measures on the ballot that I wanted to bring to the attention of my local friends. Now that the election is upon us (I already voted via mail in ballot last week), I’m feeling more prompted to take a break. I’ll still post here, but I’ve removed the apps from my iPad Pro and iPod Touch. I don’t use a smartphone, so that’s easy!
I’ve also deleted the games from these devices as well (which will probably be the bigger challenge, LOL).
I definitely can use a break from this and hope to get more reading done, watch conference videos and get more cleaning done around the house.
November 2: I am thankful to have caught the water leak in the bathroom early, and to know a good plumbing company to call for help.
November 3: I am thankful for the opportunity to attend Time Out For Women, and for the option to use the light rail, saving me time and money.
November 4: I am thankful for Jesus Christ, who came to earth with a selfless heart who suffered the atonement and death for everyone, including me.
November 5: I am thankful for the job that I have, the work I have the opportunity to do and the lives of others I have opportunity to touch.
November 6: I am thankful for the opportunity to vote. I actually voted mail in ballot on October 30, but it was great to see the lines of ASU students stretching for across the mall at University on campus to cast their vote this morning. Wow.
November 7: I am thankful for my Mother. I won’t go into details, but a blessing occurred this morning that felt like my Mother was patting me on the back from the other side of the veil. I miss you, Mom.
While I didn’t make it to Friday night’s session of the TOFW conference, I did make it to the all day Saturday session.
The music was good, but it looked like there were some hiccups going on and the organizers of the event were doing everything they could to keep everything moving.
The conference itself is held at the Phoenix Convention Center in downtown Phoenix, so it goes without saying that traffic is going to be bad. Which is why I am VERY thankful I took the light rail from a Park & Ride right down the street from my home to the convention center. Plus, the parking garages were charging $16.00 for the event, the all day ticket to the light rail was $6.00. I not only saved a HEAP of time, but I saved $10.00.
I left home at about 7:15 this morning and got there at about 8:15 as they were opening the doors. I sat with some wonderful friends and it was a fantastic day. My packing on the day before really paid off, plus I brought my own container of water and my own lunch. The Convention Center was charging $4 for a bottled water and $6 - $7 for the lunches. More money saved.
I did, however, spend some money at the Deseret Bookstore area they set up so attendees can purchase items from partners (sponsors) as well as books and music from people speaking and performing at the conference. They didn’t offer any deals for the ebooks, though, that would have been great.
With the conference, attendees get a free tote bag, this year’s is gorgeous.
I purchased the ones from the previous years that I didn’t attend, plus I purchased a little notebook for note taking and the DVD for this year’s conference. I have the DVD’s for the previous years purchased already, now I just need to digitize this one and add it to my private viewing collection!
One of the speakers, who was supposed to be speaking in the morning, didn’t show up until late in the afternoon. Some of us were guessing that her flight in was delayed, so speakers got moved around with an additional group discussion on the stage to kill time before the speaker arrived.
All in all it was a great day, I’m thankful I was able to attend.
Going home was quite a treat as well, there were large groups of people leaving the convention center and many were going to their vehicles to drive away. Only a fraction of us were taking the light rail to get back to our vehicles.
I was VERY thankful, though, to have taken the light rail for a reason I wasn’t aware of but soon found out. We were riding into Tempe when I noticed traffic on Mill Avenue looked bad. Really bad. Rush hour traffic on a Saturday bad. The following stop at ASU explained why. There was a game at ASU and there were SCORES of people getting onto the light rail cars that already had those of us from the conference on board. People were packed like sardines in every car and another train was coming up from behind to pick up the next batch of people trying to load onto the trains.
The group were decked out in ASU maroon and gold and in very good spirits as they had beat University of Utah. Some really funny stories from the people around me kept everyone entertained until it was time for me to get off and several others from the train also got off at the same stop, there were several others, though, who knew I was getting off and moved aside so I could get off at my stop.
I left on the train at about 4:10 and arrived on my doorstep a little after 5:00. Pretty good considering how much traffic I avoided!
Next year’s conference is definitely one I’m going to have to splurge for.
2019’s theme is going to be labeled “HEAR”, meaning to hear the word of the Lord given to people for their personal revelation. They are also going to be including resources and a discussion with questions from the attendees that will be designed to assist people in seeking and receiving personal revelation.
The one downside to this year: there was no mention of the wireless password for the convention center so I was unable to take advantage of the advertisements being splayed out on the screens during the breaks.
Plumber is here, thankfully the plumbing is copper and not pvc, but he is still having some issues getting everything to cooperate. Poor guy has had a long day.
He just told me it’s going to be over $100.00, but far less than $10,000. It was the valve going from the wall into the toilet in the master bath. He’s going to Home Depot right now to get the stuff he needs. He said this has been the easiest job he’s had all day, so he was VERY happy to see that!
I won’t make it to tonight’s conference, but it looks like I’ll be able to go to the all day portion! Woo hoo!
So, this morning has already been a wild, emotional ride. At least for me.
I woke up this morning to a puddle in my master bath. Not a big one, mind you, just enough for me to think it was one of the cats. LOL.
Then I started finding more water behind the toilet and realized it wasn’t one of the cats, there is a water leak in my home.
The good news:
Today is my last vacation day, so at least I was home to catch it.
There wasn’t that much, so it probably has not impacted the neighbors downstairs.
I already know a reputable plumber, so I was able to call and set up an appointment between noon and three today.
The bad news:
My medical bills this year have exceeded $20,000 (and still counting), so I only have $1,000 left in my emergency fund, but also a $2,000 balance on my credit card.
The $700 vet bill for Faith didn’t help.
I don’t know how much this will cost to repair, hopefully less than $10,000.
The stinger: last year, after becoming debt free (at the time) I decided to treat myself to tickets for this weekend’s Time Out For Women conference in Phoenix. Yep, it’s this weekend, and depending on how long this takes, chances are I will not be able to attend, given that I’m assuming the actual repairs will be done tomorrow.
Now that the panic attack (complete with me crying on my bed in a fetal position) has passed and I’ve been able to write and think about this, I can say that I am grateful, because I have friends whom have had this happen to them and their stories and the time they have had to take off work to get things fixed was sad to hear about.
This does mean, however that I will be back into debt for the new year. I don’t know by how much, but I know i won’t be able to get the credit card paid off before December 31st. It will work out.
The other good news, because I had been decluttering and doing some light zone cleaning in that bathroom earlier this week, that’s the one room in my home where things actually look good. LOL. I had already changed one litter box, I changed another and ran a load of cat food dishes in the dishwasher before the water gets turned off for the repairs. Come to think of it, I should probably go and get some more bottled water. I have over 10 gallons, but you never know. :-)
Saturday, I took a few bags of plastics and cans to the recycling. Then I went to the vet to get medications for Faith (she has a UTI, a heart murmur, a MAJOR hyperthyroid issue and aspiration pneumonia. And she’s 12-13 years old.
The medication is going well for her so far, she is sleeping more and no longer has blood in her urine. Good signs all around.
After the vet visit, I stopped off at Petsmart and picked a few sample foods to try on her (one worked great, the other one was “meh”) and then to Walmart.
I got home and realized I had forgotten my CranApple Juice, so I went today after my hair appointment. I also stopped off at Petsmart to get more food to entice her and to give her something to help Faith with her stomach issues.
After I got home, the doorbell rang and a package for me came to the door. My new planners!
I couldn’t resist doing a little bit of unboxing, but it’s after midnight and I need to get some rest, so I’ll work a little on that tomorrow.
Instead of creating, having printed (spending roughly $200 for the year) and carrying (8 1/2 x 11” sheets in a notebook), I’m going to try for a simpler pre-created daily planner.
It will still be daily, because my detail oriented brain will go crazy on a weekly planner. Those have never worked for me to help me manage my life.
This one has enough blank spaces to allow me to tweak the daily pages to the priority driven format I prefer, but in a smaller and more manageable package.
Plus: It’s CHEAPER! After Sophia’s 20% off (you have to check her actual YouTube video page for links and the discount code) I spent $40.00 as opposed to $200.00. And this is something I will be able to carry in my backpack for work or church bag for church. A lot more manageable.
I did what little grocery shopping during my lunch break (a large tub of cat treats), so I was able to come straight home from work today.
I got two loads of laundry done, including changing my bedding.
I did have a wonderful lunch today at work of salad, cranapple juice, crackers and water. The “smoothie” that I bought turned out to be diet and was more of a mixed bag of flavors in a watery drink. It had an aftertaste, so I can only assume there was some sort of sweetener used that was non sugar. No bueno, I won’t be buying that again. Tomorrow, after the oral surgeon appointment and work, I’ll stop off at the store to see if they have the real smoothies (nice, thick with actual fruit). Because I’ll be skipping lunch to make up my hours, I’ll take one of those Crustables sandwiches that thaw out during the day.
I already did my lunch preps for the week on Sunday, so I feel like I’m already ahead of the game. Woo hoo!
By the way, I saw recently there is a newly released version of The Millionaire Next Door with an updated Foreward by the late Dr. Thomas J. Stanley, one of the co-authors of the original work. This book started it all for me.
My love and acceptance to anyone else who suffers from this. I do, it came out with a rage after my husband died. Needless to say, there have been people who chose to end their friendships with me because of this.
Given that it has been a cooler, overcast day with rain on and off, I had the Arcadia door open with just the screen to keep the bugs out.
Not only did it give fresh air, but just the simple sounds of the rain falling today made this day so relaxing. I’m caught up on dishes and finishing up with this past week’s laundry. I also cleaned both the bathroom sink and the kitchen sinks out, so things are starting to get back into shape around here.
Another two weeks and I’m taking a week off for vacation, and I’m really looking forward to doing more deep cleaning around this house in an effort to get somewhat caught up.
Take care, everyone, I hope you have a blessed Sabbath.
Vlogtober is a term used in YouTube for people who make videos and post 1 per day every day for the month of October. There isn’t a particular topic, and they are all fun to watch!
From My Great Challenge:
From Offhand Disney:
If you are looking for a daily cleaning, I couldn’t find that for Vlogtober, however we can always re-visit the 31 day challenge by Peter Walsh!
Now that I’m off the heavy duty meds and the antibiotics are kicking in, I’ve actually been getting a bit of cleaning done these past few days.
Saturday I did a number of loads of laundry, two loads of dishes, changed a litter box and took two bags of trash out. Gathered the can and plastics recycling to get everything off the countertops.
Sunday I did more laundry, more dishes and wiped down the countertops in the master bath and kitchen. I also wiped the dust from the dust storms off the front screen door and front door.
Today I did grocery shopping during my lunch break (BIG TIME SAVER!!!), I’m laundering my bedding, I’ve taken out some cardboard boxes to the recycling. I’ve also taken two of the empty 5 gallon water jugs to the car so I can fill them on my way home tomorrow.
Progress!
Tomorrow is check on the finances day, go over the budget, and handle a few transactions. Hopefully I’ll have some time for taking more recycling to the recycling center.
The City of Mesa now has a new Household Hazardous Waste Facility is opening October 17th! I’ve been adding, little by little, to the boxes of items to eliminate from my home, so I can hardly wait. The nice part is it will be open weekly, and will be open by the time I take my next week of vacation.
Here is some information:
Website with the address, hours, and what is considered appropriate to bring for disposal:
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms - to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
The Holocaust was, to me, a display of the worst a human being could bring to the world. The fact that people could care so little about the lives of others.
I am so thankful for the efforts of groups like Yad Vashem in creating and providing a way for the descendants of Holocaust victims to find as many answers as possible about questions arising from the circumstances the Holocaust brought about with such a devastating loss of life, of family, of stories.
Just a quick note to say how thankful I am to have the ability to (finally) get some cleaning done.
Yesterday I did some laundry, 2 loads of dishes (the first was actually done on Saturday - 3 total ) changed one of the litter boxes and took out multiple bags of trash.
Today was making two separate trips to get the recycling out of the house. I knew they picked up the enclosed cans today (for plastics, cans and paper), but I didn’t realize they also took out the cardboard boxes. Hence the second trip.
Well, it depends on the budget. That’s the first question. Sadly, Disneyland (and most of the Disney Parks), have become synonymous with expensive, requiring money to be budgeted for months and even years in advance before going.
Why so expensive? It’s due to the sizes of the crowds. Disney is raising prices during peak days of the year in an effort to thin the crowds during these times. During other times of the year, they offer packages in order to entice people to come when the park isn’t so busy.
This can be great if you don’t have kids in school, or if you can excuse them from school for the days needed for the trip.
The down side of this is there are also usually more attractions down for maintenance during that time, so you may still not get enough bang for your buck.
Are there other things you can do to save money? Yes.
If you stay at one of the Disney Park Hotels, transportation is provided for you and you can have your purchases from the park sent directly to the hotel you are staying at, rather than having to carry bags around with you all day.
Packing snacks is allowed into the parks, they should fit within your backpack.
If you are staying at one of the Disney Hotels, you can also go early in the morning, take a nap in the afternoon, and come back to the parks refreshed to finishe the day.
If you are not interested in the parades, you can go to see which attractions have reduced line times during the parades and fireworks shows.
There is even more for those going to Disney World, I highly recommend The Disney Food Blog on YouTube to find out about those.
