Jan22

Dollar bills, y’all!!

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We all want more money and sometimes the best way to get more of it is by changing our spending habits and paying off debt so we have more cash.  I wanted to share a couple of financial websites that are easy to use and will help you with any financial goals whether it’s paying off credit card debt, saving for a trip, or just budgeting better each month.  Both sites are free to use.

The first one is www.mint.com.  Mint.com has been promoted by TurboTax and another blog I read called Daily Worth.  When you sign up it will ask you some basic questions and then you provide all of your financial information.  You have to have  online access to your financial institutions in order for this to work.  It will also pull any savings including your 401k and if you own your home it will put a value on it, too.  It will pull every single transaction made on your checking account and credit cards and then itemize it.  You have the opportunity to change the itemized category the way you want and then it will put them in pie graphs or bar charts, whatever you want.  There is an opportunity to have your credit report run but I did not do that because you have to pay for both the experian and transunion reports each month.  The site will also give you credit card offers that may have a lower APR% or offer rewards.  One last piece is you can set your own budgets and goals for the month, year, or whatever you want.  Check it out!

The other website is www.creditsesame.com.  I signed up for Credit Sesame about two months ago and it does the same thing as mint.com but not as well.  It shows you ways on saving money on mortgages and credit cards and you can do some budgeting.  What I love about this site is it monitors my credit score for free and sends me notice once a month so I can see if there have been any changes.  My score went down one point this month thanks to the Christmas shopping so I paid off the debt quicker than I probably would have in hopes it will go back up next month.

If you decide to use these sites, or already are, comment back on your two-cents when using these websites.

Jan18

What? A new year?!

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Oh man!  My last post was before the Thanksgiving holiday.  How time flies when you’re working overtime, finishing projects for school, shopping for the holidays, and taking care of your broken husband.  I can’t even believe we’re more than half way through January already.  So, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my followers.

This year I will be talking about weddings (and all that comes with that), scuba diving (a current fear of mine), school, and new goals and changes.  I’m not making any new year’s resolutions this year.  Instead, I’m making goals that are reasonable.  The first is paying off debt. I even applied to write about my story to a financial blog that helps women get ahead in their finances.  They only need 2 and over 1,000 applied, fingers are crossed.

The second goal is to watch my weight, not focus on losing.  That said, I want to figure out how to get my mind motivated to run or at least workout.  I have to stop using every excuse in the book.

The third goal is to just be happy.  With every decision I make and choose to do, I want to make sure I’m still happy.  Nothing too hard about that but I’m a pro at letting the little things get to me.  No more!

And now, my first thought for the blog this new year:

I am going to just be a social drinker this year.  This includes: when I talk to myself, talk to the dogs, and read facebook posts.  Cheers!!

Nov18

Drivers Wanted

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I’m on the road…a lot.  I’m always travelling through the state to visit clients or driving an hour to school.  Why is it that people, at least in Austin, cannot drive the speed limit?  Last Friday, Veteran’s Day, there was no morning traffic and yet everyone was driving 50!  Hello?!  The speed limit on Mopac is 65!  Here are a few excuses I have for this ridiculous driving:

1.  People were still sleeping while driving.

2.  The drivers aren’t sure what the speed limit actually is because they’re never able to drive that speed during “rush hour.”

3.  The drivers were enjoying Veteran’s Day by saluting other drivers, which only allowed them to have one hand on the wheel.

Whatever the reason is, it’s still annoying.  Every day, every time I’m on the road, there is someone in the “fast lane” going under the speed limit, or worse, going the speed limit and thinking it’s okay.

Remember folks, while you’re driving be aware of your surroundings.  I could very well be behind you flashing my lights and honking my horn for you to get out of my way.

Happy Trails!!

Nov4

50 days until Christmas!

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No, I don’t hate you.  I’m simply reminding you that the most expensive holiday is just around the corner.  What’s interesting is I’ve seen a difference in people this year.  I have three neighbors who have already put up Christmas lights, and have them lit at night.  I’m already looking at Christmas stuff myself because Jacob said he likes it when the house is decorated.  Well, you don’t have to tell me twice!!

What I wasn’t expecting to see this week was Concordia already decorated.  They had lit Christmas trees, lit wreaths hanging over entrances, and garland hanging from the ceiling.  It was so warm and fuzzy, especially since the cold front came through the night before.

Even though I’ve already started shopping for Christmas gifts, I don’t feel ready for it. I’m looking forward to the parties but that’s about it.  I hope you’re starting to enjoy the cool weather and you’re getting excited about the holidays.  Don’t forget your miseltoe!  And, it’s only 56 days until 2012!!

For an updated clock, click here.

Nov2

I love you more than meatballs.

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Work has been crazy.  And when I say this, I mean that I leave the office and cannot form sentences because my mind has been ripped to shreads.  With too much going on at work, plus my crazy travel, plus school…it seems that I’m drowning at times.  On Monday, I drove home from work and couldn’t even remember the drive because I was in zombie mode.  There was no way I could cook dinner, much less decide what to make, so I asked Jacob to pick up dinner on his way home from school.  We decided on Subway and we both wanted meatball subs.

*Side note: The name Subway Meatball Sub doesn’t sound good.  Just like the McRib, with its formed meat to look like ribs, doesn’t sound good.  But every now and then, the meatball sub is good mood food.

Jacob got home and we grabbed our sandwiches.  I had the 6-in and he had the footlong.  I unwrapped mine and digged in.  So good!!  He opened his and opened the bread and found that one side didn’t even have meatballs in it, just bread and sauce!!  With a mouth full of sub I was like, “wilwy?”  He said, “YES! And, I even asked the guy if he put meat on it because it just looked like sauce!”  The other side only had three meatballs, which was just as disappointing.  Poor guy was so hungry and so exhausted from his long day that annoyance overcame him.  He picked up his sub, went to the back door, opened the sliding glass door, and threw the sub out the door!

The evening didn’t end up a happy one.  Everytime I let the dogs out to potty, I had to keep them away from the random meatballs on the ground and the sub sliding down the rock wall.

Today, two days later, I get an email from Jacob.  I won’t bore you with the details but at the end he wrote, “…I hope you still love me like a fat kid loves cake.”  My response? “I love you like the subway guy loves his meatballs.”

Jacob told me tonight that he sent a complaint email to Subway and received a call back from a manager.  He gets a free meal on them.  Maybe he’ll get extra meatballs!

Oct31

Happy Halloween!

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Here are some halloween funnies!

Why can’t the boy ghost make babies?

Because he has a hallow-weenie!!
 

Happy Halloween!

 

Why do demons and ghouls hang out together?

Because a demon is a ghouls best friend!

 

Why did the ghost go into the bar?

For the boos!

 

Why didn’t the skeleton dance at the party?

Because he had no body to dance with!

 

 

Why couldn’t Dracula’s wife get to sleep?

Because of his coffin!

Oct30

Schaub vs Hasselbeck

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Both are now my nemesis.  Whoever I bench gets more points than the QB I played, other than the one time they tied in points and when I had to play Schaub because Hasselbeck had a bye.  Last week, I was torn on which QB to play because they were playing each other.  All of the facts led to Hasselbeck: coming off a bye, playing at home, Schaub doesn’t have an offensive team with Johnson out, and so on.  So, I went with the facts simply because my gut hasn’t won me anything. Plus, Matthew Berry said that Hasselbeck was the one to go with.  I lost.  The frustrating part was that I lost the week against the #2 team, who I could have beat, because she couldn’t play Tom Brady (bye).  See the history below.  I’m going to stick with Schaub the rest of the season.

PS: Just to note, I love the Texans and cheer them on to win in the real NFL.

Week Schaub Hasselbeck I played
1 10 17 Schaub
2 17 17 Schaub
3 25 18 Hasselbeck
4 9 19 Schaub
5 22 13 Hasselbeck
6 12 Bye Schaub
7 19 6 Hasselbeck

 

Oct29

Downtown Living!

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Jacob and I have talked about where we would want to live when we sell our house.  There are some fun areas popping up in Austin but downtown Austin seems to be the place that we keep coming back to.  I worry though if my version of “sex in the city” would turn out to really be “married without sex in the city.”  Plus, would I really enjoy the area considering that you’re missing out on a yard (we have two dogs), sharing walls with neighbors, and do I really want to spend more money to live in a smaller space?  If we choose to live downtown, we need to rent first to experience the life and determine if it’s really for us.

I went to www.vacancy.com to look at spaces available downtown and the apartment that I love the most is 300 N. Lamar.  Yes, it’s the name of the complex as well as the address.  Maybe the developers were lazy but it seems to be convenient for those who live there.  It’s located right at Lamar and 1st St, next to Town Lake and the trails, Whole Foods, and my favorite, West Elm!!   And it’s super close to all the popular bars we go to and restaurants we love.  You don’t even really notice it’s there unless you’re looking for it so it blends in right with the scenery.

300 N Lamar has a the usual amenities with a pool, spa, exercise room, and club house.  They also have covered parking and an elevator. Perfect!  I don’t need anything fancy but I do like the extras.  It would also be the most fantabulous spot to watch the 4th of July fireworks and an easy walk to Auditorium Shores for the festivals and SXSW shows.

Take a look at it here because you may be coming to visit us there soon!

Oct21

Vijayjay

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It’s been a while since I’ve had a blog entry but I’ve been busy. You know, the usual happens like work, school, birthdays, and OB/Gyn conferences. Every now and then I get blessed to attend the many conferences my company has to attend throughout the state. Most of them are fun. I’ve met so many people over the 11 years I’ve been in this industry that you usually see someone you know. And if not, you’ll always meet someone new. This conference though was special. About 300 OB/Gyns all together in one area talking about the changing medical environment and vulvas. I mean, you can’t get more detailed about this. Well, you can, but it’s not polite to put it in writing.

So, two things have happened here at this convention. First, we have to sit across from this:

Weird?

Yep, it’s pretty crazy. Shaunna (co-worker) didn’t even realize it was there until I asked if we were going to have to stare at that vagina all day. And, Jacob commented that it looked like a gas pump.  (In case you’re wondering, the device does an ablation of the uterus to remove the lining and basically stop periods. It’s what many women are turning to avoid having a hysterectomy in their pre-menopausal state.)

Another incident that happened at this convention was when I misspoke about my skirt.  If you look at the the picture above again you will see that the table has a table cloth and skirt underneath it.  All of our display tables look like this.  A sweet, old (70ish) man said that he was looking for a trash can.  I said, “Hear, give your trash to me and I’ll put it under my skirt.”  As the words came out of my mouth I remembered I was also wearing a skirt that day.  The man turned and looked at me and said, “Excuse me?”  I quickly apologized stating that I meant my table skirt, not my actual skirt.  He just looked at me said, “Honey? Hearing things like that is just a normal days work in an OB’s world.”

HAHAHAHA!!

Oct6

How important are gifts?

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Tuesday I bought two presents for Christmas.  I know, it’s early.  It was one of those deals that don’t come around all the time so I leapt at the chance to get it.  That evening I told Jacob that I bought some presents already and while he tried to guess what it was, I told him that I didn’t want him spending very much on me this year like he did last year.  He asked me if I even remembered what he got me last year.  (He knows I have a memory loss issue.)

“Yes, the ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ poster, the black diamond ring I wanted from Jared’s, and cash.”

So, then he was trying to remember what I got him.  “Binoculars!” 

This got us started on what other presents we had given each other and neither of us can remember what we gave/received from each other for our birthdays last year.  I know he gave me flowers, cupcakes, and a present but can’t remember what the present was.  I can’t remember what I got him for his birthday either.  But, even he can’t remember what the gifts were.  Why is this?  Is it part of my memory loss or is it really necessary to spend money on each other when the reason we don’t remember it is because we don’t appreciate it?

I worked with a friend who said she and her husband don’t exchange Christmas gifts and they put all their money towards the kids.  Well, I get that, but don’t you need to show some thought towards your spouse, or significant other.  At least give a card??  I don’t think I could ever not give a gift for Jacob.    Well that was until our anniversary came around and I got us two pictures to hang up and he bought me a super nice watch.  Still need to look into that one. 

Anywho, just wanted to share that thought on if presents were really important if we already show that we love each other and we’re the only things we need in life.  And that goes for family and friends, too.