Joyfully Yours

exhaustion

it's been crazy around here ... I hope to catch up tomorrow nite and upload yesterday and today's full entry.  see you then!

Impasse

I'm at an impasse, a fork in the road, and I don't know which way to go.  Here's the deal ... I was given a 1992 Toyota Previa by my friend's brother in October.  At the time, I knew that I would to invest in some body work (he hit a pole, so the front end needs work) and a radiator.  Not bad, hey?  So I pay $450 for a new water pump and thermometer (and a new battery, oil change, etc).  Then something goes wrong with the exhaust, and I pay another $450 for a custom exhaust system.  Then I wind up blowing a gasket/spark plug, and that costs me yet another $900.  So now this "free" van has cost me $1800, and I haven't touched the body work yet. 

THEN ... I discover despite the water pump, I'm now leaking radiator fluid, so I know that'll be another $400.  I figure I'll get an estimate from an auto body shop ... it just came in today, and they want $3802.09 - to do the body work, plus a radiator, plus an air conditioning condenser.  All this for a 1992 van with 160K miles on it.

The impasse?  Should I do the repairs?  Or cut my losses?  On one hand, doing all these repairs basically will extend the life of the van, but what if the all wheel drive goes out or transmission?  Basically this "free" van is now up to $5600.  For a 14 year old van. I know Toyotas run forever, but geez!  Oh yeah ... my friend's brother also mentioned that they took the van on trips to Florida, and after a day of driving, the steering wheel would shimmy.  When they got an estimate, it was $2000.  So now we're up to $7600, and haven't touched the all wheel drive or transmission. 

Faced with a decision, I did what I do best ... surf the internet *LOL* And I think I've found a really great deal on three vans at a local car dealer:  1996 Chrysler Town & Country Sport LXI, a 1995 Nissan Quest GXE, and a 1999 Pontiac Montana.  And they'd all more or less cost me what it would cost to fix my Previa.

So what should I do?

Mundane Monday

It was such an incredibly loooooooooong day at work.  I had a few things to do, but they were very mundane, boring things.  I completed them, but it was rather hard to do.  In my job, it's either feast or famine ... I'm either swamped or have nothing to do.  I'd much prefer keeping busy!

Sorry for the boring post, but it fits for today.

Temptation

Today's service was about Temptation.  What struck me the most was Pastor Guy saying God does not tempt us.  The devil does not tempt is.  It is our own desires that tempt us.  And when we turn our back on God and let this desire make us forget all the blessings we have already received, that's when it turns into a sin.  Pastor Guy also said that God will never put us in a situation that is too much to bear.  He always watches over us and believes in us to make the right decision.

This makes my work situation on Friday a bit clearer - I could have denied that I come in late and try to start ripping on the 3 nosey nellys, but where would that have gotten me?  It would have made me seem childish and/or vindictive.

Two weeks ago, Pastor Guy spoke to us about Forgiveness.  About forgiving those who have hurt us, will help our spirits grow.  To treat these people like our brothers and sisters.  So, knowing that God believes in me and knows that I can overcome this, I will go to work and treat them like my sister.  I will still be kind and helpful, and squash any bitterness I may feel, because I do this to honor Him.

Relief

My mom is on a plane heading west.  It was a huge relief to drop her off at the airport ... she'll be back in May for 3 weeks or so, but we're going to enjoy every minute until then. 

You know, as much as I hate to say it, Mom was right, though.  My kids can use a good dose of discipline to learn better manners and respect, but I'm going to do it my way.

Nothing huge planned for today, I have a couple of high school kids coming to help me demolish shelving in the basement, then several people from Freecycle are coming to pick up some stuff that I'm giving away.  I really dislike clutter, and am not a "Buy it because it's on sale and hope one day I'll use it" kind of person.  I buy what I need.  Okay, I do buy stuff that I want, but there's always a use to it.  I rarely make frivolous purchases - quite frankly, I can't afford myself *LOL*  I need a sugar daddy!

What the?

I got an email from our VP of Administration today asking me if I was having problems with my schedule because I come in late and leave early.  I was like "what the ...?"  The weird thing is my Director and VP of MY department have no issues, because if I do come in late, I make up the time at lunch. 

There were several rash actions that flew into my head, but taking the eternal perspective, I admitted that I come in late, and promised that it wouldn't happen again (as long as I could help it).  As with every single business office out there, there are some people with certain attitudes and personalities that drive you wild.  I know exactly which 3 complained, and trust me, they surely aren't in any position to cast stones.

The old me would have gone immediately on the offensive, but you know what, it's not worth it.  The fact is that I do come in late occaisionally, and I need to own up to that.  Forget everything else, and focus on making sure I never have to get reprimanded for that again.  Ever.

WW

Well, we did it!  Noreen and I signed up for Weight Watchers today!  I weighed in at *takes a deep breath* 220.6 lbs ... I feel a bit grossed out, but it's just a starting point!  And if I stick to my diet and fitness plan, I won't go any higher than that!

Mom's still here, and she's crabby, so I'm gonna out hang out with the kids in the basement :)

LOST

LOST rocks!  Tonite's show was great ... from seeing how Jack "lost" his wife, to Hurley getting it on with Libby (in his dreams), to Sawyer getting all protective of Kate, to the confrontation with the "others", to Jack wanting to start an army.  I can't get enough of it!  Noreen called me during the middle of LOST and I told her to call back *L*  Pathetic, aren't I?

Today was an okay day, nothing major happened, just the usual work, kids, home issues.  I've been doing way too much shopping on ebay lately.  Last week, I was on a DVD kick, and found this great ebay seller, and wound up buying 21 DVDs for $80.  This week, I found another great ebay seller and am buying italian charms like crazy.  I just can't see spending $15 in a store for just 1 charm, when I can go on ebay and buy 15 charms for $15.  It's crazy!

Ho hum

I have a few things to blog about, but am too tired.  I'll try to come back and edit this post tomorrow.

Rejected by the IRS!!

I just logged onto Turbo Tax to check on the e-filing status of my 2005 Tax Return, and it was rejected!  And all due to the simple transposing of the 2 and 7 in my 2005 Adjusted Gross Income.  Man, they're good!  *LOL*

So I've corrected the error and re-e-filed it.  Hopefully, this time tomorrow, my return will have been accepted, and my refund will be on it's merry-little-direct-deposit way into my savings account.  Don't they know I have plans for my refund? 

I'll probably get a lecture from someone about giving the government an interest-free loan.  But you know what?  This is the only way I can save money throughout the year.  I do deposit money each payday into a savings account, but heck - I'm the sole supporter for myself and my 3 children.  I don't get child support, nor do I qualify for food stamps, so this is it, baby!  There's always something that comes up, and I need to tap into my savings account.  With a tax refund, I can always expect a certain amount of money each February.  I use a bit to pay off outstanding bills, and usually splurge a bit. 

This year, I have to use a chunk of it to fix my 1992 Toyota Previa.  I bought it in October from my co-worker's brother for $5.  Yep, you read right, five dollars!  I was forewarned that it needed a new radiator and body work in the front due to a minor fender bender with the van versus and concrete pole (which is still standing, by the way).  But heck, $5?  Even if the repairs cost me $2,000, I'm still ahead of the game!  The rest of the body work is immaculate, as well as the interior of the van.  And for a 14-year old van, it only has 130K miles - but most of those are yearly road trips to Florida.

I'm also taking the kids to the Great Wolf Lodge for an overnight on Good Friday.  We started an Easter weekend tradition of going to the Wisconsin Dells when we first moved to Wisconsin, but weren't able to go last year.  I found a promotion code in the recent Family Fun magazine for a really good rate at the Lodge, so I booked it right away.  After Mom's incredibly long visit (6 days left!), we definitely deserve a vacation!