I Feel Lighter Today

The weight is starting to lift off our financial shoulders. 2005 was the year to recover from the wedding and get our lives completely meshed. It took a while to get my spending habits and Josh's spending habits synced. Sometimes they still aren't. Also, we had to start to figure out how to pay off the mass amount of debt Josh piled up in college. He was paying minimums and not getting anywhere. His money was a HUGE taboo until we got married. He often felt like I was snooping and that it was none of my business. When it came close to the wedding he finally came clean. We made some smart decisions and consolidated a lot of it and paid off the smaller balances. So besides store cards with don't always have a balance, we had 2 cards with the money on them. I also saw the end of the tunnel on my car loan and started paying almost double the payment to get rid of it sooner.

All was well and good until I went on leave which happened to be the same time as Christmas. Then the nightmare of not getting my disability happened and we had to dip into our savings to make ends meet. I had to sell stock to pay the bills for February. It wasn't pleasant. It was just an incentive to really pay off all the debt that we can and to save, save, save.

I FINALLY received the check from my disability back pay that I was waiting for. We were able to put the money back into our savings that we took out to pay our bills while I was off. The check was also sizeable enough to pay off the balance of my car loan and leave us a little extra.

Here is the financial plan: Use our tax returns and my bonus to pay off Josh's card. Then we will use his bonus + 1 or 2 months payment to pay off my card. Then all the debt that we have is school and 1 car loans. Paying only that AND our monthly bills we should be able to save up enough so that next year around this time with our savings, tax returns and bonuses we should have a nice down payment so that we can buy a house. That is the goal. I have been wanting to buy a house since before we got married. We just had to pay things off first. I want to be able to afford a house that we don't have to completely remodel when we move in. I want to be able to paint and buy window treatments and still be able to afford furniture to fill the house. I know the financial responsibility of home ownership and being an adult is great. I want to go into it as prepared as you can be. I don't want to have my children see the money struggle the way we saw my parents. I have waited this long for my house I can wait another year can't I?

Nap Time

I am so tired I don't know what to do with myself. Since I have been back to work I have been wiped out everyday. Being at the pool 3 times a week tends to wear me out. This is my pool workout:
15 minutes water walking
10 minutes skipping
8-10 minutes side lunges with wings (walking sideways, not crossing legs, wings are to provide resistance)
3 reps of 20 step-downs/leg
2 reps of 20 hip side to sides (in and outs)
5 reps/leg of balancing on one leg for 30 seconds

Then the other 4 days a week I do these at home:
2 reps of 15 bridges with squeezing ball between my knees.
5 reps of balancing on L leg for 20 sec
3 reps of 10 side steps with resistance band around ankles
2 reps of 10/leg skaters touch (touch backs) with resistance band around ankles
3 reps of 8 side leg lifts with resistance band around knees
10 reps of tummy suckers holding 10 secs/lift. These suckers are hard if not damn near impossible.

I have piles of books to read no wonder I can't get to them huh? Things are getting easier, but I am definitely keeping busy with it all. The bonus is that between all the pool stuff and not snacking so much at work I am starting to lose weight again. I pretty much maintained my weight (within 5lbs) while I was off. Which I am proud of, but now I am at the low end of what I was right after surgery.

RENT

I really liked RENT! I liked it a lot! I love the rock n' roll soundtrack! I thought that it was touching and funny. I really enjoyed the performance. I am glad that I went to see it! My complaints have more to do with the Overture center. We were sitting in the second row from the top. So, not that great of seats. I don't know if it is the way the music should be or if they were having technical difficulties but you often times couldn't understand the singers or even hear them over the background music. Therefore it was hard to understand the plot at times. We got together at the end of the performance and were able to put the plot together. Now that I understand the plot I am going to see the movie and see how it compares and to fill in any things that we missed. I bought the soundtrack (could only find the movie version) from Wal-Mart this morning on the way to work. I really enjoyed the songs and thought that I should own the soundtrack. Being able to hear and understand the words I appreciate the music even more.

Off to the Theatre

I am attending my first broadway musical tonight and I am WAY excited! Some co-workers and I are going to see RENT tonight at the Overture Center. It has been a long day of waiting and working. I don't think that I can put into words. I am off to re-curl my hair and touch up my make up! I will give you a report tomorrow.

Frustration

Today I had my 3rd therapy appointment with my new therapist, who I will only have for one more appointment. She is leaving the beginning of March, she is an intern and that is when her internship ends. Then I will have to switch to the guy who helped to evaluate me. He seems very kind and easy spoken. I don't need someone who is harsh.

My frustration has nothing to do with my therapist, I have found at the therapists I have had wonderful and supportive. I don't think that I could have asked for anyone better. The problem is my body. Since I have developed as I have and walk the way I have for so long I am getting frustrated at it. I have problems with my toes pointing out all the time. Now my hips aren't aligned straight. I have REALLY had to work on my stomach muscles!!! Talk about HARD! I think that I am going to have a 6 pack by the time I am done with this.

I am beginning to be frustrated at my lack of progress. I have progressed pretty regularly. My therapists have always been pleased with my progress. I was able to show them weekly how much better I have become. Now I don't make enough progress in a week, I have to go every other week. I know that I should see it as look how far I have come. It just means that we are getting to the fine tuning. Which is great! As many of you know the fine tuning is often the hardest part because you have to tinker and prod and poke and try and figure out what to do to make it all run as it originally did. You tinkerers know the frustration I feel it is only worse because it isn't an engine or car, it is your body, you use it for everything. If it doesn't run right you know.