Hello Everyone!
Just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day :)
I know I have been absent (again). Just a lot going on. Still recovering with my achilles, lots of money stress, J thinking about going back to Afghanistan, my Mother-In-Law is currently visiting (more stress), work stress....so, lots of stress.
I hope to get back into it again here soon. Just so much going on, I just don't know when.
I still hang around your blogs and enjoy reading them all :)
Hope you all had a great day!
December 26, 2012
November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving
Been a while again, but just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
I am thankful for all of you who continue to come here to push us on :)
I am thankful for all of you who continue to come here to push us on :)
November 7, 2012
Feeling Blah
I love my job. I really do.
But some days I really dislike the fact that no matter how I am feeling, I have to be there. I'm 'essential'.
Plus, with me having to go on Short Term Disability with my surgery, I have little to no sick time, and the time that I am accumulating will have to be used next week on my scheduled sick day.
I really don't feel well today. Tired, sneezing, stuffy, no appetite. Just BLAH.
I know a lot of you are probably thinking 'If you're sick don't go, you'll get everyone sick'. And I agree. But I probably got this from someone at work, because again, we're essential and are required to be there at all costs....even if it means getting everyone around you sick. It's the one thing that causes a lot of tension and contension at work.
Now, on the other hand, last week during "Sandy" we were put on Reduced Operations and because we ARE essential, I got paid double time and a half for being at work that day. It'll be a nice paycheck next week.
But right now....BLAH.
I just hope today is quiet.
But some days I really dislike the fact that no matter how I am feeling, I have to be there. I'm 'essential'.
Plus, with me having to go on Short Term Disability with my surgery, I have little to no sick time, and the time that I am accumulating will have to be used next week on my scheduled sick day.
I really don't feel well today. Tired, sneezing, stuffy, no appetite. Just BLAH.
I know a lot of you are probably thinking 'If you're sick don't go, you'll get everyone sick'. And I agree. But I probably got this from someone at work, because again, we're essential and are required to be there at all costs....even if it means getting everyone around you sick. It's the one thing that causes a lot of tension and contension at work.
Now, on the other hand, last week during "Sandy" we were put on Reduced Operations and because we ARE essential, I got paid double time and a half for being at work that day. It'll be a nice paycheck next week.
But right now....BLAH.
I just hope today is quiet.
November 6, 2012
Hello November!
Wow, where to begin, so much has been going on.
My achilles is doing really well. I go back for my 6 week post-cast follow up on November 15. I was put into a walking boot on October 1 and to be honest, once I realized that I could walk again and I felt comfortable, I started wearing the boot only when I was going out or at work.
At home I have been walking around like normal (or semi-normal). Walking down stairs was slow, but now I can bend my foot and actually go one step at a time.
I still have no strength in my foot, so no tippy-toes yet. I hope to start physio here soon and build up my calf muscle again.
When I last left off, Murphy had paid a visit with the furnace and thankfully it was an easy fix with only the news that we may want to start looking at replacing it in the near future.
Well, Murphy has decided that he's not done with us yet.
We have 2 Electrical outlets that don't work. One of them is located outside on the front of the house. I am going to need these soon for Christmas lights. So we will put in a trade call for that.
Our Fridge is leaking. We have a giant pool of water at the bottom of the fridge that if left, makes the fridge run warmer. The icemaker is also leaking and makes for a really cool ice sculpter, but not so good for the freezer. Another $100 trade call.
And finally, when we were looking at the furnace (when it wasn't working) one of the downstacks for the rough-in bathroom downstairs has evidence of leaking. How did I know? I grabbed the stack and it was nasty, sticky, and you can see 'dried' evidence of leaks. Gross? Yes. Not a huge deal, as it wasn't wet so we were waiting on that trade call. Well the waiting is over. We bought a nice new dining room set on Sunday and when I was setting up the Afghan rug J brought home from deployment I happened to look up. And saw this:
It is right below where our master bathroom toilet is. So most likely the wax ring needs replacement. But so will the ceiling that is damaged, because I do not want any mold or nastiness living there.
So, another $100 trade call. We'll knock this out here in the next few days.
This month will probably fly by just like the rest of the year has.
Next week will be a nice short week for me. Thursday my dr. appointment, Friday Saturday and Sunday J and I will be meeting my parents in Atlantic City for the weekend. J and I went up there in October for a night. We didn't win, but we didn't spend more than we had planned to 'lose'. I think we did ok though. Our rooms for this month at Caesar's are comped and we have RFB (Room, Food and Beverage). Essentially, our room, any food and drink are also comped.
Not only that, but we planned to go to Las Vegas next April for my birthday. Our room at Paris is also comped for 5 nights already. This is based on 1 night of play. We must have done something right....or wrong LOL
Wish us luck!
My achilles is doing really well. I go back for my 6 week post-cast follow up on November 15. I was put into a walking boot on October 1 and to be honest, once I realized that I could walk again and I felt comfortable, I started wearing the boot only when I was going out or at work.
At home I have been walking around like normal (or semi-normal). Walking down stairs was slow, but now I can bend my foot and actually go one step at a time.
I still have no strength in my foot, so no tippy-toes yet. I hope to start physio here soon and build up my calf muscle again.
When I last left off, Murphy had paid a visit with the furnace and thankfully it was an easy fix with only the news that we may want to start looking at replacing it in the near future.
Well, Murphy has decided that he's not done with us yet.
We have 2 Electrical outlets that don't work. One of them is located outside on the front of the house. I am going to need these soon for Christmas lights. So we will put in a trade call for that.
Our Fridge is leaking. We have a giant pool of water at the bottom of the fridge that if left, makes the fridge run warmer. The icemaker is also leaking and makes for a really cool ice sculpter, but not so good for the freezer. Another $100 trade call.
And finally, when we were looking at the furnace (when it wasn't working) one of the downstacks for the rough-in bathroom downstairs has evidence of leaking. How did I know? I grabbed the stack and it was nasty, sticky, and you can see 'dried' evidence of leaks. Gross? Yes. Not a huge deal, as it wasn't wet so we were waiting on that trade call. Well the waiting is over. We bought a nice new dining room set on Sunday and when I was setting up the Afghan rug J brought home from deployment I happened to look up. And saw this:
It is right below where our master bathroom toilet is. So most likely the wax ring needs replacement. But so will the ceiling that is damaged, because I do not want any mold or nastiness living there.
So, another $100 trade call. We'll knock this out here in the next few days.
This month will probably fly by just like the rest of the year has.
Next week will be a nice short week for me. Thursday my dr. appointment, Friday Saturday and Sunday J and I will be meeting my parents in Atlantic City for the weekend. J and I went up there in October for a night. We didn't win, but we didn't spend more than we had planned to 'lose'. I think we did ok though. Our rooms for this month at Caesar's are comped and we have RFB (Room, Food and Beverage). Essentially, our room, any food and drink are also comped.
Not only that, but we planned to go to Las Vegas next April for my birthday. Our room at Paris is also comped for 5 nights already. This is based on 1 night of play. We must have done something right....or wrong LOL
Wish us luck!
October 9, 2012
Who Invited This Murphy Guy????
 |
| Not our furnace/AC but looks very similar! |
On Sunday we returned from Gettysburg after having a nice day up there. It was cold, and rainy and when we came inside, it was 65deg. We decided to take a bit of the cold and dampness out, we would turn the heat on.
Heat turned on, and the furnace would not turn over or ignite. The motor would run, just no heat.
Great. We tried a couple of 'fixes' we found on the interwebs but nothing, nada, no heat.
Thank goodness when we bought the home, a Home Warrenty was included. It's $100 deductible per trade call. Put in the service request at 9pm and by 8am the next morning we had the company that would be providing service.
Instead of waiting for them to call us, I called them. I Was COLD. Sleeping was fun. It was a lot colder than 65deg upstairs and it did get into the 30s that night.
They put us on a urgent list, but the earliest they could get in was today.
The tech has come and gone. And I have heat. The Pressure Switch went on it.
Apparently, our furnace is crap, and is only good for about 10 years. The house is 7 years old.
Yay.
We asked for a quote for a replacement, a TRANE. Right now, if we go with the same capacity that we have now, it would be $5700 which includes a $1500 rebate and all labor.
We may do this in the Spring....but knowing that the system sucks, and that we've only lived here for 7 months sucks too.
Oh well, Welcome to Homeownership!
October 6, 2012
Lump Sum Delegation
So the $8444 showed up yesterday morning along with my paycheck (which was more this payday than last....I think it was due to meeting my 'time off' requirement for short term disability and was actually close to what *I* thought it was going to be here) and a transfer of $3000 from ING to put into the certificate of 4%.
Of the $8444, I moved $1400 to the Custom Club for our Cruise and Disney vacation making that fully funded. I sent $500 to my parents and we paid off some of the little debts that we had accumulated.
May as well start somewhere again.
The rest has been put into savings for now until we make hard decisions on what to do with it.
The remainder that is left of the lump sum is $5869
I know I have been off work since August 21 and I go back to work on Tuesday, but I cannot wait for our vacation. Now that it is fully funded of over $5000 (and I may just add more for fun before we go in January...can never have too much!) and the Cruise has been 'paid for' since last February when I got my bonus for work. Just waiting until we get closer to the Final Payment Date to pay that with Norwegian Cruise Line. I'll post more on the vacation here soon on what we're doing and where we're staying :)
But right now.....
Sitting around all day has not been fun. Very much NOT a vacation.
I am slowly getting back on my feet. Still very painful though.
Hope you all have a great weekend, if you have Columbus Day off enjoy it, and if you're Canadian, HAPPY THANKSGIVING (HAPPY TURKEY DAY!) Normally I cook a Turkey down here, but it's just too much with my foot out of action.
Of the $8444, I moved $1400 to the Custom Club for our Cruise and Disney vacation making that fully funded. I sent $500 to my parents and we paid off some of the little debts that we had accumulated.
May as well start somewhere again.
The rest has been put into savings for now until we make hard decisions on what to do with it.
The remainder that is left of the lump sum is $5869
I know I have been off work since August 21 and I go back to work on Tuesday, but I cannot wait for our vacation. Now that it is fully funded of over $5000 (and I may just add more for fun before we go in January...can never have too much!) and the Cruise has been 'paid for' since last February when I got my bonus for work. Just waiting until we get closer to the Final Payment Date to pay that with Norwegian Cruise Line. I'll post more on the vacation here soon on what we're doing and where we're staying :)
But right now.....
Sitting around all day has not been fun. Very much NOT a vacation.
I am slowly getting back on my feet. Still very painful though.
Hope you all have a great weekend, if you have Columbus Day off enjoy it, and if you're Canadian, HAPPY THANKSGIVING (HAPPY TURKEY DAY!) Normally I cook a Turkey down here, but it's just too much with my foot out of action.
October 4, 2012
Income Increase and Achilles Update
The cast is OFF! YAY! Except I can't put full weight on my leg yet. The surgeon was all gung-ho about me walking in a walking boot and not using my walker/crutches. I went to take a step and OUCH!!!!! Uh, no. Still need the crutches to support me walking. I am trying each day to put weight on it, but it's pretty frustrating.
I know it's going to take time, but to go one day walking (even with the chronic pain), to no weight at all for close to 6 weeks and then to 'walking' again and not being able to stinks.
Plus, my calf muscle has atrophied so much that I can't tell you how long it's been since I saw my leg that skinny! lol. It also means I have no strength.
Time will tell how I do.
On a happier note, J finally got his VA Benefits all squared away!
In May 2010 we filed for his benefits for disability (which he should have done when he got out of the Navy in 1997...c'est la vie). In June 2011 they said, yes, you have Tinnitus and we'll give you a 10% disability rating (which is $127/month as of right now), but since you didn't 'show up' for your appt at the VA hospital for your shoulder claim, it's DENIED.
Well, we never received an appointment for his shoulder. We sent the appeal back (which you have to do within a year or you have to start over) and told them that J would be in Afghanistan but would be back in Oct - Nov 2011 and to please reschedule the appointment.
Literally a week after J went back to Afghanistan they sent the appointment date. *le sigh*
So, me being his Power of Attorney, I called to cancel the appointment with the VA Hospital, who told me "when he gets back, just have the local office reschedule".
Sounds easy right? WRONG.
A couple of months later we got another letter stating it was DENIED because he didn't show up again. *LE SIGH*
Another appeal letter stating what had happened and that we 'respectfully requested another appointment when he returned after May 2012".
They FINALLY got it right.
He had his appointment in August, and the doctor agreed that J's shoulder was not right since his injury and surgery by the Navy in 1996.
We got the news yesterday that his disability rating has increased from 10% - 30% which means that he also gets a dependant rating for me (yay for being married! lol).
So instead of $127/month it will now be $435/month. We also have a pending deposit for the backpay all the way back to May 2010 (minus any pay he's already received) of $8,444.
J and I need to have a 'chat' tonight on what to allocate the funds to.
Since we have debt again, we need to discuss where it will go.
We have already decided a few things. J will get some 'fun money' since technically it is 'his' money (although I did all the work for it :P), we will finish out our 'vacation/cruise' money for January, and we will put some into the 4% certificate that we opened a couple of weeks ago.
We will also send some to my parents who loaned us some money when we first got married to help out. There's never been a written "you must pay us back or else" but today, my mom assumed that we are 'in a position to pay them back' now.....and we're not really, but they don't know that.
But that's another story for another time.
I know it's going to take time, but to go one day walking (even with the chronic pain), to no weight at all for close to 6 weeks and then to 'walking' again and not being able to stinks.
Plus, my calf muscle has atrophied so much that I can't tell you how long it's been since I saw my leg that skinny! lol. It also means I have no strength.
Time will tell how I do.
On a happier note, J finally got his VA Benefits all squared away!
In May 2010 we filed for his benefits for disability (which he should have done when he got out of the Navy in 1997...c'est la vie). In June 2011 they said, yes, you have Tinnitus and we'll give you a 10% disability rating (which is $127/month as of right now), but since you didn't 'show up' for your appt at the VA hospital for your shoulder claim, it's DENIED.
Well, we never received an appointment for his shoulder. We sent the appeal back (which you have to do within a year or you have to start over) and told them that J would be in Afghanistan but would be back in Oct - Nov 2011 and to please reschedule the appointment.
Literally a week after J went back to Afghanistan they sent the appointment date. *le sigh*
So, me being his Power of Attorney, I called to cancel the appointment with the VA Hospital, who told me "when he gets back, just have the local office reschedule".
Sounds easy right? WRONG.
A couple of months later we got another letter stating it was DENIED because he didn't show up again. *LE SIGH*
Another appeal letter stating what had happened and that we 'respectfully requested another appointment when he returned after May 2012".
They FINALLY got it right.
He had his appointment in August, and the doctor agreed that J's shoulder was not right since his injury and surgery by the Navy in 1996.
We got the news yesterday that his disability rating has increased from 10% - 30% which means that he also gets a dependant rating for me (yay for being married! lol).
So instead of $127/month it will now be $435/month. We also have a pending deposit for the backpay all the way back to May 2010 (minus any pay he's already received) of $8,444.
J and I need to have a 'chat' tonight on what to allocate the funds to.
Since we have debt again, we need to discuss where it will go.
We have already decided a few things. J will get some 'fun money' since technically it is 'his' money (although I did all the work for it :P), we will finish out our 'vacation/cruise' money for January, and we will put some into the 4% certificate that we opened a couple of weeks ago.
We will also send some to my parents who loaned us some money when we first got married to help out. There's never been a written "you must pay us back or else" but today, my mom assumed that we are 'in a position to pay them back' now.....and we're not really, but they don't know that.
But that's another story for another time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)