friday fill-ins

1. Up, up and away.

2. There's always something going around

3. Coats and scarves, mittens and boots: should not be part of my wardrobe.

4. I would do anything for a nice back rub.

5. I'm thinking about how much I wish I was going to see John more this weekend.

6. Spring be here soon!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing John after the basketball game, tomorrow my plans include being sad when I'm alone in my bed and Sunday, I want to have extra time with John, since we don't have choir!

simplification.

i just listened to a podcast from one of my favorite bloggers, tranquility du jour. it was a podcast on simplification. i am now very inspired to simplify my life, especially my stuff! i am a single girl living in a 3 bedroom house FULL of stuff. like... stuff pouring out of everywhere. i've often thought about how in the world i would combine households with a man in the future, if i get married. like... let's say i marry john and move to his house. where the heck would all my stuff go? he has a house of stuff and i have a house of stuff and there's just not room for all of it! but more importantly, the stuff just does not bring me happiness! in fact, it just creates more stress. the more stuff i have, the more time i have to spend cleaning and taking care of all the stuff! i have so much clothing that i can go weeks without doing laundry. and even then, my closetS are still full of clothing. there are 4 closets in my house (not including the linen closest) and ALL of them contain some portion of my wardrobe. besides that, i have a LARGE pile of clothing in the hallway and another in my office, waiting to be donated to the goodwill. i'm just tired of the stuff. i want to streamline. i want to stop buying more and more and more thinking it will make me happier. i want to have enough money for the things i honestly need without having to work more, taking more time away from doing things i love and spending time with the people i love. just this morning i was considering taking on some voice or piano students to make a little extra cash, but i would be giving up time i would like to spend with john, family, and friends. i think my time is more valuable than the stuff i would buy with the extra money i made. if i cut out all the stupid excess spending, i wouldn't need to work more and i would still have money for what i need. i could pay off my debts and feel free. john and i were watching a show about money last night and were talking about how they say you should have 3 months worth of living expenses in savings "just in case." and john said he's heard that you shouldn't buy a house unless you have 6 months worth!! we're both screwed if we even miss one month's paycheck. we can't survive like that, especially if we were to get married and have children. we can't afford kids at this rate. the other day i heard suze orman on oprah talking to the octomom about how she shouldn't have had kids that she can't afford. i hadn't really considered it before, but it's true- i can't just decide how many kids i want based on my desires and feelings, i also have to base it on how much money i have. will i be able to responsibly afford 3 kids? i know that combining salaries with my future husband and combining our living expenses will help have some expendable cash for making a family... but how large our family will be IS based on what we can afford! john and i both have medical conditions that will not be going away and will only get more complicated as we get older. there will have to be money for that. we're already facing medical bills that we don't feel we can afford. i'm hoping that by simplifying what i think i have to have, i will be able to afford what i need and what kind of life i see for myself in the future.

speaking of a waste of money, last christmas michael gave me a gift certificate to the spa for a facial, massage, pedicure, and manicure. unfortunately i never clalled to make the appt and it expired and now they won't let me use it. boo on mint julep.