Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Just a Thought....

Today I spent over two hours dealing with the Texas Workforce Commission, who is the agency responsible for unemployment benefits. I haven't been collecting any since I got back from Indiana, and have been playing games and getting tossed around from one division to the next. I ground my foot into the sand today though and I refused to budge. Like I told the lady I was on the phone with, "I hate to come across as rude or aggressive, but I'm tired of not getting answers. I want a solution today." Surprise, surprise... it happened! I'm excited (of course!) and am looking forward to the return of our supplemental income. Major Frog Swallowed Today.

And just a P.S.-
My good friend from college, Neil Dilorenzo, is in Dallas tonight for work. "DiLo" and I both took 5 years to graduate with our degrees in petroleum engineering. After, I moved to Dallas and he went to get his masters in engineering at Texas A&M. When Layne and I were in Paris in 2007, we were able to meet up with Neil who was spending the semester studying abroad there. He currently lives in Houston and is working for Chevron. Our department in college was small. We knew everyone we graduated with, and we spent an insane amount of time together. When we weren't in class, we all studied together. And when we weren't studying, you'd find us drinking away our blues. We all got to know each other well. Neil attended our wedding in January, so tonight is exciting. I love spending quality time with friends, and I love when people in my life get to know Layne better too. And to top it all off, we're going get Sushi! Life is Good.

Monday, January 25, 2010

2010 Is Underway!

Layne and I started off the New Year with big expectations for ourselves, and have enjoyed getting new routines into place as we start off a new year.

After successfully finishing our first year of marriage, Layne and I decided that we are definitely in it for the long haul and have renewed our "contracts." We want to celebrate our 50th Anniversary together in January 2059, so being healthy and taking care of ourself needs to be more of a priority. Layne is rocking this one. We both joined Weight Watchers again. I'm not seeing the results I want yet, but Layne is! Congratulations to my husband who has already lost 10 lbs in less than a month. Layne is great about getting over to the gym before work in the morning... I'm going to get better, I swear.

Another change- we're going to be bilingual. Layne and I went ahead and gave each other Rosetta Stone for Christmas, and I love my gift. We decided to purchase Spanish for Latin America, and I have nothing but praise for the program. I've finished my first full lesson after two weeks, and am blown away by what I have learned and the process with which I am gathering and retaining information. The highlight of my experience so far was when Layne and I were watching the Roddick vs. Gonzalez match at the Australian Open, and I could understand a sentence the line judge spoke to Gonzalez. Rocked my world...hehe!

And I'm going back to school. Wohoo! I love the classroom, and with my husbands support and an acceptance letter, I'll be a full time student for the summer semester. I've decided to apply to several schools in the metroplex, but the leading candidate right now is definitely the University of North Texas. I'm looking into the difference between my MBA and Masters in Finance. It's a career change I'm excited about, and I'm really looking forward to what the fuure holds. Layne and I are going to an information session this weekend, so I'll have more to share soon.

And the biggest update... we are moving! We don't know where, and don't know how soon we can get ready, but our house is going to be on the market soon! With me going back to school, Layne and I have decided that it will be a good change. With our renovations, our realtor feels we can turn it for a profit. We'll use that money to pay off our debt (Vacation 2010?) and help us out until I'm back working full time. We had our first "consultation" with Brina this weekend, and I've got a to do list filled with action items like I've never had before. And for someone who lives off of her lists, that's a big deal. Ask for the excel spreadsheet if you don't believe me. :) Those are the tasks we're focusing on right now, and it's going to keep up busy for the next few weeks. We've never been sellers before, so please feel free to inundate us with suggestions!