Your Monthly Update

I know I haven't kept up here, but it has been quite the month. We spent the better part of it grappling with car issues--trying to sell Ryan's Jeep, and purchase something more fuel-efficient and therefore cheaper for him to drive the 45-mile one-way trip to work each day. His cousin Kevin agreed to sell us his '02 Saturn, for only the cost of what he still owed, which is a GREAT deal that we were really excited about. We even found a buyer for the Jeep, which we didn't think we'd be able to do, given how NOT fuel-efficient they are (and we'd only just listed it when Katrina hit and drove the gas prices up well over $3/gal). But the credit union kept making us jump through hoops....mistakes were made on both ends....thankfully everyone else involved was gracious and patient, but we've been pulling out hair out trying to get it all taken care of. And today, at last, it is finished. The check will be on our doorstep tomorrow morning. Praise all that is holy and good in the universe.

The nice thing is, all the work we did put us in even better financial shape than we had hoped to be. Our credit's cleared up a great deal, we have a lot fewer monthly payments, and the car payment dropped significantly--not to mention how much we'll save on gas now. Who knew? I for one am just pleased to have it over (although I did cry when we handed over the keys to the Jeep last night....Shawn and Jenny are wonderful people who I know we'll see again....but that car has meant more to me than a car ever has, I think.....a symbol of the Ryan I first met, the guy who was pleasantly different, who drove a weird, square car and waved at other people who drove weird, square cars).

This, of course, has to all come to a head this week, when I have a packet due (notice how I'm only ever blogging when I have a packet due? LOL). That also got finished tonight. This is perhaps the best packet I have turned in though--ever. I can't remember ever being so emotionally involved with my work, except during residencies. I think part of the change is that we bought a laptop used from someone I know, and it has changed my whole writing world. I take it with me everywhere....which means I can write everywhere....it just feels so deliberate, I love it! My favorite thing right now is to take it with me to Water Street (coffee shop) and curl up on their comfy couches and read and write for hours. Maybe get a nice Italian soda or something to drink, maybe even a snack (they have yummy desserts). It's just that much easier to throw myself into my work.....I just feel like a sponge, I read so diligently now (more than before, anyway) and write so passionately. I don't know what's come over me, it can't just be the laptop! ;)

We did have a slight mishap about a week and a half ago that involved an emergency room trip for Ryan....he cut off a chunk of his thumb with a knife as he was chopping onions for dinner. That was interesting, to say the least. To see a piece of thumb on a cutting board. This led to all kinds of jokes later, about how the meal was no longer vegetarian (we were making stuffed peppers for Stef) and questions about whether the cats would eat it if we offered it to them (the answer probably would be yes). So now he has a very large bandage on his thumb and I have to do the dishes for at least another week or two. Greeeeeeaaat.