And Then I Found 20 Dollars........

About two Fridays ago, a bunch of us girls got together at the Sullivan's for a girls nite. We had all sorts of fun and games. We did each other hair, nails, and feet. We watched Anne of Green Gables and had a night spent in luxury and laughs. Hannah and Emma were entranced with bubbles and "spa" treatment.

I had brought pizza and Tonya (mom) had reimbursed me $20.00 for the expense. Having no pockets on my PJ's (which were a requirement of the evening) I stuck the 20 in my shoe. Later after getting home, I looked in my shoe and didn't find the 20. I took out the insoles and still no 20 appeared. I checked all my stuff, car and pockets to make sure I didn't accidentally move it--still no luck. I called Tonya and let her know about my missing cash. She and Sarah looked over the house and yard--no 20 either.

I am currently running my budget off of a cash based envelope system. So not having the twenty cut me a little short in my food envelope but I was determined to make it work. Fortunately God intervened and I found $20 in an old purse I hadn't used in a while. So I replaced the missing 20 with the 20 I found and lived off of that for a week....Amazing how God provides when you let Him.

Exactly a week later, I had use all but $1.00 of my providentially provided $$. I went over to Lana's house and took off my shoes. Ten minutes later another friend, Bekah shows up bends down, picks up a flat $20.00, and asks, "Whose is this?" I was stunned--It was my original $20.00. What was amazing was that I had worn those shoes all week and the money never showed up. God's timing is always Amazing..........

Adventure in the Park

Tonight was so neat....when I got off of work I had NO agenda....I usually have some sort of activity or some chore that has to be done after work. Today....NOTHING. The possibilities were endless. I could be responsible and go pay bills and finish some homework but it is such a nice GORGEOUS day that it shouldn't be wasted on such details.

So I decided to go geocaching. Jeremy has been giving me such a hard time about only have claimed one cache in my profile that I finally decided to remedy the situation. So I call my friend, Rebekah and invite her along. Since it gets dark so early we decided to hit the park next door to my house..............

We get to the coordinates and begin looking around. There are a couple of trees with tall grass and thorn bushes around them. The cache has got to be in there....so we go stomping and digging on our hands and knees trying to find anything out of the ordinary. Bekah picks up a stick and starts digging and prodding with it. It's a wonder we didn't dig up the trees. Unfortunately it got too dark to continue looking and we had massacred the place....time to go back and consult the web page to see if the cache had been found recently. It is an older cache in the area. So we headed towards the house.....

On the way we found a neighbor's tree who has fun shaped pinecones that Bekah fell in love with. We stopped and picked some up. We need pinecones for decorating tables at her wedding in December. So we each grabbed a few. Then I remember that not far up the street is a great tree that has majestic pinecones that Patty found a few years ago. So we drop the pinecones off at her car on the way up the street. As we pass this one house on the corner Bekah notices these small cute itty-bitty pinecones. She is so excited and the next thing you know both her and I are in the bushes digging out the mini cones. Of course true to form both of our heads are in the bushes and our bottoms are facing the street. (For those of you who don't know Bekah, her and I come from the same graceful lady like mold:)) We ended up having to run back to the house to grab a bag and flashlights to go collect our new found treasures. About an hour later we had collected a whole bag full of mini pinecones. Unfortunately we had also collected a whole jacket/jeans full of sap. And of course the car seat where we stuck the pinecones was sappy too. Now what? Call Mom....she always has the answers. Mom of course once again comes in and saves the day. Thanks Mom! I would be sappy without you!

P.s. The answer to getting sap out of car seats and clothes is rubbing alcohol. I just saved you a phone call.

Welcome Home Bernie

Today has been a very fun Saturday. I went to my Financial Peace Class this morning and learned all about investments. Some of the factoids that I learned are:
1. You should never buy something you don't understand~this includes investments. You should be able to explain it to a 7th grader.
2. An investment broker should have the heart and patience of a teacher. They should be able to help you understand what you are purchasing.
3. If you plan on taking the money out in less than 5 years it's called savings. Investments are long term commitments.
4. Your investments should get more than 6% annually to stay ahead of taxes and inflation.
5. The average investor makes a 7% return on single stock portfolio with a very high degree of risk.
6. 70% to 90% of all day traders LOSE $$$
7. True wealth is not built in a moment but over time.

After class, Patty and I went shopping! It's one of our favorite pastimes. We went to Staples to look for....yep...you guessed it....office supplies. Then there on the end of one of isles, was a display of lap desks (in case you don't know what a lap desk is...it's a hard top surface with a pillow underneath that you set on your lap to work on. This way you can work while you sit comfortably on the couch.) I've been wanting one of these for years. I often end up stealing Patty's to use. Now here was a hard black plastic surface with a bright blue soft pillow underneath that could be mine for the low bargain basement price of $9.99. I was so excited. Patty was even more excited since I wouldn't have to borrow hers. Thus I purchased and brought home Bernie~the long awaited for lap desk. He is supporting my computer as I type. "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship............"

Unusual Wednesday

Today is unusually quiet. Which for a Wednesday is.......um .......well......unusal. My Wednesdays start at 6:30 with an exercise class working with weights and Pilate's. This can be entertaining as I am not all that flexible nor do I have good balance. Jen and a ball make an interesting combo. I have managed to succeed in giving my self a black eye which is a hysterical story. Today was rather uneventful~except for the arm raises.

I went to work and NOTHING HAPPENED~which on Wednesday is unusual. Nothing today. I have gotten a lot of comments on my new hair cut which is nice except what does that say about my old one? Did I look like an old rag mop? I have decided it's a good thing I don't have to look at me all day long. Me, myself and I get along better when we don't have a constant reminder of what I look like. You poor people who have to look at me!

I have almost used a whole box of Kleenexes today. I NEVER blow my nose that much. It feels like I am trying to stop Niagara Falls and I am not succeeding. OH Well........

Wish of the day: That I get a shout out from Alex!

Magical Morning

This morning as I was driving home at 7:30 am from my midweek exercise class I got to have a magical moment. The sunrise was so pretty. As the sun peaked over the mountains it turned everything a golden color. It was almost like golden fingers were reaching out and touching Missoula. All the trees looked radiant in their fall colors~~the reds, golds, greens and orange were heighten by the golden light. As I looked down on the valley coming up Hillview there on the hill was a heard of doe eating breakfast. Further up the road were two bucks~~one standing on either side of the road. They looked like they were posing for pictures~~heads tall with a full rack spread. It was a picturesque moment. I love living in Montana in the fall.

Praise God for His wonderful creation and glorious seasons!