Thousands of things go right for you every day, beginning the moment you wake up

I woke up right on time today! Didn't hit the snooze once.

Checked the weather: 15 degrees and rising, with sun expected!

Walked the Little Sir - huge snowbanks, lots of fun!

Tried a couple different hair styles with my short new 'do, decided to leave it plain for today.

Aw, sweet - my pink shirt is clean! Matching bra and underwear makes me feel like a secret super hero.

Wearing my lucky penny for race day, and OMG, I found my sister ring - it's been missing since Christmas!!

Sunny walk to work.

Ooh, that cute coffee mug with the polka dots is clean, nice.


And then I got laid off. From a company I LOVE, and a job I loved. I'm still working on finding the silver lining for that one.

Regarding Resolutions

Resolution #4: Put money in savings each month

I've recently discovered Mint.com, a personal finance management website. After setting up a free account, I put in my online log-in and password for my bank and my credit card. The site can then access my transactions (a little scary, but this IS a reputable site).

Their software categorizes each expenditure - grocery, gas, bills/utilities, entertainment, food/dining, and so on. It displays it in a pie chart to show where all your money goes each month. From there, you can set monthly budgets for each category, and Mint keeps a running tally of each. You can compare your spending to cities, states, or the national average.

Personally, I've always kept a close eye on my totals, but I no longer break it into budgeted categories. I think it's going to be really helpful to have a running total of how much I've spent in the different areas.

Discoveries: for the month of January, I've spent a lot on car repair, booze, and Roger.

Today's Trifecta

Icy edge of Lake Champlain. Brave Little Sir Roger. We think it must be very tough to be a mermaid in Vermont.

Inspired by the blog Orange Pattern

RACE DAY!!

Heyyyyyyyy, DISRUPTERS!!

Are we ready for the big night?!? First race of the season, FINALLY!!

So the season is off to a rough start - first week postponed due to temps so low your eyeballs would freeze. Now we've got Bookless partying in Vegas this week, and Ebbets out with what hopefully won't be a season-ending knee injury. At least I know Prunty and Flanagan have their game faces on, they were over last night to sharpen and wax their boards. I believe Ayer is going to tune his skis AT his office today, how's that for committment?!

You are all officially invited to come cheer us on at Bolton Valley and whoop it up afterward at the James Moore Tavern every Thursday night! Lift tickets are only $15 when purchased with a racer, so drop me a line. I believe we'll be posting results in the KSV Kitchen, for you uberlocals, and results are posted online on the Bolton Valley site - and I'll most likely be splashing them all over the blog, as well.

2009: Things I'm Looking Forward To

It started as a numbered list, but these aren't really the type of thing one can easily rank.

• -The inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama.
• -KSV's Corporate Race League team, The Disrupters!
  
• -Tulip season, expanding my vegetable and flower gardens
• -Warm weather run-arounding with Roger
• -Camping, hiking, cliff-jumping w/ Roger and the boys
• -Feminist meet-ups
  
• -Home improvement projects - painting and stenciling my bedroom!
  

Tribute Trifecta

Numbers, numbers. Walking home from happy hour. Home at last!


My dear Orange Pattern is taking a break from her lovely Trifectas, so I thought I'd try my hand...it could use some work. Sweet Carmen, enjoy your well-deserved rest, just know that we're missing you!

Personal Highlights 2008

#1: Adopting ROGER

(Um, duh. We all saw that coming)

#2: KSV

I love my job, I love my company. I love walking to work. In reality, this should be first on the list, since it made so many of these other things possible.

#3: Buying my condo

Finally, I'm the girl who can entertain company at a moment's notice!! Impromptu happy hour after work, weekend guests, etc - oh yeah and I'm building equity, blah blah blah.

#4: Watching Haiden grow

My amazing godson will be turning 2 years old in March, can you even believe it?! He's turning into such a cool little person.

#4.1: Watching Erin's belly grow
Erin and Ryan are due February 11th, I'm so excited for them!

#5: Making Friends

Here at KSV and through my feminist meet-up group, I'm making friends! (Meeting people after college is HARD!!)

#6: Reconnecting with Family
My cousins Patrick and Sara both got married in 2008. Traveling to St Louis, seeing family and going out drinking with the cousins was wonderful!

Resolutions 2009: A work in progress

Resolution #1: Arrive at work on time
This is simple enough - or should be, considering I only live two blocks away.

Resolution #2: Purchase and consume food responsibly
My inner bargain hunter LOVES buying larger-size packages at the grocery - just look at that unit price!! However, as much as I love a deal, I HATE waste. There's no savings in buying food to throw away.

Resolution #3: Lose weight
A classic, needs no explanation

Resolution #4: Put money in savings each month
Thanks to my mortgage, my savings have taken a serious hit. Now that I have a signed lease with a tenant and no more car payments, it's time to start rebuilding. AND, since January is a 3-paycheck month, this one gets a boost to start the year!

Resolution #5: Keep my house clean and clutter-free
Over the holiday weekend, I cashed in my gift certificates to The Organizer and The Handyman (Mom and Dad), and my place looks AMAZING!! Now I just need to keep it that way...

Resolution #6: Update my blog regularly
I love writing my blog. Lately I guess I've been busy with other things, and I'd really like to get into a regular groove of updating.

That's all for now! There may be more to come, plus the highlights of 2008, and what I'm most looking forward to in 2009.