I am now eligible to run for office!

Yep, I am now among the ranks of tax evaders who have been caught! That makes me totally qualified to run for public office, right? ;-)

Here's the sad, sorry story. My mom & I always figure my taxes. She's a financial whiz & has always done their taxes which are a little more complicated due to the fact that my dad is self-employed. Anyway, in 2006 I received a sizable refund from the state. That should have been a huge red flag. It wasn't; I was probably gleefully planning a trip to Hawaii while that red flag was waving right in front of my eyes. The dreadful news arrived via mail last week. The State Department of Revenue sent me this awful letter saying that the income I reported on my state return did not match the income reported on my federal return. Silly people, of course it matches! That's what I thought. However, when I pulled out my records (thanks Momma, for making me file all that junk!) I was WRONG. You see, when you report your federal income, you get to subtract something like $7800 from your total income to create your adjusted income (it's like claiming yourself as a tax exemption). The deal is, you are not supposed to use this adjusted income amount on your state return as your total income. Say it with me, people...oops! Anyway, the state now wants me to pay taxes + penalties + interest on that $7800. By March 6th. WAH!!! Yep, I cried. It's pathetic & it's just money, but don't they know that I'm remodeling my house? that I'm planning a wedding? that my fiance's job is in the balance? Don't they know? Of course they don't; & I'm sure they really wouldn't care if they did know. But my God knows. And that's all that really matters. We've been praying about how to meet this new financial ordeal & already the Lord has provided me with an extra shift at my second job. Not exactly what I was hoping for (I mean really, is it possible for me to work MORE?). And they have allowed me to pay just $100 by March 6th & after that I can go on a payment plan. Plus, my boss at the full-time time has mentioned that there may be a Saturday morning shift I can work sometime soon. That shift is a booger b/c it starts at 2 a.m. but all 5 hours would be time and a half - glory! I'm praying that one works out soon!

Anyway, this guy was looking for me & found me. At least all he wanted was my money & not my life!

Ever Had This Done?

My sister Beth, & I have been dying to get our eyebrows threaded. There is a pretty little booth set up at the mall where you can get it done. I am totally fascinated with all things Indian, so I have wanted to try threading for a long time. Beth is fascinated with perfect eyebrows, so Tuesday afternoon we went & got it done!

Beth's brows were virtually perfect before we went. She is the eyebrow expert in our family. My brows were a little on the wild side. I never really know how to keep them from looking kind of like commas. After a few minutes in the chair, the commas were gone! I really like how they turned out & the girl that does the threading is super sweet. Even though it kind of hurts (think tweezers times 12) I think I will get it done again. But probably just before the wedding.

Anybody else out there had their eyebrows threaded?

S.O.S.!

What to do, what to do! Valentine's Day is TOMORROW & I have no clue what to do for Mike. I'm not always super good at being the gifty girlfriend. We don't have tons of cash to throw around at the moment & without a kitchen, I can't even cook for my man. *sigh*

He has mentioned that he would like a t-shirt for a Big 10 team, preferably Minnesota. I had about an hour between jobs yesterday so I started out on my t-shirt quest. I went to a sports store in the mall & told the sales guy what I was looking for. No joke, he said to me - "There isn't a Big 10 t-shirt, but we could sell you a t-shirt for one of the schools in the Big 10 Conference." Ummm...I know I'm a girl & not totally into sports or anything, but DUH! Anyway, all they really had was IU (& he already has a bunch of their stuff) & Michigan State (which is his least favorite team). So I moved on. And the other stores in the mall had even less to choose from, i.e. they had zilch. So, unless they got inventory overnight, that idea is a no-go.

That's where you come in, faithful readers! Please help me by leaving comments with suggestions of something sweet I can do for Mike for Valentine's Day! Thank you in advance for sharing your brilliance ;-)

Bittersweet Blessings

Recently, I was blessed to receive a Kitchen Aid Mixer as a gift. When it was offered to me my jaw hit the floor. The story goes like this...

My friends were in the process of packing up their parent's home. The momma & poppa have had some health challenges in the last year or so. As a result, they have moved out of town to be closer to their children. Anyway, while they were in town packing up, I stopped by for a little visit & they surprised me by having a small collection of things they thought I might need for setting up my house. In this collection was a beautiful Kitchen Aid Mixer - cue spotlight & angels singing! Did I maybe need this mixer? or a beautiful Pampered Chef stoneware casserole dish? Let's just say that they blessed my heart in a major way. I'm still a little shocked that I have a Kitchen Aid Mixer! I've always wanted one, but I don't think I have ever even said that out loud. The Lord is so very good to meet our needs, but He is so beyond good to care about our little wants & desires.

This picture is just a random one I got off of the Internet. The mixer that was given to me is just slightly off-white. And the great news is that Mike & I have been painting in the kitchen this week & the off-white is going to be perfect sitting on my kitchen counter! The painting process is going slowly - neither one of us is very proficient at painting (I think Mike is actually very good but he insists he isn't). Our personal painting professional (a.k.a. Virginia a.k.a. the lady who has painted the whole rest of the house) is currently on vacation with her hubby in Australia & New Zealand where we hope they are having a fabulous time! Thus, we are on our own with the painting in the kitchen. Which means it's going to take a lot longer to get done ;-)

I promise I'll post pictures eventually!

I really AM trying...

not to hate snow. When we were at Northland, I learned to hate the stuff. It made everything such a struggle. One time when we were walking to class I made the famous remark that the pine trees looked so tired. Their branches were drooping so low with the weight of the snow. My friends never let me forget saying that. Well, the tress here in my town are tired this morning! We have about 10 inches here & let me tell you, that is no fun to drive in. I took a broom out with me this morning to clean off my car so that I could drive to work. My little Corolla with ground effects doesn't get around so good in this much white stuff. I basically plowed my street with my bumper. The Lord was very good to help me not get stuck. Not so much for several of our work vehicles. My boss got a Ford Ranger stuck in our driveway this morning at about 4 a.m. Ed & I went out later this morning & with the help of a couple neighbors we at least got it back on the driveway & back in the parking lot. I have never pushed so hard in my life. My boots are a little slippery on the bottom so I fell at least once. Not a total face plant, but close! ;-) We had just got back inside, had some hot coffee & yummy fig newtons (thanks Ed!) when a couple of our drivers came back from their first run. They got both of their Vibes stuck in the lot. My boss went out this time & I've been alone in the office ever since. They are out there digging & pushing & making a time of it. We are all soaked, cold, & exhausted. So, I'm tempted to sit here & think dark, ugly, I-hate-it-so-much thoughts about the snow. Instead, I'm going to attempt an attitude change & try to come up with a little list of reasons why I try to like snow:
1. It gives the world a daytime glow at night. Last night I looked out my bathroom window & instead of seeing the somewhat scary dark alley, I saw a vast expanse of snow glowing brightly.
2. When there is snow on the sidewalk, I can look in the morning and see if someone has walked past my house during the night. Yep, I'm totally paranoid about being in my house alone. I like to know if anyone has been near me in my sleep. You can feel free to pray for my sanity.
3. It can be a good reason to stay home. Last night I got off work, went to the Y & did my training for the Mini, went home. And stayed there. Ahhh...uninterrupted hours in my own home. I should have done something reasonable like clean. But I watched a movie, visited with Mike, helped him do a couple of things in the kitchen...very nice, relaxing hours.
4. You get to check up on people you love. I talked to Mike (via text), my mom, & my sister this morning. I love those little check-ins. But it can get a little annoying to some people on a day to day basis. Nearly a foot of snow gives you license to call just about anyone to say, "Are you doing ok? Get to work all right? Need anything?" without sounding like you want to manage their life or smother them.
5. Although today has been very hectic as we have tried to recover stranded vehicles, had delayed delivery times, etc. there is still kind of a party atmosphere here in the office. When the drivers come in they are kind of jubilant. They have this attitude of "I made it! I'm a MAN! The snow shall not stop me!" and they tell their story a little too loud. We all listen very actively & oohh & aahhh appropriately. There is much more conversation to be had out of these men, on a day like today!
6. I can drink too much coffee without feeling guilty. I normally keep myself at a certain limit (3-4 cups) every morning. Not sure how much I've had today! When I'm cold & wet, I just gotta have something hot in my hands & a coffee mug is the perfect fit.

That's all I can think of right now. I was shooting for 10, but fell short. Oh well. I think I'm going to go look out the window. A co-worker is leaving for the day & he is parked right by my car. My boss just said something like, "I hope he doesn't spin & hit your car!" Not good.

It's A Very Small World

Monday night I went to work at my second job. I work as a technician in a retail pharmacy. Mondays are our busiest days & recently our pharmacy has really increased the number of scripts it fills. As a result, the company has been sending us a 'floater' pharmacist every Monday to help cover the busiest part of the day. Some recent Mondays we have been so busy that I have hardly had the opportunity to ask the floater what their name is, let alone have any time to chat. This Monday we were actually a little slow. The floater was a lady I had never worked with before & her name was Carmen. She had a lovely accent & I had kind of assumed that she was Latino. When I got a chance, I asked her where she was from. Turns out, she is from Romania. I told her that I only ever knew one other person from Romania, a girl that I shared a mailbox with in college. Then I said her name b/c I always thought that she had the loveliest first name - Simona. Carmen kind of stared at me for a second & then asked me to repeat her name. So I said, "Her name was Simona B~." Carmen's mouth fell open & then she proceeded to tell me that when her family lived in Romania they attended the church that Simona's father pastored & that she had even taught Simona in Sunday School when she was little. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? How funny! I haven't seen Simona since graduation from Northland & Carmen hasn't seen her since she was a little girl so it's not like it's a close connection, but still! I thought the story was very blog-worthy ;-)

The Dress Shopping Pics

I'm a very mean girl b/c I told you all about how I went wedding dress shopping but I didn't post a single picture of the event. All in all, it only took about 2 hours & 4 dresses. The 4th one was IT. And how I love that dress. I just looked at my mom's pics of me in it & oh my...a normal girl really can feel like a princess (sorry...I just watched The Princess Diaries & I'm in Disney overload).

Anyway...the first dress I tried on was so yucky we didn't take any pictures. But dress #2 was actually almost the one I picked. Here it is:

Obviously, it needs some help at the top. The salesgirl thought I was absolutely nuts b/c I kept complaining about how bare all the dresses seemed to be through the shoulder area. The front of this one is very pretty but it was the back that I really loved:

Never thought I'd be a fan of that illusion stuff, but I was. Anyway, we then tried to find some sort of fix for the front. The alterations lady took one of the 'sleeves' that they attach to the strapless dresses. Didn't work. Then she went & got a shawl thing. Here's what she planned to do with it:

Not exactly perfect. And I was starting to feel like we were trying too hard. And this is when they also made me try on a veil. And that's when I decided that I guess I have to have one. At this point there was one dress left to try on - you're right, THE ONE! I don't think I'm going to post a pic of it, though. Gotta have some surprises, right? :-)