4 months to go!

Wedding countdown:  4 months to go!

Four months still seems like 4ever (laugh anyway).  I say to everyone who said to me this engagement time will "fly by" - liar, liar, pants on fire!! It is DRAGGING.  We've decided to think of it in weeks, because although it is a bigger number, it somehow translates in my brain to what feels like a shorter amount of time.

16 weeks.

Can I be frank?  The only way this wedding is seeming close is when I think about it in paychecks. 8!  4, really, because we all know that first paycheck of the month doesn't really exist.

Whoaaaaa!  I need to win the lottery.  But I don't play, wait!  My mother needs to win the lottery.

I can't help but crack up when I read the things the knot says I should be doing this month.

-figure out how I'm going to wear my hair (really?  4 months in advance, I don't even know how long my hair is going to be)

Oh, darn it!  That's the only thing on the list I'm actually authorized to mock, because I actually need to get out of wedding planning denial and do the other things - like figure out the flowers, the cake, lodging arrangements, the menu, etc., etc., etc.

But not now.  Right now, I secretly want to dive in to TIME's 100 Most Influential People issue.  I would so rather be reading this on a Saturday morning with a fresh pot of coffee, as the sun comes up, and I snuggle with my puppers in my papisan chair.  Oh well, I guess jumping in and out of it in the chilly control room in between live shots will do.   Cheers! :)

I have to face a fear today

3pm. Dentist appointment.

Confession: I haven't been to the dentist in 4 YEARS.  That's right.  I used to have a strict "hot dentist only" policy**.  My sister helped me find one.  He was gorgeous and he smelled really nice.  Then he told me I needed to have my wisdom teeth taken out.  That I would have to see an "oral surgeon."

So, we broke up.  I never went back.  Never looked back.  I have 5 wisdom teeth.  Yep, that's right, five. I'm scared of going to the dentist today.  I don't even know if he's hot. Or a man, for that matter. I don't care.  I just have to face this fear, and get it over with.

I don't know what I'm going to do if/when he or she tells me I need to get all 47 of my wisdom teeth taken out - the reason I've never done this is I've never had anyone around that can drive me home/take care of me afterwards.  So, maybe they'll make a housecall and give Brokaw caregiving instructions? Hmm.

**I blame my mother for this.  Dr. Levin, my childhood dentist, was DREAMY.

Cinco de Mayo!

We are apparently very into Mexican independence at work.

My NEEEEWWWW car!!

Da-da-da-da!!!! I can just hear Bob Barker's voice when I write that, can't you?

Sooooo.... all I was planning to do Friday after work was going home and going to sleep, since I didn't log many sleep hours last week at all.

Well.... the oil light came on in my SUV. (I had a 2006 Ford Escape) I knew I was overdue for an oil change (typical) so I took it into this garage where I totally trust the guys to look at it.  NOT the place that did my state inspection earlier last week who made me get new brake pads and lost my car's registration!  There was apparently barely any oil in my car because the "oil seal" was broken.  They'd have to replace at least that one.  Then, they said since my car was close to 60,000 miles, they recommend replacing the timing belt, that would in total, set me back like $700 something dollars.

I didn't do it right then.  I called my mother.  Thankfully we've finally gotten to the point where I can call my mother about these things and she finally understands that I don't want her to pay to fix it, I just want her to listen.  She was great and she gave me some GREAT ADVICE.

Get a new car.

I didn't think that was even an option.  Hello!  So, I thought about it for a couple of hours, talked it over with Michael, then I found myself at a Ford dealership.  I was just going to explore my options.

Well..... long story short... my options led me to a NEEEEEWWWW CAR!

Introducing, Leo.  Leo is a 2009 Escape, and he's way better than my 2006 (sorry Max).  Max was just the base model.  Leo has everything!  And - the icing on the cake is my brand new car is actually costing me LESS than the old one.  I got a lower rate (0%!!), my payment is lower, and it's way better of a car!  I love that new car smell!

So, if you have been thinking about it - I recommend getting a new car right now, you can get some amazing deals!!

Introducing Leo.

(sorry, my camera lens was a little foggy)

Last known self portrait of me driving Max, my old SUV.

R.I.P. Max!!

(man.. I need to touch up my roots!  I'll do that next weekend... and full court press on the wedding planning is back on)

Weekend Recap/Inspiration

This week is going to be so much better than last week.  I can just feel it!

I had a GREAT weekend.  And I'm actually starting this week off with something last week severely lacked - SLEEP - what a difference it makes!

Let's review my weekend.  BOUGHT A NEW CAR (more on that later).  Played softball, we won one of our two games and I got the game ball for the first game, yeah!  I play a mean 2nd base, what can I say?  Saw the beautiful Becky Barber.  Becky has the cutest apartment around and made a fabulous chicken/salad lunch.  It's always so great to see her!  Cleaned my apartment.  Like really cleaned it - oh, it feels so good!  Did every piece of laundry that was waiting to be done.  Went grocery shopping.  Went to church and was greatly inspired.  Relaxed Sunday afternoon (I actually sat on the couch and watched a chick flick I ordered off of On Demand, Bride Wars) I don't even remember the last time I watched an entire movie at home alone, without falling asleep!

The only things I didn't do this weekend that I wanted to do were update this blog and read my new Martha Stewart Weddings magazine.  Not bad, eh?

Let me share a little with you about why I was so inspired at church yesterday.  Isn't it amazing how God "teaches" (those quotes are to indicate my on inadequecies, not the Lord's) us the lessons we need, when we need them the most?

A little history - I have been consumed (ironic choice of words, yes) with money lately.  Making it. Spending it.  Saving it.  Worried about all three of those things, what they mean right now, how I've screwed them up in the past, and what it will look like in the future.  Some good has come of this worrying.  My habits really did need to change. But all of this worrying over the future is just nonsense.  It's not helping, it's just stressing me out, and it's actually becoming an emotional bad habit that I definitely don't want to carry into my marriage!

Enter Stanley Tam.  He's the 93 year old business man that spoke at church yesterday.  He shared with us about how he started his business, and how it was really built on FAITH.  This was not at all one of those "give all of your money to God and you'll be rich one day" sermons.  Not at all. 

A couple of things that he said that really stuck with me:

"There's more to life than making money." 

"There's more to life than solving problems."

"There are 2 ways to live life:  1. The secular way, 2. Faith."

I realized that my approach is all wrong!  I've been trying all I can ON MY OWN. (the secular way) That leaves me feeling really alone in this.  Like there's no way I can do it all by myself.  What Stanley Tam made me realize is that I'm NOT alone in this.  Yes, I have to be responsible.  I have to take that first step.  But it's a lot less intimidating to think that all I have to do is take that first step!! I don't need to worry about all of the other steps right now, I need to TRUST THE LORD.

Phew.  Nothing I haven't heard before.  You have heard it, too.  Maybe it's not the lesson the Lord is teaching you right now, but it's a big one for me.  I don't usually get all preachy on the blog - but this was a nice spiritual light bulb that went off for me, so I thought I'd just share it.

For what it's worth.

Now... that said, I do not plan to give up on reaching my financial goals.  I do not plan on stopping reading all of the financial blogs I've become addicted to.  I do plan to keep saving what I can, when I can, etc.  But, I want to approach it with faith - not the secular way.