So, it’s no secret that Matt & I are planning on getting unplugged from the world during our 5 days of roaming around. We have no set plan although we have some areas that we hope to visit. I’m looking forward to this road trip and just … being. Not working, reading news, watching TV… Just breathing and watching Matt sleep and keeping my eyes open for bears when/if we go camping. lol. Our tax refund was rather meagre this year, but it could have been worse. As a matter of fact, if I had filed alone, I would have ended up owing the government!! I need to adjust my withholding in order for me to make sure I don’t owe Uncle Sam anything when tax time comes. On the other hand, Matt appears to be overpaying (somewhat) so he was the main reason we even received a refund at all. Our plan is to spend less than $500. At first, that seems a little high or even unrealistically low, but this is a roadtrip and we will be using some serious gas. We may stay in a hotel/inn and a cheap one would be ~ $80 or more per night. In any case, our trip coincides nicely with pay periods for Matt & I. In case of any disasters, we will obviously have some extra money on us so we won’t be stranded.
Our wedding anniversary is coming up and to be perfectly honest, I feel like a newlywed around Matt. 
Get your mind out of the gutter. I mean, there is no shortage of “I-love-you’s” and that gives me a very warm feeling everytime. He spoils me and pretends he hates spoiling me. lol. In fact, he’s threatened to get me a shirt that reads “Spoiled Rotten”. In the heat of things, we sometimes take things for granted and with our 2nd year of marriage approaching, we will definitely take time out to remind each other of the things that matter most to us. To here’s to my wonderful and persevering husband, Matt! And many many many more years of companionship, friendship, understanding and love.
In financial news, we hit nearly hit our emergency fund goal, but life intruded i.e. medical bills, tuition bills, etc. I’m not too worried because after the month of May, I’m going to attack our savings fund with a vengeance. I’m currently moving over 30% of my take-home paycheck into our joint savings account and I’m looking forward to recovering from all the expenses we will be dealing with this month: road trip, car tune-ups, eating, etc.
In personal news, I have to make a big confession: remember how Matt taught me to ride a bike last May? Well, after a 7 or 8-month long hiatus, I finally got back on the bike. I got burned out last year really quickly because I had resorted to daily tortuous bike rides (~ 12 – 15 gruelling mile rides). This time around, I am going to implement recovery days i.e. bike on some days and walk/run on some. Today is supposed to be a recovery day and I will attempt to stay true to that. Biking will also give me an impetus to gain some much needed weight as I will be eating more so there’s that to look forward to. lol. Biking and the overall physical activity, will allow me to build my fitness for our upcoming trip. So wish me luck with these goals.
Finally, the time is approaching for us to begin proceedings for removing restrictions on my conditional permanent residency. I’m dreading this process and have considered engaging the services of an attorney. However, the $1,000 price tag plus $565 in filing fees are leaving a very nasty taste in my mouth. I’ve decided that we will be doing the paperwork ourselves. It has been done in the past and we are getting our stuff together. The “paperwork” involves 1 form (I-751), but requires a lot of supporting evidence which is the bulk of the work. So, excuse me as I get back to my work. Have a great week, y’all!
Then, issues with the ‘new’ used car starting popping up and finally, it was determined that the car would need a hefty infusion of cash before it could be road-worthy. Our second car would not be a happy camper if driven like we wanted to ride with the other car. Well, talk about a bummer! However, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade!
Having Fun, Personal | Jane Ullah | 
May 17, 2009 5:13 pm | 
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