I'm off!

grabbing a ball
Originally uploaded by trippykel

I've decided to take a little trip to the big city, just like Madeline did. I'll be visiting and catching up with several lovely individuals I haven't been able to see in way too long, and so I'm quite looking forward to the whole thing! That is, if my car will start. Apparently it was cold out last night, and the cord to my block heater is broken. Bah.

On the trip schedule is coffee, shopping, visiting Alby and her new baby, some sister time, and whatever else happens to happen. I think I'll also be looking for some fabulous baby stuff and clothes for myself, since all the shirts that were just a bit snug are now too snug to wear. I never mind an excuse to shop, but staying on budget might prove a bit of a challenge if I fall in love with too many things!

The photo is from our 'nerd bowling' youth group event a couple of weeks ago. Everyone dressed up as nerdily as they could and headed out to a 5-pin lane that reminds me of the '60s. Our 'team' didn't really try very hard, but we did find out that if you bowl two balls in quick succession, they only count as one roll. Three is iffy - it works sometimes, and sometimes not. Oh, and I also got a strike with an under-the-left-leg shot. A total fluke.

In other fun-ness, I received the shipment of books for the church library! I'm still quite excited about the project, and have found that it's quite peaceful to take an hour and shelve/catalog some books. I'm also looking forward to going through all the really old stuff and culling some of what isn't used to make more shelf space, which will lead to a better display of the titles we do keep. And room for more fresh materials! I'm trying to keep in mind that my agenda isn't the only one, and that we have to be careful of other people's needs and opinions as well. Hopefully that will continue to happen.

I'm also happy to say that I should start receiving mat leave benefits this week or next, which should help out the money situation. J and I made a budget (exciting, no?) last week and we both feel better about our finances now, as we can keep track of our own spending and know about how much we can spend on certain things. Like groceries. We also gave ourselves a spending allowance, for whatever we want/need that month, which I look forward to. So far I've spent some of my March allowance on a new scanner (the old one just went bust), some books, and a smashing pair of earrings (dangly ones with the pendant from this neckace) from a jewelry party I went to last night by Stella & Dot. Joselyn also made her Black Bean Dip to Die For. I love that stuff.

I'm off to track down some tunes for the road trip. Wish me luck!