Budgeting in January was a total bust. I didn’t even try. I spent a lot of time off my computer glued to my phone this past month and who wants to update spreadsheets from a phone? Can you even do that?
My income was low due to being sick for what felt like forever (and not wanting to share it with everyone). First there were stomach problems then I had a cold for over two weeks, was miserable, and can’t be more thrilled to be over it!
On the topic of being sick…would you willingly participate in a clinical trial to get infected with the H1N1 virus if it paid $3000? I’m probably not considered healthy enough to participate but it’s tempting.
Then the video card on my computer went out and I visited Wisconsin for a week. I was offline for 10 days and I have 197 unread blog posts in my Bloglovin feed. Ouch.
WISCONSIN TRIP
Mother Nature didn’t want to cooperate with my travel plans to visit my family. I guess it likes to snow, A LOT, when I fly. A 55 minute layover in Philadelphia turned into 31 hours.
When I landed in Philadelphia it had just started snowing. After 30 minutes had passed, I knew my flight would be delayed. After an hour passed and there was more than an inch of snow already on the ground, I figured it would likely be cancelled like many of the other flights. Instead, they just kept delaying it every 30 minutes. The boarding area was cold. Every time they opened the door to unload passengers or let other flights board, the cold air came inside. At one point they had us board the plane only to send us get right back out just as the last person boarding sat down. When they finally cancelled the flight, I had to wait in a long-ass line to get on a new flight to Milwaukee the next day.
Unlike others, I didn’t have to spend the night in the airport. I went to the USO and got the last of the female dorm beds. They had an article framed from 2010 when over 100 people stayed at the USO during a snow storm. They ended up getting about 70 people the night I stayed there. Even though the USO has a generous amount of chairs, couches and recliners, there were people sleeping on the floors and in the hallways. Philly ended up getting 13.5 inches of snow!
My flight the next day was cancelled, changed, and delayed. They had us board only to tell us we had to wait for must-fly passengers. We spent an hour on the plane before taking off. Somehow my checked bag got to Milwaukee before me and the guy in the US Airways office (don’t ever fly Express!) showed me a list attached to my bag that showed the delays, cancellations and more delays; It was long.
I got to spend time with my nieces in Wisconsin. My youngest niece, who turned 5 while I was visiting, is obsessed with animals. She talks about them, she draws them and she acts like them. Only dogs with spots talk and below is her rendition of a dog eating a hot dog.
Scary dog, with the head of a Dune sandworm?
I wanted to take my nieces sledding but it was too cold. My older niece was off school for two days due to the subzero temperatures. It was fricken cold!
On my last night there my eldest niece was in a car accident with her friend and her friend’s mom. The car actually flipped over in the ditch and I’m surprised they all walked away practically unharmed.
More snow was expected in Norfolk on the day I was scheduled to return. I thought I would get stuck in Philadelphia again but I made it back to Virginia just as the snow storm was starting. We ended up getting about 6 inches of snow.
Coming from Wisconsin, it’s interesting to see how an area that usually doesn’t get this much snow deals with it (or doesn’t). Everything closed for two days. Most of the roads weren’t cleared or plowed. I was shocked to see my apartment complex somehow managed to get a snow blower to clear the sidewalks. And it was funny to see people use brooms as shovels and to clean off their cars. Hubby ended up getting two days off from work and it’s supposed to be in the 50’s and 60’s this weekend. Goodbye snow!
Now that I’m home, I’m ready to put January behind me (not just because it’s February). It’s time to get back into routines and accomplish my goals as if February was the start of my new year! Lots to do!
BIRTHDAYS
Hubby’s birthday was earlier this month, his mother’s was yesterday, 2 cousins, lots of friends, my niece turned 5 and my brother’s birthday is today.
My niece’s birthday cake, she helped decorate. First time I wrote anything on a cake, not bad!
Happy 30th birthday to my brother! I’m now the only sibling left in my 20’s and I’ve got 490 days until I’m 30. Must get cranking on my 30 Before 30 list!
Debt Perception 