First, I finally paid off my credit card!!!! I managed to pay down $11K in a little under a year. Pisses me off that I got myself into that into the first place, because I could have had that money in savings right now, but you live and you learn. To know the sacrifices I have made to pay that thing off makes me really proud. I also couldn't have done it without the help of my parents, who let me move in with them for a while, along with my friends Tiffany and DC for letting me move there when I was over living with my parents. The payoff wouldn't have been possible without the disgustingly low rent they allowed me to pay them. I didn't really make a huge deal about it because right before I made my final payment on my sole debt, John and I bought the couch. We should have it paid off before we get into the house, but now the debt is ours together and we are paying it off together. :)
I am semi-officially done with school. I took my last final on the 13th of October, so I am done with classes, but I have the comprehensive exam on January 16th. I have already downloaded the study guide, but now I have to actually study. There are 8 core classes in the program, so there are 8 topics that I can possibly be tested on, but I only have to answer 3 questions for the exam. According to one of the professors, since there has been a new Dean in town, there has been a higher success rate on the exam. I'll take it. Apparently they only have one graduation ceremony each year, which is the second Saturday in June, so that's when I will be walking. I might have a mini-celebration after I pass my comps, but we will have an official party in June. We might have a backyard by then :)
The house is definitely coming along. We have been visiting every week and have finished picking out all of our options and everything. We had a walk thru with the contractor last Friday to check out the framing. Our house is so smart! Lots of energy efficiency to lower our utility bills. One of my favorite features is the pest control system that is piped through the walls and connected to two boxes on opposite sides of the house. They come and spray every couple of months and hook up to the system and pump the walls with shoo-fly spray to make the bugs stay away. If you know how I feel about bugs and spiders, you know why this is my favorite feature.
I am trying not to get ahead of myself with all of the things we will still need to do/purchase. We already bought our couch, since it takes two months to come in. They should have it my the end of November and we will just need them to hold it for a few more weeks. The sales rep for Shea Homes told me that we should have our escrow dates in a couple of weeks. When we walked our home, the contractor also took us to the house two doors down which is ready for their final walk thru. They had the same color cabinets and granite, as well as the same appliances, so we got to see what our kitchen will look like. Here are a few pics of the current structure and the options we picked:
(side view)
I have been living with JB for over two months now. We hit a few bumps at first, which is completely normal, but things have seemed to settle down. I realized that it's much easier to be a control freak when you live by yourself and are the only one in your environment. I have learned to get past the fact that he can never seem to close the closet door all the way and he leaves water bottles and cups, along with empty yogurts and spoons on his nightstand. But now I just shake my head and smile and take them into the kitchen. Silly boy. I have also learned how to approach him to obtain the most effective results. He commends me when I do this and I appreciate that. Communication is key. In just a couple of months we will have a new home with a dishwasher and a washer/dryer and will look back on this time and I will be shocked that we made it through with flying colors.
I managed to lay low this summer. I only went out on the boat a few times and didn't really go on any trips besides Vegas for our anniversary. It seems as though all (or most anyway) of my friends are in healthy and stable relationships. Thus, we have all turned into old people that want to save our money and our livers. The few times I have actually ventured out into the nightlife, I have only lasted a couple of hours and ended up annoyed with the drunken public and my sore feet. Makes me happy that I don't have many reasons to do much of that anymore. The occasional birthday party here and there, but not every weekend like I used to. My weekends now consist of trips to Wal-Mart and Costco, doing chores and laundry, going to the gym and spending time with JB. Man, I got old really fast. LOL!
I am loving every minute of it though. Now that I am finished with school, I can get back to reading for pleasure instead of education. I can be caught up on my DVR before the weekend comes. I also have more time for my friends and family. Definitely not bad.
