Established

It's official, folks: For the first time in my life, I'm pretty much self-sufficient.  

I've made enough money to begin saving some; I have graduated from the "hand-to-mouth" class! Now, before I continue, I MUST take this chance to send a big "Thanks!" eastward to mom and dad for helping me out, financially and emotionally, to get to this point -- I owe you each a big smack on the forehead. You know, like, a big kiss. Not an actual slap.

But seriously. Thank you so much, mom and dad!  I'm not saying they're not still helping me a little here and there, but I what I mean is that I'm making enough and saving enough that I could do it on my own now. There's something pretty empowering about that.  I imagine it's the same sort of feeling that baby birds get when they get pushed off that branch during infancy and happily discover out they can fly.  I'm just hoping I'm going to be one of those high-flying success stories...not one of the chicks who just jumped without remembering to spread both wings, resulting in a face-planted, bloody mess. 

The new "self-sufficient + able to save" status is partially due to the notification I received that my pay will increase now that my paperwork proving how much education I have has finally been processed. That'll be a few hundred more buckaroonies a month...but more than that, there has some more great financial news as of late: As of this week, I have officially paid off my car (both of them!), paid off my line of credit; and I even heard back from Sears about compensation for the whole chest-of-drawers debacle*. WOO and fricken' HOOO!!!

Mom and Dad: in thanks for all the help you've given me, I've prepared a short list of things you might like to know.

My dad would be proud if he saw how I lived here.  
I use my drying horse instead of the dryer as often as possible to dry my clothes.
I ONLY have lights on in the room where I am (and run around after Libby turning off ones that have been left on).
I'm going to the glass place this weekend to get a chip in my windshield filled in before it cracks across the whole thing. Although it seems to be a kind of car fashion trend in Grande Prairie, it, along with camo and cowboy boots, is a local habit I'm unwilling to assimilate into.
I've been to Canadian Tire a lot of times. There's something empowering about doing that, too! I actually really like it in there; there's so many cool things!

Mom would be proud, too. 
I make my bed (or at least make it look presentable) pretty much every morning.
I made a shopping list and stuck to it; getting the best deals at the most thrifty stores.I CLEAN the house weekly. My room, the floors, the living space and the kitchen (usually, since Libby actually prefers cleaning the bathroom! Although it seriously makes me reconsider her sanity, I have no complaints!). I'm do the dishes, counters, sink, floors, handles...Mom has trained me well!
I've been really good at making 1.5 portion sizes. Enough for supper and lunch the next day. And, to boot, I've been eating surprisingly healthy.**

Pretty much me....obviously.

Wowzers. What a splendid week this has been to get back into the swing of things.  On top of the financial successes, a few other exciting things happened:


I think I really did miss my students. As much as some of them drive me nuts sometimes, they're just kids. And they make me laugh. And I like them.  Lots. It's nice to be back in a routine (although I could do without the 6:30 wake-up time). That reminds me - I'm trying this New Year's resolution to be in bed every night by 11pm. So far so good - and it's giving me so much more energy to donate to my job :)
 
Libby got a job in Beaverlodge today, which means I will not be sans roommate, nor will I end up with some strange, pickled-onion-loving, sex-addict, gambling sub-letter with terrible dental hygiene.  That would just be the worst.

Today we signed up for new fiber optic internet. Here's hoping we can swing that and it'll be fast enough so that I can actually USE skype without enduring a 5-10 second delay, piecing together broken speech, and distorted (albeit HILARIOUS) frozen frames of so many of you from across the country/world.

My apartment parking lot was FINALLY plowed - for the first time this year! Although, it DID result in some 1am plowing. Fortunately, the noise didn't wake me from my rock-solid sleep state. Not much does, really. ***

Not only am I starting to feel like a real "grown-up" (whatever that means) in GP because of being financially more confident, but also because of how my Friday nights have changed. 2 or 3 years ago, my Friday nights consisted of friends, going out downtown, karaoke, drinks (those last two almost always went together), games, late-night chats, staying up til 4am, and Smoke's poutine. 

Well, it's Friday night now, and guess what I did this evening? I went grocery shopping, cleaned my kitchen, and updated my blog.  Worst/best part? I didn't mind it at all.
Oh, if only undergraduate Becky could see me now...HAHA! Well, if this is how I'm going to spend my Friday night, I'm at least going to enjoy this beer. Adios, amigos! :)

Until Next Time,

B.



*I've heard the saying "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" but it's the first real time I've been squeaky.  I consider myself pretty complacent, not really being too bothered by too many things. My parents once told me a story of once when I was a kid/preteen. We were at a restaurant and I got my burger with cheese that still had the wrapper on it. Apparently I just took off the plastic and ate it anyway, no complaint or anything. I'm not sure exactly WHY the whole Sears thing annoyed me so much, but for some reason it really got under my skin. Long story short, they credited me with some in-store credit. Not as much as I had hoped for under the circumstances, but as good ol' Faja put it, "better than a kick in the boobs". Yes, dad...exactly.

**Minus the endless chocolate that students bought me for Christmas. Bless them! But I don't buy myself any of that sweet stuff, and I've actually stopped craving it. Never thought I'd see the day.

***Once I think I slept through a fire alarm in res.True story.