thanks for sitting by the river with us

I'm sitting here on the couch in the basement with a much too strong rum and diet coke and 2009 playlist trying to find the last album for the best of post. I have it narrowed down to three records but more plays are necessary. Beautiful's family has all left and made it home by now and it was a really great Christmas having them here. Our housemates were so amazing with all our family in town. Joining in where they could, helping with hospitality and giving space from time to time. We invaded their holiday but they made ours richer and with the year nearing a close I am thankful for their presence in our lives. We extended our lease for another 6 months and when that time comes to an end we will have lived in community for 2 years now. It has been great, and at times hard and stretching. It looks like Beautiful will have a full time job starting in late January and we might just make it though this 6 month period of un-employment/under-employment and a big part of making it, along with our parents, has been our house mates. So as the year comes to a close I think I am most thankful for them this year. Jesse and Carly you have made our lives richer and helped us grow as a family. For our dinner time conversations, fireside chats, fights over who's turn it is to buy milk, Dance show watching, and morning coffee pot meetings I am thankful. Thank you for letting us live life with you.

The Holidays are over, long live the holidays

We took our tree down and put it outside, I guess that means the holidays are officially over. It was a really great season of getting to see and spend time with family and talk with friends and there is still a couple of visits to come before and after the new baby but now it feels a bit quiet. All this month I am working overtime to take advantage of some incentives at work during our busy season. It has been tough getting in at 6 and leaving at 5 but it is only for a month and I work at a desk, my dad does this in the rain and cold putting buildings together. The overtime incentives will in just before the launch date of baby 2.0 so it will be nice to get a little extra cash and get used to being tired most the time. I don't have any New Year's resolutions this year but i'm fat and I want to change that, and we are going to track and balance our spending this year to reduce debt and be more intentional about where our money goes. I loaded some software to help with this and i am following the lead of some great financial bloggers. I won't be loading my Financial Statements up here online but if you want to see them you can. I like the idea transparency and I think that anyone who would ask would be genuinely interested.