Ok, enough already.... I have now been sick for well over a month, one thing after another... As of today I have a runny nose and itchy ears... Still feeling horribly tired and worn out. I missed my nap today to go get my hair sone with Michelle and I feel like a walking zombie now and it's only 10pm!

It was a really nice day though. Despite having been to Michelles house a gazillion times, I got lost as usual... but this time managed to find my way out of being lost, so was very proud of myself... We had a nice visit on the way back to abbotsford, and we tried out a hair school I had not been to yet. As long as you weren't looking for conversation, I was really, really, impressed...Both of our hair came out beautiful and the price was amazingly dirt cheap... and quick for what Im used to at a hair school... and the instructors were actually involved with the process, which was nice, because they caught mistakes while they happened instead of after it's too late.
We got a good chuckle out of Michelles vaccuum pump thingy, which sounds like your choice of randomn inappropriate farting, or as I chose to hear it, as concealed frogs in her purse... The funiest part of it was, I don't think anyone at the school even heard it! They were quite involved in their own conversations... So it made it even funnier.... I joked with Michelle that at least with her, I knew it was a machine... I remember towards the end of moms life, we would go out places and she would randomly let one rip and not even realize she had done it... and she pretty much belched and made funny throat noises all the time, after awhile it became second nature when you were around her, so it brought me back to that, and I found great humour in it.
I am hoping the day out was good for Michelle too.. She looked much more vibrant at the end of the day after having her hair done and being out and about, and it felt great to have some time with her, and some time to myself!

I really do like my hair alot, it has several different shades of blonde in it now and it's alot of fun. They finished it by straightening it... I never would have dreamt that a straightner would haveany purpose in my poker straight hair, but they did it with a straightner in July when I was coloured too, and it actually looks REALLY cool. Today reminded me that I desperately want a straightner, but refuse to get a cheapy... they never work... So am gearing up to spend $85 on that now too.

So finances hit us in the back of the head again tonight when we realized that Chris is not getting a raise this month as we had anticipated... He has gotten an annual raise since he began with the forces, as it is just standard protocol... He had looked up third year and saw that we would get an additional $600.00 a month. It is pretty much the reason we felt comfortable buying the car. When his pay stub arrived tonight, without any change, we pulled up the information online again and realized that he is making the maximum amount allowable for a private. Since he has not completed basic training, he is stuck at private recruit. The next payraise is for Corporal. So we are pretty much screwed, as when he releases, he will still lose 25% of what he is earning now... We thought we had avoided that axe when they extended his service time, as we thought the raise would kick in and when he was released, we would earn 25% less of the raised amount, which would be the same as what we get now. So now we are back to square one, but I guess with 10 months to plan for it... So it is time to prioritize and get some money back in savings and get debts paid down etc... Which is a bit of a bummer as some of the things we had wanted to do, have had to be side tracked for the moment.

Chris did some contract work last month so we knew we were getting an extra few hundred mid month, so we were going to tint our car windows, but now that money has to go to paying for Katarina's conference in Vancouver. We drained out Savings account last month when $1000.00 was taken off of Chris's paycheck due to a payroll error from last year, so we need to get together the $500 for Katarina and Trinity's dance costumes, which I think is due at the end of the month. Then there's halloween and of course Christmas.... So pretty much anything fun is on hold til January and even then it's iffy.

The worst part is, we have been living paycheck to paycheck since September.. School supplies and $1000 in motorcycle gear along with registration fees and such, hit us then. October has been rough with the $1000 shortage in pay, and then 3 fundraisers we supported for the girls... ($300 in meat orders! Im such a sucker) So we were finally going to see clearance in November. No such luck!

Despite everything, I still have every intent of getting a motorcycle at the very latest by spring. I know if we don't do it this year, it will be acouple years away, so I am sticking to that.

I have been very lucky in having things turn out the way they are meant to be, and this too shall follow, It has actually been a fairly long time since I have stressed about money... I have been pretty good at letting it ride as something I don't have a lot of control on, but when it hit me tonight, it hit me hard. Normally it is Chris who stresses, and this time is the opposite.

Well that's enough about that....

Tomorrow night I go to CATS!!! I have waited my whole life to go! I remember when my dad and step mom took Chelsea when I was young and how badly I wanted to go, and now I finally get to! The girls aren't as excited as I had hoped, but I am not entirely sure they know what it is, and I think they will be pretty thrilled... Chelsea is coming to watch Trin, it should be a nice night.

Thursday will be my last downtime, and then back to work Friday.. Only 3 hours, but even still.... I guess it will be good to have the time away again. I have been really lazy with that lately, and as I mentioned, it has been a struggle even to get my lazy arse to the tanning salon. Which I have done two days now! WOO HOO!

Well I have written a novel as usual, and I am BEAT tired. So I am off...