I think I have a problem

Courtney warned me that she would most likely be tired for a few weeks after moving in because she isn't as used to my fast paced life as I am. *Now, let's get this straight up front...it's not like I go out and party all the time or anything like that.* I am, however, always on the go. There is constantly a home improvement project waiting to be found, or a Pinterest idea I want to try, or I am spending time with my family at my parent's house.

Always moving. Until I am too sleepy to move anymore for the day. I don't like to sit idle. At this moment my leg is shaking....Some call it ADHD (which I have) others just call it multitasking :) I like to make the most of my days, even if that just means driving to different places to pick up supplies for another day's project. This might be a problem for some people...or just for those people who are lazier than me, but I just remember my Grandma. She was always doing something or making plans or working on a project. I am happy to say I think I get this part of me from her :) I can see now why Courtney said that she'd be sleepy until she got used to her new life with me constantly...oopsy!

Project at hand...

Right now my furbaby Charlie has a bad case of the fleas. This past Sunday we bathed her twice & put a flea collar on her, still she is itching like CRAZY! My next solution...(obviously because there is no other simple solution)...remove the bedroom carpet. It is the only room in the house with wall-to-wall carpet & I have hated it since I moved in...I am also completely against flea bombing my house. We both have some allergies & the carpet is just gross. So. This weekend --a weekend with hardly any plans now that the rain forecast has put a literal damper on our yard sale-- we will tackle carpet removal!!

It can't be that hard, and I really feel like this will make everyone happier: Char will itch less because the buggies will no longer have a breeding ground in our room, our people eyes won't itch as much from allergens stuck deep in the carpet, my vacuum won't be as worn out, and it will be much much prettier. This is what I like to call a quad-win situation.

Happier people/pets makes for a much better baby making environment :) Of course, hard work and lots of time will make our entire house perfect for our addition when the time comes....I reallllly am hoping it will be sooner than later, otherwise this blog is just a silly place for me to write our boring stories!! I will see what I can do to accidentally on purpose convince Court its time to start yesterday ;)

Until next time, the checklist is growing & my belly is not.

No Jinxing.....

At least I hope this post doesn't jinx anything...

If everything goes as planned this afternoon, I will be credit-card-debt-FREE!!!! I called my local credit union to see about refinancing my car with them...mentioned my credit card debt & possibly trying to consolidate it into a separate loan with them. Luckily the value of my car & what I owe are in great shape :) I have been making extra payments each month to get it paid off faster. Turns out I will be able to get the loan for the value of the car instead of what I owe & use the extra monies to pay off most of my credit cards!! The only one left will be one from Rooms-To-Go that doesn't have any interest charges...so that's ok by me :)

I am meeting to sign on the new loan at 4:00 this afternoon & fingers crossed I will walk away standing a little bit taller having taken that load off my shoulders! I will now only have to worry about a car payment & house payment each month...no separate due dates for 5 different card debts. The complete nerd in me is so excited to be able to plan a monthly budget without those silly credit card payments! YAY :)

I am so excited about this. I am so excited to be able to actually start saving more than I am throwing away on interest. I am excited this is bringing us one tiny step closer to holding a baby in our arms...I know, I know we still aren't THERE yet, but this is a definite step in the right direction! Courtney will be able to take care of her debt faster too, because living with me & working from home will allow her to pay more each month towards her debts! Things are as perfect as they can be right now. Life is great.

Checklist I have to complete before we get super duper serious about flying Stacey here for the first time:

• Credit Card Debt GONE...as of 4:00 today :) :) :)
• Replace Old Windows (3 down, 5 to go...windows aren't cheap)
• New Fence (we are in the process now, working with our awesome neighbors)
• YARD SALE!!!! (Tentative plans for April 21...fingers crossed we get our act together in time)
• Build Up Emergency Savings (they say 6 months worth?? I think we will shoot for 3)
• Relax (Massages for both of us this Saturday)
• Make More Lists

Now, I can't wait to get home & put or heads together and set a for real budget!!

Wish us luck :)

Credit Card Debt is the Devil

As you can see from the title, I have a bit of debt stacked up on a few different credit cards. Not to mention my less-than-a-year-old car, oh yeah and that house I bought 2 years ago. It's a lot. It's stressful. BUT I have a job. I am so very fortunate to have a job that I don't despise waking up & getting ready for every morning. How many people can say they enjoy going to work these days? I am happy that my debt is still very manageable, I can totally knock it out...if I just focus & do it.

I have a roomie now who contributes to paying half of the utilities & some rent monies. I wish I could make her sign a contract that says she will never leave!!! I know that isn't going to be the case eventually, but for now I will take the extra money where I can. With Courtney moving in, the other bills won't seem as harsh. The 3 of us will split the utilities & house payment. This will help Courtney & I both take care of our individual debt so we can start saving together to bring a beautiful baby into this world :)

Our goal is to have the debt ALL gone before the end of the year. I enjoy having a timeline like this because it makes me work harder to achieve it. I realize the end of the year is still 8 months away, but really 8 months to get rid of some pretty considerable debt is amazing in my eyes!! Hopefully we are both where we feel most comfortable by December. (I'd feel comfortable with only having 1 or 2 cards purely for emergencies...with zero balances, of course)

I talked with my best pal Stacey --who we would ultimately like to be our donor-- & Courtney yesterday about how much cheaper it would be to fly him to Knoxville as opposed to trying to figure out how to freeze & ship his swimmers, or us flying to Tucson, where he lives...and of course it would be much cheaper than having donor swimmers sent to us. Another thing we talked about was maybe just trying at home the first few months...after my cycle is as regular as it will most likely get & once we feel comfortable using the at-home methods...obviously neither of us are OBs, so it will be a learning experience. From what I have read here and there, ICI is the closest thing to natural as it gets. Pretty much just replacing his parts with a syringe. Seems simple enough to my naive mind. Also, having him here for a few days, should allow us to try a few times each cycle...right?

I know some of you are probably thinking this girl is in La-La land with her hopes and dreams about how easy this is going to be...& I am surely hoping, like everyone does that it will be an easy road & a quick one at that. Don't get me wrong, however, I know the harsh reality that no matter how ideal the circumstances, two women trying to make a baby is an uphill battle from the start. Whether its money, my body, our feelings, Stacey's thoughts, or just pure lack of luck, I know it is going to be tough. But I am ready. I have been ready for a long long time!! I just want to fast forward to when our card debt is gone so we can start already, or win the lottery...you know no biggie :) People say if you wait until you think you are ready, you will never have a baby, and I believe that!! I can get scared and say we have to wait until we have this much saved up, or we need to get that door fixed in the house before we start trying, or let's replace those windows first. We can come up with a million scared excuses to wait, but if it is something we really really want we will just dive in and go for it...So our ultimate goal is to be done with this whole card situation before the end of the year. & then we can start to dive in!

I'm excited. I'm nervous for the upcoming changes. I am ready. Mostly I am ready for this :) I want to rush to the baby belly part, but the ride there will be fun no less!

Good luck & baby dust to everyone out there :)

one more week

Court just left for the last week she will be in Chattanooga. Next Saturday is her official move day!! We are both excited to say the least...as she was leaving I said "be sure to let me know when you make it home" & she responded with "I am home!" cute cute. This week should FLY by. I only have a 4 day work week with Friday being a holiday, & tomorrow is a payroll Monday, so I will be busy all day with that.

My mom was joking a few days ago about how I'm "getting married" & she will never see me again, because Courtney is moving in. I mean she has a point, this is East TN. We certainly won't be getting married anytime soon...at least not here...so moving in is the most a gay couple can do to solidify their relationship. Really though, Mom is crazy if she thinks she is going to be seeing that much less of me. My house is only about 20 minutes away, and I go over there every week for Comedy Wednesday (at least that's what we call all the shows that come on ABC-Modern Family being one of our favorites). Courtney will be able to share those nights with us too!! Just little changes will be made here and there, but I think everything will transition smoothly :)

Mom & I are planning on having a girls day Friday, it seems like every big event in our lives calls for a day for just the two of us, even if we just sit at the house & watch Lifetime Movies while we pig out :) We have a bond like no other. I am so lucky to have someone to support my every decision without fail. She is my very best friend & will stand by my side no matter what. I can't wait to be able to share my momma with Courtney. She needs that kind of mother's love in her life.

Momma and my aunt Carol (her identical twin sister) are driving down with me in my cousin's truck to pack up the last big items from Court's apt. on Saturday.  Carol is just like my mom in every way, not just because they are twins, but because she has that same compassion & same drive to help everyone. Carol & I both work for the City of Knoxville, and when someone says "you sound just like your aunt" or "that is just what Carol would say" I just smile & know I must be doing something right!! I strive to be just like them. They are my rocks & teach me how to be the best person I can be. I always knew having two moms was way better than just one :)

One thing you might notice when reading these posts is I am the most random person ever. I have ADHD & my brain moves way too fast for me to explain where the thoughts are coming from. They really do have a good reason for coming out though...at least I think :) I have Jim Brickman Radio playing on Pandora right now...so soothing & relaxing. Someone needs to teach me how to play the piano!!

Since I just warned you about the randomness, let me introduce you to our fur babies :)

This is my Charlie girl she is about 4 years old...Courtney has adopted her as her own.

She's really not supposed to be on the bed either, but we gave her a bath today that's the only reason I am letting her...plus look at that sweet face!!

& this is our Kitty or Fat Cat or Kitten Cat...she is still under a year old but she is HUGE!!

 Ok, now that I have successfully written a short story I'd say its time to be done with this for the evening! I plan on calling the RE again this week to see when we can meet & talk about all the options...I love how optimistic that sounds, as if we can just walk in and say "this is what we want here is our insurance, let's make a baby today!" A girl can dream right?

Baby dust to all of you!