Much running around expected.

Well, I've decided that I ought to get a Christmas job again this year. We've had all sorts of unexpected expenses showing up in the past few weeks, and we have a wedding to pay for, and engine to buy, and all of Christmas still to come. Today I called a contractor to take a look at our roof, which is leaking, and has damaged two of the walls in our dining room. I'm also starting college in a month, assuming that the mysterious 'Bigelow' actually exists, and puts my prerequisites in order. Joy.

What it all amounts to is cash. Cold. Hard. Needed. Our first house payment on our new mortgage is coming at the beginning of December, and it's more than a little intimidating, considering that Olga's is screwing Forest on hours, and I was silly and spent a lot of my annual bonus on a camera.

Wasn't that dumb of me?

Well, now I'm going to pay for it, by giving up my Thursday nights, all day on Saturday, and some Friday nights to Natural Wonders. Tracy was more than happy to welcome me back, since I'm good with a cash register. (How someone can manage to actually lose money on a cash drawer is beyond my comprehension.) I'm going to close this Saturday while Kirstin is at her slumber party, and after I've hung around with my mom for the day. While I'm there, Tracy and I are going to set my schedule. She wants to make it the same every week; I may just take that and run with it, since it means she won't be able to screw up and schedule me on a Tuesday night when I have class or something. It will mean getting some babysitting here and there in November, but I think that's okay. Kirstin hasn't had a sitter since I finished The Dining Room. A couple of days with one isn't going to hurt her. (She'll probably be relieved.)

I made Tracy promise she'd always give me Sundays off, though, so I can spend them with my sweety and Kirstin.

Today I ordered the invitations for our wedding, and put a deposit in with our cake baker. I know this all seems extremely premature, but for some reason, June is a bad month for all of these things, and by booking them early, I'm saving myself quite a bit of money. The prices rise monthly as we get closer to June.

Eek. I can't believe it's already 5 PM. I've got a fun evening ahead of me; dinner with Bill and Kathy, a run to Lansing to pick up Forest, and family photograph session at 9. That ought to be a hoot!

Peace.