moving forward

I am meeting up with some of my former co-workers for lunch today along with Julia. I am so excited to see them. It feels like 2 years since I have been gone from that job the company "eliminated" (but just distributed the work to my former immediate co-workers), yet it has only been just shy of 4 work weeks I was let go. I am meeting them at Qudoba for lunch and then I might head back to that former working place just to visit a few people. Maybe said they wanted me to come back with Julia later to see how big she has gotten. I might do that.

I have been making it my mission to coupon myself crazy. Today, I played the Qdoba craft 2 order to win a coupon and I did. Great timing because that is where we are going today. Sweet. Basically, Julia and I can pick two items off this craft 2 list and share them only for the cost of a drink! Now that is my kind of coupon bargains to find.

I start babysitting a little boy in March so that will help $-wise. Then this summer I plan on watching my niece. FUN. I love it.

Hubby got a bit of good news yesterday. He thought his work contract was up in June of this year, but it is actually up in Feb 2011. WOOOOOHOOOOOOO! Oh that was such a relief on our shoulders financially to think he has a job until then and not out of a job just 6 months after mine. I so hope he can get a perm job there, but at least we know we are able to make his contracting income until Feb 2011. I plan on paying off my car early and our other creditors by then so we can focus paying off our camper and his truck. Ahhhhhh. We had to take a hit on our 401K loans we did for adopting so this helps with the fact we are going to not get nearly the tax refund this year or even might not get one at all and could possibly owe for the first time ever. I hate it that we both lost our jobs within a year of each other, but at least our 401K loans are split into two different tax seasons so the defaults won't happen all this year for 2009 claims on tax hits. See, those loans had to be turned over into hardship withdrawals and we had to take the tax hits on them. Luckily we still had equitable balances in both of our 401K's that they can be turned over into IRA's now. Hubby did that a few months ago and I'll be able to open my IRA this month. So at least we can start building interest on those balances again and can start contributing to them again after we gather the funds to adopt again.

See, there I go. Thinking about adoption again. YES I AM. We are homestudy ready, now we just have to find the cash funds to sign with our agency again. Might be several months, but hey, it brings a smile to my face knowing we can do this again.

Ok, off to get ready to meet the girls for lunch.