Birthday week continues in all its splendor.  Today was my day off, so I slept until 11:30, then went thrift shopping!  Haha.  I actually didn't find much today.  But I did run into my dad at Goodwill.  That was random.

I didn't leave my house until after noon, but it was still morning in my mind, so I stopped and got a donut and chocolate milk to eat on my way to Alpine.  Haha.  It was delicious and fattening.  I hit Goodwill and Meijer Thrifty Outlet then did my grocery shopping and banking.  I didn't get home 'til 3:30 and decided to just have a salad for lunch since I had a big, caloric breakfast.  Of course I topped my salad with cheese and ranch dressing . . . and downed it all with a big ole glass of Dr. Pepper.  Haha.  It's birthday week.  No dieting allowed.

And I've been doing absolutely nothing since then.  So here are a few pictures.  

Embracing fall: 

The candles I've been burning non-stop:

Creamy custard, toasted pumpkin pie, and mulled apple cider.  Mmmm.

The books I've been paging through:

Mostly cookbooks from my dad. 

Deal of the Day
I did find one great deal today.  We decided that we needed to close off the reading nook for the winter to economize our heat use.  So I've been searching for a sheet or something to hang, but I didn't want to spend a ton of money.  Today at Goodwill, I found this:

(The blue one.)  It's actually a tablecloth, but it fits perfectly!  It came brand new, unopened in the package, and was the cheapest of all the ones Goodwill had in stock - only $4.99.  I think it's super cute!  What a great deal.

And now for an update on our shower/leakage situation.  I was reading some old xanga entries and came across this picture from when the leak first started:

Well here it is now:

Nice, eh?  Yes, that black stuff is mold. 

The good news is I think Uncle Ron may have finally fixed the leak.  Unfortunately, this is how he left the shower:

This is why it's good to rent instead of own, right?

All right, well I'm off to watch ANTM and make this apple pie.  I've never tried it before, but it got amazing ratings, so I'll let you know how it is. 

Sadie

LPOD: Would you like a Lola taco?

Solve this story problem:

Justin and Sadie want to consolidate their student loans.  They can't consolidate together (it's the law).  Federal and private loans can't be consolidated together.  Justin has one private loan and one federal loan.  Sadie has one private loan and one federal loan.  Can Justin and/or Sadie consolidate their loans?

Here's the answer: NO!

There is nothing we can do.  We have an insurmountable amount of student loans.  I can't even tell you how much because it's so overwhelming and embarrassing, and there is no way to lower our monthly payments.  We can make the payments, but after all our bills there is not much left over at the end of the month.  Which means no house.  Probably not for many years unless Justin gets a raise or a promotion or a new job altogether. 

I know that things could be worse.  I know that God continually provides for and blesses us.  I just feel like my dream is dissipating.  A house and a baby have always been slightly out of reach for us.  Even now, after 3 years of marriage, I finally could almost grasp the dream.  My fingers were touching it.  And then it got ripped away once more.  I know I need to quit being dramatic, just accept it, get over it, and move on.  But I have to grieve it a little bit. 

Justin and I are going to Red Robin tonight to get my free birthday burger, so I'm going to drown my sorrows in unlimited french fries and Dr. Pepper.  (Emotional eating, here I come.) 

I'll try to be more pleasant tomorrow.  Stay tuned for a cute Lola story. 

Love to the masses.

Sadie