So long 2011...

Well, it's that time of the year again. The last day of the year. The time when you make some long blog entry about how the year treated you. Well, guess what, here's that post.

2011 was a year of many changes in my life. Started the year off in a weird sort of relationship that I shouldn't have been in, but when I was with him, I really enjoyed it. However, due to an external issue, things just couldn't work out for us to be together. I don't regret it at all as it showed me what real love was like, and that I could actually have all the happy feelings you are supposed to have.

However, that left me able to get back together with a friend of mine who was no longer long distance. We had dated a little big the previous year, but I had broken up with him due primarily to the distance as he lived in NC and I lived in NH. When he moved back, we started hanging out once in a while as just friends, and things progressed from there.

We moved in together in August. Remind me in the future that moving sucks, and no matter how much you try to declutter and bring only the minimum, there is still too much stuff! LOL. But him, me, and my cat are coexisting under one roof. I know my cat is LOVING being the only pet.

October 29th he popped the question, giving me the most beautiful ring a girl could ask for. Course, we had picked it out together, but still, it is absolutely perfect.

During the first few months, I had an hour commute each way to drive a school bus. The pay and the benefits were worth attempting to make it work. Unfortunately, it took a toll on me, plus my cat hated me being gone from 5:15sm until 6:15pm everyday. It was just too much, and I had to say goodbye to the job I really enjoyed and managed to make a living off of. I am now working at another bus yard much closer to home and it is making life much nicer as I can be home during the mid day between shifts. I am in the process of acquiring a second job at a city bus company.

I bought a new car recently as I wanted a stick shift, and I love it. I miss my other car too, as it was awesome.

Unfortuantely the last few months I haven't been doing well. I have been very depressed and withdrawn, not the smiling happy  person I was when I first got engaged and before. It is tough, because it has absolutely nothing to do with my fiancé or anyone. It just is. It is definitely taking it's toll on everything around me which really sucks as I was working hard to improve this chapter in my life. It also makes it very hard to write a nice optimistic blog entry.

All I do know is that I have a wonderful fiancé who deserves so much better, a beautiful place to live, a wonderful cat, two fun cars...basically everything I ever wanted. Now, if I just could find that happiness that is hiding somewhere inside me, life could be great!

Christmas 2011 "Wrap" Up

I should have been on and wished everyone a very Merry Christmas on Saturday or Sunday, but life got in the way! Oh well, here's a belated Merry Christmas, and while I think of it, have a very safe, very Happy New Year!

Christmas in my household went great. We did stockings on Christmas Eve, a fun tradition I stole from my close friend/ex-boyfriend. They were a blast. Of course, the cat got one too, the spoiled little brat! He now has even more toys than any one cat should have, but they did seem to be a big hit!

Our stockings for each other came out great. Got a lot of nice things. The funniest thing is that we got each other the same exact style back massager! 

Christmas morning was a lot of fun too! We opened our presents in our pajamas like little kids! It was great! My big gift was a down comforter, duvet cover, and bed skirt! We both loved the comforter at Lake Opechee Inn and Spa that it is the perfect gift. His big gift was basically everything he needed to get started drawing. Of course, the cat got presents under the tree as well! His favorite is a tunnel I got on an awesome sale at Petsmart. I don't think Hobo knew what to do with so many presents! 

After presents and breakfast, we headed up to Maine to visit with his family. His mom and dad (and dog) were up from NC, so it was really nice to see them. We got to enjoy a white Christmas as the predicted "snow showers" turned into a full blown snow. When we left, there were a couple inches on the road. It was a great test for the Fiat. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well it handled in the snow! It was my first time with a stick shift in the snow as well. Both of us did very well and made it home without incident.

Yesterday was really nice, his parents came down to our place. We went out to lunch at Red Hook Brewery. Very yummy food. Unfortunately I had to bail early and go drive a school bus...there was a tournament and as vacation work is so rare, I took it, not realized that it interfered with my plans. Oh well, I got 5 hours or so of pay, and all I did was read my Kindle Touch the whole time. Plus I got to show his parents my bus and what I do for work. When I got home we enjoyed delicious home made pizza (one of my favorite meals ever). Apart from freezing in the bus, it was a good day. 

Well, I guess it's back to reality today. Gotta go drive a bus again, same place, but earlier (lets hope for coming home in the daylight!). Hopefully I can have the rest of the week off and relax.  

New car

I got a new car! It is a Fiat 500 Sport with a manual transmission. I have had it a few days now and I am absolutely in love with it! It is such a fun car to drive! It has plenty of power even though it's only rated at 101hp, but I am easily able to climb hills, even in 5th gear. It has no trouble passing on the highway and zipping around town. The seats are amazingly comfortable and supportive. I have driven and ridden in many different makes and models from a Geo to a Mercedes, and this is the most comfortable car I have ever been in. The Bose sound system is awesome, especially in such a small space. I think the only complaint I can think of is the tire noise on the highway, and that has nothing to do with the car, just the silly rubber band sized tires.

One cool thing about this car is you can download a software program onto your computer called Eco: Drive and using a USB memory stick, you install some software that gets uploaded to your car via the in car USB port, then records your driving habits over 5 days. You then plug the USB stick back into your computer and the software will analyze your driving habits and help you get the most fuel economy and energy savings. I'm only 2 days into it, but I am already averaging 38mpg combined driving. The software gives you tips on how to improve as well.

 I bought my car from Kelly Fiat in Danvers, MA as there are no dealerships in NH yet. They were great, even through some complications in the delivery that ended with the car I initially bought being sent back to Fiat. It all worked out in the end as I ended up with a better car with more options.  They treated me like I had a brain even though I am a woman driver. They gave me a more than fair offer on my trade-in. I would recommend both the car and the dealer to anyone in the market for a Fiat.

Yet another new chapter

Yesterday marked my four year anniversary at my job. It was also the day I handed in my resignation. I have decided that the hour long commute each way every day is too much, both on my physical and mental health, and the wear and tear and fuel costs for my car. My work day was already very long, 6:15 until 4:45, and add on an hour on each end, plus the fact I need about 12 hours of sleep a night did not make for a happy me. I am giving up a great job at a decent company, awesome pay, and the best benefits for the same sort of job, with less pay and no benefits. My hope is that I will end up a happier and nicer person who is not so exhausted all the time. The fiancé has been very supportive of me through this decision.

I am looking forward to a fresh start. I do not want to make the same mistakes I did while at my other job. I just want to go to work, drive the bus, and go home with minimal socializing until I get to know some of the drivers and who are backstabbers and who are true friends. It took me 4 years to realize who the "good people" were at work because I was just sucked into all the drama and craziness.

I will miss several people a lot, others I will miss but will be glad to not have to see every day, and there are others I will be happy never to see again! I am very thankful that all but one person I will miss is on Facebook, so I can stay in touch! :-)

My last day is the 16th of December.

Black Friday Recap

Black Friday is probably one of my most favorite times of the year. Of course I am a shopaholic, and now am required to send my credit cards into hiding until they say $0.

I left the house at 7, hit zero traffic and until an early lunch at 10, I had zero wait in lines. After lunch the lines in Kohl's and JoAnns wrapped halfway around the store! But my last stops of Target and Walmart were uneventful. Overall, I managed to get everything I wanted, and more. My best deal was a nearly $400 digital camera, case. extra battery, and memory card bundle that I paid $177 for. Epic awesomeness. I got a lot of $2 DVDs and $5/$10 Blu Rays I wanted to see. A $49 Blu Ray player and a $39 Wireless HP Printer. There were definitely some excellent sales. I also did 90% off my Christmas shopping for the fiancé. Just some stocking stuffers and he'll be done!

My overall savings was about 45%. I won't post the totals I spent, because they are absolutely disgusting, it's amazing how things add up so fast. After the bills are paid off, next year I really have got to be smarter about it. Got too carried away. Maybe going to a job with lower pay and less hours isn't a good plan, nah. it'll be fine because I won't be spending so much in gas and wear and tear on my car.  Just remind me that my Christmas money needs to go to my bills!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone out there on the inter webs reading this. Hope the holiday finds you safe and with loved ones.

Lately, I have been having a hard time feeling very thankful. My medical tests to determine my dizzy problems are very frustrating as everything comes back normal. I mean I'm glad it's nothing serious, but I would like to know what it is so it can be prevented in the future. On top of that, my mood has been less than stellar. Had a lot of depression and I don't even know what to call the other emotion, all I know is that it isn't a happy one.

I know I have a wonderful fiancé who has been putting up with way too much right now. Between being overworked and me being the way I have, he still manages to love me and treat me awesome. My cat is great too, he is always happy to see me when I come home, and never wants me to leave.

In this economy I am lucky to have a job that pays well and has benefits. I am greedy though, and want to find another one that is closer, but I know the pay and benefits won't be as good. That will make things even tighter than they already are. I know after the holidays the credit cards have to go away until they say $0 on the statement. Oh well, I'll figure it out. Now, to wait for the phone calls....the holidays are not the time to do job hunting!

I have 2 nice cars, I love my Soul, and Squishy is a blast to drive! Not many people can say that.

So far I spent my Turkey day paying bills, looking at sales online, knitting a scarf and reading a magazine. My fiancé will be home soon....

New Chapter

Some recent events in my life have made it quite clear that it is time to start a new chapter of my life. It is time for me to find a new job. I still love my current job, I just know it's time to move on. The hour commute on top of already long hours is too much. I am ready for a new adventure. I am going to miss a lot of people, but luckily most of them are on Facebook.

I am looking for a driving job closer to home. I have a couple places picked out that are close to home. One is a school district and the other is a inter-city bus company. As much as I love school buses, my first choice is the inter-city bus company as there are opportunities for full time employment, and therefore benefits. We'll have to wait and see. All I can do is put in my application and hope for the best.

I am very lucky to have such a supportive fiancé. He has been wonderful through all the chaos lately and just wants what is best for me. I cannot wait to be able to call him my husband. :-) <3

Miscellaneous Posting

I am very happy to say that by using coupons and store loyalty cards, I saved $145 in a month. This was the first month I kept track of my savings. Dorky me set up a nice Excel spreadsheet that keeps track of it for me. I wanted to show my fiancé just how important coupons and sales are, especially now we are planning a wedding!!!

Speaking of wedding, I am getting a head start on the planning process. I signed up on The Knot. I am very impressed by the site setup and all the information that they have on there to help organize your planning. I went ahead and started our wedding website. The guest list has been developed, we will be collecting physical addresses soon! Of course, we got an early jump on our registries (Target and Bed Bath and Beyond). They are far from being complete however!

I am hoping to get some input on places to hold the wedding and reception! Please feel free to send me a message! I have a couple ideas in mind. We're looking for something country, rustic, natural. it is going to be a fall wedding (October 20, 2012 hopefully). I know several of my Facebook friends have had some beautiful weddings, so any advice would be appreciated! Also, I am looking to find out about costs....I have no idea how much anything runs. I am going to try and do as much of it as possible on my own. One last wedding thing, anyone know any good justice of the peaces? We are not looking for a religious ceremony.

Switching gears (no pun intended), I am hopefully returning to work tomorrow afternoon assuming the doctor rewrites the note. I have been out of work since Oct 20th due to some weird dizzy thing. After a lot of rest, I am finally well enough to safely drive a school bus. I am excited to go back, plus I want to show off my gorgeous ring! Lol.

He Went to Jared's (The Galleria of Jewelry)

I AM ENGAGED!!!!!!! As of 12 something this afternoon :-D

Today was a close friends wedding down at Castleton in Windham, NH. My fiancé (well then boyfriend) and I dropped my convertible at my parents then headed down to Windham. When we got there we had to do the whole sticky roller thing due to that adorably cute pain in the a$$ kitty cat. I was going to get something out of the passenger side and he had paused coming around the truck. I walked over to him and he got a box out of his coat pocket, kneeled down on one knee and asked me to marry him!! Of course, I was happy to say "Yes". :-)

I am looking forward to this new chapter in our life together. :-) And it starts with a freak NH nor'easter snowstorm :-D

Quick Craft Break

I am going to a good friend's wedding tomorrow afternoon, and I decided I wanted a new bracelet to go with my new dress, because of course, none of the ones I have could possible work <end sarcasm>. I love the look of the Pandora beads, I was drooling over all the awesome choices at Jared's recently, wishing I could justify spending hundreds of dollars on one. But alas, I am just a poor bus driver who is currently out on sick leave, so Pandora is out of the question.

Remembering that I saw some similar knock-off beads on a recent trip to one of my favorite stores, Michaels, I decided to stop by today. Lucky me when I discovered that the Trinkettes line of beads was 40% off! Each pack of beads (of which I bought several), the pack of spacers, and the  empty bracelet were $2.39 a piece! Gotta love saving money, while buying fun craft stuff! :-)

So putting together a couple charms I had previously purchased and the new beads today, I came up with a bracelet that combines the color of my dress, the color of my boyfriend's shirt, and the black jewels on my necklace. I also managed to incorporate my love of cats.

I apologize for the crappy picture, I was too lazy to break out the real camera and fire up the desktop; because it is just soo hard to press that little power button. *rolls eyes* (Remind me, I need a USB SD card reader for my MacBook Air). If by some miracle I remember, I will post a better pic.

My favorite part of this style bracelet is that I can change it up to match my outfit or just cause I want to!

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I decided to start a blog to share my extreme couponing for the normal person experiences, my rants about life, happy events, new craft projects, and whatever else I get into!

I am 20-something years old and recently started moving on with my life. I moved in with my boyfriend several months ago and am loving living on my "own". I have had a lot to learn, like doing laundry from start to finish for the first time, living on a budget, meal disasters, as well as cooking in general. I am still learning, trying to become a "grown-up".  Overall, I am enjoying the experience. 

I have a wonderful cat named Hobo....well, maybe wonderful is too nice, he can tend to be a little a$$hole at times! Like when he decides to move things out from under the bed in the middle of the night. Or flip over the recycling bin. And we won't even discuss the nice presents in the litter box... (I swear my cat is mentally challenged). 

But can you really argue with something that adorable?!?!

I attempt to make a living driving a big yellow bus full of children around in circles for 8 hours a day. Generally I love my job! No idea why though, I am not a "kid person" and I have no tolerance. Children these days are downright scary (a topic for a later post). But I have AWESOME coworkers, and nice bosses. The only downside is the hour commute so I can be where the money and benefits are best! Hopefully I can get over whatever illness that has me on bed rest for the past week so I can get back behind the wheel!

If you're wondering about the "squishycar"in my URL, it refers to my little 1992 Geo Metro Convertible that is nicknamed "Squishy" due to some severe rust issues. If you want to see more about the car and the rebuild,  checkout my  Teamswift.net forum post detailing the entire process.