Keeping Busy

Well, we've definitely been keeping busy around here!

I've got some good news on the work front. I won a competition (government-ese for new job) that I applied for. It really was for the reclassification of the job I was in temporarily, but I finally have a permanent position in the group I am currently working in, doing what I enjoy and with people I like. I travel just the right amount and love the variety in my work. Yey!

This is also doubly important because this position included a pay raise and we have had some unfortunate luck with the car. Alas, it is time to retire the Golf. In actually, it turns out it was time 6 months ago because we have spent $5k on it in the past 6 months. I probably should not have bothered getting it repair 2 weeks ago (the transmission went), but I didn't really know that at the time because my mechanic was away and I apparently should have been pushier. Oh well, live an learn. Anyway, since my mechanic is back now I was able to have a frank conversation with him, and yup, time to retire her or spend another $5k. Well, it only cost us $11,000 and it did last 8 years and 200,000 so I think overall we still did pretty well.

So now, the new vehicle search... we shall see. Mike was saying that we had fun looking for a car last time, which is definitely true, on the other hand, we didn't have to get one. Well, at least at the time we didn't think so, I turned out that car didn't last long after we got rid of it. lol. So right now we are trying to find some small-ish SUV or station wagon. Chances are it will be an SUV because the station wagons seem to be more expensive, go figure. It looks like this is the theme for my friends right now, everyone is going CRV or Escape, mostly depending on their budgets. One of the other things I like about my mechanic is he said I can call him when I'm looking and he'll give me the questions I should ask, etc. I love my mechanic... definitely too bad he was on vacation. :)

Things have been randomly crazy around here though. The old saying bad (and I'm going with good too) things come in 3s would apply, but we've just had random good news with random trials. It's actually kind of exhausting, and part of the reason I haven't been on the blog much. That and just trying to keep up with Brynn.

Mike is having a really stressful time with the store he took over, pretty much any problem from the freezer failing and food spoiling, to theft, and then the hot water tank went and it flooded the store and the mall. I'm hoping that's his 3 bad things, but it's really crummy for him because they get their bonus based on meeting targets, but they count replacement costs for things like freezers and hot water tanks against those targets. Yeah, because clearly it's his fault they went. It's a bit disheartening when it is stuff you have no control over.

Oh well, enough bitching on his behalf. I am just sort of waiting for him to be done with the whole thing though and come home one day saying he's decided to go back to landscaping or it's time to move to Australia.

On the upside I think things going fairly well with Ultimate helps. He's been having fun and going to a lot of tournaments. Brynn and I have not joined him much lately because I don't really like taking her on long car rides. Which also explains a lot of the petting zoo pictures. If we are in Victoria on the weekend Brynn has a standing pet/brush the goats request. :)

We will be making a tournament exception in August though because it will be in the interior and my friend Jen has had her baby, so it's visiting and ulti time.

:)

I would also really like to make it over to the mainland. I haven't seen my mainland friends (and their new babies too) in ages. I think we really need to do some camping and visiting. along with some outdoor climbing and kayaking. The summer is just flying by!