Economic Stimulus.

So I was pretty excited about the idea of getting my economic stimulus check from the government. They kept saying it would be anywhere from $300-$600. I told myself to only expect $300. That way if I got more, I'd be pleasantly surprised.

After filing my taxes, I waited anxiously to see my tax return direct deposited, followed by my economic stimulus check. I kept waiting and waiting. Finally my return arrived and I was VERY pleased. This year's tax return allowed me to get fully out of debt one month earlier than I had planned. Upon celebrating my new debt-free status, I promptly forgot about my stimulus check. So about two weeks ago, one night while checking my online banking, I was rather confused. A deposit of $600 even had come in from the US Treasury. "That couldn't be my state tax return." Out loud, I even said, "What IS that??" Even though I'd so been so excited at the prospect of receiving "free money" from the government, it took me a full two minutes or so to figure out what it was, once it came. Slow eclaires. I suppose I had tried so hard not to think about the free money very much (in case for some reason I didn't qualify) that I actually talked myself out of thinking I'd get anything at all.

Well, I certainly was pleasantly surprised. Free money! Who wouldn't be happy?! :) I hope you all are enjoying your stimulus checks also.

8 things.

A few days ago, (okay so it was over a week ago) Sharona tagged me (she seems to do that a lot) to complete my lists of 8. So here you are...

8 things I am passionate about:
1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
2. Being loyal to the people I love
3. Doing things the right way
4. Understanding why people do the things they do
5. Traveling
6. Learning
7. Clean underwear
8. My rice sticking together

8 books I have read recently (umm, and enjoyed):
1. Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
2. Night by Elie Wiesel
3. Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody
4. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
5. The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
6. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
7. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
8. Alicia by Alicia Appleman-Jurman

8 things I often say:
1. Perfect.
2. "I don't know nothin' 'bout birth and babies. (Think Mamie in Gone With the Wind)
3. That's funny.
4. "We know, don't we Mr. Merg? Indeed, we do." (Think Pollyanna)
5. Good-ness.
6. Let's play Facebook.
7. Are you driving or am I?
8. Terrible.

8 things I want to do before I die:
1. Travel more
2. Decorate my own home (that means I have to buy my own home, first)
3. Get married
4. Have babies and live to see them have their own babies
5. Go on another mission
6. Remain debt-free
7. Become fluent in a third language
8. Save the world

8 things I have learned this past year:
1. I've learned... that I am tougher than I thought.
2. I've learned... to enjoy working out.
3. I've learned... that eighteen hour bras come in handy when you're in for a long day.
4. I've learned... that men don't notice what we wear. (The entire women's group at Church wore something pink one Sunday in October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, and I mean every last woman... and not one man noticed. Even when prompted, it took several minutes for the two most perceptive of the bunch to come up with the observation.)
5. I've learned... that sometimes my brain gets full and begins to short circuit.
6. I've learned... that Miraclesuits really are miraculous!
7. I've learned... that Blackjack is just about as fun as making out.
8. I've learned... to like pineapple.

8 people I want to do the 8 things:
1. Kim
2. Sherine
3. Jared
4. Amiee
5. Becky
6. Andrea (and Mark)
7. Suzy (she likes being tagged, even though she never wants to post it on her blog)
8. Mikol (and Gerrit)

Like a computer... :)

You Are Incredibly Logical

Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic You think rationally, clearly, and quickly. A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!

How Logical Are You?

"Isn't it nice not to have to talk to people..."

So, I've sort of been craving pizza this last week, which is a rather rare occurrence for me. I just don't eat pizza very often and, truthfully, I don't think I've ordered a pizza for delivery in over a year. But on Monday night, while Katie and I were having our family home evening time, I kept getting hungrier and hungrier and nothing I have in my cupboards sounded good to me. I finally realized that I was craving pizza. So I announced, "I'm ordering a pizza." I wasn't really convinced, but when lactose-intolerant-Katie said, "Can you get half of it without cheese?", it was all go for launch. Since we order pizza maybe once a year, I had no idea where to order from. Domino's? So I, sitting with my computer in my lap, decided to order online. Can you believe we can do that? Katie was excited, "I love that. Isn't it nice not to have to talk to people??" Hmmm, what does this say about us? Does it scream anti-social behavior to you? Maybe that's why we're not married. But seriously, it really made me laugh... Isn't it nice not to have to talk to people? Hmph.


By the way, the pizza hit the spot.