It's official... I am enrolled in the Masters in Educational Leadership program at UW-Oshkosh! I'm so pumped. I can't wait to get started.
The only caveat... the semester begins two weeks after my due date. Eeesh. That's cutting it a little close. But if I don't start this fall, I can't start until next summer since the introductory course is only offered every other semester.
Luckily the program advisor was really understanding. And since she teaches the intro course, she assured me that she'd be flexible with my attendance for the first few weeks. The course only meets one night a week for three hours. Hopefully I'll be up for it, but if not, I have her support to take it slow.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
How to spend $721 in 5 minutes
It's easy! Simply purchase a crib, a changing table and a vacuum online. Proud to be pulling our economy out of the recession in just a few clicks. You're welcome.
Monday, March 29, 2010
First big purchase
We went baby shopping yesterday, with both our moms in tow. It was really fun, but a little overwhelming at first. There was so much to stuff to look at!
We went to shop for furniture, but left with a baby travel system (carrier, car seat, stroller). I was concerned about overpaying at a local children's speciality store, but their price was the same as Target's. And they repair any broken parts free of charge for the life of the product. Not too shabby!
We went to shop for furniture, but left with a baby travel system (carrier, car seat, stroller). I was concerned about overpaying at a local children's speciality store, but their price was the same as Target's. And they repair any broken parts free of charge for the life of the product. Not too shabby!
Friday, March 26, 2010
On the move
I felt the baby move! It was like little bubbles rolling around inside my belly. So cool.
I thought I felt something earlier in the week, but I wasn't sure. Today, definately. That was our baby! Amazing.
I thought I felt something earlier in the week, but I wasn't sure. Today, definately. That was our baby! Amazing.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Quite literally the worst music, ever
Ben and I are trying to trim the budget in preparation for the baby (and our one-income status). So we decided to switch cell phone carriers. Similar plans, similar coverage, $40/month savings. Right on.
But when I went to open a new account last night, my credit was denied. Why? Because when they type in my social security number, their computer tells them that I'm Craig T. Moody from Houston, Texas. The same loser who tried to buy a $40,000 Cadillac with my social security number last year. Barf. I hate that guy.
Apparently Craig T. Moody is now an alias on my social security number. Fantastic. What's even better is there is no way to remove him. He's in my records. Forever. It just gives me the creeps.
It doesn't appear that he committed any actual fraud with my social security number. Just that he tried. Last time I checked there was nothing unusual in my credit report. But he's freaked me out again, so I'm pulling another report. Just to be sure.
Normally it's really easy to pull your credit report online. But I froze my credit after the initial scare last year, meaning that I have to provide a PIN for any lender to access my credit. It also means that I have to call the credit bureau and prove to a representative that I'm actually me, and not some weirdo imposter.
I've now been on hold for the past 27 minutes with the world's worst hold music. I swear, they use it to weed out the weak.
(For the record, I didn't do anything weird or unsafe with my social security number. The police officer I talked to in Houston said that they've had problems with credit bureau staff selling social security numbers with good credit scores to criminals. Ew!
It's also possible that Craig T. Moody just made up a number and it happened to be mine. This is most likely since most criminals won't use a social security number with a different gender. That's actually how Craig T. Moody got caught. I'm a girl. He's not. The auto dealership found that suspicious.)
---
Update: My total hold time was 43 minutes. I was making friendly small-talk with the representative and said, "Wow, you must be busy today!" To which he responds, "No, it's actually a little slow." Wait, what? Then why the hell did I just wait on hold for 43 minutes?!?!?
The good news? My credit report looks fine. Nothing weird or out of the ordinary. The bad news? The representative I talked to said I will likely always struggle with in-store credit checks, since Craig T. Moody appears alphabetically before Samantha L. Zinth. Boo.
But when I went to open a new account last night, my credit was denied. Why? Because when they type in my social security number, their computer tells them that I'm Craig T. Moody from Houston, Texas. The same loser who tried to buy a $40,000 Cadillac with my social security number last year. Barf. I hate that guy.
Apparently Craig T. Moody is now an alias on my social security number. Fantastic. What's even better is there is no way to remove him. He's in my records. Forever. It just gives me the creeps.
It doesn't appear that he committed any actual fraud with my social security number. Just that he tried. Last time I checked there was nothing unusual in my credit report. But he's freaked me out again, so I'm pulling another report. Just to be sure.
Normally it's really easy to pull your credit report online. But I froze my credit after the initial scare last year, meaning that I have to provide a PIN for any lender to access my credit. It also means that I have to call the credit bureau and prove to a representative that I'm actually me, and not some weirdo imposter.
I've now been on hold for the past 27 minutes with the world's worst hold music. I swear, they use it to weed out the weak.
(For the record, I didn't do anything weird or unsafe with my social security number. The police officer I talked to in Houston said that they've had problems with credit bureau staff selling social security numbers with good credit scores to criminals. Ew!
It's also possible that Craig T. Moody just made up a number and it happened to be mine. This is most likely since most criminals won't use a social security number with a different gender. That's actually how Craig T. Moody got caught. I'm a girl. He's not. The auto dealership found that suspicious.)
---
Update: My total hold time was 43 minutes. I was making friendly small-talk with the representative and said, "Wow, you must be busy today!" To which he responds, "No, it's actually a little slow." Wait, what? Then why the hell did I just wait on hold for 43 minutes?!?!?
The good news? My credit report looks fine. Nothing weird or out of the ordinary. The bad news? The representative I talked to said I will likely always struggle with in-store credit checks, since Craig T. Moody appears alphabetically before Samantha L. Zinth. Boo.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
What it's all about
It's no secret that I'm a planner.
I pretty much have a five year life plan rolling around in my head at all times. I know how long I want to stay in our house (another 4 years max), when we should buy a new car (next month), and where our first post-baby vacation will be (Spain).
These aren't rigid plans by any means. I'm open to things evolving and changing. But I like having an idea of what's coming next.
Part of the plan in recent years has been for me to go back to school. UW Oshkosh has the master's program I'm looking for (Student Affairs in Higher Education), but I never really considered attending. I wanted to go to a larger school. I wanted to enroll in a more competitive program. I wanted to live in a new city.
Seeing a pattern here? The decision was all about me.
Ben was promoted at work recently. He went from a job that was fine and paid the bills, to a job with more responsibility that he really enjoys. It's challenging. It's interesting. Its given him a whole new perspective about his professional career.
Its been great to watch his attitude about work shift. He's taking pride in what he does. His days are long, but they're also more fulfilling. He really loves it. And then it hit me. It's not all about me anymore.
We've been married for three years. You'd think this realization would have come to me sooner. But truthfully, it didn't. I was still thinking primarily about what I wanted, not what was best for us.
It's not as if I was making these life decisions without Ben. He was open to and excited about a move. He was ready for a new adventure. He was incredibly supportive of my goals. But that's Ben. It would never occur to him not to put me first, even though he's happy and thriving right where we're at. He's an incredibly kind, wonderful, generous partner.
Somewhere between Ben's promotion and expecting a baby, I realized that uprooting our family was incredibly selfish. Especially when I can get the education I want right here. For now, I see that staying put is what's best for both of us.
After all, we have an incredible support network of family and friends. A home to call our own. And a life full of love and laughter.
That's what it's all about.
I pretty much have a five year life plan rolling around in my head at all times. I know how long I want to stay in our house (another 4 years max), when we should buy a new car (next month), and where our first post-baby vacation will be (Spain).
These aren't rigid plans by any means. I'm open to things evolving and changing. But I like having an idea of what's coming next.
Part of the plan in recent years has been for me to go back to school. UW Oshkosh has the master's program I'm looking for (Student Affairs in Higher Education), but I never really considered attending. I wanted to go to a larger school. I wanted to enroll in a more competitive program. I wanted to live in a new city.
Seeing a pattern here? The decision was all about me.
Ben was promoted at work recently. He went from a job that was fine and paid the bills, to a job with more responsibility that he really enjoys. It's challenging. It's interesting. Its given him a whole new perspective about his professional career.
Its been great to watch his attitude about work shift. He's taking pride in what he does. His days are long, but they're also more fulfilling. He really loves it. And then it hit me. It's not all about me anymore.
We've been married for three years. You'd think this realization would have come to me sooner. But truthfully, it didn't. I was still thinking primarily about what I wanted, not what was best for us.
It's not as if I was making these life decisions without Ben. He was open to and excited about a move. He was ready for a new adventure. He was incredibly supportive of my goals. But that's Ben. It would never occur to him not to put me first, even though he's happy and thriving right where we're at. He's an incredibly kind, wonderful, generous partner.
Somewhere between Ben's promotion and expecting a baby, I realized that uprooting our family was incredibly selfish. Especially when I can get the education I want right here. For now, I see that staying put is what's best for both of us.
After all, we have an incredible support network of family and friends. A home to call our own. And a life full of love and laughter.
That's what it's all about.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Booya
Try not to be blown away by my mad computer skills. A slideshow of the bump progress now appears in the column on the right. Click on it to see the full-size photos.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)