She’s Baaaack!

Yup.  Here I am.  The prodigal Suburban Wife returns.

I've really missed posting.  I've really missed budgeting.  I really miss YNAB [http://www.ynab.com].  Jesse has promised to release YNAB3 before the end of the year.  There aren't that many days left before the end of the year.  They'll be busy, hectic, and slightly expensive days but, still, there won't be that many of them.

Never in my life have I anticipated the release of software.  Any software.  I must say I never, ever pictured myself being on pins and needles about the release of budgeting software but here I am.  It makes me feel like a genuine dork.

It's not the upgrades to the program that have me so worked up (though the new and improved YNAB sounds wonderful).  It's the fact that I'll be able to run it on my iMac.

As utterly stupid as it sounds, the absence of my YNAB software really is about 90-95% of why I haven't been posting.

So just a quick run-down of what I've been up to lately:

• No, I didn't get the job and though I was bummed (read: really bummed) at first, it really has worked out for the best.  I'm determined to try again sometime in the new year.
• I put off the server move for a long time (too long) but I finally bit the bullet and got it done.  I also upgraded WordPress at the same time.  As you'll notice, I've switched themes.  Bear with me as I play around with the look and feel of the blog.
• The Son is doing extraordinarily well in school.  It was clearly just the right thing at just the right time.  Although I've missed him it has not proven to be the issue I had expected it to be.
• The Daughter has finished all of her college applications (12 in total) and actually received her very first acceptance letter a few days ago -- to her first choice college.  As much as she's ready to fly the coop and as ready as I am to be shot of her for a while, the reality of her leaving is starting to sink in.  Sometimes I miss her already; other times not so much.  But I know I'll be a basket-case when she really does leave.
• The Husband is now officially retired.  For 12 whole days now.
• And I'm officially unemployed.  Well, not officially because I haven't claimed unemployment; nor will I be.  But I am unemployed.  No more paychecks.  No more health benefits.  I'm pretty sure I'm okay with it.
• Although I'm now officially a homemaker again, I can't say as I've done much homemaking.  While the weather was still good I made a good start on my landscaping project.  I've also done a lot of volunteer work for the school.  If I don't knuckle down to housework soon though I'm going to be a real pickle when it comes time host the family Christmas party.

And a few notable purchases:

• I bought 12 tons of landscaping materials -- wall rock, flagstone, fill dirt, etc -- and paid to have it delivered.  It was expensive.  The project is really way too big for a middle-aged woman to tackle but I'm doing it anyway.  Wish me luck.
• The Husband and I, jointly, gave each other a combined Anniversary and Christmas present:  a 42" Plasma TV and a Roku [http://www.roku.com] box.  We bought them about a month ago.  Our anniversary was about a week ago.  Christmas is, well, you know when.  We've been enjoying both.  Tremendously.  More details later....
• Christmas shopping is in full swing.  The daughter's getting another pair of Bear Paw boots from Santa; same style as last year but in another color.  She loves her brown boots and they're still in great shape, she just wanted a second pair.  And, hey, Santa gives a lot of latitude when it comes to gifts.  Santa will be leaving a full poker chip set under the tree for The Son.  For their stockings, there will be mostly gift cards for The Daughter.  The Son will get a gift card or two plus two new Shirt.Woot t-shirts from the Reckoning archives.  They are designs  he has said he'll wear so they shouldn't be a big risk.
• My mom flew out to visit over Thanksgiving; we paid for the ticket but we got an excellent price -- just under $110 if I remember correctly.

Well, that's it for now.  I'm glad to be back.  It is my intention, now that the release of YNAB3 is so imminent, to get back on track of daily postings without these long, long quiet spells.

Related posts:

1. I’m back? Yes. I’m back!!
2. The Disappeared Reappear
3. Art, Movies, and Mom
4. At the Car Wash
5. Food