Frustrated But Happy

It's been a week since I posted! Yikes!! It's been a busy week with lots to post about, too... darn. :) But then again, busy often equals fewer posts! That's unfortunate for any reader, however, because it means I post most often when I am bored with nothing exciting to write about! Haha. :)

I have one day off today before I have to work this weekend. But Sunday is only an 8 hr shift, so I can go to church! Haven't been to Hope in like 2 months (oops) thanks to the craziness of summer. Last Sunday, my cousin Jen and I went to Mars Hill on Sunday morning before sightseeing (more about that later), and then before that it was work and trips abroad, etc. So hopefully (haha) I will be there on Sunday!

I'm trying to decide the tone of this blog. I am writing because I need a break from a frustrating day off (which would be great to rant about!) but I don't like it when my blogs are rants all the time... I prefer a more upbeat record of my life! I also need to make it a quick post because I have some of the aforementioned frustrating things to take care of before I can write a fun post about Jen's visit! So, here's the latest in my life:

* My 27th birthday was pretty much the best ever. Even though it was the first one where I wasn't with my family, I felt completely loved by family and friends. Particularly when I compare it to previous birthdays (where maybe I felt disappointed or OLD), it was simply awesome. Thank you to everyone who made it special!! Will post pictures later...

* Birthday gift highlights include Target giftcard, Amazon gift certificate, books, jewelry, linens, reimbursement of Ireland expenses (whoo hoo!), flowers (multiple givers!), a coat, and one of the greatest inventions ever... a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner! I also bought myself a ridiculously gorgeous red dress because it was on sale and I felt frivolous on my birthday... now I just need someplace to wear it to!

* My cousin Jen came to visit from Pittsburgh!! It was a random idea for a trip, since we got along well at Thanksgiving (well, we've always gotten along well, but now we are older!) and she decided to vacation with me in Seattle! It was a fun couple of days, and I had a blast. Unfortunately, Seattle had awful weather the entire time... 50s and 60s and raining... in August. Lovely. But the visit was FABULOUS! :)

* After Jen left on Tuesday night, I worked two 12s on Wednesday and Thursday. Long and stressful days. Seriously. Glad when they were done! One day off then back for more fun. :) Next schedule, though... 90% time!!

* My TiVo died (see previous rant!). :( So I purchased a new HD TiVo!! But haven't gotten Comcast out to install the cablecards... so it is a beautiful piece of electronic hardware sitting in my living room as a decorative item. I anticipate it will be awesome, however. :)

* On Monday, Jen and I were driving in downtown Seattle and got a flat tire. :( So she not only got to help me jack up the car in the pouring rain of a rare Seattle thunderstorm, but she got to experience the joy of a tire store on Aurora Ave (the FULL Seattle tour!). Actually, I was super glad she was there for both the flat and the purchasing of the new tires, as neither thing was something I would want to go through on my own!

* Thanks to the 2 previous items, I am officially poor! Hence the frustrating day today, as I am attempting to pay bills. I have lived here 1 year, officially! Which means that all my bills go up at the same time!! Car insurance, renters insurance, rent on my apartment, cable bill, etc... sigh. No way to avoid it, but man. Stinks to be a grown-up.

* On top of that, my nursing school decided to finally review their records and realize that I had been given a Perkins loan in 2005. When I graduated in 2006, I repeatedly called and wrote letters, asking for the repayment info (I have copies of all of them, luckily), but was told that they didn't have anything about a Perkins loan in their records. So I filed those papers away and forgot about it. This week, however, I get a notice that I have failed to complete exit counseling for this loan... apparently the school decided that I graduated in January 2008 (rather than May 2006 when I got my diploma!) and re-discovered when reviewing their books that I owed them money! Ok, I understand that I did, in fact, receive money from them, and therefore do need to pay it back. However, the 9 month grace period on the loan apparently starting ticking away when I "graduated" in January. So... bottom line is that I have gained a new bill, first due in November. Yay! Of course, if they had ever responded in 2006 and then again in 2007 when I asked about this loan, they would have received the repayment in full in one lump sum... but not an option now for me, so now I get to repay with interest! Argh. So frustrating.

Well, this blog turned into a rant despite my efforts, so maybe I better stop now before I get all worked up again! :) I will write more and post some pictures later...

~Alison