**Who, what is with all the new cars? Yeesh. New cars everywhere.

I was starting to get used to people keeping cars longer (perhaps living within their means?). What happened?

I noticed a *lot* of new cars at the kids' school - then started noticing more on the freeway too.

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**Ugh Ugh Ugh! Our promotional rate expired on our internet, and they won't give us a discount. What happened is that the super awesome little guy was bought out. We noticed this in the news, earlier in the year. The story of our lives!! This is the immediate consequence.

I am almost embarassed to even admit it, but our internet bill just went up from $40 to $70/month. !!! I think at most, we might have paid $50 for it, at some point. Yeah, it's super high speed internet (fiber optic) and it's really the only reason I think dh is okay with the "no cable" thing. Since we are able to stream such high quality to our TVs. Which is why I was willing to pay $50 for it. & he does utilize the high speed for his "work" (uploading videos, etc.). It's unpaid work at the moment, but hoping to make a profit at some point.

But anyway, the plan of action? I've only got to pay two more bills this year, so I am just going to wing it. Dh will call and complain a bit, talk to retention, yadda yadda yadda.

We are just going to have to fight it out next year. Jan. 1 I will rework the budget. Dh talks numbers, so it will be a good time to discuss. Jan. 1 I will know my 2013 salary and health insurance rates. We can evaluate the insanity at that point.

Something better will eventually come along. Dh will keep an eye and ear out for alternatives. It's just, "how long?"

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**I've been slowly piecing together vacation details. I was thinking about it today, and suppose this is part of my "simplicty" approach to life. It's easier to break down planning for a vacation into many smaller tasks, over a long period of time. The only thing left for the last minute will be the packing. I like to brainstorm lists the final days before we leave - which means we don't tend to forget things. I think about it a few days, and then check the list before we finalize the packing. As with anything, there is nothing very formal or special about my organization. I grab a scratch piece of paper and just jot a few things down.

I was just talking to my mom the other day and she said something like, "Why do people make things so complicated?" Is that where I get it from?

Meanwhile, I asked MIL if we could borrow a carry-on luggage, because she is driving up for a visit this weekend. She said she would bring 4 bags for us to choose from. I know she means well - but this is "making things way more complicated than it has to be." HA! If the roles were reversed, I'd figure beggars couldn't be choosers.

Anyway, I think I am going to work up a vacation budget and post more about this tonight. I can lay out my thought process, what's done, and what needs to be done still. I did a lot of research this week, and want to get it documented before I forget. {I honestly have a good memory and tend to keep most stuff in my head. But, I think my brain is getting to its limits on this trip - time for a spreadsheet}.