Vroom Vroom...

Well, in my last post I mentioned that Kyle and I were planning to go test drive some cars this last weekend.  JUST test driving was our intention.  So much for intentions.  After a long day of test driving cars and talking to dealers, we decided to buy ourselves a new car.

This isn't our exact car, but looks a lot like it.

We ended up buying a 2008 RX350.  I feel a little odd about the whole thing, but I must say I LOVE the car.  Love it!  Not that I wouldn't have been happy in a Highlander, I really like those as well, but we got everything I/we wanted in this car, it's loaded with more options than the 2011 Highlander and was just about the same price.  As crappy as the last 10 months have been for us, this is a nice pick-me up (in addition to me needing a new car that we could rely on).

Now it's time to start saving for the next big purchase...a new house hopefully within the next two years!

Highlanders, Muranos, Edges, Oh My!

After ten years of dedicated car ownership of my 2001 Ford Focus, Kyle and I have decided it's time to start looking at a new car for me.  Not that I won't miss the Foc_s (I spell it this way because some time ago the 'U' fell off the back of my car, so I drive a Focs).  I've had my car since I was a junior in high school.  It will definitely be weird driving in something else.  However, her age is starting to show, running "hard" as I describe it, even when the weather is okay.

After having driven the same car for so long, I definitely have a list of things that I am looking for in my next car.  I want a leather interior (cloth is harder to keep clean); I want bluetooth capability for my phone; and I want an SUV.  Especially during inclement weather, I hate being low man on the road in my car, and I know I would feel safer driving in something that sits a little higher up.

Other than those few requirements, I have no clue what I want.  I've think I might like a Nissan Murano, Ford Edge or Toyota Highlander.  I also feel like there are so many other dependable SUV's out there that I am not even aware of, but I guess that's how this whole car search thing goes.  Kyle and I are headed out this weekend to test drive a wide range of vehicles so hopefully after this weekend, I will have a better idea of what I want (though I'm not looking forward to having a car payment).

Other than that, not much has been going on in our house lately.  Kyle is finally coming out of busy season and I am nearing the end of our quarterly busy time (though really work hasn't been all that busy).  I'm in the 4 week countdown to surgery number two.  I'm grateful to be feeling so much better, but I am ready for the next step!

Happy Friday!

Blogging Resolution

I feel a little guilty about having become a bit of a blogging slacker after I made the public resolution I would do better!  I could say that I have good reasons for not having stuck with it, but if I were honest with myself, it's really not that hard to find 10 minutes out of the day to put together a little blog post.  Really, I waste that much time on facebook in a day, at least.  So here's my new blogging resolution.  I'm going to start out slow (I've learned the hard way when I try to convince myself to take on something all or nothing, it usually winds up nothing).  I am challenging myself to sit down once a week for fifteen minutes to write a post for the blog.  Easy, right?  At least it's a goal that I can measure and hold myself too.  So here's my first of hopefully many blog posts to come.

I won't go into the sorted details right now about my surgery and such, I have another post in the works that I used kind of like a diary to write down how I was feeling throughout the whole ordeal.  Needless to say I feel like I'm on the downward slope of this whole process.  One thing I will say is that I have been feeling AMAZING compared to how I was before my surgery.  No joke.  Even with this bag attached to my belly, I feel like more of a human being now than I have in months, probably since the wedding.  I'm definitely ready for the next step, but so happy to be feeling so much better.

Life in the McGuire household never seems to be dull.  This week is my niece's confirmation.  She asked me to be her sponsor, which I was very touched by.  It will be pretty cool to stand up with her in front of the archbishop with my hand on her shoulder as she chooses to join the church.  I know I haven't been able to be the supportive kind of confirmation sponsor I was wanting to be.  Getting sick really put a wrench in everything, but that will also teach me to not be such a procrastinator.  Luckily even after this week I can still try to be a mentor to her and do things together like go to mass and support her in her faith.  That's why sponsors are supposed to be for life, not just for now.  It will be good for my faith too; to help me grow in my faith.  I have a lot to be thankful for.

Things are starting to pick up at work since we are working on our quarterly report.  It may sound funny, but I am so excited to be able to be there for the whole reporting process, instead of just part of it.  I feel like I get to be a "whole" part of the team, making no excuses.  I'm excited to be able to help out and show them how much their support has meant to me.  I am so grateful and feel very fortunate to have the job that I do and to work for the people I do.

Our lab Duke just about lost his life last night.  I made some extra chicken last night at dinner for leftovers so I could have lunch today and possibly dinner tonight.  Duke was in the kitchen for no more than 5 seconds by himself and comes back into the living room cowered over and smacking his lips.  That damn dog got on the kitchen counter and helped himself to some chicken!  He's lucky Kyle loves him so much, I would have let him sleep outside all night.

Well, my fifteen minutes of blogging has gone by pretty fast.  I'm hoping to keep this up!  I should have a post up soon about my surgery and maybe even about how life has been post-surgery.  Until then.