A good week.

Last week?
Last was an excellent week. It moved quickly, there have been pleasant surprises and minimal drama. In addition to all this positivity, I have something to look forward to.

Pleasant Surprises
On Tuesday, I came home from work, and as usual I grabbed the mail. But this particular mail day had a SURPRISE INSIDE. There was an official looking government envelope, but I knew what it was - our $8,000 tax credit for buying the house! Holler.

So now, Mike and I have to figure out how we want to divide up this money. We've already resolved to replace the gross, stained, white carpet and gnarly, old, cracked, vinyl tile on the first floor. After that? Savings? Pay down the credit card? Rip out the deck and put in a stone patio and fence? New kitchen cabinets? New kitchen countertops? (The kitchen desperately needs help) Hire a professional to paint the vaulted living room?

On top of that, I have NO IDEA where to start when it comes to putting in a floor. We're planning to go with laminate flooring, or something similar. We've been TOLD that we can't put in actual hardwood because we have a slab foundation and the moisture will warp the wood, plus hardwood is expensive.

So, at the moment, I'm confused and excited and scared about what a commitment this floor will be.

I created this guy (above) a while ago, but I don't know if I'm feeling it anymore. I kind of like the color scheme from this Real Simple cover.
But, I feel like I need more neutrals in my house. My bedroom is blue, the office is blue-gray, and the guest room is almost a slate-blue. Do I need more blue?

Are you guys better at this than I am? Because, I. Am. Hopeless at decorating, color-coordinating and the like. Suggestions welcome, with open arms. In fact, I may even throw a parade for said suggestions.

I need help, and lots of it. Mike and I are starting a flooring search this weekend. I'm scared, hold me.

Moved Quickly
Every summer from the 4th of July, until Labor day, my office offers "Summer Hours", which means that if you work an extra 4 hours Monday through Thursday, you can leave the office at 12:30pm on Friday. Currently, I am staying 30 minutes late, and only taking half a lunch. And, even though I am working an extra hour each day, it makes the week go by a million times faster, because Friday looks that much better.

Consequently, my summer has just had the fast forward button pushed.
Next thing I know it's going to be September and my summer hours will be over, I'll need to assess my collection of tights, and Emily will be waiting at the airport for me to grab her and bring her to Hotel Blake, where Brittany will be eagerly awaiting our arrival. OMG.

Speaking of Emily
Have you voted yet? You can vote once per day, per email address. Right now, girlfriend has 51% of the vote. But there are still plenty of days left for the other girls to catch up. The bigger Emily's margin, the happier I'll be.
Vote, please? The prize is ridiculous, and I would love to see Emily and David have a beautiful honeymoon.

More recently...
Because I had a Half Day Friday, I went to see Toy Story 3 at 2:30 in 3-D. But, upon learning the PRICE to see a movie these days, my BFF and I decided that we would to sneak into Despicable Me at 4:30 and really get our money's worth. I'm a rule breaker, and a rebel.

In retrospect, we should have seen them in the opposite order, because after a Pixar movie, anything is a letdown.

Something to look forward to!
Mike and I have decided to visit one of our favorite people, Cam and his wonderful girlfriend Dawn (Hi Dawn! Hope Cam told you!) next summer.

It came about the other night because Mike and I were talking about how much we someday wanted to go to Comic-Con, which is held annually in San Diego - WHERE CAM and DAWN LIVE. So, we're going to start saving and make a journey of it. We haven't decided whether we'll make it a road trip, with stops along the way. Or if we'll fly, so we have more time to hang out in CA.
Though, after just Google Mapping the directions, I'm not sure I can handle 36 hours in the car. But if I do, I can cross two things off my 101 in 1001 list:

64) Visit Cam in San Diego
23) Take a road trip with Mike along Rte. 66, from Chicago to Los Angeles, camping along the way.

Which would be kind of awesome. We have plenty of time, just something to think about....