Posted Monday, March 17, 2008 2:33 PM
To my fellow nestie bloggers...you have given me many hours of amusement and encouragement from reading your entries over the past few months. I just wanted to share a little fodder with you on this dreary Monday morning. This is a PSA (public service announcement) of sorts...
As many of you have woken up to news reports about the stock market dropping again and a fire-sale of brokerage house Bear Stearns, I just wanted to say...DON'T FREAK OUT!! ;-)
I am a business consultant, purchasing analyst and economics junkie at heart. I follow the overall business conditions as part of my job. What I see going on right now is that the media is scaring the US into a recession. While yes, the economy has slowed down, and there is a mortgage crisis in play...this is part of the natural ebbs and flows of the market. What goes up must come down. The 90s and early to mid-2000s showed extreme growth of wealth in the US via wage growth and real estate investment. Obviously, this could not sustain itself forever! I mean...did you think your neighbor could really buy another Porsche Cayenne SUV and keep buying new Coach purses everytime they were having a bad day? (Okay, I live in Chicago...so this is what I observe).
Please *DON'T*...
1) Sell off your 401ks and stock accounts - This is not the time to do anything crazy with your investments. Remember buy low, sell high! Most nesties here are in the prime of their lives, or not even at that point, being in their 20s and 30s, and even 40s...meaning we are all a long ways away from retirement. Just keep in mind, that while the market might be bottoming out right now, it will go back up, so don't look at your 401k account today...it won't help in any current TTC initiatives at home ;-)
2) Don't think that you have to stop buying - Just because "the Joneses" are not going to the store as much anymore and don't buy as many lattes every week (according to the media) doesn't mean that you have to do the same. Yes, gas prices have spiked and your soy milk costs more at the grocery store. But many of us are excelling at work at this point in our lives and are experiencing serious wage growth - it doesn't mean that we have to cut back if not needed. If you have the money and are looking to buy some things for the house, i.e. furniture, dishwasher, etc...go for it! There are great deals out there. For example, DH and I have experienced a 30% wage growth in the last year. While we have slowed down a bit on the buying side, it has had nothing to do with the economy and everything to do with our life changing event of late 2007 - getting married and paying for our own wedding ;-) We are finishing paying off the credit cards, but just recently bought a new dishwasher, curtains and a pimp wine fridge. Do what suits your situation!
Just remember...it's a normal Monday. Go back to work! :-)
Posted Wednesday, March 12, 2008 6:55 AM
So DH recently found out that he's a groomsman <again> twice this upcoming wedding season. In the last 3 years that we have been together, based on my count, he's been a groomsman 6 times. So, it's great...he's a popular guy and a valued friend of many. I am blessed to have such a great person as my partner.
What irks me is all the time that I have to spend alone at the events. It's not always bad, since half the time it's with other friends. But I hate when at weddings they almost always have a head table and I'm forced to sit at another table for hours. I try not to sulk, but instead enjoy the free drinks. But what makes it worse too is when the ceremony is earlier in the day...so DH is up early getting ready, taking pictures, at the ceremony, and then the long 4 hour gap or so of more pictures before the reception where then I don't see him for another 2 hours through dinner. And then I have to watch him dance with some other girl. BOO!! (haha...). I am a consultant and I travel a lot out of town for work many weeks, so it's kind of disappointing when there's a wedding weekend and we don't get to spend any *quality* time together before I have to hop on a plane again on Monday morning.
At our wedding, we had a more casual setup. We had a destination wedding with 60 guests, and a wedding party of 6 (3 on each side). At the dinner, we just had round tables set up and I purposely had the wedding party sit each with their own sig others or friends. I guess that's the way I feel it to be logical ;-)
I guess I'm just pouting and jealous, dare I say...since I've never been a bridesmaid (just a greeter and a reader), so I guess I miss the attention?!?
Posted by
chi-wine-lady
Filed under: DH, weddings
Posted Thursday, February 28, 2008 6:28 AM
So I have been sick with whatever has been going around this winter....for the last month! So long...so annoying. I often travel for work, so sitting on a plane for hours is tough when you have to keep popping cough drops and drinking water...then you gotta keep getting up to use the lavatory and people think you are OCD! Haha.
The DH got sick right before V-Day, so we postponed our dinner, then last week I had a relapse and got super sick again. All achy and coughing a ton. Finally went to the doctor last week and got some antibiotics. I'm almost 100% so thank GOD! Maybe now, 2 weeks later, we can enjoy our V-day dinner :-)
But it did make me realize, that us not being able to celebrate the romantic holiday in any romantic way whatsoever....just sipping fluids on the couch at home....was fine. It is a made-up holiday, but just being together is all that really counts.
Posted Friday, February 15, 2008 4:28 AM
It's our first V-day as a married couple. It's been a great few months, trying to get settled into married life. And today, on Valentine's Day, it's nice to know that it's official - we're an official couple. So my DH had planned some fancy dinner out for us on the town, but unfortunately, he got a nasty cold 2 days ago. We decided to postpone our dinner celebration to a later day, perhaps this weekend. I was a little bummed, but I can't be too upset. We had such a great 2007 with the wedding and honeymoon, I just can't ask for more right now.
He did surprise me with some flowers yesterday, and a cute sweater from the Victoria's Secret catalog...and what I really loved...was the little blue box that was in the VS box. DH isn't into the 'gotta give a blue box' thing like other guys I know. He doesn't like to buy into that, which is fine - he always finds something cute and meaningful. What I loved was that he got me the Tiffany heart-shaped lock charm that goes on the chain-link bracelet...with my NEW initials on it. I have one of those bracelets with my 'original' initials, which I had bought a few years ago as a single lady. Just very cute...the thought of it! It all just reminded me again about how lucky I am to have found him.
Posted Tuesday, January 29, 2008 5:08 AM
It's going to be our first V-Day as a married couple this year. We're trying to pay off our wedding debts and other things too, so we're trying not to spend too much...any interesting, cheap, creative ideas?
Posted Sunday, January 27, 2008 5:35 AM
I'm so annoyed right now. My new DH - we've been married just over 3 months now - is on his annual guys' ski trip out west. We're really close and so in love... The problem? Every time he goes on this trip (3 times now since we've been together), he barely ever calls me (and he's gone about 6 days, usually). Even when I travel for work, which is pretty regular, I call him every night to check in. Nothing big or long winded usually, but a quick chat and that's it. He also IMs me regularly at work, so we get a lot of stuff out at that time too.
This year he's just gone 4 days, and he's only called me once (first day gone). I sent him a text message on day 2 and never heard from him. Now it's day 3 and still no word. I'm kind of against calling him at this point, because I think I'll blow up on the phone (plus I'm PMS-ing right now). I know there's another guy on the trip who calls his wife about 4 times a day, and that's excessive...but come on, can't DH just put the apres-ski beer down for one minute to send a text? I've told him the other years that I hate not hearing from him, but I think he 'forgets'. The other issue this year is that I'm going on another work trip on Monday, which means I'll pick him up at the airport Sunday night late, spend about 2 hours with him before I have to turn in, so I can get up at the crack of dawn on Monday and go on this business trip for 5 days. I just feel totally ignored at this point. I know part of this angst is PMS, and I'm at home getting over a bad cold...but now what?
Have you experienced this before???
Posted Friday, January 18, 2008 12:22 AM
I don't know what it is, but I'm 29 and got married in October. Now, with the prospect of 30 a few months away and now being called a "Mrs." (so weird!)...I feel like I'm going out of my way to be very attractive...dressing very well, makeup, etc...and trying look HOT. More so than before. I live in Chicago (in the city) and I have these strong urges to go out all the time to the bars / lounges...I guess I have the fear of slowing down and not making the most of my young years (and the time before any babies!). I just feel like there's not enough time..I have a professional consulting career...that there's not enough time left for me to be me...and just go out and have a good time. I work long hours and make good money...I deserve it! This has nothing to do with my husband....he is great and parties along with me...I think it's just worrying about turning older and having the pressures of having a child.
Posted Friday, January 18, 2008 12:18 AM
I guess I'm lucky that my post-wedding blues are pretty minor...mostly just trying to dig ourselves out of the wedding/honeymoon debt and also cutting out the regular mani/pedi's at the salon! I got so used to getting them regularly for about 3 months before our wedding, that I miss it! I can't paint my nails for crap! Sigh...