"actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that."

- Old School quote

Well, I am unassigned this week, which means I have a whole lot of nothing to do. There are about 15 other staff also unassigned, so the chances my time gets picked up are very slim. It is great having some free time to get the administrative stuff taken care of (i.e. submit expenses, clean up my email box, clean up my computer, etc…) However, a whole week is quite a looong time. So far I am loving it though! Yesterday I got a new work computer! It is so much faster than my old one (and nicer).

I signed us up for an online savings account. I did a little research to find the best rates, and ended up choosing HSBC. They don’t have the highest rate, but they have a lot of recommendations as well as really good security. I guess their rates fluctuates less too. So these online savings accounts are great. They get better interest than CDs, and there are no minimum balances required (well $1 at HSBC) and you can withdraw or transfer money as you please (with a minimum of 6 times a month). So currently the HSBC account has 3.55% APY, which it compounds daily and pays monthly – not bad!! Much better than our current Wells Fargo savings account, which earns like 0.03% or something ridiculous like that. I think the one downside is that it takes a few days to get the money out, but we just plan on using it to hold our savings and only withdraw for large purchases or emergencies. Smart eh?

Blaine’s house project over the weekend was to install new outlets and light switches. The old ones were this nasty cream color with dust and dirt in all the crevasses. We were just planning on picking up a few house essentials at Home Depot (carbon monoxide detector, fire extinguisher, etc), but then ended up spending all this money on the switches. It looked so cheap initially. You could get a pack of 10 for $11, but then we realized we needed lots of the three way switches for lights that had multiple switch locations, as well as fancy dimmer switches. Had I known the whole project was going to cost so much I would not have suggested it. But once you get Blaine going on a project, you can’t stop him. It also took a lot longer than I would have guessed. But now it is done and looks good : )

On a side note – I ran 5 miles in 60 minutes on Sunday! I have never run that far, so I was just happy to do it, and I thought my time wasn’t horrible considering my lack of being in shape : )

We are looking forward to a trip home for Easter to see family!!!

Have a good one!

Quick Update

I know I have not blogged in a REALLY long time, but honestly there is not much to say.

I splurged and bought the new Asics I really, really wanted and needed. Totally worth it, I heart them. And since I bought them I have ran more than usual. That might also be related to the fact that busy season is officially over for me. My goals are to get back in shape and start reading again. Exciting stuff I know.

I think Blaine was in shock on Monday when he came home and I was already there! I had dinner at home every night this week (except one b/c I had a dinner with my intern advisee). It is nice to actually get to spend some nice quality time at home with Blaine and Deja : ). Although, I was not sure what to do with all that time! I think I will quickly relearn how to enjoy free time : )

I have to say that busy season was a lot of hours, but definitely rewarding in the end. I really got the opportunity to step up and take on roles that normally someone at my level would not get the chance to. The client I was on had lots of issues, which created more work, but also more learning. I am looking forward to next year, when I get to take on even more challenging tasks as well as be the person that the new staff go to with their questions.

Now I am looking forward to a fun, relaxing trip with my sister to sunny AZ to see my best friend!!!