oy vey, so much to say!

mom in law came and we actually had a really good visit. she made lots of delicious suppers and baked so many cookies we'll be eating them into the new year.

she did some crafts, relaxed, and we pampered the heck out of her. she went back to indiana looking like a new woman. we spent major bucks on a bunch of super nice clothes for her at nordstrom, got her hair cut, highlighted and styled at my salon, took her to a spa for a facial, and a manicure and pedicure that were all sorts of fancy. i know because i went with her. you know, it's a rough job, but i wanted to make sure she was comfortable, so i had a bunch of stuff done, too. it was a sacrifice i was willing to make. i know, i'm so giving.

she loved it, as witnessed by her being so relaxed during the pedicure that she fell asleep and started snoring. so yes, mission accomplished.

also, we took her to a few really nice dinners and to see mamma mia in the city. it was such a good show. oh my god, you guys. i have always liked ABBA, because. so fun! but this really sealed the deal. at one point, my husband was doing something i can only describe as a rhythmic wagging in his chair (because. the music? omg it's infectious and awesome and makes you want to burst into dance right in the aisles), and he looked sort of concerned, and he leaned over to sort of sheepishly with this pure joy in his eyes and he goes.

honey. i'm concerned i may be gay for ABBA

which, you know, goes down as pretty much the best thing he's ever said to me aside from that one time he proposed.

anyhoooo, yes. mamma mia. see it if you can. so so so fun. and my mother in law loved it, which is pretty amazing considereing the our wildly divergent demographics.

let's see. what else.

last weekend, my new company sent me a gift basket! i was floored and amazed and felt so nice to be treated special like that. it was a giant basket thingie with a bunch o cool company-branded stuff inside along with some yummy snacks and a book about the company. and it was all nicely wrapped up with a big red ribbon that said "welcome to [the company]" on it. one of the things inside was a little usb drive that has all kinds of info on it for new employees, including a list of all the perks and things that are onsite.

dude. the old place may have been way more cool and internationally famous, but the new place's perks kick the old place's ass. onsite car washes and oil changes, dry cleaning and shoe shines, even and onsite dentist, for crying out loud. also, the new place is located right along a very nice shoreline walking path, whereas the old place was located along a major thoroughfare. so i might even go outside once in a while.

other news includes the fact that my old job apparently didn't take me off the payroll the way they were supposed to. so not only did i get my last check on my last day (per state law), but i got a check direct deposited into my account two days after i left, the way it would have been if i were still an employee. i suppose i will call tomorrow and tell them. probably.

and i think the last bit of exciting news is that my husband and i apparently lost our minds in a best buy today.

if you don't believe me, i can prove it. but you'll need to pull me away from the 42" LCD HD TV and HD Tivo and xbox 360 that is in our living room.

i freaked the fuck out right after we left the store, because omg so much money! but the husband pointed out that all together, it's less than we make in a week now.

i responded by going home and looking up the price on that sofa i've been eyeing for over a year. turns out it's on the sale for the first time i've ever seen. so i'll be buying that this week. and then the spending will stop and the saving will begin.

how amazing is it that we can do this?