Gift suggestion ideas

DS will be home for a few days at Christmas. Yeah us!!

I have no clue what to get him for Christmas though. We reach that stage where he and his brother don't NEED anything really. 

DS has to be able to carry it back in his luggage if it is something we want him to have for down in the States.

Gift cards are out as most of the ones we buy up here won't work in the States.

Thoughts??

Where the money stands

as of December 8th

Debts
Mortgage - $22 494.06

**Total Debt - $22 494.06


Savings/Planned Spending
TFSA/EF - $5000
RESP - $20 400
RRSP - $8000 
DS2's trip -$2709  - sent to MC to pay the final payment
Plates 2014 - $0 -
XMAS - $1400


**this does not take into account the college LOC

Athens and the Islands

It was with great satisfaction this morning that I was able to make the final payment on DS2's trip for Easter with his travel club. He is super excited to be going to Greece and seeing such a different part of the world.

He could have gone last year, during Grade 11 like his brother did, but opted not to. The trip was to China and that didn't appeal to him. He knew he was taking a risk, waiting, as the next destination was not yet know, but he decided to wait.

His fingers were crossed for either Italy, like his brother, or Greece.  He is super excited to get to go tour the Greek Islands.

The trip is through EF tours and the fee includes everything from flight to hotels to transportation to most of the tours. They may decide on other day trips when they get there. I think DS's group opted for one.  The total cost was $3780. It felt good to be able to log on and make that last payment. It was due by the end of  December, but I didn't want to forget to do it in the busyness of that last week.

The trip includes Athens (temple of Zeus, Acropolis, temple of Apollo, Delphi, an Olive Farm). Then they get on a cruise ship tour the islands for four days.  Mykonos, Crete, Rhodes.

He is a big Greek Mythology buff so this is like a dream come true.

Creating Families

I find my mind whirling with thoughts today. Glimpses of things I remember, I am thankful for...swirling ideas racing through my mind.

My son experienced his first US thanksgiving last month. They had the weekend off from hockey. over 80% of the team is from 3 hours or less away so they went home. A tiny handful of the boys are from Canada, including my son and another of his roommates. 

I was surprised, that day, to get a text from an unknown number. I have been getting so many of those lately. spam from all kinds of random numbers have latched onto my cell phone number. There was a photo in the message and for good or for bad, I opened it. It was a picture of DS celebrating American Thanksgiving. He was with his 2 roomies and 2 older women. A message quickly followed and it was from Nick's mom. She wanted to send me a pic of DS with his  new American grandmothers :-)

She wanted me to know how  much she enjoyed having DS at her house. She figured he would run first to the home made food, as she expected. Instead she found him for most of his first hour playing with their two cats and chatting up the grandmothers. It made me laugh and smile and cry all at once. I know how much he is missing his cats.

It was so sweet of her to take the boys in and give them family for a weekend. I think that is what they miss most of all. Regular family time.

So thank you US mom and dad and the grandmothers, for giving my son a wonderful home for Thanksgiving. For the food, the families, and the kitties.  It means the world to me.

All because of a toothbrush

I have been working, lately, at appreciating more what I have. Some days are more successful than others. I am enjoying my job far more than I have in years, despite the workload tripling. I am getting along well with my son here and my long distance one.  I still get sad more than I care for, and troubled by the expenses.

I went home from work a couple Fridays ago. I had been fighting the flu for most of the week. I had tried in vain to get supply teacher, but there were none available. 30 calls. 40 calls. nada. So I had to work Thursday when I really should have been at home. Friday I was lucky enough to find someone who hadn't been snapped up and by 9:40 I was on my way home.

I stopped at the little drug store near my house for.....flu supplies. There was only one other woman in there. The woman had a short conversation with the cashier then headed down an aisle. She appeared tired and worn down. We arrived at the register at almost the same time. 

As the cashier put my items through, I turned to see that the woman only had a toothbrush to purchase. I turned and asked the woman if I could buy it for her. I just  felt the need for  a random act of kindness. She looked at me, a little stunned, handed it to me we put through the $2.99 purchase.

The woman burst into tears and hugged me and then headed off to the parking lot to a truck pulling a small Uhaul unit.

The cashier said "What a nice thing you did.  How did you know she needed that so badly?"  Apparently during their quick conversation at the register, the woman had asked if there was a public restroom nearby.  She had spent the night in her truck, unable to afford a hotel room. She was heading two provinces over to restart her life after her husband had just left her with no home and no money.

It may have just been a toothbrush, but I think that moment gave something to both of us. A little sparkle of hope.