Thankful

So. I'm on vacation and have plenty to be happy about.
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Those promising opportunities from my last post are becoming more promising. I told Jon I wouldn't get specific about his search online, but suffice it to say things are looking up. There's hope around here for the first time since April. HOPE!
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One of the more depressing aspects of this experience was to move so many projects, both big and small, into the "later" category. One of those was a swing set for the kids. When we were deciding on their birthday gifts earlier this year, we purposfully held off, knowing we would get a swing set at the end-of-summer sales. Obviously, that was one of the projects to get shifted. Well, today our neighbors with two teenage kids asked if we would be interested in their old swing set and little tykes play gym. There is nothing fancy about the swing set, but it's sturdy and safe and free! All we need is to apply a fresh coat of paint and get a simple swing for Joey. I'm thrilled!
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When we bought our house in 2006, our bank was running a no-closing costs mortgage sale. Due to the terms of the sale and not having to pay closing costs, we actually walked away with new keys and a check from the seller. The only catch was that we would be forced to pay a penalty if we refinanced or sold the house within the first 3 years. As of July 31st, we are eleigible to refinance and the bank is running the same special! With everything that has happened in the past 6 months, we weren't sure if the monthly savings would be worth the closing costs. Now we should be able to get our interest rate reduced, switch to a 15-year mortgage AND not have to pay closing costs!
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My garden is sprouting little veggies and I'm de-cluttering a little more each day. An outsider probably wouldn't notice any difference because we still have so many little stashes, but I feel so much better knowing all that stuff is off to St. Vincent's!
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Jon and I did a SAH date last night complete with take-out and a movie. The movie sucked, but we had a nice time relaxing together. We're making more of an effort to "un-plug" in the evenings and it's really nice to just hang out together.