Tuesday!

6fsn

One more day until the kids leave for a few days!!!

Finished working and worked out.  We're hitting a natural play area and wading through some water.  The weather for tonight is iffy.  If it doesn't storm 6let has soccer skills and that's about all.

kvruns

Anyone ever rent a house/condo in Myrtle Beach? My family is looking at going in Oct and stuff is super cheap since it might be chilly (my brother lives there and it will be my other brother's daughter fall break so that's why on the timing). I found the same places on AirBNB and VRBO and VRBO seems to be a little cheaper, guess they have lower fees? 

Driving with baby B that far sounds miserable but I feel like I don't want to miss out on going when the rest of the family is and my mom really wants a family vacation sometime.

mrsconn23

Last night DH and I kicked major ass getting the car and other stuff ready for vacation.  We did a damn good job with with our spit and shine detail.    I was a sweaty Betty by the end.  The humidity is crazy. 

Also, my car mats were looking a little rough .  DH had rubber mats and regular mats in his WRX that we traded for the truck last year.  He only used the rubber mats and forgot to bring in the regular mats when we traded the car, so I found them and they fit in my car (I have an Outback).  Yes, the front mats say WRX, but IDGAF because it looks way better than my beat-up old ones and cost $0. 

Tonight is more prep and working through our lists.  It's supposed to rain the rest of the week.  We probably won't get to mow before we leave, so we'll be coming home to a jungle.  Sorry neighbors.  

short+sassy

Booked my flight yesterday for CA!  $214/person r/t, non-stop, from NOLA to LAX.  That's a bargain, so I'm pretty excited to save over $100/ticket.  Our plan is to take the train from LAX down to Orange County, where my mom lives.  We should be able to do that on both ends of the trip.  We're going in August.

It is also so rare and lovely to have non-stop flights for that far away.  4-hour flight.  Done. 

The one negative of our itinerary is the outbound flight leaves at 6:25AM.  Which means we'll need to leave at 5:00AM to get to the airport an hour early.  Which means we'll need to get up at about 4:30AM, smh.  And no coffee places will be open at the airport yet.  I am already questioning my chances of survival, lol.

Edited to add:  Frick!!!  I just checked the train schedule for our departure.  Even though the flight leaves at 9:30, in order to get there two hours early...which I'd want to for LAX...we need to take the 5:10AM train, smh.  Apparently fate is determined that I will not be able to sleep in on TWO of my vacation days, lol.  So wrong.

CharmedPam

yeah I was awake at 3:30 a.m. from the thunder and lightening outside this morning.  yay me.  I did finally realize I wasn't going to go back to sleep any time soon and got a 4:00 a.m. workout in.  Work is slow.  Not many people in and annoying coworker is out for 4 weeks. also yay me!

edit: I just had to cancel my blue apron boxes, an upcoming facial and no chip appointment to make up for my deductible for the windshield replacement. womp womp.  If only I hadn't been following that truck that day.....

Never rented one, Kvruns, but sometimes October is not as chilly as one may think!  We did Plymouth in October and some days were just beautiful.  Jump on it if you can!

kvruns

I'm hoping the weather will be nice. I think I went in late Sept or early Oct years back and it wasn't bad. My family are not beach people so they'd prefer the cool. I am a beach person but don't want my kid to burn so I'd be ok with cool as long as we're not freezing. 

CharmedPam

short+sassy said:

Booked my flight yesterday for CA!  $214/person r/t, non-stop, from NOLA to LAX.  That's a bargain, so I'm pretty excited to save over $100/ticket.  Our plan is to take the train from LAX down to Orange County, where my mom lives.  We should be able to do that on both ends of the trip.  We're going in August.

It is also so rare and lovely to have non-stop flights for that far away.  4-hour flight.  Done. 

The one negative of our itinerary is the outbound flight leaves at 6:25AM.  Which means we'll need to leave at 5:00AM to get to the airport an hour early.  Which means we'll need to get up at about 4:30AM, smh.  And no coffee places will be open at the airport yet.  I am already questioning my chances of survival, lol.

Edited to add:  Frick!!!  I just checked the train schedule for our departure.  Even though the flight leaves at 9:30, in order to get there two hours early...which I'd want to for LAX...we need to take the 5:10AM train, smh.  Apparently fate is determined that I will not be able to sleep in on TWO of my vacation days, lol.  So wrong.

Southwest huh?

Yeah, I love southwest, but the timing of the flights suck sometimes!  I had the same problem when booking our July vaca.  I try to book the flights around car rental pick up/drop off, and I try to get them in intervals of 24 hours because if you want it for 26 hrs it may as well be 48.  Makes things so difficult! 

edit: @kvruns, yeah I'm not a beach person either, so October would be OK for H and I. 

ShesSoCold

@kvruns, yes, I had the same experience using VRBO vs. AirBNB. The exact same property was like $60 cheaper with VRBO/HomeAway than AirBNB.

Thanks for all your good thoughts yesterday! I'm almost relieved that we had a pregnancy scare, in a way. It made us both think about the "what ifs" more and I think we're in a good place.

After months and months and lots of drama, I finally got what I wanted from work so I'm FINALLY busy! Yay for having an actual job to do at work! I was honestly considering rage-quitting if I didn't come in yesterday morning to find the email that I was promised.

Our AC isn't working again. So the $500 we spent charging it last month did not work. Grrrrrrr. H got a quote on a coil and/or unit replacement but I'd like a second quote before we pull the trigger. Sleeping last night was miserable. This is as close to camping as I ever hope to be.

ETA - My random thought of the day - I'm still mad at Taylor Swift.

On a Stones tour a few years ago, they had a "special guest" every night. For like two weeks before our show, we kept joking that "Ooh I hope our special guest is Taylor Swift!". Well son of a bitch, it was. The girl has talent, sure, and I hear she puts on a good show but she was NOT good that night. I still get mad at her when I hear As Tears Go By.

short+sassy

CharmedPam said:

short+sassy said:

Booked my flight yesterday for CA!  $214/person r/t, non-stop, from NOLA to LAX.  That's a bargain, so I'm pretty excited to save over $100/ticket.  Our plan is to take the train from LAX down to Orange County, where my mom lives.  We should be able to do that on both ends of the trip.  We're going in August.

It is also so rare and lovely to have non-stop flights for that far away.  4-hour flight.  Done. 

The one negative of our itinerary is the outbound flight leaves at 6:25AM.  Which means we'll need to leave at 5:00AM to get to the airport an hour early.  Which means we'll need to get up at about 4:30AM, smh.  And no coffee places will be open at the airport yet.  I am already questioning my chances of survival, lol.

Edited to add:  Frick!!!  I just checked the train schedule for our departure.  Even though the flight leaves at 9:30, in order to get there two hours early...which I'd want to for LAX...we need to take the 5:10AM train, smh.  Apparently fate is determined that I will not be able to sleep in on TWO of my vacation days, lol.  So wrong.

Southwest huh?

Yeah, I love southwest, but the timing of the flights suck sometimes!  I had the same problem when booking our July vaca.  I try to book the flights around car rental pick up/drop off, and I try to get them in intervals of 24 hours because if you want it for 26 hrs it may as well be 48.  Makes things so difficult! 

edit: @kvruns, yeah I'm not a beach person either, so October would be OK for H and I. 

Actually, it's Delta.  I think this is the first time ever they have been the lowest ticketed price for me, lol.

To be fair, there were many other flight options with them for both the arrival and departure, but prices were also a lot more.

I probably could have gotten a later departure for about the same price.  But 9:30 "sounded good" when I booked it.  I should have done the "time math", lol.  I wasn't thinking about that I'll want to get there two hours early because it's such a big airport AND it's about 2 hours by train to get there.  Whoops.

I have become spoiled that the NOLA airport is 30 minutes from my house and is fairly small.  One building with 4 concourses.  It's adorable they call it an international airport, lol.  It technically is.  It flies directly to a few int'l cities.

levioosa

I have a midterm tomorrow so studying all day for me. My friend from school is staying over for the next few nights since she lives 2.5 hours away and that’s just way too much driving on a test week. I worked all weekend and I am beat. But I’m done with this schedule for awhile. 

I only have one more month until my car is paid off! And I have a couple things to look forward to this summer, including Yosemite and a trip to San Diego. Trying to focus on the positive so school doesn’t crush me. Ha. 

CharmedPam

@levioosa, glad you're getting in some "play time" too!
@short+sassy, depending on when you booked, you may have that 24 hour window for refunds/exchanges...

NBSquared2017

My favorite food truck came today!! It's Spurrito - a burrito sized spring roll.

I did not sleep well last night, either too much Netflix or too much depressing news. 

Either way...I'm dragging  

Jen4948

Trying to recover from a bad weekend. I came home a little while ago from a third interview with a company that is checking my references.

I'm feeling tired because the weekend shit fucked up my sleep schedule. I got too little sleep the other night and crashed early yesterday.

CharmedPam

Jen4948 said:

Trying to recover from a bad weekend. I came home a little while ago from a third interview with a company that is checking my references.

I'm feeling tired because the weekend shit fucked up my sleep schedule. I got too little sleep the other night and crashed early yesterday.

third interview! Sounds promising.  Hopefully you'll be all balanced out soon, @Jen4948.  

ShesSoCold

NBSquared2017 said:

My favorite food truck came today!! It's Spurrito - a burrito sized spring roll.

I did not sleep well last night, either too much Netflix or too much depressing news. 

Either way...I'm dragging  

WUT.

I need this.

OliveOilsMom

I'm trying to finish an important project at work, but the material I'm reviewing is a snooze fest!  I have to get on it though!  Now back to it!

Jen - Fingers crossed!  A third interview is good news!

Kvruns - I've been to the Jersey shore in Oct.  The weather is generally beautiful.  The ocean is not swimmable due to the temp, but staying on the sand should be fine.  I can only imagine that being in Myrtle Beach that time of year is fine too.  The only thing I might check on would be if places are open.  Some of the restaurants and stores close at the end of September on the island communities in Jersey.  Not sure if they have similar types of shut downs in Myrtle Beach though.

short+sassy

Jen4948 said:

Trying to recover from a bad weekend. I came home a little while ago from a third interview with a company that is checking my references.

I'm feeling tired because the weekend shit fucked up my sleep schedule. I got too little sleep the other night and crashed early yesterday.

Crossing fingers for you!  Most companies don't bother spending time checking references unless a job offer has been made or is coming.  I really hope that's the case for you.

NBSquared2017

ShesSoCold said:

NBSquared2017 said:

My favorite food truck came today!! It's Spurrito - a burrito sized spring roll.

I did not sleep well last night, either too much Netflix or too much depressing news. 

Either way...I'm dragging  

WUT.

I need this.

@shessocold - yes, yes you do. 

I pulled this picture from their website - behold the beauty that is Spurrito 

ILoveBeachMusic

@NBSquared2017 that looks amazing. Now I want one.

I'm still in the Chicago area. DD asked me to stay longer since SIL has a work meeting he has attend later this week. They also both need to be able to get some sleep. I'm trying to get stuff like laundry and cleaning done while helping with the babies whenever and however she wants me to. I've been helping her get set up for breastfeeding. SIL helps her too it is just that sometimes three people need to be involved if both babies are awake. I slept through those storms @CharmedPam!

@kvruns I have found that VRBO is a little cheaper than AirBnB too. I haven't rented a house at Myrtle in years but October should be super nice. I know around Charleston they say that is the best time of year - fewer tourist!

ShesSoCold

I slept through some of the storms. With the A/C broke, open windows were the only things keeping me from going to a hotel. But we have those stupid crank-out windows so it's easier for rain to get in. When I saw H closing them last night, I nearly tore his head clean off.

mrsconn23

@kvruns, how many people are you trying to accommodate and for what dates?

short+sassy

@ILoveBeachMusic, is your DD feeling a lot better?

During my unfortunate two weeks of car repairs, I was using the bus for transportation.  One of my journeys had baby twins sitting across from me.  Probably about 8 months old.  One of them was sound asleep in dad's arms and the other one was quiet and mellow in mom's arms, but wide awake!  Smiling and happy.  Looking around everywhere.  I laughed to myself and wondered if it seemed like, to the parents, that there was ALWAYS one of them awake.  They were utterly adorable.  I'm sure that helps, lol. 

mrsconn23

short+sassy said:

@ILoveBeachMusic, is your DD feeling a lot better?

Oh yes!  How is your daughter?  How are the babies?  Is everyone home?

kvruns

@mrsconn23 I think it will be the week of Oct 7th. There will be 6-7 of us (mom/dad, bro/niece, me/baby B/possibly H). Ideally 4 bedrooms as I'd like the baby to be in his own room if possible so he sleeps better. I found some 4 bedroom condos that look decent and it comes out to about $250 a night after all of the cleaning fees, service fees, taxes, etc. The per night fee is like $100 but then the cleaning and service fees are just as much!

kvruns

@short+sassy babies being cute are the only reason it is manageable sometimes. I'm guessing it is times 2 for twins!

short+sassy

kvruns said:

@mrsconn23 I think it will be the week of Oct 7th. There will be 6-7 of us (mom/dad, bro/niece, me/baby B/possibly H). Ideally 4 bedrooms as I'd like the baby to be in his own room if possible so he sleeps better. I found some 4 bedroom condos that look decent and it comes out to about $250 a night after all of the cleaning fees, service fees, taxes, etc. The per night fee is like $100 but then the cleaning and service fees are just as much!

Ugh, yes!  I ran into the same problem when I was looking at renting a beachfront condo for our long Gulf Coast FL weekend.

It was already time consuming because I very specifically wanted an ocean front view, with a balcony.  The best I could do was narrow to a "water view", which included condos on marinas, and some travel sites didn't even have that option.  So it was a lot of clicking various units.

And then, after all of that, I'd go to the "book it" page.  And my $80-$100/night condo was suddenly almost 3x that amount with all the taxes and fees!  WTF! 

A cleaning fee and taxes and the website fees (ie VRBO or AirBnB), I understand would be in the final total.  Which is already going to be a shock.  But omg, just roll the rest into the per night charge!  I saw daily "resort fees".  "Property management (PM)" fees.

I'm sorry, PM fees?  Do I suddenly own this unit?  No, no I don't.  So roll that into the expenses like every other type of real estate investment does and potentially charge more per night.  Stop irritating me with the nickel and diming.  More like quarter and dollaring, lol. 

VarunaTT

I'm back at work.  And I'm so freaking happy to just be at work, doing my job, and no extra personal responsibilities at all for a good long while.  I'd already told my ED that I wasn't doing committee work until October, she's fine with that.  And Pride is finished.  Sponsors, vendors, performers, volunteers, attendees, etc., all had a great time.  I am simply glad that it's over.  I don't really have a sense of accomplishment this year, just survival.  I am not doing this next year.

Other than that, I'm working on getting my home back in order, starting to cook again, then starting to work out again.  I need to concentrate on me for a good long while.  I really haven't slowed down since Pride 2017 and I just need to.  There are some books, movies, vacations, and snuggles with K calling my name and they have all been too long neglected.  Varuna is checking out on some stuff.

mrsconn23

short+sassy said:

kvruns said:

@mrsconn23 I think it will be the week of Oct 7th. There will be 6-7 of us (mom/dad, bro/niece, me/baby B/possibly H). Ideally 4 bedrooms as I'd like the baby to be in his own room if possible so he sleeps better. I found some 4 bedroom condos that look decent and it comes out to about $250 a night after all of the cleaning fees, service fees, taxes, etc. The per night fee is like $100 but then the cleaning and service fees are just as much!

Ugh, yes!  I ran into the same problem when I was looking at renting a beachfront condo for our long Gulf Coast FL weekend.

It was already time consuming because I very specifically wanted an ocean front view, with a balcony.  The best I could do was narrow to a "water view", which included condos on marinas, and some travel sites didn't even have that option.  So it was a lot of clicking various units.

And then, after all of that, I'd go to the "book it" page.  And my $80-$100/night condo was suddenly almost 3x that amount with all the taxes and fees!  WTF! 

A cleaning fee and taxes and the website fees (ie VRBO or AirBnB), I understand would be in the final total.  Which is already going to be a shock.  But omg, just roll the rest into the per night charge!  I saw daily "resort fees".  "Property management (PM)" fees.

I'm sorry, PM fees?  Do I suddenly own this unit?  No, no I don't.  So roll that into the expenses like every other type of real estate investment does and potentially charge more per night.  Stop irritating me with the nickel and diming.  More like quarter and dollaring, lol. 

Yeah, that's the vacation industry unfortunately.  My company charges a lot of fees and we get complaints all the time about our fees and policies.  I feel for people, but I gotta eat and I like a bonus.  I understand both sides and get eye-rolly about that stuff.  It's the same thing with airlines and bag fees, assigned seat fees, overhead bin fees, etc.  The industry has definitely made it ridiculous and a headache to take a vacation in some circumstances. 

I remember when we rented a house in Outer Banks, they wanted to charge us $100 or something to provide linens and some other ridiculous fee.  I'm glad I could opt out of those.  

ILoveBeachMusic

@short+sassy @mrsconn23 thank you, yes she is feeling better. She still has recovering to do but everyday is better. They all came home Sunday afternoon. I could tell she was ready to leave the hospital because she was having zero tolerance for the doctor being late on rounds! LOL! The boys are so darn cute (ok I'm biased). I'm finally feeling some attachment. The first few days, I was so worried about DD that I wasn't really into the babies. Now that I know she is going to be ok, I can really get into being Nana. 

STARMOON44

VarunaTT said:

I'm back at work.  And I'm so freaking happy to just be at work, doing my job, and no extra personal responsibilities at all for a good long while.  I'd already told my ED that I wasn't doing committee work until October, she's fine with that.  And Pride is finished.  Sponsors, vendors, performers, volunteers, attendees, etc., all had a great time.  I am simply glad that it's over.  I don't really have a sense of accomplishment this year, just survival.  I am not doing this next year.

Other than that, I'm working on getting my home back in order, starting to cook again, then starting to work out again.  I need to concentrate on me for a good long while.  I really haven't slowed down since Pride 2017 and I just need to.  There are some books, movies, vacations, and snuggles with K calling my name and they have all been too long neglected.  Varuna is checking out on some stuff.

Good for you! You’ve sounded so busy, I’m glad you’re taking some time for you. 

CharmedPam

mrsconn23 said:

short+sassy said:

kvruns said:

@mrsconn23 I think it will be the week of Oct 7th. There will be 6-7 of us (mom/dad, bro/niece, me/baby B/possibly H). Ideally 4 bedrooms as I'd like the baby to be in his own room if possible so he sleeps better. I found some 4 bedroom condos that look decent and it comes out to about $250 a night after all of the cleaning fees, service fees, taxes, etc. The per night fee is like $100 but then the cleaning and service fees are just as much!

Ugh, yes!  I ran into the same problem when I was looking at renting a beachfront condo for our long Gulf Coast FL weekend.

It was already time consuming because I very specifically wanted an ocean front view, with a balcony.  The best I could do was narrow to a "water view", which included condos on marinas, and some travel sites didn't even have that option.  So it was a lot of clicking various units.

And then, after all of that, I'd go to the "book it" page.  And my $80-$100/night condo was suddenly almost 3x that amount with all the taxes and fees!  WTF! 

A cleaning fee and taxes and the website fees (ie VRBO or AirBnB), I understand would be in the final total.  Which is already going to be a shock.  But omg, just roll the rest into the per night charge!  I saw daily "resort fees".  "Property management (PM)" fees.

I'm sorry, PM fees?  Do I suddenly own this unit?  No, no I don't.  So roll that into the expenses like every other type of real estate investment does and potentially charge more per night.  Stop irritating me with the nickel and diming.  More like quarter and dollaring, lol. 

Yeah, that's the vacation industry unfortunately.  My company charges a lot of fees and we get complaints all the time about our fees and policies.  I feel for people, but I gotta eat and I like a bonus.  I understand both sides and get eye-rolly about that stuff.  It's the same thing with airlines and bag fees, assigned seat fees, overhead bin fees, etc.  The industry has definitely made it ridiculous and a headache to take a vacation in some circumstances. 

I remember when we rented a house in Outer Banks, they wanted to charge us $100 or something to provide linens and some other ridiculous fee.  I'm glad I could opt out of those.  

hotels. com did that to me recently.  An upscale B&B was posted for $89 a night! I was stocked.  But then when I went to purchase it, it said $50.00 non negotiable cleaning fee was going to be added.  Now, I normally pay $139/night for a room anyway, so I still purchased it - But I like how hotels just include the cleaning fee in the price,  Plus, it helps with the average nightly reward system they have.

WB @VarunaTT, glad you decided to put you first.  You're gonna love it! 
edit: words