Deflation

I am thoroughly deflated for many reasons. Some good and others are not quite as awesome.

The Good Deflation:

1. Vacation Deflation: This is a good one! Vacations can be go-go-go. And with an infant, a toddler and four more children, not to mention 12 adult McFarlane's, the noise can reach volumes Helen Keller could hear. Between the activities, altitude sleeplessness, a few extra adult beverages and noisy toddlers, there wasn't a lot of extra sleep happening in that house. Being home in my own bed, eating non-vacation foods and being back in my very comfortable routine is what I am calling Vacation Deflation, and it's a wonderful thing.
2. Food Deflation: It's so great to be eating normal foods after a week of eating lots of chips and chocolate. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE chips and chocolate, but if I am not going to be running, I shouldn't be eating those things. Bringing home a bunch of mini-candy bars from the vacation and promptly tossing them in the trash was a bit of food deflation. It makes me sad and happy all at the same time. Oh, and I am still running...just have to undo what a week in the mountains did! But I loved every second of it! Especially learning about a smear of peanut butter on my s'more. Oh. My. Gosh! They were AWESOME!!!
   

The Not-as-Good-But-Still-Not-Bad Deflation:

1. Weather Deflation: It's Monsoon season in Colorado. Afternoon rain and storms to fill our reservoirs for the dry end-of-summer and early fall is always welcomed. Except by those of us who have decided to take up golf. Standing around with thunder and lightening while holding a golf club is a VERY bad idea. And it sure deflates my excitement to be finished with a work day and headed to the driving range. On the upside, we've decided to take up racquetball and our first court reservation is tomorrow night! We even went and bought rackets, balls and safety glasses...oh and special non-marking shoes. I didn't even know non-running shoes existed. These are true "tennis shoes." Chris has played before. I am clueless. My goal is to run around and hit the ball. Who needs rules anyway?
   

The Totally-Not-Awesome Deflation:

1. Savings Deflation: And this isn't about the economy. It's about our savings account. We've done a pretty good job of paying off debt and building our "just in case" savings account. We've saved enough to pay 2 months of bills and groceries. Three weeks ago we paid $60 to have the thermostat on our oven fixed. The technician has been back two more times to fix other problems with our range, including replacing the $350 brain of the dumb thing plus the $120 for him to walk in our front door. Thanks to our home warranty, we have only had to pay the initial $60 copay (it works like insurance for your house and I HIGHLY recommend it). However, the brain failed again. And there seems to be some discrepancy as to whether or not our warranty will provide the full price of replacement or it's depreciated value. To replace our current range with a comparable range will be approximately 2 months of living expenses. That's money deflation for you. It sort of makes us cringe at the thought of going to Seattle for our anniversary. If the warranty won't pay the full replacement costs, all extra money will be used to either replace the range or replace the money we spent to replace the range. Awesome. Oh the joys of home ownership. And it hasn't been a year. But on the up-side, at least if we have to replace it, I can pick WHATEVER I want...and this may be the perfect time to get that gas stove I've always wanted (just need to run a gas line...). I just paid the $26 annual fee for Consumer's Report so that I can find something that won't fail so quickly on me!!
   

On a side note, do yourself a favor, NEVER EVER EVER google for reviews of your appliances. My final deflation came when I learned that our appliances are some of the most unreliable and poorly made appliances on the market and a few have even been discontinued. I didn't pick them, but for what the previous owner paid for them, they should be lasting for decades!!!