Hello 2020!!

I know, I know, I know! 

I am the first one to always say I don't "do" resolutions.

But here's the truth...without making an actual LIST, I always have a bunch of resolutions in my back pocket.  And in recent years, the main one has been to get it together already.

It bugs me to no end that way back when, I seemed to have it together but recently?  Not so much.

So for the past several years, without fail, I buy myself a new planner with the intent on actually getting it together...because I KNOW that written lists keep me focused (kind of).  Except every year I seem to forget about the planner a few weeks in.

Can I say that this year was no exception.  Except this time, I remembered my planner in November and began planning obsessively for Christmas and was doing great (except for the days when I was so ill).  So, when I bought my planner for 2020 I had REALLY high hopes.

Can you guess how many times I've actually used the planner - THREE days in?

If you guessed one - you would be correct. 

Today I VOWED to rectify the situation to organize this weekend to get stuff done...

Guess where that damned planner is?  At the office.  I guess it's back to scraps of paper littering my pockets then...for now.

*Yes, I foolishly think that next week will be the week I turn it around...somehow.*

*sigh*

*maybe this IS the year!*

Sifting through the pieces...

Both of my guys each bought me a new puzzle for Christmas; I was delighted.  But then the nagging thought came through - they bought me these puzzles to keep me out of their hair; as they both know that I can spend hours working on a puzzle.  I'm assuming they thought, if they could keep me preoccupied, I couldn't harass them about the things they needed to take care of - amateurs.

What they didn't realize is this - as I am intently sifting through the random pieces looking for a perfect match - my mind is free to wander - although my eyes are searching for the exact piece that I need; my mind is active and ruminating on things that need to be done, the best way to organize the garage with the least amount of effort, what I need to remind them that they need to get done, thoughts regarding goals for the coming year.

So yes, while I am tucked away - out of their hair - I am thinking; a thought that I'm sure sends shudders down both of their spines...as I plot out what needs to be done - and when - during the next month or so.  It's days like this that I know Man-Child is glad he has his own place that he can retreat to...and The Husband, well...I'm sure he wishes he could hide somewhere.

As my vacation dwindles to an end - and as I continue to recuperate (see puzzles); I continue to think about what the next year may bring to us.  And you.  Happy, happy new year to you and yours.  2020 is going to be amazing...at least, that's what my ruminations tell me...as I sift through the pieces.

Much love.

Notes from my sick bed, recuperation and back

Considering I've been on vacation for practically two weeks, you would have thought I would have had the time and inclination to post more than once.  Oh sure, I've thought (often) I should post about this that or the other.

But the truth is, with Christmas coming up so quickly behind Thanksgiving, being sick, bouncing back, getting sick again, etc. there just hasn't been time.

When I last left you, I was finally (I thought) ready for Christmas...until the day before Christmas Eve when I decided that was THE perfect day to work on organizing the garage.  This effort has been an on again off again effort between The Husband and I since we moved in almost four (!) years ago.  A couple of weeks ago, I had The Husband move a couple of heavy pieces for me in the garage and let it sit.  And while it sat, I ruminated.  And on the day before Christmas Eve, my organization plan crystallized - and since I was feeling better, I got to work.  Needless to say, The Husband was shocked when he got home and saw the transformation.

It's not completely done - but it's about ninety percent organized.  I would say I wish I had a before picture; but that would be a lie - there is no way in God's green earth that I would post a picture of what it looked like before.

It's almost ready for my car!!!

All that remains is finding a home for the tractor and for me to sort through and organize a few things out of the picture and (hopefully) re-home some of the stuff on the shelves to new shelves that The Husband needs to build for me - also located out of the picture.

And then it was Christmas Eve.  We were hosting our friends two doors down and her mother and step-father - for a total of seven people not counting us three; when it occurred to me that desserts needed to be made.  And that they HAD to be made before The Husband came home early around two (thank goodness he hadn't thought ahead to take Christmas Eve off!) and took over the kitchen; plus the oragami napkins had to be done.

Needless to say, I was non-stop busy until our guests arrived.  A fun time was had by all.  Until they went home...and I began to realize, I wasn't feeling so well.

Apparently, spending two days straight of doing things instead of resting when I should have been recuperating set me back and I was back in the land of being sick.  Not sick; sick.  No fever, etc.  But feeling fairly wretched.

For those keeping count - it's been a total of three weeks that I've been sick.  And, yes, those three weeks have been a crazy busy three weeks; what with Christmas prep, etc.  Since Christmas, I have barely left the house and have tried very hard to rest and not do anything too strenuous - although I did take down the majority of the decorations today (I HAD to - but truly, there wasn't much!  This needed to be done because I will not want to do it after I go back to work); so our tree is naked but for the lights - waiting for The Husband to dismantle it and put it away...this may take some time as he hates that I pack Christmas away so early.

Today I am feeling better - The Husband even commented that I am looking better - but I'm still planning to take it easy for the remaining five days of time off that I have; even though that garage is calling my name...because God only knows, I do NOT want to go back to work sick.

Ready - finally!

Yes, I know I mentioned almost TWO weeks ago that I was feeling better...it was a filthy lie.  Not one that I told on purpose though - it's just whatever this nasty crud might be I don't know; but I do know it's a liar.

One day, I felt like I was dying; only to feel like I was on the mend the next and then back to feeling like I was dying.  Currently, *knock wood* I think I'm finally on the upswing.  We shall see.  A friend's daughter contracted the same thing before Thanksgiving and is only just now beginning to feel human; unfortunately, it appears the friend has now contracted this dreaded bug.

In the meantime, on the days that I've felt pretty good, I have been busy; particularly today.

As of today, I can claim that ALL the presents have been purchased - minus the three last minute gifts; but those are easy gifts - it just requires one trip to the liquor store. Whew.  Because honestly?  Every other gift has been come by with far too much effort.  Next year, those guys of mine better be more forthcoming with ideas.

All the presents - minus the three last minute ones - have been wrapped and bedecked with ribbon.

Another batch of almond bark - made exclusively for Man-Child has been made.  Spritz (butter) cookies have been made - this is truly a labor of love, since the cookie press and I don't always see eye to eye - as evidenced, AGAIN, this year.  But again, made mainly for Man-Child.

Christmas cards were mailed last week; plus I helped another friend create a printed canvas gift for her son and daughter in law - I am so happy we were able to get that done since the picture of her grandchildren was so adorable it NEEDED to be done.

So now, hopefully, I can sit back and prepare for the holiday; with nothing more to think about than a dessert for Christmas Eve.  Any ideas?

How about you?  Are you ready?  Or still in the thick of it all?

...and just like *that* things can change...maybe not radically, but they can change

So yesterday, I wrote a post while I was sure I was on my deathbed.  I'm not even kidding...I felt like I was going to die.  And The Husband had the funeral home on speed-dial...I kid, kind of.

Around 3:30 this morning, The Husband leapt from our bed convinced that I was gasping my last as I hacked, hacked, hacked away.  He went into the other room to escape the germs or the possibility of witnessing me expire...one or the other. 

After I had quieted down and drifted off into a quasi-sleep he crept back into the bed.  Soon after, I could feel the coughing coming on again, so I made my way to the couch so that he could sleep.  Eventually, I made my way back to bed where I quasi-slept until about 7:00 am.

And when I woke up?  I felt...ok.  Not a hundred percent for sure...but felt that I might be making a turn.  After having some coffee - and more medicine - I thought I might be able to tackle the tree.  So I asked The Husband to bring in three specific boxes and began to throw the tree together.  It's not finished by any stretch, but if this is as far as it gets that's fine by me.

Of course, I did discover - again - while decorating the tree that the angel that tops our tree died last year.  The second angel that has graced this decades long marriage.  Let me tell you, that first angel lasted far longer (and is the source of how The Husband and I met) and I scoured the earth to find a clone to replace her. *sigh* I had meant to look for another angel last year and time got away from me - which left me with an angel-less tree today.

After sitting, assessing how I felt and some more medicine, I decided I had enough energy to make a double batch of almond bark and a batch of peanut butter fudge for the ingrates I work with - why do I continue to reward them?!

To be completely honest, both of those treats are so easy to make there is little to no effort actually involved.  I'm sure I've shared the recipes before if you wish to scour the archives - I'm far too lazy to look for them right now.

After some more sitting, assessing and more medicine, I determined that I had enough energy to shower and head into town in search of one angel, one gift, a few baking supplies and a quick drop by the office to pick up some boxes I had forgotten to bring home on Friday.

That sounds like a lot, but really it wasn't.  I walked into Michael's and immediately found a replacement angel that isn't quite the clone to the first but close enough and was able to waltz out within ten minutes.  I walked into one store, picked up the gift card I needed and walked out within five minutes.  Ditto for the office.

Keeping up with my medicine regimen the entire time was key, I think - and the fact that it appears I was on the mend.

I was very mindful not to overdo - but I also knew I wanted to throw together another batch of almond bark and peanut butter fudge to welcome the new neighbors - so I did and that will probably be delivered next weekend.  And when that was done, I was also done.

So here I sit, cozy in my PJs, content that some things were done - including laundry - because God knows how antsy The Husband gets when his sock and underwear drawers get low! - tired but still feeling that I may live after all.

Thank you all for your kind words.  Despite all that I've laid out here, I HAVE taken it easy and haven't rushed or pushed myself much...if I had I would be elbow deep in cookie dough right about now.

I also know that I only have to face a four day work week before calling it quits until the New Year!

Facing down the Christmas Rush...and failing, so far.

After looking at the calendar before Thanksgiving, I knew that we would be in full on Christmas mode immediately after Thanksgiving...as it was so late this year.

I also knew that I was already woefully behind - a fact that I keep vowing to rectify every year - and fail to do because, holy cow, just HOW does the year go by SO fast?!  It seems it goes faster and faster every year.

So, I made a "game plan."  Which immediately went haywire, of course.  Man-Child - the one I counted on to help The Husband get the Christmas stuff down and move the 100 pound chair out of the way to make room for the tree - called the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to tell me he threw out his back and asked me to meet him at the orthopedic doctor.  Luckily, this wasn't as bad as last time, but still...they did promise to send him for an MRI; which has still yet to happen.  This is good only because if we can figure out whatever is going on and get it fixed while he's still on my insurance that will be considered a win.

Needless to say, we couldn't very well ask him to help with these chores while he was in pain.  So we improvised...which had The Husband and I getting the Christmas stuff down.  Thanks to the great Christmas stuff purge last year the majority of the boxes were light enough for him to hand down to me.  The tree on the other hand...it was something he had to handle on his own and, at one point, I was convinced it was going to slide down the ladder and land on his head!

Luckily, it did not.

He was then able to wrangle the friend two doors down's husband to come and move the heavy chair.  And then put up the tree for me.  And that it is were we are now.  With a light, but naked tree.

My game plan called for this to be a VERY busy weekend for me.  One filled with decorating, shopping and baking...in addition to my usual weekend chores - cleaning, laundry, etc.

Well, then LAST week occurred.

What happened last week you might ask.  I was struck down with something that if I didn't know better, I'd swear was the flu - despite the fact that I DID get a flu shot.  Usually, I don't let a cold side-line me.  I go to work (using copious amounts of hand sanitizer, hand washing, etc.) and get stuff done.

For the most part, I DID go to work but finally had to wave the white flag and stay home one day where I tried fruitlessly to nap (I simply cannot sleep if it is light outside) and be kind to myself.  I did discover if I stayed on a steady diet of DayQuil / NyQuil (as appropriate), I could "kind of" function.

This morning dawned and I felt marginally better, so I was ready to seize the day and follow the game plan to the letter - up to and including writing a detailed list of all that I planned to accomplish...only to be blindsided when I forgot to throw the medicine into my bag as I headed out to do ALL the things...and found myself back home, in my pajamas with utterly no energy.

To illustrate just how bad this illness has been; The Husband, who usually shrugs off any ailment I have, has been looking at me with real concern and acting as if I am going to die in the next instant.  And, declared QUITE LOUDLY, when I met him for lunch today that I looked ABSOLUTELY AWFUL and should go home IMMEDIATELY!  Thank you, husband, for pointing this out to every single person in the establishment...it's a real confidence booster.  But, to be fair, when I caught sight of myself in the mirror, I had to agree...I DID look like death warmed over.

So, basically, we are back at the beginning with a naked, but for the lights, tree.  I thought MAYBE I could muster up the energy to put the candles in the windows...but for the life of me, I can't figure out where the candles are - and the energy to actually figure out WHERE they might be has been expended.

The fact that I was able to cobble together this post is an actual miracle...truly.  Now, whether or not this post makes any actual sense is another story.  But here's hoping that tomorrow will find me ready to actually start doing Christmas stuff...and all the other stuff that needs doing.

Meanwhile, The Husband is headed out to a neighbor's  holiday party - despite his belief that I am about to expire - (I've told him he HAS to go) while I plan on taking more medicine and heading to bed.

Faked out...twice in one day

Has it really been about a month since I last posted?!  That certainly appears to be the case.

At any rate, the only reason I'm even posting today is because The Husband was sedated this morning for dental work and, apparently, they had to give him enough to take down a rhinoceros since he's been in bed sleeping since we got home.  At 9:45 am. *consults watch*  It is now 4:47 pm.

Needless to say I was a little alarmed because when I brought him home from his colonoscopy a while back he was lucid, could walk without assistance and was ready to eat.  You should have seen the comedy scene that ensued as I tried to get him into the house, out of his clothes and into bed.  Well, it's funny now.  At the time, I was so afraid he was going to fall and there is absolutely no way I could have held him up.

But since he was still sleeping, I fired off a text to my friend two doors down (who happens to be a nurse) around 12:30 pm asking whether I should let him keep sleeping or wake him up. 

Comfortingly (?), she said, that as long as he's breathing I should let him sleep.  I checked, he was breathing. 

Around 3:00, I texted her again.  She again, said it was fine.  And then he woke up for about five minutes and went back to bed.

So here we are - I in a very quiet house and you, on the other end, reading a very long post.  Had I known he was going to sleep the day away, I might have gotten more done around here today.  But I had one eye on his breathing and one eye on work email and the day slipped away...as days tend to do when you aren't paying attention - which seems to have become a thing with me lately - I need to work on that.

But then again, I need to work on a lot of things - like remembering to blog more than once a month.  And getting to the point of the whole reason why I jumped on here this evening...

Friends, I thought I had found the holy grail of jeans last week.  (I know I said in my jeans report two years ago that I had found them - but although I still love those jeans, and any I may have purchased since, they must have changed something because those jeans now regularly sag.)  So I was excited when I saw that the label on these swore that these jeans would not stretch and sag ever.  The fit was perfect so I happily parted with my cash and took them with me.

Then I stopped at Ulta to get some hair product and, as always, I browsed around and found myself at the nail polish.  I pursued the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel line for any new colors, as you do.  I found a color, headed to counter to pay.

On the way out the door, I tossed the receipt in the trash - because I knew I wouldn't need it.

I'm sure by now you all know where this is going...

That receipt did, in fact, need keeping.  Why?  Because when I got home and went to put away my new polish what do you think I found?

If you guessed the exact same shade of polish, you would be correct.  And, how much do you want to bet that the first bottle was bought the last time I was in Ulta?  The odds are pretty good.

So, I've resigned myself to the fact that I am going to be wearing this color a LOT.  Or maybe, I'll just give it to my friend two doors down as a thank you for reminding me to worry about The Husband's breathing.

And now you must be wondering how else I was faked out twice in one day.  You've figured out the polish was the first fake out.  But the second one?  That one wasn't discovered until a couple of days later...

When I pulled on my new jeans and went to slip my keys in my front pocket - only to discover they were fake pockets!

I was outraged, I tell you, absolutely OUTRAGED!  What exactly is the deal with women's clothing and pockets?!  Either you have fake pockets, no pockets or extremely short pockets.  Yes, yes, I have read several articles as to why women's clothing historically didn't have pockets.  But this is 2019!  On the cusp of 2020, for crying out loud!  Put useful, normal sized pockets in women's jeans already!  Is that really too much to ask of clothing manufacturers?  Do they NOT wonder why women excitedly exclaim to another woman about how this dress/pants/jeans has pockets?!  Do they not wonder why women complain on Twitter, Facebook etc. about a lack of pockets - or why they share photos of an outfit with actual working pockets - this last bit only happens because it's so rare.

And then to make matters worse - damned if those jeans didn't start to sag toward the end of the day.  I'll give them this much they held up longer than most of my jeans - as they usually start to sag within hours of being worn.  But still...

Well, I guess this post has MORE than made up for me not posting for long.  I hope.  I'll try to be better.

*consults watch*  It's now 5:43 pm - I need to go see if The Husband is still breathing.

ATM frustration...it really shouldn't be this difficult

Today my calendar reminded me that I needed to get cash for the office lottery pool - can you call just two people playing a pool?  It's a question for the ages.  We used to have a great big group of us but one by one they all started retiring and when it was down to just five of us, the other three decided to cash in and call it quits.  Those other three will be sorry when we win it!

At any rate, I made a note to myself to remember to get cash when I stopped in at Target on my lunch break.  Needless to say, I forgot.  Telling myself it was no big deal, I planned to stop at my bank's ATM, which was on the way back to the office.  Which is a good thing because the only reason I remembered to stop was because I saw the building.

It must be said, I rarely visit the bank's ATM.  Ninety-nine percent of the time when I need cash, I just get cash back from an in-store transaction.  So, it had been maybe a year ago that I had last visited this particular ATM.

I pulled into the ATM drive through lane and immediately noticed that they had a new machine - which, honestly, seemed weird as this particular bank has recently been bought out...by their next door neighbor.  What can I say?  That particular corner is home to at least five banks.

But other than thinking that their timing was off, I went ahead and inserted my card.  When it asked for my PIN number, I keyed it in and hit enter.  And this was where it all went to hell in a hand basket.

The way it used to work is it would ask me if I wanted to withdraw money, make a deposit, etc.  This time it asked me if I wanted to check my bank balance, transfer money, make a deposit, or more services.

Do you see what I see?

That's correct, there was no option for withdrawing cash.  So I clicked on more services.  Again, no option for withdrawing cash BUT from this screen I could set up my ATM preferences - umm, I didn't know I needed ATM preferences.

At first I thought I had missed something from the get go.  So I canceled the entire transaction and started again.  Turns out I didn't miss anything that I could see, there was no option for actually withdrawing cash.  I mean, I'm sure it's there SOMEWHERE as there was the slot for dispensing said cash, but what the trick is to getting it to give me the cash eluded me.  And I really didn't have the time to spend trying to figure out what it was...given my lunch hour was more than over at this point.

Needless to say, I'm sure there will be a video of me cursing the machine and calling it names circulating within the branches in the coming days.  Let's just hope it doesn't find it's way to YouTube where it would certainly become a viral sensation.   And then the local news would pick up the story and the tag line would be, "Tonight at six, a local woman flummoxed by an ATM machine, can you believe it?  Haha."

At any rate, since my own actual bank is refusing to give me money; now I have to try and remember tomorrow to get the cash from my usual source...Target.  *sigh*

So much to share; so little time

I am failing woefully at posting consistently...hence the title.

Last weekend we took the kids (Man-Child and Bonus-Girl {The Husband's daughter}) to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia for their birthdays.  At this point, it is just easier to give memories rather than actual "gifts."

Originally, this was The Husband's trip but, at that last minute, I decided to join them.  I had a doctor's appointment early that Friday morning - knowing this, I now know I should have packed the night before....

In my defense, we couldn't get into the VRBO until 2:00 pm, so I figured I'd have plenty of time after the appointment.  And I *did* have enough time, but I also neglected to make a list and to take the weather forecast seriously.

Usually, I pack according to a list so nothing gets forgotten.

Turns out, I forgot my pajamas, robe and slippers.  Fortunately, I remembered that BEFORE we actually got to the house.  If you know anything about Smith Mountain Lake it is in the middle of nowhere.  We ended up stopping at the only option in town - the Dollar General - to cobble together some pajamas and socks.  It was reminiscent of the last time we visited my mother-in-law - same scenario, middle of nowhere PA - and The Husband had forgotten to pack HIS pajamas - Dollar General to the rescue.  

Also before making it to the house we stopped at Food Lion and picked up a few supplies to get us through the weekend, including some baking supplies as I planned on making Man-Child's and Bonus-Girl's favorites - Praline Cake and Key Lime Pie.

I did have the presence of mind while packing to include ingredients I had on hand, so that meant I only had to buy a handful of ingredients when we got there.

As usual, I snagged VERY few pictures of the house or the people *sigh*.  But I fell in love with kitchen island - which isn't "staged" you'll notice - as all of our stuff is all over it.

The owners have renovated extensively, and are apparently still "in progress" with the kitchen as they haven't changed the white cabinets yet.  And yes, that island is as long and wide as it appears; I absolutely adore everything about it.

I was apprehensive about baking in someone else's kitchen with their equipment which didn't include a stand mixer...and I will admit, it was a little stressful, but I pulled it off somehow.  And the kids were both very happy with the results.

The Husband was happy as he was able to do lots of fishing on the dock in the back of the house.  This house overlooks the lake - kind of - there were a LOT of trees between the house and the lake.

I was happy to spend a lot of time out on the back/side porch all weekend.  But remember how I mentioned that I neglected to take the forecast seriously?  When we arrived Friday afternoon, the temperature was hovering in the 90's and was super humid.  But when Saturday dawned, the temperatures had plunged dramatically.

And guess what else I forgot to pack?  If you guessed a jacket or, at the very least, a shirt with long sleeves, you get a gold star.  Luckily, the Boy Scout The Husband had packed a couple of jackets, so I confiscated one and looked like a poor, little urchin for the remainder of the trip.

There was one hiccup to the trip, on Saturday afternoon we stopped at this boutique that was holding some kind of - I don't even know what to call it - there were other vendors set up outside, there was a band (that left before we got there), a catering truck, etc. in this giant field in front of the store.  After Bonus-Girl and I crawled all over the store we met up with the guys who had wandered outside while we shopped.  We decided it was time to head back to the house and as we were walking back to the car, Bonus-Girl tripped over a half of a cinder block that was randomly sitting at the edge of the field and went down HARD onto the gravel drive.  Needless to say, we had to pick gravel out of her palms and her legs will be host to some pretty large and colorful bruises for a while.  Turns out, that lone piece of cinder block had been placed there by the band to hold down their extension cords - and they neglected to remove it.

But, for the most part, the birthday trip was a big success.

Oh, and about that door that I was so hopeful about?  We are back to square one.  I nearly had a seizure when I saw the estimate.  I had one number in my head that I think is a very reasonable number.  The number the company had in their head - that I think is COMPLETELY unreasonable - which was easily triple (or more) of the number in my head.  

Yes, I was disappointed.  But I will forge on.  Eventually, I'll get that darn door...hopefully before I die.

A play and the door saga continues...

This past Sunday, my friend two doors down and I attended a play that the local community theater staged.  As you know, I ADORE our local community theater.  We went to see Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee.

Based on the theater's description, I was expecting a funny play - apparently, I missed the last line in the description...

Come to the party, but don’t play the drinking games. The lights are on late at George and Martha’s, as two couples in a quiet college town turn a nightcap into an all-out, all-night fight. Peek through their windows and uncover the devastating truth behind the illusions.

Truly, I knew absolutely NOTHING about this play going in and it was funny and, unexpectedly, also INTENSE.  We enjoyed it immensely but both agreed it was INTENSE.

Here's a link that gives a bit more info about the play - but be warned, if you read the entire article there are spoilers, as in it basically tells you the entire play including the ending, so skip it if this sounds like a show you might like to see.  You can comfortably read the overview though.

And yes, even though it was INTENSE, I would recommend that you see it if your local theater group is planning to stage it.  Especially if your theater group is as good as ours.

A bonus - looking ahead into the season, there are at least two more plays that we would love to see - including It's a Wonderful Life.  Sadly, those tickets are mostly gone even though it starts a good two months from now...apparently, the Christmas shows get snapped up at the beginning of the season.

***

The door saga continues - (the beginning and part two) BUT we may be coming to an end on that particular year and a half old drama.

The Husband mentioned that he had heard about a company that would do the door.  Needless to say, I was skeptical because all of the inquiries we have made have been pretty much ignored.  I get it.  A door is not a big money maker for most general contractors.  I sent the company a message and they actually called the same day.

Of course, I did not answer the call because I don't answer numbers I don't know.  I had meant to enter The Husband's cell phone but, of course, entered mine by mistake.  Once I retrieved the voicemail, I handed the number over to The Husband.  And here is where the miracle occurred.

He called them yesterday morning.  And they actually showed up at my house yesterday afternoon (THE SAME DAY!) to discuss the door!  I was FLOORED when The Husband shared this with me.  They left a book of doors they offer - that happens to have the door I want - and told him that we need to fill out a form online and they will give us an estimate ASAP.

So, fingers crossed that I may have a new door before the two year mark of this ridiculousness comes to pass.