This week, I am thankful:
that I didn’t have to file a tax extension this year
Last year there was a big SNAFU with the tax filing system for my state, so my blog’s business tax return had to be delayed, and that meant my personal return also had to be delayed.
But this year everything is on time, and as I mentioned on Tuesday, I got my return filed this week. Yay!!
I don’t like putting things off, so filing a tax extension is really not my favorite thing to do.
that I remembered to get my hospital W-2
I was about to hit “submit” on my taxes and then I was like, “OH NO WAIT I HAD A REAL JOB THIS YEAR.”
I had completely forgotten about my hospital job (a true downside of online W-2s!)
So, I figured out how to find it online (a complicated process) and I got it included on my return. Whew.
that I am on spring break this week
I forgot how magically wonderful it is to have a week to breathe mid-semester.
that my exam is not this coming Monday
I figured they’d schedule our next big exam right after spring break but nope! We get a week after break to study. Yay!
(Will I spend some time studying over spring break? Ummm, yes. But I’m glad to have an extra week so I don’t feel super pressured this week.)
that I love my clinical group and my professor
I probably have mentioned this already but I am particularly glad that my group is gelling so nicely this semester because we had a lot of clinical days together.
Imagine being in a group that doesn’t click well for fourth semester! That’s so many days to spend with each other.
I am lucky in that really, all of my clinical groups have been good combinations. But I hear this is not always the case, so it makes me appreciate what we have.
that my parents and my neighbors cleaned up my yard
They surprised me by doing it while I was at clinical, and now my yard is not a neighborhood eyesore. Whew.
This is my last year in nursing school so hopefully I will do a better job of yard maintenance next fall. 😉
that bits of green are popping up
The brush along my trails is beginning to turn green and I am excited. I love the way the world transforms in March and April.
for some beautifully warm weather
We are having some lovely days in the 60s for our spring break here and I am delighted! As you know, the cold doesn’t bother me terribly, but it is really nice to not have to bundle up so much to go outside.
Bright sun and blue skies. My favorite!
for pill pockets for cats
Shelley needed some pills after her vet appointment and these pill pockets are working like a charm. She is excited to take her medicine!
that my boiler was repairable
It had an issue again (I am NEVER buying a house with an oil-powered furnace. Ha.), but mercifully, I was able to get a repair guy out here pretty promptly.
Also: it wasn’t freezing cold outside this time, so my house wasn’t unbearably cold. I bundled up, and Chiquita helped to keep me warm too. 😉
Amanda in VA
Friday 21st of March 2025
This week I am thankful . . .
-that my taxes are done too. They are not only done, but in the balance, we are getting back more than we are paying. Last year we not only paid thousands more at tax time, but we did it in a year where our income shrank (we had some complicated tax things going on last year). It is scary paying surprise bills when you are also seeing future income numbers tick down. I am grateful that this year not only did we get money back, but our income is projected to be better this year.
-that I am at the end of what feels like a very long week. I went to a conference last weekend. It was great, but it made it feel like last week never ended. I am ready to have a real Friday today and a slow Saturday morning.
-to have gotten so much done toward long term goals this month already. I turned in a manuscript, which was a major milestone. My husband and I got a ton of work done in the evening cleaning out our office for our March 31 move out deadline to make room for our new tenant. I finally started planning our summer.
-for how well I sleep these days. I hear that many of my peers don't seem to sleep well in their 40s. I am so tired from how hard I have been working, so I am so thankful that my brain will let me sleep nine uninterrupted hours a night right now.
Kristen
Friday 21st of March 2025
Wooohooo for such good tax news!
And congrats on the manuscript too!
Isa
Friday 21st of March 2025
So.... you are renting but responsible for yard work and repairs to the boiler? Why? I thought that renting = you pay your monthly rent, and the rest is taken care of. If I rent one day you better believe I will not be doing work in/around the house on top of paying my rent ; it's the landlord responsibility. At least where I live.
Aaaaaanyways, right now I am thankful for:
- Having the family-in-law coming over tomorrow. I myself have barely any family left, and we are not close, to it is nice to have good relationships with my hubby siblings and parents. Good for my kids too.
- Seeing a good friend tonight. Will just hang out at her place.
- Living in a quiet neighborhood
- My 15-year-old DD calming down in the past couple months. We are now dealing with just the typical teenager attitudes instead of runaways and sh*t like that. Cross fingers this lasts.
- Having enough seniority at work to get all the extra shifts I need/want (1st pick)
Kristen
Friday 21st of March 2025
So, my lease specifies that I am responsible for regular yard maintenance. Like just keeping the place looking not-neglected. It's not like I have to plant bushes and flowers and stuff like that. :)
For the boiler, my lease has me responsible for paying for a yearly cleaning on it, but not for repairs. So any repairs that cost money, my landlords would pay for. I just scheduled the repair visit (with their permission) because it's simpler for me to coordinate that directly with the repair company. I know my schedule better than my landlord does!
SandyH
Thursday 20th of March 2025
•I am thankful that, even though I was diagnosed with yet another auto-immune disease this past Wednesday (making 4 total), I know in my heart that it could be worse. I saw people in the waiting room in wheelchairs. I really do try to remind myself of this often. •I am thankful that my husband took my car to be washed, and brought back a carton of Diet Coke, too. Little things! •I am thankful that the East Texas wildfires evacuees have been allowed to return home, for the most part.
Rachel
Thursday 20th of March 2025
Curious what exactly you do for clinical days - I assumed you worked rather independently or with an official nurse, so I didn't think gelling with your classmates would have much impact.
Kristen
Thursday 20th of March 2025
We do get individual assignments with nurses, but we eat lunch together and do our post-conference activities together. And in fourth semester, we are practicing working as a team, so one of us is assigned as a "charge nurse" for the shift. We also have some projects and presentations that we do together.
So yep, it makes things way easier when everyone likes each other!
Selena
Thursday 20th of March 2025
We removed trees that were a hazard to the house when we first purchased the house. Almost 20 years later, a number of days with strong winds and enough moisture, a dead oak (read: plenty of firewood) nicely fell in the safe direction it was leaning. Took a couple branches off another tree (it will survive) and a couple young trees might not survive (gonna be fun as they are pinched under the oak tree). Starting to green up here but IMHO, it is a bit too early.