Just finished watching the game - Calgary Flames vs San Jose Sharks. Flames won 2-0. Heck yes they did! This game was a must win. If San Jose had won, Calgary would’ve been eliminated. The Flames still have a chance, so I hope they’ll keep it together and play like they did tonight. That was one heck of a game. I couldn’t move away from the couch, well, except during intermissions.

That game took a lot out of me, you’d think I was a part of the team or something. I worked up quite the appetite but I really shouldn’t eat so late at night. I think I’ll just have an apple or something. I know if I dive into the chocolate pie I made yesterday, I’ll regret it. I swear, if I keep eating as much sweets as i do, I’m really going to have to invest in some diet pills. What I seriously wouldn’t do for better self control, you know?

So, did any of you catch Oprah’s Big Give finale? I did and I’m so happy that Steve won. He was my favorite and had been since day 1. I hope they’ll do another season someday. It was pretty inspirational and while I feel like I do “give” I’m nowhere near the giver those folks were by any means, it still makes me want to strive and give more.

Off topic, not that I’m really on one topic specifically; I think I’m getting a sore throat. Oh my. It’s felt rather raw all day, and scratchy to boot. I thought I was coming down with a cold earlier in the week and went ahead and started taking something for that. Either it was a false alarm then or what I took didn’t do a lick of good. Either way, I don’t want to be sick dernit.

We were all talking about Nan’s passing earlier today, after reading some of the notes she left to some of us (only a few). Jo’s mom was telling us that if Pop had passed away before Nan, that Nan would lose everything. Neither ever got any kind of insurance - term life insurance, life insurance, accidental death insurance - nothing! Jo’s mom said that Nan was so worried that Pop would go first, even though she (Nan) was the sick one and Nan was so worried about losing the house and what have you.

I couldn’t imagine being stuck in that particular situation.

Many of you know of my desire to move to Newfoundland, to be closer to my in-laws. I used to hear so many horror stories about in-laws, it had me pretty terrified about meeting my own. You see, I was married to my husband for over 7 years before I met them. That’s right, they didn’t attend the wedding and neither of us (Jo and I and the in-laws) had been able to afford visiting until then. His grandmother had been battling cancer a couple of times throughout the first 7 years of our marriage, which made it difficult for Jo’s mom to leave Nan’s side. No one could blame them. Jo and I couldn’t afford to visit because of how slack work had gotten for him over the years. He still made decent money - enough to afford our bills and things we needed but not enough for luxuries like traveling. I consider myself lucky though, my in-laws are amazing.

Back to the topic though.

For the last couple of months I’ve been communicating to Jo just how badly I want to live near his family. In an effort to show him how affordable that area is (since his concern was us being on an island, off the mainland which sends prices for most things to the sky), I found a local realtor in the area where his grandmother lives. This is about 15 minutes from the small community his mom and dad live in but 15 minutes is nothing compared to thousands of miles. I happened on a lovely 2 bedroom, 1 and 1/2 story cottage! It’s the cutest cottage I’ve ever seen too. When we were in Newfoundland this past winter, I noticed many of the homes there had bold colored siding - red, cobalt blue, hunter green and even bright yellows. Normally this would be a turn off for me but in coastal areas and fishing towns, I find them very attractive. The ones I loved the most were red. Like barn-red! Well, this cottage is that beautiful shade of red that I fell in love with. It’s accented with white trim, shutters and doors. I only wish there were interior photos to view.

I really hope Jo’s going to swing with this because I would love to live in a cottage like that, right by the sea. Like at my mother-in-laws, we could toss rocks into the Atlantic!

It’s hard to imagine how some of the people here are able to afford a luxury home. Real estate is so expensive in this area! We were having brunch at a local restaurant and overheard a woman (who we assumed was a real estate agent) talking about some of the homes she’d recently shown to some of her clients. She was telling her friend about the monthly payments people will be looking to pay if they purchase these particular homes - upwards of $3,500 per month. I couldn’t imagine a) paying that much and b) being able to afford a payment so high. The sad thing is, these are likely the type of homes that would run about $700-900 per month back home (new homes).

That’s just crazy to me! Jo and I thought our last mortgage of $686 (which started out at $530 - thanks to taxes) was high. Which to us, it was because we were used to paying $450 in rent. The homes I’ve been checking out (online) near my in-laws, these homes are running around $100k, some being luxury homes. It’s amazing how the prices vary so much from one location to another.

I know a few people, including a couple of relatives, that own homes and condos along the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. They only use these homes once or twice a year for their own vacation with their families, however, they use them as vacation rentals the rest of the time to pay for the property and make a nice profit! Sometimes they struggle with filling vacancies because most of them rely on word of mouth for their business. If they really wanted to increase their business though, they should be listing their rentals on Rentals.com! This is actually a great resource for both property owners and those seeking rentals! Property owners can listed their properties detailing the property, adding photos and price! Those seeking rentals will then be able to search for properties in the areas they wish to vacation or live by price, state/city and type - apartments, condos, houses and vacation rentals, to name a few!

Jo and I were actually planning to move to Savannah, Georgia last year. When we made the decision to start looking into it, we did many of our apartment and rental home searches through Rentals.com! Searching is easy and the site is very user friendly, which I love! One of the things I really love about Rentals.com; not only can I do basic searches, I can also narrow my search down by amenities, community, length of lease, and as a non-smoker I can even narrow it down by smoking policy! This definitely helps narrow the playing field down and anyone that’s gone apartment or even house hunting will understand just how hard it can actually be, to find that perfect place!

If you’re a property owner needing vacancies filled or you’re someone who’s seeking a rental, head on over to Rentals.com!

My wonderful friend Helen is getting married next Sunday! It shouldn’t come as a surprise that we’ve done a lot of “wedding talk” in recent months! We’ve talked about gowns, music and even wedding cakes!

Though she’s already made her final decisions on these things, I know many of you are engaged and are where she was about a year ago - just getting the planning underway! Helen has gotten a lot of ideas and did a lot of shopping online. I’m sure this is also something many of you are considering! Did you know you that Wedding cakes can be found online? It’s true! At Cakeamerica.com you can browse through a huge selection of gorgeous wedding cakes! By clicking on the thumbnails, you can access more information about the cake and contact details of the cake’s designer! While I was browsing through their selection of wedding cakes, I stumbled onto one called “Helen” (pictured to your left)! I thought it was adorable, especially since this cake is called “Helen” and my friend “Helen” will be getting married in the near future! I love the polka dots and the mix of green and pink! Helen’s favorite color is green, so if she hadn’t already made arrangements for her cake, this would’ve been an awesome cake for her!

Those of you that are planning your wedding, be sure to check out Cakeamerica.com! Also, if you’re a wedding cake designer, this is a great place for you to post your own wedding cake designs and contact information for potential customers/clients!

For years now, I’ve been telling my dad he needs to catch up with the times and trade in his prehistoric dial-up internet and horrible cable! He is missing out on so much by keeping these things! For instance, when I tried sending him photos of our trip across the country, his internet was too slow and the images wouldn’t even load! One of the things he has the most trouble with though, is sending emails! The reason for this is because he logs into his email account and while typing up his message, someone calls and he’s soon booted from the internet! This alone, you’d think, would be enough to make anyone want to switch over. For whatever reason, he has not!

He’s currently paying $19.95 a month for this service. A service which is slow as Christmas and offers very minimal support from the techs. Many of my relatives use Comcast Cable, for both their internet and digital cable services and they have all had great experiences with them! I was just speaking with my dad about this the other day and asked that he check them out, see what’s available in his area and start his switch over!

To put it all into perspective - My dad pays out approximately $170 each month for his regular cable, dialup internet and his home phone service (which is before long distant calling). It’s silly to think he’d continue forking out so much money when he could save $70+ each month by going with one of the comcast bundles! Anyone that knows my dad (some of you do), knows he’s all about saving, even down to the pennies! He could bundle his internet, digital cable and digital phone and only be paying $33 per service (or $99)! Thankfully this is something he’s put on his “to-do” list for the week!

If you’re looking for a better cable, internet and digital phone provider, why not head on over to Comcastinfo.com, see if it’s available in your area and check out their bundles!

My husband and I kid around a lot, about visiting L.A! We’re actually both serious about it and I have a few friends living in the area, who I’d love to visit! Other than the usual type of things (Hollywood Walk of Fame, for instance), I wouldn’t have a clue about the many other things L.A has to offer! What would we do? Where would we go? Where would be the best places to go when Dining in LA?

LA2DAY.com is an online magazine that provides an insider view of L.A’s current and top events and is your official guidebook to unexpected L.A! You can search their database for reviews and reports on L.A restaurants, get address details or give your own rating or comment about a restaurant! Searching is easy and the articles are so thorough, they even provide details about what they had to eat! It’s always a great idea to read reviews like this prior to heading out! At least you’ll have a good idea about what you should expect!

This is going to be mighty handy when my husband and I actually put an L.A trip together!

Getting Affordable Life Insurance Quotes can be quite the task! It has never been something I have actually looked forward to, but at the same time, it is something I have had to do! In the past, I have always opted for Life Insurance through my employer and never really considered other alternatives. However, since being laid off, I have actually had to do some researching myself, for Life Insurance after my previous employer did away with my plan! I knew there was no way I was going to go without it, so I had no other option but to jump in feet first!

Currently I am insured through my husbands employer, but I am still looking for my own, individual plan. My plan through his employer is very limited and will only cover any funeral expenses. We all know that covering the costs of a funeral, while helpful, isn’t the only help our loved ones will need after our passing! I would never want to pass financial burdens onto my loved ones, leaving them with my debts. It isn’t something any of us should put off either! None of us are promised “tomorrow” and you just never know if or when something will happen to you!

The idea of not being around tomorrow isn’t something any of us want to think about, however, it is something we should think about, if only to prepare our families and loved ones for the “What ifs”!

Wouldn’t it be nice to get a hot tub, for free? Soaking in a hot tub is something you can do and enjoy year round! It’s something the whole family can enjoy and would make for great entertainment for your friends! Just think of all the fun you could be having this summer too and how relaxing it would be to jump into the hot tub after a long day at work! If this sounds like something you could enjoy (and why wouldn’t you?) and you think it’d make a great addition to your home, then check out this offer at http://www.canadianspacompany.com/freespa.php and enter to win a free Haliburton Portable Spa and bar kit, which is valued at $5,000 USD/CAD (or £2500)! This is courtesy of The Canadian Spa Company! The drawing will be held on September 30, 2007, so get entered in now (UK residents only)!