You're Going AGAIN?????

[Victoriasmom98]

Hi All!!!! How's everyone doing??? Well, I'm about to say something that I never thought I would EVER say in my entire life......I'M GOING CAMPING.....IN A CAMPER!!!! AT A CAMPGROUND!!! OMG!!! You all just don't understand....this girl have never gone camping!!! My idea of roughing it is a hotel room without room service. Peter has been asking me for the last 2 summers if we should sell his camper or are we ever going to use it. I should really explain how this all happened......

I was at work on Thursday and I overhead my cubbie mate Sherry talking about which weekend her kids (adult kids -- 40 &42) should come down as she parks her motorhome at the campground for the summer. She started naming all kinds of weekends like "Christmas in July", "Hawaiian Weekend", etc. She then mentions "Scrapbook Weekend". Oh yeah, that got my attention!!! I asked Sherry the name of the campground and started looking it up online. Our friend and coworker Belinda was near our desks filing and overheard and said that she would definitely be interested. So, it started with Belinda and I going to stay in a tent at Sherry's campsite. Well, I really couldn't tell Peter I was going camping and not be going with him as he's been wanting me to go with him for the last 2 years. So, I investigated it alittle further and had all the pro's and cons listed out. The campground is on a lake and it has 3 pools and a couple bath houses so that we could shower and use the real bathrooms!!!! It also has FREE WIFI.....Ok, Victoria was all set with that prospect!!!

So, I had everything printed out and got the proposal ready for Peter. He got home and I asked him how much trouble it would be to get a tow hitch for the new car. He said "why? You want to haul the camper??" WTH???? What would possible make him say that??!! Are you kidding??? So, we talked about it more and it's a go. We went to U-Haul today and ordered the tow hitch which should be in next week. Next Saturday or Sunday we will be going to Peter's old house to get the camper to clean it all up and figure out what we might need. Peter thinks we will need 2 new air mattresses, but other than that he has all we should need. I'm really excited about this now!! Our other friend and coworker Laurie is also interested in going and she and her family are already campers, so she was going to talk to her husband over this weekend and see if they want to go. They would get a site next to us and it should be really fun!!!! Now that leaves Belinda. I think she will still be able to stay with Sherry in her motor home. We'll see. This will be awesome (I think....). Now if only Victoria would get over her fear of bugs, we would be all set!!! It's a 3 day event. We would go up early Friday and be there for the Friday night meet & greet and then scrap on Saturday and Sunday. There will also be vendors there. Sherry has never been, so she really couldn't give me any info about the scrap event. I did find some info online, but not about who the vendors would be. I know no matter who's there, it will be fun!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

What fun!!! Of course I had to laugh when I realized that it was SCRAPBOOKING that drew you in! Sounds like my kind of camping, especially the wifi!

 

[-Hope-]

I read your description of camping to my husband and he really got a kick out of it. When we were dating and early in our marriage (pre-kids) we used to go camping all the time. We had a boat and there is a river nearby so we'd load up the boat with all of our supplies and go find a secluded gravel bar to camp for the weekend. That's right- a gravel bar. In a tent. Now that I'm older I've come to realize that I don't really enjoy pretending to be homeless for my vacations. But I think I could get on board with camping in a camper at a campground with wifi. :

 

[Victoriasmom98]

What an eventful couple of days we’ve had here! First of all it’s been raining now for one week straight!!! I swear someone is going to have to build an ark soon and gather up the animals! Supposedly it is supposed to only be “a chance” of showers come Saturday. Believe me, after seeing what’s happening along the Mississippi, I am NOT complaining!! We did not go for our weekly ride anywhere, as it was just too damp to enjoy it, so we ended up just staying home and relaxing. My laptop is now DEAD……it’s currently with a friend of mine to try to repair it. This friend only charges $40 per hour instead of $70 which is good for my budget. Hopefully he can de-bug it within 3 hours. Any more than that and I’m just going to wait and buy a new one! It does feel weird not to play on it during the evenings, especially not to Dis. I think I am suffering from withdrawals!!

Peter’s camper is now home in our driveway. He has it popped up so I could go inside and look around. I think it will be perfect for the three of us! It sure does need a good cleaning, though, and I need to wash all the curtains and cushions. We haven’t been able to air it out yet due to the rain, but on the first nice sunny day all the windows will be open to get that musty smell out! I’ve already been thinking about what to pack as we will have to bring our own towels and with staying in hotels, I’m not used to that. I will also have to pack blankets, which I’m not used to. Oh, and I just thought of pillows…Ugh!! Good thing I can pick those up at Wal-mart for about $5. I think I’ll pick up 4 of them. Peter already has a microwave, tv, a fan, etc in there, so that’s good. My friend Sherry is letting me use her screen house to set up, too! I’m definitely bringing lots of bug spray and citronella candles! My big scrapbooking project will be the wedding album. I’ll have to order the prints online soon to have them ready. This way here I will only have to bring my wedding stickers and paper plus the pics. My friend and coworker Belinda is coming, too and she thinks she’ll be setting up a tent on our site and just staying out there. I told her she could sleep with Victoria if she wanted to be kicked all night long…hee hee! I called and made the reservation and put the deposit down. It will be $104 for the whole weekend and that includes the scrapbooking fee. Belinda says she’d pay something towards the site rental, too. It will be so much fun!!! They might have tie dying for the kids, so I’ll have to make sure I bring some white t-shirts to do, too. Do I sound excited??? I'm posting some pictures I found online of his type of camper....they are not from his camper, but just like his...His camper is a 2000 and the wood grain finish is lighter.....

Another exciting event this weekend is the annual “10 mile yard sale”……Peter brought me for the first time last year and I loved it!!! I thought it was so much fun!! And there was so much stuff!! Who knows, I might even find my own screen house to set up. You never know……I can’t wait!!! And the prices for the most part were cheap, cheap, cheap!!!

Now for the big news……on Tuesday, I was sitting here working hard (yeah, ok…so working) and I get a call from the school to come pick up Victoria because she fell down the stairs!! WHAT??? SHE FELL DOWN THE STAIRS??!!! Anyone bother to call 911??? So, I quickly (thank goodness the police were not around) got in the car to go pick her up. I get there and she’s sitting in a wheel chair with an ice pack on her ankle. OMG!!! Long story short, we go to both the doctor’s and hospital to have xrays done and it’s only badly sprained, NOT BROKEN!!! Whew!! What a relief! She is just to keep off of it as much as possible for a few days, ice it, and take ibuprofen. My Mom had an air cast from when she sprained her ankle, so she brought that over and Victoria is doing better with it on. She was also given crutches. She just cannot maneuver them no matter how hard she tries. She’s just not coordinated enough I think. We also have a wheel chair for her as my Mom’s friend had one and we are able to borrow it. That’s great for school!! I tried to have her practice on the crutches last night but she fell and that was the end of that. We’ll try again tonight. I just hope she can learn to use them. The chair is hard to get in and out of the car as it’s pretty heavy. Right now she can’t take the school bus until she can manage the bus stairs. Ugh! She doesn’t do well with pain and is so afraid on putting any weight on it at all. The doctor told her she was going to have to otherwise it will just get stiff. My poor baby!

The Disney countdown will be at 100 days on May 21st!!! Woo hoo!!! I have all my Mickey heads numbered and I’m just not sure how I’m going to hang them up. I was thinking of having like a big peg hook or maybe a chain. I haven’t decided yet. I’m getting so excited for the trip. I can’t believe it’s so near 100 days now! Wow! There is just so many things to do between now and then. I am hosting a 4th of July party for my mother’s side of the family and we don’t even have the pool filled yet. That will be the next big thing. I’ll have to talk to Peter about that. We do have city water (not a well) so we can just fill it with the hose….it will just take forever to do it that way…..we’ll see.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I'm so glad it's not broken but feel so bad for her that she has to try and maneuver around school, how hard! A 10 mile yard sale sounds AWESOME, but expensive in the end. Take pics of your 100 Day Mickey head stuff on Saturday!!!

 

[Disney9.9.10]

I haven't read your whole TR yet, but I thought I would comment anyway lol

I am sorry to hear about your daughter getting yet another infection, I hope she gets well soon!

Also, congratulations on finishing your Disneymoon scrapbook!! I have so many books in the works, it takes forever to get one finished, so I understand how much of an accomplishment that is for you!

Finally, I love the title of your PTR We get that same response all of the time. Weren't you just there? Why do you need to go again?

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hi Krysten and welcome to my world!!! I love having new readers! Thank you for the kind words. Yes, I'm ALWAYS questioned about why we go back so much....some people just don't get it!!! And yes, Victoria did recover from her UTI....it just gets so frustrating at times!!! I'm anxious now to go read your reports!!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Hey, I saw on FB that you were sick. I hope you start feeling better soon!!!!!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Here I am again for an update…..

Let’s start off with my COUNTDOWN garland. Believe me, it’s not much, but it’s up and we are on day 97 today!!!

Finally Victoria is getting more and more excited about it. Apparently she has an app on her ipod that counts the days down for her. Good!!! She thought I was crazy with my trips for paint samples at Home Depot…..yeah, look who likes it now!!! 97 days seem sooooo far away, though! I’m so anxious and so ready to go, well, except for the money, of course. Ugh! It’s always money issues, isn’t it??? Yeah the child support check is late and I’m aggravated…..yep! Oh, I know it will be here soon, but still, I do like to have it on Fridays as there is yard sailing to do tomorrow!!

We went for a very short ride last Saturday, but we did get to see a family of Canadian geese! I had never seen the babies, so this was a cool treat!

Also on Saturday, Peter decided it was time to fix the soft spot on the camper floor.

Well, it was a good idea….but this is what he found when he pulled up the floor. OMG!!!! It was totally rotted right out! Black mold….ick!! He had to pull up all the floor, the cabinets and redo the whole thing. I think he may be regretting agreeing to go camping now. A trip to Home Depot and $100 later, plus about 2 days’ worth of work and we now have a new floor…..

Victoria gets out of school on June 17th!!! I am so ready for her summer vacation. 7th grade seems to be the hardest grade so far with all the drama that goes on. If only these kids would realize that what they worry about now so much won’t matter 5 years down the road. Today she calls me and tells me that the boy she used to like threw a water bottle at her on the bus. She didn’t get hurt, but her feelings got hurt. I can understand that.

I went to the hospital last week to have an esophagram test done. It was to see if the lap band is correctly in place and functioning. Unfortunately for me it is. That means they will not remove it. I still am throwing up at times and really uncomfortable at other times. I just want it removed, but the insurance will not pay without it being medically necessary. A coworker suggested that my PCP could recommend it, but I’ll just wait a little longer and see how it all goes. I wish it was a certain food or certain time of the day, but it could happen with anything at anytime. There is no rhyme or reason to it. All three of us have been sick, too. Peter came home with a nasty cold and body aches first and then it was my turn and then Victoria’s…..yuck!! Yes, I was sick for Memorial Day weekend --- great timing, wasn’t it? I’m much better now --- just a little stuffy nose oh, and a nice cold sore on my lip….charming!!

Well, Maine had its first confirmed tornado of the season on Wednesday. Actually there were 2 and they were up northwest of us. I believe they were weak FE 1’s, so nothing too serious except for trees down. Maine usually only has 2 per year, so I guess we are in the clear now, right? Isn’t that how it works?? Today is Peter’s birthday, so it’s off to Walmart to get a cake and gift card for Home Depot. I’m just cooking pizza tonight, so nothing too major. Tomorrow he’s rented a bucketloader again to do more damage, I mean landscaping, to the yard. I am planning on finally cleaning the camper counters and walls. I’ve already washed all the curtains and cushions. I also want to hit a few yard sales. There was one in the paper with scrapbook items…..what a surprise that I want to go to that one, right?

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Wow, I missed a lot over the past month! You’re at less than 100 days??? I love the countdown chain and that Victoria is getting into the spirit with her countdown app! Peter gave you a great Mother’s Day present! That is so cool he was able to surprise you with the hutch! Too funny that you got clams and didn’t have to share! I’m glad you were able to get what you wanted to eat, though. Yum, I could go for some clams right now! Wow, I can’t believe you were excited about going camping! I have the same view on “roughing it” and I’m probably just as scared of bugs as Victoria is! But the scrapbooking weekend sounds like fun! Plus having amenities like bathrooms/showers/wi-fi…hmm…that actually sounds good! I’m so sorry to hear about Victoria’s sprained ankle. I would’ve been speeding down the road too and wondering why 911 hadn’t been called! That is terrifying! Thank goodness it wasn’t broken. On a lighter note, you guys sure do have some cool wild life up there! A moose?!? That is awesome! We have a lot of geese in the area – on some sidewalks, we have to be very careful of where we step, if you get my drift – but I don’t think I’ve ever seen baby geese! They look so cute and fuzzy!

 

[ajworthy]

I NEED MORE AVON CUSTOMERS..........

There....I've said it......thank you for your time....

I've spent the last two days reading your PTR during down time at work. I've already sent myself a link to order the mickey necklace/earrings from you when I get home. I haven't gotten any further in reading yet, put I hope Victoria has found a safe place with the counselor to work through her issues.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Wow, I missed a lot over the past month! You’re at less than 100 days??? I love the countdown chain and that Victoria is getting into the spirit with her countdown app! But the scrapbooking weekend sounds like fun! Plus having amenities like bathrooms/showers/wi-fi…hmm…that actually sounds good! I’m so sorry to hear about Victoria’s sprained ankle.

Yes, Erin, you will not be allowed to take a whole month off again!!! What were you thinking??!! I'm just glad you're here now. Today is day 92!!!! Yahoo!!! I can't believe how close it is now!! This weekend is my big camping adventure (oh, and scrapbooking weekend) so we'll see how that goes. I have been buying little things trying to be ready. Heck, I can pack for Disney with my eyes closed, but this packing for camping is a bit different. Who know what we will want to eat, etc. And I don't know how much time I will want to scrapbook versus doing activities with the family. Either way, it will be fun!! I just need to get some milk and cereal for Victoria for breakfast. (That is if she doesn't convince Peter to drive 30 miles to the nearest McDonalds!! Victoria's ankle is 100% better now, thanks. What an inconvenience that was!!

I've spent the last two days reading your PTR during down time at work. I've already sent myself a link to order the mickey necklace/earrings from you when I get home. I haven't gotten any further in reading yet, put I hope Victoria has found a safe place with the counselor to work through her issues.

Oh, you're sweet. I posted my cry for Avon customers during a bad day.....oh, I still need customers, but I can't believe I posted that on my ptr. I hope you are enjoying it. Sometimes there's not a whole lot to say, but I still love having this forum to share ideas and plans on. Victoria seems to be doing a whole lot better with her emotions lately. I really think the counselor is helping a great deal. I'll have to find out if she'll be meeting with her this summer. I would hate to see all this good work she's done slip backwards.

 

[-Hope-]

Hi Ann! Your countdown garland is cute- and less than 100 days!

The new floor looks amazing in the camper, Peter is a handy guy.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hi Ann! Your countdown garland is cute- and less than 100 days!

The new floor looks amazing in the camper, Peter is a handy guy.

DAY 91 TODAY!!!! And yes, I am very fortunate that Peter is a jack of all trades. He really is an amazing man! And he gives in to my Disney obsession!!!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

CAMPING…….definitely an experience!!!


We stayed at Danforth Bay Campground in Freedom, NH. The place is really beautiful and huge! We were at Lot F-2 which was perfectly located right near the Pavillion, where the scrapbooking event was taking place, and bath house. We got there about 6:30pm. The lot was big enough to have our camper, my friend Belinda’s tent and a screen house.

The lot also had a fire pit and picnic table right on it, so it was great! I hadn’t packed any food other than snacks so after we got the camper and tent set up, Peter, Victoria and I headed out to Conway for supper. We didn’t get back to the campsite until about 8:30pm.

The restaurant we ate at....Yummy!!!

By then, you guessed it --- it was raining! Thus the start of the rain which has only today, Wednesday, let up!!! Urrrrrggggg!!! Rain all weekend! It wasn’t bad during the time Belinda and I were scrapbooking, but to sit in a tiny A frame doing nothing was quite frustrating. And it was COLD!! We are talking 50’s folks!! Victoria had her laptop to keep her busy and she even swam in the pool (heated), so she was ok, but I felt bad for Peter.

He didn’t bring any magazines, books, etc to keep him busy and I don’t pack for him, so he was bored….and cold…..and came down with a cold. He didn’t pack a sweatshirt or swim trunks either. I tell you, I WILL be packing for him next time!

Our bed.....anyone notice MY pillow???

Belinda is trying to have a campfire.....

We do have heat in the camper, but it just makes it like a sauna in there since it was so damp. I tell you, I couldn’t win! So, I didn’t get the campfire to sit next to and everything was just so wet! Yuck! We did make friends with Chippy the chipmunk who really enjoyed eating the bread and peanut butter Belinda left out on the picnic table.

Peter did tell me I packed way too much --- yeah Buddy??? Who’s the one who HAD their swimsuits and sweatshirts, eh???? One thing I did forget was a hairdryer, but luckily Belinda had one. At Disney, I don’t need one, so I wasn’t prepared there! Needless to say, I do have one now and it’s already packed in the camper. All in all I did enjoy it and we are planning to go again in July, but staying in Maine this time. Probably next to the ocean somewhere. I did get about 10 or 12 pages done in my wedding album and it’s looking really good. I can’t wait to continue. When I am home I never seem to find the time to scrap.

Victoria fell asleep on the drive home......I think she had fun!

Victoria’s last day of school is this Friday!! Yay!!! It feels like such a LONG year…..drama, drama, drama. I wonder what next school year will bring. She’ll be going to school for one week in September and then leaving for Disney for 1 ½ weeks. Not a bad way to start off the school year, huh? DAY 85 TODAY!!!! I made another payment on the trip yesterday and plan on making another one next week. It’s coming really soon! I can’t wait!!!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

My friend Melissa in CT reminded me that I have yet to post my ADR's --- or if I had they are so buried in the ptr that it can't be found.

So, here they are:

09/08/2011 T-REX 5PM conf #
09/09/2011 Tusker House 8am conf #
09/10/2011 O'hanas 8:05am conf #
9/11/2011 Garden Grill 6:30pm conf #
09/12/2011 Biergarten 5pm conf #
09/13/2011 Cape May 5pm conf #
9/14/11 Mama Melrose 5:25pm conf #
09/15/2011 50's PTC 5:10pm conf #
9/17/11 Liberty Tree 1:20pm conf #
09/18/2011 Ohana 9am conf #
09/18/2011 Park Fare 5pm conf #
9/19/11 Chef Mickey's 9:15am conf #

I CANNOT WAIT!!!!

 

[-Hope-]

I've been on some cold wet camping trips and its no fun. In fact one night it actually flooded (we were up pretty high but it was still scary and miserable). Some of the people in the area didn't have tents, only sleeping bags so Robbie and I let them crawl in with us- it was quite crowded! Flash forward a decade and we bumped into one of the guys, I told him he looked really familiar and he got a mischievous grin and said, "Well, I should. We spooned all night about 10 years ago!" My point being that in good time the misery of the weekend will fade and you'll look back and laugh.

I'm glad you at least got some pages finished for your album.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

It’s hard to update happy stuff when my friend Karen is cancelling her trip. My heart is broken for her as I know how I would feel if I had to cancel a much loved and much deserved trip. Know that I’m thinking of you, Karen, and can’t wait to hear about your plans for your NEXT trip, as there WILL BE one!!!

As for me, I was able to redeem my MyPoints points for one $25 Rainforest Café gift card and one $50 Rainforest Café gift card. I can use these at T-Rex during our first night at Downtown Disney, so that’s great!! I tell you, though, it was a hard time getting those points credited to my account!! It was my mistake for not keeping the confirmation email of my purchases, but I had the order numbers, costs, date of purchase, etc. We are talking 4500 points that they weren’t going to credit to me! So, between numerous emails to AVON and to MyPoints, they FINALLY credited me!! I will definitely be saving those confirmation emails from now on! Speaking of AVON, thank you to Adrienne who ordered her Mickey earrings and necklace!!! Thank you so much!! You’ll love them! I HAVE 78 MORE DAYS UNTIL DISNEY!! OMG!!!!

I don’t think I mentioned that we are going camping again. Yep, even though it was a rainy weekend the last time we camped, I really did enjoy myself and am looking forward to going again. I especially want to have a campfire and roast marshmallows as we didn’t get to do that in the rain! I found a really nice campground in Bass Harbor, Maine right on the coast and this time Peter’s sister Robin, his niece May and her fiancé, and Robin’s son Frank are going with us. Apparently Robin has a nice camper and they haven’t been camping in quite a few years. Robin’s husband passed away about 7 years ago and I don’t think they’ve camped much since. May and her fiancé will be staying in a tent on Robin’s site and Robin got the site across the path from ours. I am really excited and Peter seems very happy that I invited Robin to go with us. This time around my Mom says she is willing to put the dog out twice a day. My Mom has been afraid of our dog ever since we got her, but about 5 months ago, they have started getting along. As long as Cutie doesn’t jump on Mom, she’s fine. Now Cutie is really good with her and that makes me happy. I have purchased a small tv, a frying pan, a hairdryer, some roasting sticks, and a few other goodies for this trip. I hope it will be a nice weekend and we get to do everything we want to. Of course there will be wi-fi for little Miss Victoria! Now I just have to learn not to pack too much! Well, that is according to my husband….this is good practice, though, since I can see what I need and not need for Disney. I had way too much hairspray and hair accessories for Victoria packed! She doesn’t like all those fancy ties and barrettes anymore.

This morning at work we had an “Agent appreciation breakfast”. (I cannot believe there is no eating smiley!!) Of course me with my stupid lap band couldn’t eat it, but I did take a plate and will save it for lunch. The people in this office sure know how to cook and there is no shortage of how much food there is! Unreal! There’s devilled eggs, 3 different casseroles, sausage, fruit, muffins, pastries, eggs, pancakes, bagels, etc. Anything you could think of for food is here. Now the office smells like the Crystal Palace Winnie the Pooh breakfast, but that’s not a bad thing, right? My morning did start off with carting Victoria around. I get her to the YMCA and then 5 minutes before the bus she realizes she forgot her backpack. The one thing in the morning she is responsible for and she forgets it! Ugh! Well, the bus for camp picks up both here in Augusta and at the YMCA in Manchester before heading to camp. I ask what time the bus stops in Manchester and figure we could go back home, get the backpack and get to Manchester to make the bus. We made it, but OMG!! What a waste of 45 minutes to do all this running around! I was so mad! It’s not that Manchester is that far away (it’s only the next town over) but the point is she needs to remember this stuff!! She’s 13 years old for crying out loud! Oh there I go rambling again….Karen is so proud!

The governor passed the state budget this week, so I guess I keep on working. Of course there will be no raises for state employees for the next 2 years, but we haven’t had one for the last two years, so we are used to it. It’s funny, our pay doesn’t go up, but yet everything else does. I know, I know ---- I’m thankful to have a job with health insurance, but still. To prove that it is such a small world, I came across a case yesterday where the custodial parent who now lives in VA is someone I went to school with. Such a small world! Speaking of work, I would love to continue ranting but the paperwork on my desk is calling……..of course I’ve ignored their feeble cries before, but I feel the need to earn my paycheck today. Wow….what’s come over me, anyways????

 

[Victoriasmom98]

I've been on some cold wet camping trips and its no fun. In fact one night it actually flooded (we were up pretty high but it was still scary and miserable). Some of the people in the area didn't have tents, only sleeping bags so Robbie and I let them crawl in with us- it was quite crowded! Flash forward a decade and we bumped into one of the guys, I told him he looked really familiar and he got a mischievous grin and said, "Well, I should. We spooned all night about 10 years ago!" My point being that in good time the misery of the weekend will fade and you'll look back and laugh.

I'm glad you at least got some pages finished for your album.

I just don't know if I could sleep in a tent in the rain and fortunately I don't have to find out! I absolutely LOVE that story of the guy you "spooned" with 10 years ago. That is way too funny!! As you can see by my last post, I must have enjoyed it, because we are going again!

Oh, I forgot to mention in my own post, I FINISHED MY WEDDING SCRAPBOOK!! . I had time last weekend to work on it at home. Now I have all kinds of wedding stickers and paper left over. I will probably try to sell the lot on Craig's List or ebay. We'll see.

 

[-Hope-]

Glad to hear you are going to try camping again.

Sometimes it takes a VERY long time for things to show up on My Points. Not sure what that is about, I've never actually not been credited for something (at least I don't think... it's hard to keep track because I have a lot of small purchases, not a few large ones). It is frustrating to me sometimes that it takes so long though... :confused2:

That really stinks that your wages have been frozen for so long and will continue to be for an even longer time. I've been there and it is effectively a pay cut since the cost of everything else (gas, groceries, etc.) goes up...