We dont live here anymore

But you can find us here instead! Change your reader links, readers.

I'm a Moron

That's not new information.

This is a lesson in why you should never, EVER do anything when you're tired with compromised vision.

(Because when I'm tired I can't see as well).

I spent about an hour exporting and importing my blog last night to the new URL, only to discover this morning when I attempted to follow it that what I created last night was not bumblethrift.blogspot.com ... it was bumbletrift.blogspot.com .... no "h" in "thrift."

Copy editing was never my strong point.

So we'll be staying around here for another few days giving you all a chance to get the memo. I can't create the real URL like I was going to because blogger considers it already "taken" by this account (which is separate from the account all my other blogs are set up under ... a major fail on my part a few years ago that I can't fix now). My plan was to consolidate everything, but my stupidity last night made that, well, not possible.

We'll go ahead and say this is because I'm a full blown moron.

Unfortunately now when I switch URLs amyjbushatz.blogspot.com will come up as absolutely nothing. It will not redirect you. It will not do anything. You will be lost. And until I switch it over, bumblethrift cannot have anything on it. Another blogger system fail (combined with Major Amy Fail).

Sorry about that *cough* Abigail *cough*.

I'm going to go and try to not be a moron and convince myself that the hour I spent last night working on NOTHING was not a complete waste of time (and sleep).

Morale of the story (yes, Hyla, THIS is a morale): when in doubt, sleep first.

New URL -- See you there!

Just kidding -- I'm going to make you move now. Read the previous post to figure out why.

The new url is: http://bumbletrift.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to follow me at the new location (and unfollow me here if you like).

Everything Changes - including where you go to read this

I am going to change blogger URLs.

I realize this is a dangerous move in that I am likely to drop all sorts of readers. That's why I'm going to leave this post up on the top for a week so you all can have a chance to let it sink in. 

Today I purchased my own domain name as I get ready to start my fellowship and dive head first into freelancing and actually, you know, working. I'd rather potential publishers not be confused between my work site with all my important and impressive information and this site. It's not that I'm embarrassed about this blog -- it's just a distraction. If it's read, that's more than fine. But I'd rather it not be the first thing they find. With the current URL that is a definite possibility. 

And so, after brainstorming possible titles while driving in the rain as I delivered food to a friend in need who lives waaaaaaaaaay too far away (like, an hour into the middle of nowhere) I came up with "Bumble Thrift" as my new handle.

I've picked this because more often than not this blog is about my attempts at thrifty and frugal living ... or, frequently, my bumbling failures. I do post personal stuff fairly frequently, but I'm slowly making it have something to do with frugality on some level.

I also changed the background here to distinguish it from the coming soon other Web site. I'm no Web site building whiz so it'll be pretty simple ... exactly like this one was before I changed it this evening.

(Can I just say how much work it was to find a blog background that was not overly cute? Tons.)

And so early next week the blog site you will want to go to will be: www.bumblethrift.blogspot.com


See you there!

No Love

My Dear Readers,

My visit ticker says you come and see what I have to say, but you leave no other evidence. I post cute baby photos, videos, pictures of me looking terrible, interesting information on couponing and budgeting, rants against airlines and all sort of other things in an attempt to entice you -- but I only get a comment here and there. No comments on the cute video. Only one on the picture of me looking bad.

What gives?

If you do, indeed, exist -- you should show me some love once in a while.

There are things I won't do to get comments. I won't stop posting on the things I find interesting and important. I won't start being overly cute. I won't give you money. (I know, sad for you).

But seriously ... a little love. Anyone? Anyone??

Training Update

I thought I was being awesome this week with the training schedule until it turned out ... I wasn't. Dave was sick Wednesday and .. um .. I can't remember what happened with Thursday, but exercising didn't go down. I had planned to swim AND bike on Wednesday, but no dice. And Thursday I had planned a run, but again ... didn't happen.

So what I DID do: 15 miles of running, 3 miles of swimming and 17 miles of biking Saturday to Saturday. That's not really that much, but it's better than nothing. So I'm counting it a "win."

This week was also majorly awesome for the information side of things. Friday night we got to meet with a personal trainer and running couch at the Run to Remember dinner. She was awesome and gave lots of pointers for food before and after workouts/races and stretching advice that I've already started implementing. One word: yoga.

I had planned all week to make today a big day gear wise. With low 60-degree temperatures in the lake we'll be swimming at, I need to have a triathlon wetsuit. But of course no one down where we are sells them (stupid) and so a trip to Seattle was in order.

I made some phone calls yesterday to find a shop that had multiple brands (even though I was pretty sure which kind I would want/need). As it turned out one of these shops was holding a demo day and swim clinic TODAY. Excellent!

So we trotted up to Lake Washington this morning (even though it was FREEZING COLD, around 50 degrees with a stiff breeze outside) so I could try on and then swim in a triathlon wetsuit.

And thus:

Now, let's talk about how bad I look.

I figure, hey, people are going to see me in this so I might as well just come out of the closet now. But if there was ever a time that I was certain that "oh yes, I AM pear shaped." Meh.

But this sucker is AMAZING, folks. Even though the 57 degree water was so cold that as soon as I put my face in the water I got a full on brain freeze, I could tell that this thing is going to make a HUGE difference in my speed. And while I didn't swim long in it (CAN YOU BLAME ME?!), they tell me you don't even really have to kick your legs while doing tri swim because the suit makes you float so much! It's like it SWIMS FOR YOU. Bonus!

And here is really the most exciting part about this. This is the suit I got. It's listed here on sale for $224. And that really is about the cheapest I've seen for this sort of thing. But today we got it for $150.

Woohoo!!! And you know how much I loooooove a bargain.

Now here are some more pictures of me freezing my tail end off. Seriously, it was So. Cold. I couldn't feel my chin.

At the moment this photo was taken I was thinking "wow. I can't feel my ears."

And here I'm thinking "I want to die. Someone come warm me." Also, please note how much skinnier I look in this photo. That's because of all the weight I lost keeping myself warm for five minutes.

Sovereign God

Either God is completely sovereign, or He is not. Either He is completely in control, or He isn't.

I don't want to get into a theological battle over whether or not there are things that God allows us to make up our own minds about. For example, the debate of freewill v. predestination centers around the question of whether or not you are predestined to salvation or whether God gives you the option to choose or reject. That's not about whether or not He can intervene in your decision making process. That's about whether you do or not have the choice to resist. Even those who believe staunchly in freewill salvation believe that God can intervene and change hearts.

But to think that there are certain areas in which He simply DOES NOT intervene ever -- areas that seem arbitrary, at best, in their selection -- is absolute nonsense. Either He can intervene in everything, or He cannot. The thought that He leaves us absolutely to our devises and self made chaos without the ability to intervene is ridiculous. It also is terrifying.

God is sovereign, or He isn't. I cannot live in a world where I think that God cannot save me from myself.