Monday, December 03, 2007

sigh

It's now been 2 years since I've seen my beautiful goddaughters, who are now 5, 6, and 8. I used to not be able to go 2 days without seeing them. I cried my eyes out when they moved an hour and a half away, then sobbed to the point of hyperventilating when we moved here, knowing I'd hardly ever get to see them. I did visit a few times before Ace was born, including once right before I got pregnant with him, in November 2005.

Now I want to go see them in February, but I'm looking at nearly $400 for just my plane ticket and probably at least half that for Ace, since he's getting his own seat. 18 months is the cutoff for free tickets for children anyway, and he'll be 18 months old tomorrow.

Between November 2005 and December 2007, plane tickets have gone from slightly affordable to not even remotely within the budget of the average American. And since we're joining the cult of Dave Ramsey next year, there's no way the overly-strict budget will allow for $600 worth of plane tickets.

If only it weren't totally immoral and unethical for me to sell nekkid pictures of myself on the internet. I'd have enough money to see my babies in no time. Back to the change jar, and finding random household items to sell on eBay. If the Wii goes missing, I know nothing.

25 comments:

From the Doghouse said...

Must ... refrain ... from ... making ... smart ... comments ...

Stacey said...

Dude, don't do that. I relish smart comments.

Christy said...

LOLOL

Wii want smart comments!

Subliminal messaging works everytime :)

Susan said...

Boy did that post feel like deja vu. I do miss my boys, but Dave-itis got us 2 years ago and I haven't bought a plane ticket since. However, I think I'd go for nekkid pics before I hocked our Wii. I fear that'd be grounds for divorce. Although the games do sell fairly well on Ebay! As do sets of CD's, various electronics, old game systems, specialty craft supplies...

watercolordaisy said...

How do you like your Wii? Well, okay, lol, dumb question considering the commment, heh. But I'm thinking about asking for one for Christmas. Good move?

JesusThroughMary said...

In my limited but recent experience, 2 years old is the cutoff for free plane tickets.

Priceline works wonders.

JesusThroughMary said...

I may not be able to buy the Wii from you, but I may have to buy Super Paper Mario.

Susan said...

How do I love Wii? Let me count the ways....

I'm not big on traditional game systems, but my husband has owned every system ever made. Wii love our Wii. He hasn't played an XBox game since we got it in April. Wii rocks. But we've had to be careful. When you start buying games and accessories, it gets expensive. We have a rental plan to test out the games and make sure they're worth the price before we buy them.

Unknown said...

JTM, we might be able to make an arrangement on Super Paper Mario. Since everyone is waxing poetic about video games, one of the coolest games I've ever played in Shadow of the Colossus for the PS2.

Jo said...

Stacey... try spirit airlines... they suck as far as customer service goes.. but they get ya there cheap (as in my niece flew from MI to FL for $90 bucks).

MMmmm Hmmm..... www.spiritairlines.com I do believe it is....

Jo

Supermom said...

A sentimental, sad, and thoughtful post about missing one's goddaughters turned into a battle of the video games.

Ehhh... sorry, must join in.

xBox 360 ROCKS! While I must admit wii are a wii-less household. We own xBox, Xbox 360, PS2, Gamecube... tried to get Wii for son's birthday but he decline, although he enjoys playing his cousin's. (same thing with PSP - wouldn't accept one in addition to his DS).

I have such a weird 3rd grader.

(OK, I have to confess on first preview, I caught I had said 'granddaughters' instead of 'godfathers'. ROFL)

Susan said...

Godfathers? I'm really confused now. Does Stacey miss her grandpa, Don Vito Corleone, or a couple of cute girlies? Or perhaps her Wii...

Supermom said...

oh Lord.. double disaster...
I meant "goddaughters"...

jeez.... pass the cannolli..

Susan said...

At least you have the excuse of being drugged to oblivion!

JesusThroughMary said...

Two random thoughts:

1. Such a magnanimous child, limiting himself to only 5 video game consoles....

2. "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."

Supermom said...

well, only one was bought for him (the DS), the others were bought for and by the OTHER child (the 39 year old)... the third grader gets the advantage of living here rent free and playing Dad's.

The Wii or PSP would have been his second. I guess with access to his Dad's arsenal...the rest is less.

and yes, he IS such a magnanimous child

Webmaster said...

Hey seriously, i'm interested in feedback on the Wii. I'm thinking about getting one for my 5-year-old. I've heard they're that easy to use.

JesusThroughMary said...

You have a 39-year-old and an 8-year-old??? That's amazing!

:)

Sounds like a good kid, in all seriousness.

Sharon said...

Aw, that stinks. My closest family is over 500 miles away, so I know it stinks.

Why not sell pics of yourself?! ;)Hey, a girl's gotta make money somehow!

Susan said...

Sandi - my godson and his little brother (who are 12 hours away and who I miss horribly every single day)are getting a Wii for Christmas. He's played with one before and loves it. Ease of use depends on the games, that's why we rent first. Some we thought we'd love were just too complicated to control. Others were easier than we expected. My cousin's 6 year old has a DS and prefers that. Just depends on the kid, I guess.

Stacey said...

To everyone who's asked - GET THE WII. It's awesome. It's the awesomest video game console ever. You can come to my house to test drive it first if you want.

From the Doghouse said...

I guess you decided against the nekkid pictures; the site name hasn't changed to "Housewife in Flip-Flops - and Nothing Else" yet.

;)

Supermom said...

When did Guitar Hero, go down Stacey? AFTER I left beerball?

and thanks, JTM... I have a very resilient uterus. :)

Stacey said...

Yeah, for SEVERAL hours, then every night thereafter for a week.

The DP said...

as someone who buys plane tickets frequently, i can assure you that it is usually EASIER AND CHEAPER to buy a ticket from Europe to New Orleans or Memphis (even if NO isn't a hub) than it is to fly to the west coast. Trust.