My grandfather passed away Sunday morning. I was at already at work when my mom called before 7. I'm glad that I got to say goodbye Saturday. I also called my sisters so they could say goodbye, even though he wasn't responding yesterday. My mom said he was talking Friday. I am at peace that he was ready to go & that it was his time to go. He was my last living grandparent.

My parents got their vaccine yesterday. They got Moderna. I'm glad that all 3 of us have been vaccinated. Their second shot will come in 4 weeks, I believe. 

I can't believe that it's already February!

My grandpa wasn't breathing well this morning. We went to visit him. Other family members dropped in & out. The hospice nurse told us not to stay all day, so we came home. I don't know if she said that for our benefit or his.

My parents are getting their vaccines at Walgreens tomorrow. Not sure if it's the Pfizer or Moderna. My mom mentioned it during a family group video chat & I forgot to ask with all the conversation happening.

With my credit cards paid off I feel like I can take my foot off the gas with all the hours I've been working. I have a big inspection coming up in March so I'm taking February off at the hospital. I'll definitely need more time to get my condo ready as well.

Market has been down, but not horribly so. That GME spectacle was something to witness, for sure.

Net Worth: $1,130,760

They sent my grandfather to a hospice home rather send him home with a hospice nurse, which is better for all involved. My mom went today to pay for his funeral. It was better to do it now, rather than wait. Even if he makes a complete turnaround, that's one less thing for my mom to have to contend with when he does eventually pass.

I ran my numbers through the H&R Block tax calculator. It says I'll owe $1355. Not bad. I'm glad that I had them withhold an extra $100 per paycheck at my third job. It really softened the blow.

I now owe less than $1k on my credit cards & I consider them paid off! My balance will never be $0, so keeping the recurring balance under $1k will be my goal from now on.   

I'm so glad that after temps in the 70's last week, it feels like winter again. A very mild winter, but winter nonetheless.

My mom called me at work this morning to tell me that my grandfather wasn't doing well. I left work to take her to the hospital. Though we thought he could have more than one visitor a day since leaving ICU, it's still only one per day. They made an exception today and both my mom & my uncle were able to visit. I still haven't seen him. The would like to arrange a hospice nurse for him. It's so strange because although he is 90, until the last month or so he was so healthy. The last time I took him to a doctor the doctor mentioned to me that he was very thin, but he always been like that. He lost weight so quickly once he started to have issues, and again, he didn't have anything to lose. We just want him comfortable for as long as he has left with us. They took him in for another surgery Sunday, but we don't want them to keep performing surgeries.

In financial news, I have received all of my income documents for the year. Still need to upload a few other statements before my appt. My dad mentioned that I would be able to deduct my charitable contributions last year even if I didn't exceed my standard deduction. That's good. I continued to give to church & the local food bank. I still have a feeling that I will owe.

I think I mentioned that I bought a SodaStream during the Christmas sales. I finally just tried it today. I had bought a couple of zero calorie flavors through Kohl's. I can't wait to try it after it chills. I love my sparkling water & will enjoy being able to make my own. And yay for less waste! 

Net Worth: $1,168,011

Yesterday was my dad's birthday. My mom wanted to buy my dad some lottery tickets for his birthday so I went & purchased 10 MegaMillions tickets. Somebody in Michigan won the entire $1 billion jackpot! I didn't even know that the jackpot was so big. I asked the cashier for Powerball tickets & she asked me if I wanted Ppwerball or MegaMillions. The lady behind me told me that the MegaMillions jackpot was much bigger so that's what I bought.

I had to work last night so we are ordering dinner from a local restaurant today. I will pick up a cake at Fresh Market. I gave him a $100 gift card to a local Italian restaurant as a gift. I also gave him a variety of K-cups & more of the Jelly Belly recipe mixes that they got as a Christmas stocking stuffer.

My grandpa was moved from the Critical Care unit to a step-down unit yesterday. He can now have more than one visitor a day, though I'm sure that they will still have some additional Covid precautions. I am now 2 weeks past my second dose of vaccine, but still unsure if I should visit until he is stronger.

I have received my pay stub for tomorrow's paycheck. I received both anticipated pay increases in one check: an annual across the board increase of 1% and my scheduled step increase. The combined increases translated to a 3.9% raise. Not anything to go crazy with, but ever penny counts!

Net Worth $1,166,919

Monday was the federal holiday to honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I took off Tuesday & Wednesday as well. My friend was here each day doing work on my house. I had my kitchen cabinets & a few doors painted. Everything looks nice. Looking forward to getting more done in preparation for putting my home on the market. Still have more to do.

I was inspired by Monkey Mama's chicken fajita subs so I made a recipe I've tried before & really enjoyed: chicken fajitas made in the oven on a sheet pan. Turned out great once again & I ate them on whole wheat flour tortillas.

I was up early enough to watch the inauguration events starting with Trump's departure from the White House. I'm glad that everything went off without incident. All the ladies looked so lovely & everyone seemed to be on good spirits. I liked seeing the gifts presented to the President & Vice-President. I'm be never seen that before. It reminded me of the feeling in the city during Obama's inaugurations. I attended both.

But today was mainly a wonderful day because my grandpa is still with us. He was rushed to the hospital yesterday evening. The doctors had an idea what was wrong, but couldn't be sure without performing exploratory surgery. Problem was: he's 90, his heart briefly stopped during a procedure last week, and he's lost so much weight that he isn't even 100 pounds. So one doctor wanted to go ahead, while the other doctors weren't sure he would survive. I spoke to my aunt, who is making the decisions because my mom was too upset. We both agreed that among the choices not doing anything was not an option. We weren't going to let him suffer. So my aunt gave the okay. Miraculously, he survived the surgery & they were able to fix the issue which was as they thought. He has a road ahead of him, but we are happy that he is still with us. Today was a wonderful day!

I got my second COVID-19 dose on Saturday. I felt fine all day, but still spent most of the day at home. Sunday I woke up in that "sick fog". I was scheduled to work 6-6 so I went in knowing that I wasn't truly coming down with anything, but that the vaccine was just doing its job. It was a struggle for the first half of the shift, but I made it through. I was in bed by 7 & woke up feeling fine today. So besides that & pain at the injection site, that was the worst of my symptoms. My body feeling like it was fighting something let's me know that the vaccine is working. In about 2 weeks my body will have developed the full response it takes to fight the virus. I wasn't very happy with the situation at the vaccine clinic the second time. It was much busier, impossible to socially distance. I understand, however, that we really need to increase the number of people that we are vaccinating tog et out of this pandemic situation.

I had an EBay sale yesterday. The seller accepted my counter offer so that's my first sale for 2021! I will mail it off on my lunch break or after work. I'm always happy to make a sale no matter how small.

Last week was a rough first week of the New Year. I hope that this second goes better. I'm feeling a bit run down & when I'm tired, my emotional health seems to suffer first. I think it's time for me to step back from working so many hours. It's hard for me to say no when I know people are in need, but my well is getting dry. I also need to make time to get my home ready to put on the market.

The stock market seems to have weathered all the turmoil this week very well. My investments continue to rise.

It looks like we will get our 1% raise after all. I'm thankful for anything at this time. I also continue to look for promotion opportunities.

Net Worth: $1,159,880

My stimulus posted to my account today. They are certainly getting these payments out quickly this time!

12/31/2020: $1,024,677

12/31/2019: $841,380

Contributions: $24,000

Net Gains: $159,297

Net Gains & Contributions: $183,297

Year end balance does not include the $1,500 that I contributed on New Year's Eve, even though it was well in advance of market closing time. They also have it categorized as a 2021 contribution so I will have to go in & recategorize it as a 2020 contribution.

My investments are officially out earning me & I work 3 jobs!

Net Worth: $1,131,831

We made it to 2021, woohoo! 🥳🎉🎊🎆

I am looking forward to achieving these goals in 2021:

1. Finish paying off credit card debt.

2. Contribute maximum to TSP.

3. Contribute maximum to Roth IRA.

4. Contribute to savings monthly.

5. Give to church monthly.

6. Donate to charity monthly.

7. Apply for promotions.