Update...sort of.

After months of speculation, weeks of worry, days of panic, and an hour of a layoff workshop, I finally got some answers today.  The district decided to move forward with the layoffs that will be necessary due to declining enrollment.  At our building, no one was RIFed (I have no idea how to make RIF a verb, but everyone says it!) but four people will be moving to other buildings.  I get to stay put (yay!) but a good friend will be moving to another building and isn't happy about it.  

The funny thing is, they still have to solve the budget crisis, which means things could continue to change.  While I feel like this is a good answer, I don't really trust it.  Assuming that the union and district can agree to concessions, everything should be fine.  That, however, is a pretty big assumption.  So we continue to play the waiting game.  

Solving the budget crisis without more layoffs will likely mean salary freeze and possibly cut days, which of course means a smaller paycheck.  Bill and I are going to put our carpet quest on hold (AGAIN!) and try not to notice how gross our current carpet really is.  I think it is the original and our house was built in 1980.  Quick math equals YUCK!  Maybe we'll just buy a bunch of area rugs.

We are also going to hold off on our patio project in the backyard.  We will use the existing pavers we have lying around to make a space for our firepit we already have and build some planters for the deck.  A far cry from the flagstone patio we wanted, but a much more economical and responsible choice.  And it provides the same space for enjoying our backyard on summer evenings.

Ahhhh, summer evenings!  Two weeks from tonight and we'll be enjoying the first one!