May is a month for milestones.

For Sam and me, the end of May holds a couple of very important milestone anniversaries. I think you’ll agree these are both a super huge deal.

Milestone #1. We’re celebrating three years since Sam accepted a job transfer to Dallas and we spent the four-day Memorial Day weekend here shopping for a house. The one we bought was actually the third house we looked at; the others all paled by comparison. It was easy to make a quick decision because we knew this house was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for us the minute we walked in the door. We moved in 30 days later and just love it here.

Milestone #2. I quit smoking the day after we put a bid on our new house because I didn’t want it to turn into a gigantic, smelly nicotine pit. I quit cold turkey after being addicted to cigarettes for 42 years and smoking a carton of More Menthol every single week. Yesterday I figured out that I’ve saved $6,240 by NOT BUYING CIGARETTES since May 2007. Holy cow.

On another subject altogether, I just ordered a shopping cart from Wal-Mart.com. I desperately need something to help me shlep groceries from the garage to the kitchen because my hands are useless. In my left hand I use a cane for my arthritic knees, and carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand makes it almost impossible to carry anything. The cart I bought is pictured at right. It’s very cute, holds up to 120 pounds and is exceptionally cheap ($17.89 plus 97¢ shipping). It should be here next week.

Smooches to everybody. I’m going to watch an old John Wayne movie now while I wait for Sam to come home from work. I just finished recording They Were Expendable.