Gift Fairy Day

Today I did something I've been wanting to do for weeks. I surprised Jess at work with coffee from Vivace. I know she usually goes to break around 10am and I had to hustle to get there in time. I called ahead and order four mochas, so she could give a couple to her work friends, thereby encouraging them to walk the extra block past Starfucks for some coffee that actually tastes good.

When I got to her floor, I got lucky. She was sitting at the nurse's station doing her charting. The look on her face was totally worth it when I sauntered up to her with my tray and said casually, “working hard or hardly working?” She lit up like a Christmas tree and even gave me a little kiss. “Did you come all the way here just to bring me coffee?” she asked.

“Yup.” I was grinning like a Cheshire cat. I love it when a plan comes together. She had time to even take a little break and come sit out in the courtyard with me while we drank our coffees. It was fun.

From there I headed to Lloyd district for a meeting with a financial planner to help me figure out what to do with the sick consolation prize that is life insurance and other inheritance type monies. But first I stopped by CK's office two blocks down to deliver a card and some home made cookies as a thank you for helping me with my algebra the week before.

I was a little worried about just showing up at her office unannounced, which is probably why I was a little quieter than usual when the receptionist asked who could he say was calling. I figured the cookies would make it OK though. There's not much that home made cookies can't make OK, and from her reaction, I was right. “Oh it's sooo the day for these!” she said, and I was glad I'd come up and delivered them. Also, I'm quietly spearheading “operation bootleg” in an effort to get copies of songs her band hasn't recorded yet.

The meeting with Anne at Waddell and Reed was pretty enjoyable considering how uncomfortable I am dealing with and talking about, money. Maybe it's like therapy, easier to to do with a stranger. In any case, I felt really comfortable with her and it was refreshing to learn that she does what she does because she genuinely loves helping people and not because she's obsessed with money. The consultation was free, but I will probably go back and hire her to help me open up an IRA to roll mom's 401k money into and set up an investment portfolio. This whole having to grow up thing really blows.