House in Disrepair

Joey, Bibianna and I are planning a trip to Louisiana next week to visit with Joey's family and our friends.  Two of my friends are coming over to house/pet sit for the week we are gone.  I was typing out a list of things they might need to know and every other sentence was about something in the house that is broken.  I also added a sentence about how I wish my house was cleaner, but that ship had sailed a long time ago.  So, that got me to thinking.  I used to not be like this.  I used to be so organized and neat and wanted everything to match and look good.  I have two rooms in my house that had either a cat or a dog locked in them for an extended period of time and they clawed so much at the door trying to get it open that the carpet has been shredded.  I have spots all over the house where my dogs, mostly Honey, feel the need to show me that they are angry with me, or it's just too hot/cold to go outside, or tried to tell me that they needed to go out, but I wasn't paying attention.  The light fixture in the guest bathroom that I replaced when we moved in here 5 years ago has rusted.  The list just goes on and on.  And then there is my yard that was a showcase yard when we moved into this house.  I don't know why.  Why don't I spend more time on maintaining my house?  Or pay someone else to do it.  The answer?  Because I like to travel.

Yes, I would spend food money (and am eating Raman noodles now for that exact reason) on trips.  I love to travel more than just about anything else in this world.  I came back from my cruise with Joey, completely broke.  What have I done since I have been back?  I have spent time probably every day since then looking at how much it would cost to do it again with Bibianna and when could I have enough money saved up to do so.  Not to mention that I still owe $700 on a credit card for our trip to NYC last year.  I seriously think I have a problem.  Every year I think that when we get our tax refund back that I will spend it on getting the torn up, smelly carpet replaced.  Or get a new garbage disposal installed.  Or have my second bath redone.  Or get the shower fixed in the master bath, or, or, or, maybe go on a trip to Seattle. Or to NYC again, or to Colorado, or New Orleans, or a cruise, or.......

What was I talking about?  Oh yeah, my house.