But then what? Get that MBA and shut down CD? Then where am I in 30 years? Up the creek without a pension, that's for sure. Better to gut it out now and keep paddling as fast as I can.

Wouldn't be feeling so desolate if Joni hadn't of parked the Q3 final numbers on my desk while I was out at Mrs. Moyen's.

I stupidly skipped lunch, crunching through the numbers, instead. Didn't snarf down Snickers, though. That was a victory.

Sales up 42% over last year's Q3 numbers. So why is it we can still barely keep our necks above water? Just received our insurance bill for Property and Liability. Up 28%.

Plus, there are more expenses. I knew there would be, bringing both Dana and Vivian on board last December. New PCs for each, plus that new server Brady put in back in January to handle the extra load. So far both girls seem happy (when they aren't driving me crazy about paint), but I know they'll each expect a raise in a couple months when their year anniversary comes.

And I'm sure Dana will follow whatever lead Vivian sets. Maybe I'll be proactive and figure out a better bonus system for them. But that's a problem for another day.

Even with the insurance bump, I should be able to squeeze in a little something for the two of them at the end of the year. Managed a $2,000 mid-year bonus for everybody. That lit up quite a few smiles just before the Fourth of July weekend.

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