I got another random check from the dentist I ditched for overcharging and being confusing about billing. $36.60 -- certainly not enough to make me go back to them, but I'll take it and add it to the medical EF. Along with 25 cents of interest, that's $36.85 more of big-picture goal progress, taking us to $12,310.20 progress for the year. The medical EF is at $1,385.81.

NT had his 40th birthday party this past weekend. It was a blast! Also quite a splurge, funded mostly with money we saved from his Xmas bonus (we also used bday gifts money and dipped into our charitable line item):
$350 to rent party space (a really cool photography studio)
$225 for DJ (a local figure and NT's favorite)
$190 for booze (we've got enough left over to save us buying wine for weeks!)
$150 for food (plus a few more snacks that NT used a Target gift card to get)
$100 for babysitter

$1015 total! But a fun, memorable night, and we could afford it, so no regrets.

We also used the carshare service to haul things to and from the party space, but we're taking that out of our regular carshare line item. (We had to use up April's amount, so we'll have to try to avoid using it for a while.)

I'm feeling a bit shaken because one of our friends (NT's co-worker) lost his sister today. It's just so sad; she was in her 40s or 50s. She got sick suddenly about a year ago and they tried just about everything. She kept getting to death's door and then having miraculous recoveries, but this time no miracle. Our friend is such a good brother and he's been consumed with trips to visit her through all the struggles. He would talk about our kids and show her pictures, and she wanted to meet them as soon as her immune system was strong enough for young visitors, but it never got there. I believe she leaves behind a couple of young kids herself. Even though I never met her, knowing all my friend has been through and then to get hit like this just makes me feel terrible.