sigh

BIG sigh

I'm going to the dentist in about a half hour.

Know why?

Because I have a cavity. And not it's not just any old cavity. As best as I can tell it is a massive hole which is going to cost an arm and a leg to be changed from "hole" to "whole." And dental is not covered by Alberta Health. However the insurance Adam is required to get while a student at Medicine Hat College does cover dental. Except that it does not cover me because we didn't want to pay the full year price for part year coverage and that was the only option available. We wanted to save our money and wait until we'd get the full year. Gee, that worked out well. *rolls eyes at own foolishness*

So, here I sit, trying to ignore the growing sense of dread and attempting to distract myself as the clock ticks down to my appointment time. Obviously, not working.

One should never get a tax refund. If you get a refund it means you gave the government an interest free loan. Just think, you could have invested that money and let it earn interest all year long.

That said, if you get a new job in a country and you are unfamiliar with the tax laws of said country you may inadvertently end up with a refund the first time you file your taxes. How do I know this?

I'm just really smart.

Yeah...

It has nothing to do with the fact that Adam filled out our Canadian tax return this past week and we're apparently due for a $2000 refund.

Did I say "nothing?" I mean "everything."

That's right, we should be receiving a $2000 (CAD) refund. If we can figure out how to get Lucy's consular report of birth abroad and a Social Security number in time to file our US tax return I believe we'll qualify for a $300 (USD) stimulus payment. And I might mention that we'll also be getting $100 (CAD) per month for Lucy, a hefty refund of sales/service taxes, and an even heftier payment under the Canada Child Tax Benefit. I won't go into details about how much because it might make you non-Canadians envious. And you should be envious, because guess what...we also pay $0 per month to insure our little family.

Why am I telling you all this? I dunno. I guess it's just because I think it's so awesome.

Now, assuming I am allowed to leave the country and return legally then it looks like I'll be able to visit my family sometime this year after all. And that makes me very, very happy.

I just found out (about 5 minutes ago) that starting April 2009 Alberta health care coverage will cover MIDWIVES!!!

*happy dance*

That's too late to be of use to me this time around. But it's still wonderful, exciting news! All the research I've done indicates that midwives are good for babies and moms! There are no midwives in Medicine Hat. But hopefully this change in policy will encourage more midwives to start practices here in Alberta.

To read more about the change and how it'll help Albertans see the official announcement.

*Did my post title make anyone else think of "Wicked?"

You know what totally rocks my socks? Hearing a rumor that sounds too good to be true...and confirming that it IS true!

http://www.health.alberta.ca/ahcip/AHCIP_premiums-elimination.html

That's an extra $88 a month that can go towards our student loans.