Taxes and Warm Fuzzies

This morning Josh and I had an appointment with our CPA. Why use a CPA you ask? A) Most importantly taxes are due on April 15th. *shudder*
(This is where you should run screaming out of the room, if you haven't started to file your own.)
B) Having my own business provides numerous ways I could make a mess, and end up owing Uncle Sam big time. Not something I want to be doing.

After waiting, and waiting some more... it felt like we were waiting to see a doctor, he was so busy... we finally got into his office, had a seat, talked a little bit, and he did his thing. Very quickly, I might add. Then we were done. He was just as quick this time, as he was last year. That really makes the whole process great. Instead of spending hours trying to muddle through the confusing mess yourself, you have someone who can practically do it in his sleep get everything sorted out in about 15 minutes. Then he joked, "How much do you want to pay me, or owe?" It took Josh and I a second to realize what he said. We laughed and said, "How about, how much do we get as a return?" Then he actually told us. Of course I'm not going to share that with you. All I can say is we didn't owe this time. Hallelujah!

Today made me wonder. Why is April 15 the day taxes are due?

Here is what I found. (Oddly, they had spelled Constitution incorrectly, as Consitution.)

"Congress passed the Sixteenth Amendment to the Consitution which allows for the implementation of personal income tax, on February 3, 1913, and chose March 1 of the following year as the filing deadline. The deadline was changed to March 15 in 1918, and, as we learned at Tax History Project, to April 15 in 1955. Moving back the date from the end of the tax year served two purposes -- it gave the IRS more time to handle the work and, more importantly, more time to hang on to your money before issuing you a refund. And that's why April 15 is the day of reckoning."

More pointless tax information. I know. Boring!

After getting our taxes done, I felt more at ease. No deadline looming. Later in the evening we were just taking it easy at home (How old are we?) and I found myself enjoying an old movie. I'm not even sure that I've seen it before.

The Swiss Family Robinson

Either I'm lame for not having seen it before, or I'm lame now for watching part of it tonight. Who's blog is this anyway? I'm not sure I care. The movie made me feel good, strange though that may seem. Like "comfort food", or smells that take you back to a certain place or time. I can do that with sounds, songs, or even football games on Sunday. I close my eyes and just listen...

Football game announcers remind me of sitting at the kitchen table on Sunday afternoons, doing my homework during middle school. I didn't have many cares or troubles. I didn't have bills to pay. Things were a lot easier then, and I like that feeling. I should market it.

The movie, brings that feeling back. I'm not sure why, since I mentioned previously, that I don't recall having seen it. It's a family movie. Clean, honest, and almost too good to be true. Well, of course the story is. Yes, I know the story line. I know about the book which became the movie as well. Yet again, I didn't get to finish watching it. Life distracts us. Why do we let it?

Maybe someday, another time when I need to come back to this feeling, I can and will. I'll hear a song I grew up with, and I'll picture my mom cooking dinner while I'm playing in the living room. Maybe I'll see part of a movie that takes me back to more memories. Memories to a simpler time.