Shrinking Canadian dollar

First year we started vacationing down south for a couple weeks in both the Spring and Fall was 2004. Yesterday we sat down and looked at the exchange rate history and realized the exchange rate is 2004 was slightly worse than it is now and we still went were thrilled to go south the first trip. We are still hoping to retire in about 18 month's but worse than the exchange rate is the recession my investments are in due to the decline in the resource driven Canadian stock market and the complete stagnation of income growth for the past 6 years in the industry that I chose to make my career in. While I have never been laid off I feel like I have been living on a fixed income for 6 years as that how long it's been since I got any raises. On top of that with the decline in the Canadian dollar and that fact that the company I work for must report profit in US dollars to the US parent company all bonuses have been either slashed or outright cancelled this year as well.

All right that's enough of my B-itching, as my DW says be happy you are healthy and on the good side of the grass. :B

May not head south this winter for the first time in 12 years as we are seriously looking at downsizing to a fixer upper renovation project retirement cottage in a small lakefront community and I will need my vacation time to do major renovations to the cottage. Still will be nice staying in the RV on the treed 1/3rd acre lot that the house sit's on.