Originally, we were planning to take a few thousand dollars of equity out of it in order to pay for some home improvements. And, secretly, I was hoping that one of those "improvements" would be a big-screen TV. I know that goes against all of the advice I've shared over the years, but I was having a moment of weakness. Come to think of it, I've been fighting off that "moment" of weakness pretty much constantly for the last five or six years.

Anyway, we got an awesome, sub-5 percent rate on our refinance, which will cut our monthly mortgage payment by about $150. Thanks to those savings and our refi cash, we should be able to cover my wife's medical bills.

The home improvements will have to wait awhile, but that's not all bad. It just means I'll have plenty of time during the next few months to help around the house while my wife rehabilitates her hand.

It's no big-screen TV, but her recovery will be must-see for me!

If you have a personal finance comment or question — or a similar tale of roller-coaster financial luck — send it to gkratz@desnews.com or to the Deseret News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110.

E-MAIL: gkratz@desnews.com