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by Hope

Hello Everyone from Hill Country, Texas…my birthplace and old stomping grounds.

I wrote a whole post of blow by blows of our travel and then re-read it and yawned.  So I’ll just give you the financial highlights for now…

Travel Day 1: 32 hours of travel before crashing in our hotel

Costs: Gas (budgeted for,) Movie ($33) when we arrived at our destination too early

Travel Day 2: Several hours showing the kids around where I grew up (middle/high school years,) few hours visiting friends at their homes, 4 hour drive to my parents

Costs: Gas (budgeted for,) Two meals out ($40 authentic Tex-Mex meal, $20 Whataburger) My excuse for the meals was that I wanted to give the kids a taste of uniquely Texas places that they had never seen before.  Even I am no longer convinced by the excuse and it was definitely a financial fail.

We’ve now been at my parents for 4 days and have experienced some really cool and unique places.  Thanks to my parent’s generosity, the only monies I’ve spent are $10 for 2 magnets.  (I collect magnets of every place we’ve been, and have been doing this for years.  It’s a cheap way to remind of daily of all the cool things we’ve seen and done and they never set me back more than $5 each.  Not to mention, they are super easy to store and move!)

We’ll be here for another week and I don’t anticipate any significant monies being spent.

Some side notes:

1. Tomorrow I will eat lunch with one of my long term clients.  That makes a good portion of this trip a tax write off. Woo,woo!

2. I called around trying to find a gym for Little Gymnast to work out since he is missing over 2 1/2 weeks of practices (over 25 hours) and the local gym will let him come work out with their team for no charge.  Score!  I’m letting him decide if he wants to do this since I know he was looking forward to a break, but I’ve facilitated a practice session or two if he desires and that’s my job. (He insisted on bringing him gym bag to work out so I imagine he will break down and want to go at some point.)

3. My only brother who doesn’t live here has been here for our visit thus far with his son.  His son is my children’s only cousin on my side of the family so I’m really glad they got to spend some time with him.  They will leave today.  I know it cost my parents a bit more when we are all here, but the memories are priceless especially since it only really happens once a year.

Thanks for understanding my desire for a hiatus.  I’m glad it worked out for me to pop in and give an update.

Hope

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.