by Hope
I’m on vacation! No, not really. But I am sitting in a hotel all by myself, looking forward to three whole nights ALONE! The kids are all situated at home with friend’s families and neighbor’s watching them, and I am here hours away training this week for my new part time job. It’s a little bit like heaven after the last 96 hours of trauma and panic.
It has been a REALLY hard New Years in our house. As I sat down to a quiet night Saturday, anticipating starting my new job, I was excited at having gotten paid from an odd job and having just a little bit of breathing room for a little while financially. And then disaster struck!
I wrote about it on my personal blog so I won’t revisit it here: God, You’ve Got to because I Can’t
Needless to say, it has all worked out, well kind of since then, and I am sitting in peace in my very own hotel room. The overwhelming amount of joy I feel at just this little bit of down time is wondrous.
So where are we at with our debt payoff journey…still dead in the water unfortunately. I have managed by taking on odd jobs, blessings by friends and strangers and the adoption assistance not to sink any further into debt and to stay on top of my bills. I am continuing to look for additional part time jobs and full time corporate jobs, but the holidays were really silent. I’m hopeful I will start to hear back from the dozens of applications in the next few weeks.
So another list of quick updates on everything else:
- Sea Cadet, in addition to breaking his pink on Saturday night, lost his job when they unexpectedly and with no warning at all closed down. But thank God, he got a call from History Buff’s job while we were waiting to be see in the ER and was offered a job. He’s also decided to quit Sea Cadet’s this year…
- History Buff will get his driver’s license next week (assuming he passes his test) and is prepared to pay his own insurance which from the quotes we’ve gotten will be $72 per month. He and I are pretty excited about this, but it will be a few weeks at least before it will really take the burden off me while he gets some experience before I will let others ride in the car with him.
- Princess is working hard on her high school level classes and continues to be committed to graduating early. She’s also playing basketball, and if the option arises she wants to play for the local public school next year. I’ve got to get meetings with them to see if that’s an option.
- Gymnast is starting to soar at school. I think I’ve told you before that he has really struggled in school especially with reading and writing, but this year and especially these last couple of months, he is really blossoming. Maybe all this extra time off really has been a blessing!
As you can see, my life has not gotten dull since losing my job. It’s been full. And now as we start a new school semester, my focus is once again on downsizing to move again at the end of April and continuing to sell any odds and ends as I find them in this process.
I pray your New Year has not been quite so challenging as ours, and that you are looking forward to some great adventures in 2016 as I am…
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
How scary! I’m glad everyone is ok now! Your poor kids dog fights are intimidating enough to break up as an adult, sea cadet must be very heroic to have jumped in. Here is an article on a technique that works really well for the future in case this happens again, this should prevent hand injuries. https://www.thedodo.com/yes-there-is-a-smart-way-to-break-up-a-dog-fight-1488888838.html
Keep your chin up hope, you’re doing great! I’m certain you feel a bit like Jonah in the belly of the whale. But not getting into further debt is a huge accomplishment with so many emergencies! Last year you set up a really solid financial foundation and that will carry you through.
Thanks, Judi, it is easy to forget how far I have come when things like this happen. But I have truly been reminded daily of God’s care for us. The things that happen “just in time” these days have been truly amazing and I’m definitely keeping my eyes open for those blessings, it helps with my stress level for sure!
Thank you for the link, I’m sharing it with all my kids! And while we were taking extra precautions before, we are being that much more vigilant now.
I’m really glad to read this, sounding positive and more upbeat. My heart went out to you when I read the post on your personal blog. I’ve been praying for you! You are amazing in your resiliency, positive attitude, and ability to pick yourself up (and your kids) and carry on. The holidays are always slow for job hunting, so I hope things pick up in that area. And that many more blessings are ahead for you in 2016…
Hi Rachel,
Yes, the job hunt is already picking up again. I have two more first interviews scheduled and had one this week while I was out of town at training. Praying, praying for God’s guidance and that whatever job works out will suit all of our needs. Thank you for your prayers and encouraging words, they mean alot.
That’s all really tough. I hope everything works out for your children and your dog. Keep your head up. I know what it’s like when the horrible luck wave comes in three’s if not fives..sixes..and tens sometimes but you gotta go through the rain before you can get the rainbow.
Sometimes one door closes to open up an even better one even if we don’t understand why at the time. Just keep thinking positive and tell yourself it will all be okay.
Thank you, Carina, you are absolutely right…I just keep waiting for the next door to open or even a window maybe! But I am grateful for our current situation, we have many, many things to be grateful for despite the rough financial times and health crisis.
You mentioned the everything is going to be okay. How’s the dog?
Hey Sarah,
Dogs both came out of it without a scratch…I’m sure Sea Cadet saved the day jumping in as our dog definitely could do damage if he put his mind to it. But blessedly no damage. We are on a 10 day quarantine per the health department. They showed up Monday to inspect. But he didn’t find any cause for concern and said he’ll probably just call after 10 days to release us. I was very worried that they would take our dog and put him in a cage…he does not like cages at all, so I’m very grateful for this outcome.
You’re not dead in the water, you have weathered some major storms WITHOUT taking on more debt!! That’s a huge win.
Thanks, Kate, I hadn’t thought of it that way. Definitely something to be proud of.
Kate is correct Hope. Far too often we don’t give ourselves credit for the smaller successes that allow for the bigger successes. The fact that you weathered financial storms without going into additional debt is HUGE. And this success is what will allow you to be successful later (i.e Paying off old debt as opposed to paying off newly acquired debt). My best to you and your family in the New Year!
Thank you, Candice. You are right, I have definitely come along way in the past years for sure, and it is to forget that. Definitely helps to put these times in perspective.