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by Hope

The plan was set. Leave Friday morning, lunch with Princess before she had to go to work. Dinner with an old friend I hadn’t seen in a while. Leave early Saturday morning with Addie and Jake in tow to head to Texas. Get to my parents Sunday.

Then she called…

An old high school friend, whom I have visited with a couple of times during my extended trips to Texas, called. Due to some complications with a job, she was essentially stranded, or going to be in Atlanta.

Her: Are you going to Texas anytime soon?

Me: I’m leaving Saturday.

Logistics = Headaches

Due to the nature of the work she does, she wasn’t sure when she would be able to leave. I won’t bore you with the details, but after multiple mis-fires, we finally got away Saturday around 4:30pm.

I embraced the challenge knowing that this would be what life would be like for the next while as I’m transient. And in the end it all went great.

And I dropped her at her home at Texas at 5am. Yes, we drove all night. (I did this last summer with Princess to get her to a internship and said I’d never do it again.)

It wasn’t too bad though, with the car set up for car camping, we each turn a turn sleeping comfortably. As comfortably as you can with an 80lb who thinks he’s a lap dog.

I spent the night with another high school friend. (I didn’t stay with this friend as her daughter is afraid of dogs.) And finished the drive to my parents the next day.

Shared Costs

We filled up for gas 3 times. She paid twice and I paid once. We got dinner at a fast food drive thru, she paid.

Outside of my kids, I don’t know when I’ve had an adult road trip partner. It was a lot of fun to have someone to talk too. We did a lot of catching up on where people are at now, mourning those gone too soon, and just sharing life stories and goals.

She is also a single mom with two kids. It was just a great time. And saved me a bit of money. Score! I truly can’t wait for more chances to adventure with and to friends over the next couple of years.

And I believe she may have gotten bit by the roadtrip bug as well. Her first turn driving, she exclaimed, “Now I could get used to this!” It is addictive.

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.