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by Hope

Many long time readers will recall when we were moving from the 900 square foot apartment to the trailer some 10-ish years ago, we had to re-home our animals. It was a terribly hard time.

Before everyone jumps down my throat on that again, we rehomed three animals:

1. Mene – a chihuahua that we ended up with when a military family had to move and needed someone to take their little dog.
2. Princess’s cat – who actually moved with us to the 30 acres where the trailer was, but became an outside cat instead of inside. She ended up remaining at that property with the family that lived there when we moved to Georgia.
3. Izzy – a puppy found in the dumpster who was brought to us to care for.

Other than the cat, we didn’t go out and adopt animals just to give them away. Anyways…

Update on Izzy

This week I got a message from the family that took Izzy when we moved. They were trying to figure out how old she is.

They were also a homeschooling family and their oldest son and Sea Cadet knew each other from the summer camp where they both attended and then worked at.

“She is the most spoiled one in the family ? [my husband] passed away from cancer in April and Izzy was his faithful companion throughout his 4.5 year battle. She is a loyal friend and we are all a little anxious to see her aging a little bit???”

She also sent a few pictures.

The kids and I have been going back and forth trying to figure out how old she is. The best we can guess is 11-12 years old. The twins agree that she was dropped off after they had moved in. They were placed with me when they were 12 and are 27 now.

Anyways, it was so nice to hear from this family and get to see Izzy. She has truly gotten to live her best life.

(Mene was an old man when we got him. He ended up going to live with a sailor and his new wife that were our neighbors at the apartment. I think it was more Mene adopting them rather than them adopting him. But he passed away a few years ago. We had stayed in touch as well.)

Just thought some of you long time readers would enjoy this update like I did.

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.