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by Hope

This is more of a personal update and while this event had significant financial implications, I am not discussing them in this post.

It was one year ago today that I prepared to say good bye to Gymnast as he left to move in with his dad. He enjoyed a final Halloween at my Grandmother’s and left early the next morning to drive to Illinois with his dad. I HATED it! I was devastated.

And I spent Halloween night crying in the dark of my room. Already missing my baby and plotting the demise of his dad. (Just being honest.) As hard as raising Gymnast alone had been up to that point, I was not ready for him to leave. I would have never chosen that. I didn’t think he would have either.

But Now…

I know that move was the best thing that could have happened for all of us! I was able to turn my focus to the other kids. Gymnast had taken over my life, all of our lives really. And Gymnast has been able to grow and mature in a way I was not able to help him with.

Our relationships are beginning to heal – mine and Gymnast, the twins and Gymnast and Princess and Gymnast. It has not been an easy road. The years leading up to the move were not easy. But I think we have all turned a corner.

As I look back on that very dark time, I am grateful for the lessons and growth we have all gone through this year. But I would never, ever wish the separation of a family on anyone.

Tonight I celebrate a year of change and growth. I went into it kicking and screaming and crying and terrified. And here I stand, proud and happy, we have overcome so much, together and separate. I am truly blessed.

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.