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by Hope

The decision has been made. The plans have been made. I am headed to Texas in a couple of weeks for an open ended stay with my parents.

I wrote about the tug I’d been feeling to go. And I have decided to heed it. Addy and I will drive down in a couple of weeks.

Not sure when we will return exactly, but I will be back by mid-October because Princess will have her wisdom teeth extracted and I will stay with her while she recovers.

My son is thrilled. My sister is excited. My dad is excited. And I think they all have lists of things they’d like me to get done while I’m there, in addition to spending time with them.

But the number one goal is to see what I can do to help my dad on a day to day with my mom’s care with a focus on taking care of him too. My siblings do an AMAZING job of supporting him. He just seems to respond differently to me. (We have always been very, very close.) And his health has definitely suffered in the last couple of years. With cancer treatment, emergency gallbladder removal, and consistent pain that has yet to be diagnosed, we just all believe he needs some added support. So I can go and stay and help.

Work and Travel

I am SO GRATEFUL that I am able to make this trip and be there as needed. The costs will be minimal. Addie and I will car camp on our way there and back (or stay with friends and family along the way.) So just gas really.

My boss has already been informed and is 100% supportive of me working from wherever I want too. This is one of the big factors of choosing to remain a contractor at this juncture. I have complete freedom to travel, move, live wherever and not affect the corporate taxes, etc.

I also alluded to some big decisions have been made in the last couple of weeks. This trip will also help me flesh some of those decisions out. More on that in coming weeks or months…

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.