Blogging Away Debt

Celebrating Freedom – Grateful for my many blessings

Tonight a friend and I will enjoy the fireworks the county puts on in celebration of July 4th. We decided to pack a picnic, head out early enough to get a good spot, and set up our lawn chairs to enjoy the show that won’t begin until dark. (Praying that the rain holds off!)

I am so grateful for the all free entertainment opportunities in this tiny town of mine.

I continue to be a regular at the library. Walk around the lake every morning with one of my dogs. Have three beautiful lakes within a couple of miles of my house for picnicking and cooling off. Waterfalls abound around here when I need a get away from reality. And, of course, my favorite – weekly free concerts downtown with a variety of live music bands and genres, all summer long.
(There’s also church activities, but I tend to avoid crowds.)

Still so much to be grateful for…

Life has been incredibly challenging this past 9 months – so much loss, so much change. But I can’t help but wake up grateful every morning.

I’m grateful that for the first time in my whole life I have my own home.
I’m grateful for working air conditioner because I can’t stand the heat.
I’m grateful for my health and my kids’ health. God truly does give us what we can handle.
I’m grateful for all the challenges, even these times of scarcity, because it’s these hard times that make the good times that much sweeter.

And I’m grateful for whatever is next for me…I’m ready for it.

What are you grateful for this Fourth of July when we celebrate all the freedom we enjoy here in the US? And how will you celebrate this weekend?

(Oh, and I’m also grateful for a 3 day weekend!)

Quick Turn Trip to Houston

The first is a quick turn trip. Princess has 24 hours to go from her New York internship to her Houston internship. She will land one Saturday night in Atlanta; I will pick her up and then we will jump in her car and ride to Houston.

I was hesitant to let her take that drive herself. It’s over 13 hours of drive time and she’s never driven more than a couple of hours alone. Not to mention the quick turn will put a lot of pressure on that drive. She and I are going to team drive it. She’ll get there a bit more refreshed and ready to start on Monday.

I was able to book a one-way flight with points, paid just $5.60. As long as I don’t have bags, it will be the cheapest trip I’ve ever taken. She is being reimbursed for her travel expenses so I won’t have to worry about gas, food, or anything else. We got her car serviced last week before she left for New York City so everything is all set.

Her return trip doesn’t have the time crunch pressure, and she feels like she will be comfortable making the drive back alone.

Permanent Move to Austin

Two weeks after I return from getting Princess to her internship, Gymnast and I will load up our cars with all his belongings for his move to Austin. This will be a roundtrip road-trip for me. And I will have to cover the gas and food for the trip. I have already taken the week off work, but will still receive my salary. (Grateful for that!)

We are planning to car camp on the trip there. And I will most likely do the same on the trip back.

Gymnast and I sat down recently to plan out final things that need to be done here before this move. And he let me know that I could probably stay home and not go. I could bring a load when he gets ready to move into his own place.

And I so appreciated that, because the financial pressure is immense these days. But with my mom still alive and my dad’s recent battle with cancer, I’m going to make the trip. I will deal with the financial consequences. I thought I was saying good bye to my mom when I went down last fall. To have another chance to see her…priceless.

Gymnast and Princess on their last weekend together before they take on the world as adults!

Blogging Away Debt Our Journeys to a Debt-Free Life

Celebrating Freedom – Grateful for my many blessings

Still so much to be grateful for…

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Two trips to Texas next month

Quick Turn Trip to Houston

Permanent Move to Austin

Read More from Hope