Living the Dream; tales from the life of a former college athlete turned full-time mommy

When I started this blog, it was mainly for the purpose to help me remember things about raising our family because I never write things down and I easily forget what just happened an hour ago:).  So many times in my life, God will show me something or teach me a lesson about something, and a month later, I no longer think about it, and before long I don’t even remember it.  Gabe and I have committed to remembering ways God has continually provided financially for us throughout our lives together.  We feel it is important to remember these times because it increases our faith and helps us not be hesitant to follow whatever we know He is calling us to.  

I have been hesitant to share the details of this because it includes our personal financial information, but I feel like I should share it to help us remember, and to maybe encourage other people in their journey.  So, here goes.

September 2010-  Debt free!!!

What we have paid off since January 2008:  

Gabe student loans     $10000

Allyson student loans     $25000

Nissan mini-van     $12500

Flat screen     $700

Total:  $48,200

When I see that total, I truly cannot believe it.  How did that happen?  When we moved to Nashville in 2004, I started listening to Dave Ramsey on the radio every afternoon and hearing stories of people who were now debt free and how they did it.  Gabe started listening as well, and we started talking about what that would feel like.  Both of us felt that while that would be great, it was impossible because that is just a little less than what we made in an entire year.  Also, we had a new baby and we wanted me to work as less as possible so I could be with Neely the majority of the time.  So, we agreed that we would not accrue any more debt and we would pay off as much as we could as fast as we could, but our debt didn’t go down.  

Two years later, Ansley Jane entered our lives and we feel so blessed to be her parents.  At about the same time, we felt God leading us to launch Connect, but wondering how that would work with our desire to pay our bills and get out of debt.  Somehow Gabe leaving his comfy job at Lifeway to launch a non-profit with no salary for the first year did not make sense to us, but we knew it was the right thing to do.  We also knew this meant me going back to work full-time, which even me working full-time, my salary was only about 65% of what Gabe had been making.  

Even with all those things, we are debt free.  I don’t write this to pat ourselves on the back or say, hey look at us, we are debt free.  I am writing this so I can remember how God took a completely crazy scenario, and made it happen.  He guided us to make good decisions and helped us stay disciplined when we wanted to splurge on something.  The weird thing is, I don’t feel like we have had to just eat beans and rice.  We have had to say no to ourselves at times when we wanted to go on a big vacation or get Gabe a car that doesn’t smell like rotten milk, but to me, those things are extras and not necessary to living a happy life.  At the same time, we have had lots of fun times over the past two years, and experienced a lot of great things.

We committed to pouring every extra bit of money we made toward our debt and we put ourselves on a cash system budget.  I will admit is has been a pain at times, but overall, very much worth it.  We now live in a nice house, which we felt comfortable  buying because it is the only debt we have.  I am working different little jobs to make some extra spending money each month, and while we are by no means wealthy (not even close), we feel it is worth it to continue living tightly while our girls are so young so I can continue to be with them the majority of the time.  It is going by so fast.  

So, I am proud that we have accomplished our goal of being debt free besides our house. But mostly, I don’t want to forget what a miracle it is and God’s involvement in it.  This blog entry will be like a monument I am building to help me remember. Hopefully we can start saving more, giving more, and enjoying some extra fun things like a vacation to the beach this summer:)

Ansley Jane has been full of 1 liners lately.  After she goes potty, to let me know she is done, she says “correctimundo, I’m finished, Yo Gabba Gabba, Shhh!”  

I have no idea where this came from or why she made it up, but it is pretty funny.  Then, tonight when the girls were wrestling with Gabe, she says “I’m gonna punch you in your eyebrow if you mess with me”.  

I really want to remember these a long time from now.

Fun pictures from the past couple of weeks.  It’s been a fun time and it has flown by.  I can’t believe we are in November!  Gabe and I feel very blessed to have such great friends. We are so thankful that our girls will have such great friends to grow up with.

Both girls have been sick this week.  They both have sinus infections and ear infections.  They’ve both been coughing for 2 weeks and it finally turned into something medicine will help.  Well, last night we were finishing up supper and I gave each of them their antibiotic, then put Neely in the bath.  Ansley Jane started pretend crying, and asking for tylenol (which she pronounces Y-lyn-all).  I asked her what was hurting and she immediately responded, “my feelings”, just as seriously as she could, then laughed as hard as she could at herself.  She is so funny!

                                                          My little Abby Cadabby (from Sesame Street)

                                                             So happy

Ansley Jane was way too excited about trick or treating to think about looking at the camera

                My Minnie Mouse

Halloween was fun.  We had some people over for the game and then went trick or treating.  It was cold and rainy, but the girls loved it anyway.  Gabe took them to another neighborhood, and they ended up trick or treating for over an hour.  Now, what to do with all the candy?  I’ve got to stop eating it!

I am truly thankful today. Earlier this week, being thankful was definitely hard to be.  Each day is different, I wonder sometimes if other people fluctuate with their emotions and thoughts as much as I do. Gabe sure doesn’t think so:).  So, today I am thankful, and it really isn’t a conscious choice at the moment.  

I am getting ready to head to Ansley Jane’s “harvest” party (definitely not halloween, even though they are dressing up).  I, for some reason I am unsure of now, volunteered to do the craft.  First of all, I am not a crafty type person.  Secondly, it will be leading 15 3 year olds in a craft.  Why I volunteered for this, I am not sure.  It has kindof paralyzed me.  I’ve had a hard time making a decision.  I finally settled on making paper bag owls.  I just went in our backyard and found 15 twigs to perch the owls on.  Neely informed me last night that my paper bag owl, was not an owl, but rather a cat.  So, I had to something to make it more “owl-like”.  Hopefully Ansley Jane’s 3 year old friends will think it is an owl.  I am not sure a cat is “harvesty” or “fall-like” and black cats are too Halloweeny:).  So, wish me luck.  

I am thankful I get to do fun things like this with my girls.  I am thankful that Gabe supports me staying at home, even when it makes finances pretty tight. I am also thankful that it is not raining at the moment in NE Georgia. For real, it has been like we moved to Seattle it has rained so much these past few weeks.  

Have a good day!

  This morning we visited Athens Church. This is a church that is under Northpoint in Atlanta, and Andy Stanley preaches via satellite.  I didn’t think I would enjoy watching a preacher preach who is not in the same room as me, but I have enjoyed it.  We have been 3 times and I have walked away with something to think about everytime.  Gabe says Andy has mastered the art of saying one thing well without sounding redundant. I have to agree. The girls love the children’s ministry too, the teachers know their names and that always makes me feel good.

Today Andy started a new series called Faith, Hope, and Luck.  I didn’t know what to think when the service started with the worship leader singing Katie Perry’s That’s What you Get for Waking up in Vegas:)

Andy talked about faith and asked us to think about what our faith is propped up on. I immediately thought to myself, well, God of course, duh, I am a Christian.  But the further he talked, the more convicted I became that usually my faith is dependant on my circumstances at the time.  When things are going well, I think God must really like me and He must be working hard for my good.  But, when something happens to disrupt this belief, I think He must not care much about what is going on in my life and what did I do to cause this?

About 3 1/2 weeks ago, I had a miscarriage.  I was 8 weeks and 4 days along this time.  Last year I had one at 6 weeks.  I have asked many questions over the past few weeks, and many of them have to do with what have I not done right with my 2 daughters that God would not want to entrust another child into my care?  Why did God even allow me to get pregnant in the first place if I was just going to lose it?  Last week, some friends found out their 4 year old son has a brain tumor and is having surgery to remove it on Tuesday.  They have been faithful to God, Becca is one of the most Godly women I have ever met, why does she have to endure such pain?   

But, these are not the right questions.  I don’t believe those things to be God’s fault, and I am starting to see them as lies from the enemy.  If those were the right questions, then my faith would be propped on circumstances, it would be propped on things that change and are unreliable, unpredictable.  My faith rests on God, the all-knowing, unchanging, dependable GOD.  My faith rests on a person who not only walked where I am walking, but experienced pain and difficult circumstances during His short time on earth, and He walks through both the good, and the bad with me.

Feeding the billy goats

Petting a velveteen rabbit

Tricycle race

Such a fun slide!

Riding the cow train, hers was called “Linda”

Ansley Jane's was called "Annie"

Pop's the goat, Neely the horse, Nana the cow, Ansley Jane the pig

We went to Washington Farms while Nana and Pops were here visiting.  It was a great afternoon, the girls absolutely loved it.  We went on a hayride, a train ride, and petted goats, rabbits, donkeys, and cows.  Ansley Jane was scared of the roosters who were being chased all over the place by some rowdy boys.  They loved swimming in corn and picking out pumpkins.  I didn’t even get a picture of that!

These are just some random pictures from the past couple of months.  Gabe takes great pictures so I usually have to wait for him to email them to me before I can post them:)

Gabe took the girls on a date to the intramural fields. They are so sweet to each other sometimes!

We played outside at our condo on this day, and it was a little dirty. Can you tell? Also, mosquitos are BAD in Georgia!

Downtown Watkinsville has a "First Friday" every month, where the community comes out and enjoys the town. This was a train ride the girls took.

Still "first Friday". Both girls have colored hair, Ansley Janes red, Neely's purple.

Gabe took Neely to the kindegarten breakfast and she was showing him her work. I see a future artist's work, don't you?

Our new house

From the back of our property

Things have been so completely abnormal lately and I think we are all feeling it.  Since we have moved to GA, Ansley Jane has not really been sleeping very well.  Probably 5 nights a week, she gets up 2-3 times.  Usually she just taps my cheek and says “hi mommy!”, despite it being 2:30 in the morning.  I tell her to go back to bed, and we repeat this about 1-2 more times during the night. 

Neely has been doing OK, however, yesterday morning she woke me at 5:45am completely dressed for school. 

Both of my girls have always been great sleepers. Both were sleeping through the night at 9 weeks of age, and I really have not had any problems with them sleeping at all, until this move.  I am hoping it is due to things just not being settled.  I even bought some expensive bed crates to make their beds more comfortable, but so far I can’t tell that this has helped. 

Thursday morning I had some “time off” when Ansley Jane was in school (9-12) so I decided to come home and take a nap.  At 9:15 the electrician knocked on the door and worked in our house until 11:45 when it was time for me to go get Ansley Jane.  Then, Friday afternoon, Ansley Jane was taking a great nap so I decided to take one myself, and the guy knocked on the door to come hang our bathroom mirrors.  He left about 10 minutes before Neely got home from school. 

Last  night, I decided that we would have a slumber party in my bed since Gabe was out of town, so we settled down and read some library books for a while, I let them stay up a  little later, and then we turned out the lights to go to sleep.  It took Ansley Jane about another hour to settle down and quit asking for stuff.  Then, at 5:30am, she started asking to watch Tom and Jerry, which woke Neely up and started the cycle again. 

Gabe comes home today, and I think I may hide  myself in the guest room so maybe I can get some uninterrupted sleep! I realize some people are rolling their eyes and thinking what’s the big deal, we go through this all the time, but we have been removed from sleepless nights for a loooong time, and we don’t have a newborn that is causing it, so bear with me a bit.  It feels good to vent:)