Alrighty, the DEBT BEAT DOWN is back, and its taken a few hits over the past year in our favor!!! Its been since January of 2010 that I've revisited this sector of our lives, and I'm telling you without holding back that its difficult! The "emergency fund" is still in the making if that gives you any idea of how life can throw some interesting blows at you. We have been able to take a significant chunk out of the debt, and obviously, school loans are still the front runner in our financial hole that we have been digging out of, and when I say hole, its not that its bad, its just what we've had to do to make life work!
So, to get to the dirt in our finances, here we go! Since our last update, we've actually been able to cut nearly all of our debt down to school loans...which is unreal! Its still the heaviest financial burden we carry, but we have been able to pay off 3 medical bills, in the next month or so we will probably be able to pay off Sara's car, and my car, well, its somewhere on the East Coast I assume being enjoyed by someone other than me! I purchased a "PROJECT" and we'll leave it at that! So, out of the 7 bills that we had at the start, we have consolidated all of my school loans into one loan...(look into it if you have major school loan debt, it can save you HUGE, call me)...and outside of that, we have the credit card still but its being used as an emergency fund for the time being and we are using it to pay bills, in turn saving money on our insurance(another cool thing to look into). So by the end of August, our debt will be down to less than 17,000 which is almost half of what we started with on this journey just under 2 years ago!
We are now back in Arkansas, we've moved 3 times, live in the wonderful town of Siloam Springs, AR, and I'm going back to school at JBU for my Grad. in Counseling this fall....YEA...MORE SCHOOL LOANS(this has been looked into very deeply, trust me)!!! Oh by the way, did I mention we have an Emery now? Our little boy is going to get to reap the benefits of our struggles to get out of debt over the past couple years! By the way, HE'S AWESOME!!!
Post any comments you may have or questions, we have resources, experiences, frustrations, etc... we are willing to share if you need help or are just needing a sounding board to see what you need to do about your finances!!!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Baby Doll vs. Action Figure
Something happened the other day that I really can't go any longer without sharing. I really have two reasons for sharing...1 is that most will find this either amusing or ridiculous, and 2 some will find this interesting and may lead to changing the way you look at your child. Now in Sara's defense, she was completely innocent in all of this, I was the one that saw the issue and most mothers will think its crazy, but as a DUDE I can tell you that this was a reaction that I had for the sake of my son, and it is one that I will continue to have until he can stand for himself!!!
We were hanging out in the Garden doing some yard work and Sara was holding Emery (our Son) while she was picking weeds or something when I hear him start to get a bit fussy. She then begins to try and sooth him and this is what she says; "Its ok my baby doll." Now, let me explain that most guys will tell you that they never want to be called a baby doll! But considering my son is only 3 weeks old most women would consider this to be a sweet conversation between her and her son, but to me, it was a shot at his manhood and as a Father I had to step in. My response was this; "If you're going to call him something like that you better call him an action figure!" I know, its a bit ridiculous, but I'm telling you that came out of me without even thinking!!! My heart jumped out of my chest when I heard it and although it sounds crazy, the "masculine soul" within me screamed for Emery. If you want to read something that is absolutely amazing in context to what I'm talking about, check out the books Wild at Heart, and Way of the Wild Heart by John Eldredge. They take you through the heart of a man and the masculine journey of a boy to manhood. If you have a daughter, I'd suggest his book Captivating!
The heart I have for my son is connected deeply to the heart that Sara has for Emery as well, but our natural reactions and the ways we see him in our hearts can be extremely different. This was just the moment when her view of him as her preciously little boy(Baby Doll) and my view of him as my strong little man(Action Figure) came to odds. We laugh about it constantly, but I will tell you that we will make a point of making sure that Emery grows up knowing that he is strong, he's a boy who will some day become a man, and will give him every opportunity and encouragement in his masculine journey!
We were hanging out in the Garden doing some yard work and Sara was holding Emery (our Son) while she was picking weeds or something when I hear him start to get a bit fussy. She then begins to try and sooth him and this is what she says; "Its ok my baby doll." Now, let me explain that most guys will tell you that they never want to be called a baby doll! But considering my son is only 3 weeks old most women would consider this to be a sweet conversation between her and her son, but to me, it was a shot at his manhood and as a Father I had to step in. My response was this; "If you're going to call him something like that you better call him an action figure!" I know, its a bit ridiculous, but I'm telling you that came out of me without even thinking!!! My heart jumped out of my chest when I heard it and although it sounds crazy, the "masculine soul" within me screamed for Emery. If you want to read something that is absolutely amazing in context to what I'm talking about, check out the books Wild at Heart, and Way of the Wild Heart by John Eldredge. They take you through the heart of a man and the masculine journey of a boy to manhood. If you have a daughter, I'd suggest his book Captivating!
The heart I have for my son is connected deeply to the heart that Sara has for Emery as well, but our natural reactions and the ways we see him in our hearts can be extremely different. This was just the moment when her view of him as her preciously little boy(Baby Doll) and my view of him as my strong little man(Action Figure) came to odds. We laugh about it constantly, but I will tell you that we will make a point of making sure that Emery grows up knowing that he is strong, he's a boy who will some day become a man, and will give him every opportunity and encouragement in his masculine journey!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Really?
Well, from the title you can see that I'm starting this off with confusion, but trust me, I'm not confused...but you may be after you read this! So...let me begin without going on any rants.
I'll start by posing the question of; "What do you do when you are moving up in management, you're being told that you may be able to basically have your own business within the next several months, you're being trained by some of the most successful leaders in the company, they love you and you're pretty good at what you do, PLUS you just had your first son?" Well, in my case you walk away from it all graciously...and I can't emphasis GRACIOUSLY enough! Right around 9 months ago I was offered a job that I really didn't know what I was getting into. Since that time, I've been promoted, developed, trained, and basically guaranteed that if I stuck with it for the next couple years, I'd be making more money in retail than I ever thought possible, and that's no exaggeration...I can show you the details if you want! It's crazy, right? Who does that...well, I was called to. God opened up the opportunity for me to go back to school this upcoming fall and since making that decision, my heart has completely been occupied with what God is trying to do through me rather than what this world has to offer me.
When I sat down with my boss to discuss things, through no lack of trying on his part, I still had to walk away. I have more respect for the Buckle and the people that work there and run that company than you can imagine. As I told him, I will forever be a recruiter for that company! God has something big in store for Sara and I...and now Emery, can't forget him, and I can't really explain it very well right now, but I do know that in the next couple years it will involve getting my Grad degree in counseling, working/living in Siloam Springs, and investing our time in the people around us and in the church! God's got some sort of vision stirring in my heart and its just now starting to take some sort of form, but when, where, how, who with...I'm assuming will all be revealed to me here in the immediate future! So, as I step out of one job this weekend and into another, anticipating the start of school this fall and working on being the best Husband/Father I can be, please be in prayer for us, and I don't mean in prayer so that we will be well, successful, happy...the prayer I'm requesting is one that is quite simple. My prayer is asking God to direct me...and for ME TO LISTEN...so that I can:
1. Lead my wife
2. Lead my son
3. Discern God's plan for our family and the vision He has for our ministry
So, that seems pretty "cookie-cutter," but honestly I'm seeking vision right now...which all plays into my reasoning for leaving a job that in a worldly perspective is perfect, going back to school, and investing in my family more! Love you all who read this and we pray daily for you to seek God in your life to the fullest! We're not supposed to be ashamed of the gospel, so lets live it!
I'll start by posing the question of; "What do you do when you are moving up in management, you're being told that you may be able to basically have your own business within the next several months, you're being trained by some of the most successful leaders in the company, they love you and you're pretty good at what you do, PLUS you just had your first son?" Well, in my case you walk away from it all graciously...and I can't emphasis GRACIOUSLY enough! Right around 9 months ago I was offered a job that I really didn't know what I was getting into. Since that time, I've been promoted, developed, trained, and basically guaranteed that if I stuck with it for the next couple years, I'd be making more money in retail than I ever thought possible, and that's no exaggeration...I can show you the details if you want! It's crazy, right? Who does that...well, I was called to. God opened up the opportunity for me to go back to school this upcoming fall and since making that decision, my heart has completely been occupied with what God is trying to do through me rather than what this world has to offer me.
When I sat down with my boss to discuss things, through no lack of trying on his part, I still had to walk away. I have more respect for the Buckle and the people that work there and run that company than you can imagine. As I told him, I will forever be a recruiter for that company! God has something big in store for Sara and I...and now Emery, can't forget him, and I can't really explain it very well right now, but I do know that in the next couple years it will involve getting my Grad degree in counseling, working/living in Siloam Springs, and investing our time in the people around us and in the church! God's got some sort of vision stirring in my heart and its just now starting to take some sort of form, but when, where, how, who with...I'm assuming will all be revealed to me here in the immediate future! So, as I step out of one job this weekend and into another, anticipating the start of school this fall and working on being the best Husband/Father I can be, please be in prayer for us, and I don't mean in prayer so that we will be well, successful, happy...the prayer I'm requesting is one that is quite simple. My prayer is asking God to direct me...and for ME TO LISTEN...so that I can:
1. Lead my wife
2. Lead my son
3. Discern God's plan for our family and the vision He has for our ministry
So, that seems pretty "cookie-cutter," but honestly I'm seeking vision right now...which all plays into my reasoning for leaving a job that in a worldly perspective is perfect, going back to school, and investing in my family more! Love you all who read this and we pray daily for you to seek God in your life to the fullest! We're not supposed to be ashamed of the gospel, so lets live it!
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