Let the Lists Begin!

The decision was made that we are moving... then I was up all night thinking about how I so do not want to live in the middle of no where and amongst other less-than-fun things, with a herd of goats in the back yard. My number one fear you ask? Where will I put all of my kitchen stuff?? There isn't enough cabinet/counter top space!!

I keep telling myself that it will be an adventure!

My little mental chant has become; "remember, it's an adventure! A second car, no more ugly notices from the credit card companies, and an actual savings account with money in it!" It didn't help me sleep much, but it at least I haven't backed out yet! We'll see if that continues though, John and I go out to inspect all the work that will need to be done before we can move in and all the work that will need to be done to stand living there. It won't be easy, or cheap - but the cost beats paying rent by a long shot!!

So far, from what we already know about the property and what my brother (who is out there tending to the livestock daily) has told us, we know that we will need to:

1. Install insulation and Sheetrock on the back wall (which also happens to be the kitchen wall) to keep the house cool/warm and most importantly, the critters out!
2. Rip up the carpet from the living room/dining room. Years ago we had some pipes bust and it flooded the main areas of the house. The carpet should have been ripped out then, but better late than never. We've decided to go with an area rug over the smooth cement slab for the time being rather than re-flooring the house.
3. Install a new front door (hopefully just the door knob) so it will do little things, like LOCK!
4. Paint! okay, so obviously this isn't a necessity - but! I will lose my mind looking at bare white walls with the stains of our childhood juice boxes and such! The kitchen cabinets, walls and the main areas of living space. I think we'll also paint what will be our bedroom and leave the 'office' space white for the time being.
5. Install a ceiling fan in the living room. For the foreseeable future we won't have central heat or air in the house (nor is there a fireplace) so we will jump on anything that will allow us to cut back on an electric bill and not smother in the Texas heat.

All of that is just to move into the dang place. We know we'll have more to do after that. The back door (formerly beautiful french doors) have been totally destroyed by the darling goats and will need to be replaced. The central heat/air unit will need some serious work if it is repairable at all. The "big" bathroom's bathtub needs to be pulled out and replaced - in the mean time we just won't be using that bathroom or that end of the house at all.

Let's just call it our practice run for when we actually buy our first home. I'm sure it'll be a "fixer-upper".

New Things...

Hello!
I am Rebekah and I am married to the Love of My Life, John! We were married this past January and have been together for two years now. Although we have only been married for a short few months, life is moving along quickly. We're still in that honeymoon stage and have lovey dovey emotions for each other; but real life is here and we have to face it.

John and I are both very proud people. We frequently discuss how although it was difficult (and at times near impossible), we have worked our rears off for everything we have! Unfortunately, sometimes that means sacrifice, something we're both familiar with.

This is meant to be a journal and a source of sanity as we embark on the journey and work towards our ultimate goals. I'm sure there will be drama along the way, but what would life be without challenges?

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger...
and This. Just. Might. Kill. Me....

My father and late mother are very much like John and I. They worked for everything they had. When I was about four, they bought a piece of property; 4 acers and a small awkward house. Their plan was to build their dream home on the land. (Forgive me for summarizing about 18 years into a paragraph!) Hard work and years later we were ready to break ground on a house when my father lost his job. Finances and the health of my brother quickly fell apart. The house had MAJOR issues but they were tolerable when you had the goal in sight and unbearable when that goal was ripped away. When I visit the house, there are some very mixed emotions; especially since the last of my time there was as my mother was beginning to lose the race with cancer.

All of this is important because... John and I are moving into the house. We are both terrified that the broken dreams and past will cloud into our relationship. However, we know that it is the most financially responsible decision we could make at this point in our lives. We are a one car family, and truly need a second car. We also really need to get out of debt, or we will not have the chance at our dreams in anything resembling the near future. Living rent free is going to give us much more financial freedom to pay off debt and start building a nest egg for our future.

I just hope the cost is worth the gain.

So join us on our path to financial freedom && everything that comes with it along the way! We'll start with house repairs and then the joys of moving (from a 3 bedroom house into a 1.5 bedroom house). Who knows what else the future has in store for us, but I'm sure there will not be many dull moments.