I Swore I Was Done With 'Em!

It was weird filling out a credit card application today. I swore I'd never do it again. But I just couldn't talk Sears into lowering their 24% interest rate (and I've tried numerous times). I went to my credit union, filled out an application and four hours later I was approved! Should have the account activated next week and then do the balance transfer. Get this... 9.9% interest! Our monthly payment goes up by $30 but it's so worth it (and it'll be paid off that much sooner). BUT... as soon as those cards come in the mail, I think we'll start up the wood-burning stove for the first time. Hasta La Vista, Baby!

Until next time...
Di

Summer Catch-Up

Wow what a summer! As usual, the girls kept us busy carting them around the country. Missy went to Portland to church camp in June with some of her friends. This camp is amazing! What a great place for teens to spend a week and grow spiritually. Tori went to the same camp in July with her friends. Missy went too as the babysitter. July was the month Don and I lost focus on our finances/budget. What did we do? We got back on the band wagon. My birthday got lost in the middle of all this so we never celebrated it as a family. I didn't even notice 'til now. Although Don did buy me my first MP3 player. I downloaded lots of Dave Ramsey's radio shows for my "listening pleasure" during our mission trip. In August, we went on a family mission trip to Tuba City, Arizona. There, at the Navajo Indian reservation, we served families by roofing three mobile homes, built a storage shed, gathered four trailer loads of wood (many families have no electricity and warm their homes with wood), and cleaned the grounds of the church. Trips to Sonic were always looked forward to. Each night after dinner, we headed off to some gorgeous sight to see. If you're ever in the area, you've got to stop at Newspaper Rock. The Indians would go get salt and stop at this spot where they'd find messages carved into the rocks from others giving the latest news. Our last day before leaving was a trip to the Grand Canyon. This is a "must see" for all. It's breath-taking! It's amazing! Pictures just don't do it justice. I did discover my need to have my own vehicle. I've never felt so confined. Next year our suburban goes with us! Missy started working at Larry's Drive-In Chicken. She's so thrilled to be making money again. Tori turned 14 this summer. Wow! My baby is now 14 years old. It just doesn't seem possible. I can still see her waking from a nap with serious bed hair, grumpy face, and eyebrows furrowed.

And now... school begins again. After homeschooling the girls for so many years, it gets kinda lonely around here when they're gone. Last year I went through an early "empty nest syndrome." It was a depression I don't want to go through again. This year, being used to the routine, it's not as bad. I still miss them a lot but I don't cry every day. Now I'm just trying to figure out what I wanna do when I grow up!

Until next time...
Di