Ever since we left New England to live in the Southwest, August has been a little difficult to get used to. Here, the kids are back in school at the beginning of the month, the worst of the heat is (usually) over, the pools and summer activities shut down by the end of the month, and regular, year-round activities and groups start up. Meanwhile, in August, the friends & family in New England are just getting used to being out of school (most have only been out about 4 weeks when August hits), they're going to the beach, taking vacations, and loving their warmest month.
I guess with September being just a week away, it's okay to be planning our fall season.
I plan to make this fall one of our most exciting in a long time. It'll take some cooperation on the part of others, but as far as it's up to me, plans are underway. I want to grow my business to where I qualify for a free Cruise by the end of the year. Wouldn't that be a great Christmas gift for my husband? We missed out on a special 20th Anniversary trip like we planned so we could move back to the city. This would be great.
I also want to make this a great high school year for both Logan and Jordan. He's in two plays with his drama group, he's been invited to try being in a youth band at a local church, and he's getting involved in a Youth Group with two of his friends that seem to be helping him really grow his faith. Jordan will begin sewing lessons with a friend of mine in September. I'm hoping she finds at least one other thing she can be excited about so she can look back on her teen years as a time of fun, a time of having lots of great adventures with new friends. We'll see how that works out.
I'll be a student in our church's Tuesday morning Women's Bible Study group again. I love this group and it's been very important to me for the entire 7 years we've lived here. Also, I'll be kicking off an evening Women's Life Group through church in September. I'm leading it, so I pray for guidance, wisdom, and discernment. I want to teach what THEY need, not what I feel like teaching.
This fall I hope Adam will be going from part-time to full-time work, and saving up for a car, college in January, and eventually - to get out on his own. If he was a student and had a job, and was a respectful "roommate" for Logan, then he can stay.
I also plan on really striving to save up and build our Emergency Fund (see DaveRamsey.com), get the vehicles' maintenance done, have a cash Christmas, and even put an extra month's rent aside for emergencies. Once the New Year starts, or we hit that new business level, whichever comes first, we can start a savings fund for a newer car and a down payment for a house.
I plan on being more active once the heat dies down a bit, too. I'm looking forward to walking around this great neighborhood we're in, spending a few school sessions at the nearby park, walking around the zoo, roller skating, ice skating, and basically, just getting outdoors more. Maybe I'll even have the time and energy to hike with Tim. He likes mountains, I'd prefer long trails. We'll see.
One last goal is to continue to lose weight. It may be coming off fairly slowly, but it IS coming off and it's staying off. I lost 20 lbs. about 2 years ago and it's still off. I hit a new low on the scale every month, and I'm wearing smaller and smaller clothes - so that's already going well. Maybe the extra physical activities will help speed that up a bit, too?
All I know is that this year will finish well. We'll get to spend holidays with friends, have lots of events to attend, make great, new friends, build a new business team in the area, and with a little help from above - be blessed by qualifying for a cruise by the end of the year.
What more could I hope for?
