Our Next Big Adventure

I'm probably stating the obvious when I say that we love adventure. We like the thrill of discovering new places, being challenged, finding beauty, and being with each other. It's the reason we own rock climbing gear, kayaks, backpacking goods, and mountain bikes. It's the cause for our monthly savings plan for vacations and marriage getaways - the removal of ourselves from the common into the not so common.

It's the reason we've been to California twice, on an across-the-country roadtrip to Wyoming with friends, all over Washington, to dusty Texas, on a ski trip to Utah, down to the shimmering gulf coast of Florida, up to bustling New York, crusing through the Caribbean with stops in Grand Cayman, Belize, Honduras, and Mexico, and honeymooning in St. Lucia. It's the reason we got engaged on the top of Big Frog Mountain, camp with friends in the Smokies, have hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail in three different states, kayak the waters of the Harpeth, the Hiwassee, the Gulf, and the Puget Sound, have rafted the Ocoee, and so much more.

Not a month goes by that we're not planning some sort of adventure. These days it's been planning a see-the-leaves day-trip on our weekend visit to Massachusetts in mid-October for my cousin's wedding. And talks of what a visit to Mt. Hood or a Columbia River winery while in Portland in late-October.

And now, we face a new -slightly unexpected- and entirely uncharted adventure of a different sort. One that has a lot of the same elements yet requires a stationery sort of discovery, challenge, and wonder. One that will be incredibly beautiful and difficult in a variety of ways, but so very rewarding and a blessing beyond many we may have ever experienced.

We are buying a home.

A beautiful ranch-style brick home on an unbelievable lot in a great part of Franklin with lush trees, a fenced-in backyard with two quaint storage barn-sheds and a patio, three darling bedrooms, a great kitchen, and bonus room I can't wait to turn into our office/reading room.

Our-First-Home adventure. I think I can handle that...

House Fund: First Anniversary

The journey officially started this day last year.

Looking back on that entry, I can't help but linger over the part that reads:

But we hope our friends and family will be rooting for us and helping keep us accountable to dreaming big. We can't do this on our own, and to that same degree, are hoping to rely fully on the wisdom and provisions of God who has been so gracious to lead us this far.

And you have. And we have. And more than both of those combined, He has.

I am so very thankful for that and excited about what lies ahead. We are more than halfway to our year-end goal and hope to remain faithful in giving and free to enjoy what a little extra savings beyond the house affords us in the way of trips to visit family and the requisite get-aways we so enjoy.

Let us always be mindful of how much we are blessed, in whatever way God chooses to do so, and of what, then, is required of us because of that.

So, I've Been Waiting to Tell You

I don't really know why I was waiting for our first meeting to determine it was official. Considering it's been about three weeks since it actually was. I mean, I guess probably because when you have an opportunity presented and you shy away from it, then it unexpectedly returns again over chicken fingers and french fries (the best ever, actually), and then you call your friends while they're getting a movie at Blockbuster to let them know you definitely want to be their intern, what feels like such a big decision just feels kind of surreal.

But as I sat today, writing down my "this is what I'd like to get out of this" talking points, and then later when we talked over coffee (and bottled water) about what this is going to look like...

I realized I am officially an intern/apprentice for Zach and Jody, otherwise known as the amazing duo that is Gray Photography. Yes, that is correct, they are our friends, neighbors (for now), and the incredible photographers who shot our engagement, bridal, and wedding pictures.

(In case you need a refresher of how awesome those pictures turned out, go to their website, click on Portfolio and check out:

Album 1 - pictures 54, 55, 64, 66, 69, 71
Album 2 - pictures 44, 45, 60, 65, 66
Engagement - pictures 63-69)

So, I'm really excited. I mean, really really. Because for once I'm taking a leap, albeit small, in a direction that I never expected to go but can't think of anything else I'd rather do and anyone else I'd rather learn from. And Cliff is SO incredibly supportive, I just get overwhelmed. I just can't wait to learn. To soak it all in. And to come out on the other end hopefully much more well-versed and practiced in what is becoming my favorite artistic hobby (and maybe one day profession?) What's great is that it fits within my wide open schedule right now, but is still something I can keep up with when I manage to land a good job.

Soon enough, I'll be asking for subjects. So... be ready.

"Top Three" Life List

On Sunday, I spent some time journaling and perusing a summer edition of Real Simple. In it, there was a feature on readers' responses to the "top three things" they'd like to accomplish in their lifetime. Already in an inspired mood, I started jotting down the list I've been running in my head for a long time. And then I realized there were far too many things on the list and that three, was in fact, a qualifying number.

Then, last night, in the middle of FPU class, I slipped Cliff my tiny yellow legal pad I use to doodle/dream/plan on in settings such as those, with a query as to what his top three life goals would be. It was important for me to know that he didn't know what mine were, so I told him after he thoughtfully jotted down his answers.

So, after much (of my own personal) debate, here's our lists:

Kristine
1. Grow in a lifetime marriage of adventure and laughter, while raising children who are happily whole, who love the Lord, and who are equipped to (and who believe they can) change the world.
2. Write and publish a good book that inspires and encourages normal people to dream big, take leaps, and enjoy the journey.
3. Spend time in all 50 states of this beautiful, free country I call home.

Cliff
1. Have a happy, healthy family that is spiritually and financially well-rounded and stronger than the previous generation.
2. Be a part of a cause that makes a difference in my community and the world.
3. Be a wise man who can feed into others' lives and who is a leader.


What are yours?

We Can, Even if it's Weird

As of Monday night, Cliff and I have committed to each other to pay cash for our first home. After talking about it for months, going back and forth between having a really big down payment in a couple of years or stretching ourselves a bit further and going all the way, we're opting for the "all the way" route. It may not seem like a milestone, but for us, April 14th will go down in history as the day we wrote out a plan that seems close to impossible to the normal observer. But, like Dave always says, who wants to be normal?

We wrote out our (really, my) list of fears and then a list of reasons why we should. Here's what we came up with:

Fears

• taking longer than an allotted time frame (for any number of reasons)
• what people think/say
• looking stupid
• societal pressure
• getting frustrated or impatient with a lack of current space or just time

Why do it?

• no interest - save thousands of $$ in the long run
• don't pay $$ to the bank, our $$ is our $$ (well, really, we're stewards)
• less stressful on marriage in the long run
• makes more financial sense if you do the numbers
• standing on principles
• delaying gratification to hold out for God's best for us
• as much equity as we may gain on a house in a couple of years, that much ends up going out in interest

So, we've committed to working to try and be in a house in no more than four years, meaning Lord willing, summer of 2012. Our goal is to save $160,000 for a starter home that we'll probably live in until just before our (then) kids (Lord willing, again) start going to school at which point, we'll upgrade/settle in a long-term location. We've set stretch goals for each year leading up, with our target for 2008 being $8,000 (since we don't know what my income will be yet, and Cliff is releasing me from that pressure), $35,000 for 2009 ($43,000 total), $50,000 for 2010 ($93,000 total), and $67,000 for 2011 (bringing our grand total to $160,000 by Jan 1, 2012 and giving us several months leeway to find a home).

We're technically starting next month, but we've had an extra little store in our savings that we decided to roll over into the house fund. As you may have seen already, I created a handy-dandy little chart and posted it in case you're interested in keeping up with our progress. This may all bore you to tears, or cause tears of laughter to come as a result of your cynical humor, so you can just ignore it. But we hope our friends and family will be rooting for us and helping keep us accountable to dreaming big. We can't do this on our own, and to that same degree, are hoping to rely fully on the wisdom and provisions of God who has been so gracious to lead us this far.

Our FPU class this spring has been a huge motivator in this whole journey. We had our last class last night, with six of the seven couples graduating (and the other one didn't ONLY because they were out LIVING the principles Dave teaches and couldn't actually make it to all of the class sessions, but I know they will later!). In all, our class paid off $93,300 in personal debt and avoided opening up $1,899,800 in credit offers in a total of thirteen weeks. It's been so incredible to watch how the Lord has changed peoples' spirits, motivations, and levels of determination to walk in financial peace and to change their marriages. We shared our new goals with the class and are excited that we have the opportunity as friends and "classmates" to continue keeping each other accountable and checking in on how we're all doing. Way to go, guys!