Mia swimming at 6 months.... =)
It’s safe to say Mark and I are in a transition. Our lives have definitely gone through an incredible amount of “brand news” over the last year… particularly the last 6 months. Let’s see… we added a new mini member to our family, Mark started a new career, we moved to a brand new city, and I am a new stay at home mom. As if these changes weren’t enough, we are also trying to hang on to our first home in Indio by renting it out while also paying the remaining mortgage balance & rent to our new mini-home.
You see, after being spoiled in our much loved 4 bedroom home with it’s own pool (gotta love the cost of living difference in the desert!), we have transitioned into a 1 bedroom 900 square foot condo. So with the combination of a mortgage, bills, AND an apartment rental, we are learning to live a much simpler life by obligation. Simpler in almost every area of our lives. Our date nights have changed from frequent visits to our favorite sushi restaurant, Chomp, to a night in meal of frozen pizzas. My favorite mena-je-tua wine has been replaced by two buck chuck. And Mia’s swims have gone from our backyard Jacuzzi to her bathtub on our 3rd floor patio deck.
But I gotta say…Mia doesn’t seem to mind the change. In fact, I think she prefers her patio pool to the big 4 foot deep Jacuzzi. She gets to sit up and play all by herself, without her floaties, and without mom having to hang on to her all of the time. Plus… I get to hang out and play on the computer & enjoy a glass of cheap wine while she “swims.”
At the risk of reaching… I’m gonna say Mia’s complete enjoyment of her patio pool versus the backyard spa is a great example to Mark and I. While it was nice to have all of the “stuff” back in Palm Desert, we are spending a lot more time enjoying each other at home, realizing what’s important, and relying more on God for our daily needs. And I gotta say – He has blessed us with more than we could ever imagine. So even though we are going through what some may refer to as a “struggle,” we are very thankful for all that we’ve been given & are learning a lot through all of this.
Ahhh the insight gained from a cheerful baby in her patio pool.
2 comments:
Awesome post, Rachel. We are on a somewhat similar journey and there are two resources I wanted to share with you. One is a blog - www.moneysavingmom.com. If you are at all interested in learning to use coupons, that is the place to go. The blog author is encouraging and faithful and has really inspired me to live on less. Also we love Dave Ramsey, a financial guru who preaches saving and "living like no one else so later you can live like no one else." Sometimes living a frugal life is hard and I just want to SHOP :) but watching Dave Ramsey on tv or reading his "Total Money Makeover" always gives me encouragement and reminds me that the sacrifices are worth it. I'm excited to read more about your journey and thanks for sharing!
thanks for the encouragement, Megan! I'll definitely check out that blog!
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