The Inconvenient Crisis

How do you react to crisis?  

Are you calm, cool, collected “in the moment” and then freak out after the fact or do you just shut down and need someone else to step in and take over?  Do you prepare for a crisis to happen, run through scenarios in your mind, or just hope and pray that nothing ever happens? 

If you are the “hoping and praying” type, STOP.  Its ok to hope and pray that nothing ever happens but guess what? 

A crisis WILL happen.  You don’t know when or where or what, but it will happen.  

How you prepare for the inevitable crisis will determine whether or not the crisis becomes a true definition-of-the-word crisis or just merely an inconvenience.

My beloved car, a 2004 Saturn ION Quad Coupe, died last week.  We KNEW this was going to happen, not only was it almost ten years old but it had 192,000+ miles on it.  We have been saving money to pay CASH for the new-to-me car but we really needed about six more months to have a fully funded Car Replacement Fund.  

Losing transportation is a crisis.  ESPECIALLY when we do not live in an area with mass transportation.  

Fortunately, when this happened, my husband was about to go out of town so I had ONE vehicle I could drive.  But, he was only going to be out of town for three days.  Finding a new-to-me car in three days with a pretty new Car Replacement Fund ( read – not-much-money-to-work-with-fund) was not really how I had intended to spend the week.  

We had a crisis.  I am normally cool, calm, collected in a crisis BUT I had some things working against me in this situation. 

First, I was sleep deprived from a trip I had taken to see two Elton John shows in four days – in two different states.  I came home Sunday afternoon, my car died Monday afternoon AND my oldest son was home sick with an upper respiratory virus.  

I had ALOT going on and just couldn’t process a solution to the problem in a clear, concise manner.  Add to this situation that I have a STRONG emotional attachment to that car so I really, honestly, felt like I had lost my best friend.  

So here I am trying to make a decision about a HUGE financial purchase in my sleep deprived-worried mom-emotional mess-state and I just couldn’t think clearly. 

I was in a crisis. 

Now, I KNOW what you are thinking  – what’s the big deal?  This isn’t a crisis.  You are debt free, you can afford a car payment.  All you have to do is go get a car, sign for the loan and wa-la!, you will have a new-to-you car and a payment and the crisis will be over.  

Oh yes, that would certainly be one solution to the problem and certainly the least time consuming, easiest way to go.  

I came SO close to going there.  

But I have friends who think like me and I knew enough to reach out to them for help.  I KNEW they would help me find a solution.  

And they did.  They talked me off the “going back into debt” ledge and helped me solve the problem.  

They reminded me that we didn’t spend four years of our life paying off over $43,000 in debt just to go BACK into debt with a car payment.  They reminded me that we do things differently now.  They encouraged me that I can solve my transportation issue with CASH.

My crisis became an inconvenience.  

All the planning, all the saving, all of the preparing for a crisis to happen had been tested with this crisis.  

It WASN’T a crisis – it was an inconvenience.  

I can deal with an inconvenience.  Even IF that inconvenience is a loss of transportation.  

The BEST part of the story is truly an example of “the diligent prosper”.

My mechanic had a car to sell – it was HIS car.  He had already done a lot of the major work to it.  

I test drove the car, liked it and we had a conversation about money.  

The least amount of money he would accept for the car “just happened” to be the same amount of money we had already saved in the Car Replacement Fund.  

I am a firm believer in the fact that things don’t “just happen”.  

We had prepared for this crisis.  We were diligent in our preparation, planning and saving.  

So we had a transportation crisis and a money crisis because we lost transportation and I didn’t think we had enough money.  

We got a new-to-me car, paid CASH and got through the inconvenience.  

We are STILL debt free except the mortgage.  

 

How have YOU prepared for the financial crisis that WILL happen in your life?  

 

 

 

 

 

I’m still here!!!

If you have been following the blog for a while, you know its unusual not to read anything from me in a few days.   

Some of you were worried.  

I haven’t had time to write because LIFE happened.  

Last week, I went on a vacation for four days to see Elton John – 2 shows in 4 days.  

It took me two days of being home to “recover” from the travel and lack of sleep ( but it was ALL SO worth it!) 

On Monday, my beloved car died and so this week, in addition to being Mom, wife, business owner, etc, I have been looking for a car.  We don’t function as a one car family so a new-to-me car is needed PRONTO!  

My oldest son was home sick for two days with an upper respiratory viral infection as well.  

Whew!! 

I want to tell you ALL about my trip and ALL about shopping for a car and SO many other topics that have been swirling around in my brain.  

I’m still here.  I’ll write soon 😉  

Thanks for being here! 

Chasin the Dream 2013 *UPDATE*

I slept twelve hours last night, yet I am still recovering.

Chasing a dream is exhilarating AND exhausting!  But, OH! What an adventure I had.

This is the short version of a longer story that I will eventually write out –

In case you have no idea what I am referring to, read here

My friends and I ended up with 3rd row tickets an hour and a half before the show started in Washington, DC on November 14th.   This concert was the 23rd time seeing Elton John in concert!  The show was awesome as always and I was able to get up to the stage to get Elton’s autograph.  After that, I was able to get the attention of the 2Cellos and Tata Vega and they met me at the end of the stage after the show and gave me their autographs as well!!  Additionally, I got the autograph of Rose Stone!  I actually had a whole conversation with Tata as she remembered me from previous shows and the time we met in the lobby of the hotel in Asheville.  ( a total “right place, right time” moment).  She was so sweet and gracious!

An all day wait hanging out at Phillips Arena did not yield a closer seat for the show in Atlanta, GA on November 16th.   My friend Valerie had gotten 11th row seats, in the middle section on the floor so that is where we were for the night.   All was not lost on my day at the Arena however as I was able to meet a guy who is personal friends with Davey Johnstone.  I also met Elton’s masseuse, got to see the band buses up close and meet some guys who do various jobs for the show.   The crowd at the Atlanta show was AWESOME as this is Elton’s “hometown” ( he has a home there).   The ushers, however, were on super vigilant  “everyone has to stay in the seat they paid for duty” and I wasn’t able to get any closer than the 4th row which meant NO opportunity for an autograph.  However, all was not lost because I was able to get a wave from Kim Bullard ( Elton’s keyboardist) and one from Tata Vega before I asked to return to my own seat.

I have SO many pictures which I will go through and create another post sometime this week.

Never, ever, ever give up on chasing your dream!  You never know what adventures await you while your chasing!!!

A Lesson in Perseverence from the NFL

In our house, Football is truly a SEASON I look forward to every year.  

My two favorite teams are the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Carolina Panthers.  

But I am not talking about them today.  

Today I want to share with you a lesson learned about HOPE and PERSEVERANCE from a football team that I don’t even follow.  

For those of you that don’t follow NFL football, let me give you some background – 

Team #1 is going through a lot of “stuff” due to one player quitting because another player was being a bully to him.  (that’s the short version of a very long, covered-everyday-by-sports talk shows story.) 

Team #2 has its own share of drama starting with the star quarterback not having a great start to the season, being traded and the team has not won a game all season.  (Keep in mind that the regular season is almost over).  

 

So, these two teams played each other and Team #1 was favored to win.  

Team #2 still had not won a game.  

Seemed like a done deal right?   Why bother to even watch the game?  

Well, because it seemed as though Team #2 had NOT won a game all season, they had one thing going in their favor: 

HOPE

In the first quarter, they outscored their opponent 10-0. 

When you already have a losing season and then you start of with a great first quarter, its inspiring and they probably got a lot more hope. 

In the 2nd quarter, the opponent outscored them 7-5 but halfway through the game, they are still winning.  

In the 3rd quarter, they got outscored 12-0.  This certainly diminishes hope that they will win the game but they 

PERSEVERED because they had HOPE

In the 4th quarter, this team that hadn’t won a game all season, that started the 4th quarter losing 19-15 

DID NOT GIVE UP

and in the 4th quarter, they SCORED a touchdown to win the game!!! 

They started the game with HOPE that they could win and they DID IT!!!  

Now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won’t be the only team that hasn’t won a game all season.  

BUT, the Miami Dolphins WILL be the team that got beat by the team that hadn’t won a game all year.  

 

Here’s the lesson:  even if you are ALWAYS losing, NEVER give up hope that one day, somehow, someway you will WIN.  

All you need is hope and some perseverance.  

And maybe even some good defense along the way as well.  

 

 

Inspiration Sunday – Guest Post

When I read the following, I was inspired.  Not to run, mind you, but just inspired.   So I asked the author’s permission to share it on my blog and she said Yes!!!   So, here’s to YOUR inspiration today – especially if you are a runner!

Hannah is a mother of two, wife of one.  Sheepishly called an ultra-runner, whose next race is the ‘Upchuck 50k’. Lover of the outdoors, coffee, naps, art, family, Jesus, and banana Laffy Taffy’s. Not in that order. 

So just a thought.

I confess. I am a runner.

Well, okay, I am an ultra-runner.

I run 50k’s. That’s nearly 32miles. On trail.

Something hit me today. Earlier this week I went on a long training run with an ultra-running novice. It was her longest run to date. She did pretty well, she stayed with me and my way-more-experienced-than-i-friends. It was a tad humbling. She took what the trail threw at her. I got home and was really humbled. She did great.

But then the Lord spoke to my heart and showed me this lesson I feel like I needed to pass along.

Do you know what shows depth and quality in a long distance runner? Or any premier athlete?

Recovery.

How quickly they recover. Like that’s the whole reason Lance Armstrong was doping. He would dope so his body could recover fast enough for him to go out and pull day after day of super-human feats of endurance. It’s a big deal. It shows the difference between the novice and the elite.

I thought back to my first ever long run. I got through it, and pretty well. I finished the miles. But when I got home, my legs felt like bricks someone was trying to stick knitting needles in. I couldn’t move from the couch, wanted to go to the hospital and get an i.v. drip. I needed my husband to spoon feed me baby food. I RICED until my legs were practically sushi. No help. It was probably three or more days before I could go down stairs without looking like I was walking on stilts.

But the other day? (5years after that first long run) Got home, cooked dinner for the family, did some laundry, went about my day as usual. Next day? Fine. Hardly any recovery time at all.

So what does this mean? God sometimes throws big things our way, ones that seem daunting and lllooonnngggg. Sometimes they take us out for days. Sometimes HE spoon-feeds us until we recover. But His goal is to train us for endurance. Maturity and experience don’t remove the long runs, but will help us get back up faster than before. Sometimes is seems that when you look around, that the rookies are adapting just as well as the ones with the history. But no, that’s not the case. God may ask more frequency from you, knowing what you can handle. No more are we taken out, but we get up quicker, respond faster, were ready for the next adventure.

What’s the old saying? ‘Its not if you get knocked down, but how quickly you get back up that matters.’

My challenge to you is to think back to your first ‘long run’. How far has He brought you? How much has your recovery time shortened? Don’t be discouraged by the trials He throws your way, but be encouraged by how quickly you can recover. We all have trials. Don’t let them take you out of the game. Recover.

“Hard is Hard”

Someone shared this with me today. It is an interesting perspective and powerful.

My takeaway? My hard is not any harder than someone else’s hard.   “Hard is hard”.

Please click on the link and watch this video:

http://www.upworthy.com/a-4-year-old-girl-asked-a-lesbian-if-shes-a-boy-she-responded-the-awesomest-way-possible?c=ufb1

 

Chasing the Dream

A few months ago, my friend called and when I answered the phone she said,

“Are you going to Atlanta?”

I paused for a moment because I knew the reason behind her question.

“When?” I said – a little hesitantly because I was hoping it was later than sooner.

“November 16th”, she said.

“What day of the week is that?”, I said.

“Saturday”

( 3 second pause)

“Yes”!!  I said

Just like that I made the decision – for the FIRST time in 4 years I didn’t have to tell her, “I’ll have to see if I can get the money together”.    For the first time in 4 years I didn’t have to literally stress about how I was going to have the money to go.  Yes, it always worked out that I ended up having enough money but I usually didn’t know that until MUCH closer to the time of the event.  Because, “Chasing the Dream” wasn’t a line item in the budget when we were working on becoming debt free.

Being debt free is awesome!      Because it allows me to make that decision in 3 seconds.    I knew I could go in November because we were going to be debt free at the end of September.

You know what else is great about being debt free?    OPTIONS

Like, the OPTION to FLY instead of driving.  Could I drive, yes – it’s a doable road trip but it’s the TIME it takes to drive.   Because in order to chase my dream, I have to leave home.

Because the odds of Elton John showing up on my doorstep and saying “Hi, it’s nice to meet you” are slim to none.

So, I have to go see him, in concert.

Over 20 years ago, I happened across my dad’s copy of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road cassette tape and listened to it.

I was hooked!

I attended my first concert in 1992 – we were at an amphitheater and while we were in seats and not on the lawn, we were just outside the covering.   I decided at that show two things:

1. I wanted to be in the FRONT row

2. I wanted to meet Elton John

Were those some crazy dreams or what?   At the time, I had no idea how to make either one come true BUT I knew I was going to enjoy every show I had to go to to make it happen:

It took 9 shows to FINALLY get floor seats and meet my friend Valerie ( who would be instrumental in making all other events happen)

It took 11 shows to FINALLY get a seat in the first ten rows.

It took 13 shows to finally get up to the stage to get his autograph (which I have since gotten several more times)

It took 14 shows to finally get a front row seat!  Dream #1 came true!!!!

It took 18 shows to meet Tata Vega, one of Elton’s backup singers and then I met Rose Stone, Jean Witherspoon and Lisa Stone, who also sing backup.

It took 21 shows to meet Kim Bullard, Elton’s keyboardist.

It took 22 shows to meet Nigel Olsson, Elton’s drummer.    This is also where I met superfan Tommy who became another “Elton Concert friend”.

I’ve also gotten guitar picks from Davey Johnstone, Elton’s guitarist, a drumstick from John Mahon, Elton’s percussionist and a drumstick from Nigel Olsson.  

If you are keeping track, that’s an average of 1 show per year for 21 years.   That’s also meeting 6 of the 10 people that make up the Elton John Band.  

Next week I will travel to DC and Atlanta  – meeting up with other “Elton Concert friends” when I get there.   

Chasing the Dream.  Seems that the odds would be in my favor for the dream to come true, right?  😉

This frame hangs on the wall in the hallway of our home.  It is a photo of Elton autographing my old license plate from my car that reads RKTMNFAN.  It was taken by another fan and sent to me.  It is one of my most cherished possessions 😉

Adventures in Shopping – SUPER DOUBLES!!!

This week, in our area, we have TWO stores doing a Super Double coupons event – Lowes Foods and Harris Teeter.  Super Doubles is an event that happens about every 6-8 weeks where the store will double a coupon up to $2 face value.

On Sunday 11/3, I went to Lowes Foods:  Trip #1

I spent $85.56 and saved $82.95.  This was an especially great trip because I got “high dollar” items like the Tide and the k-cups!

During this trip, I did a 2nd transaction and bought fresh mushrooms, organic cereal bars, 1 gallon of milk, buddy fruits, Borden cheese slices, mayo, 2 packages of ground beef, 1 beef tip sirloin, bananas and kale. Spent $57.49, saved $15.24 – no coupons!

Today, 11/4, I went to Harris Teeter: Trip #2

I spent $20.71 and saved $100.10.    I had a coupon for everything except the eggs but they were on sale.

Then, I went to Lowes Foods: Trip #3

I spent $30.41 and saved $31.08

Grand total saved with three trips: $229.27

Grand total spent on three trips: $194.17

Considering that I spent about 6 hours clipping, prepping/organizing and actually shopping, I paid myself just over $38 an hour.  Not bad considering MOST of the clipping and prepping was done while I was watching football too!

The money I save by couponing allows me to add more whole foods and organic foods to our diet.  We eat a combination of fresh, whole, organic and processed foods everyday.

The best part?   YOU can learn how to do this too!

http://www.melissathecoach.com/Services.html

Sunday Inspiration

One of my favorite bloggers is Ann Voskamp who writes over at http://www.aholyexperience.com

She shared this story: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9894310 and I found it inspiring.

My favorite quote, “I didn’t even think about it, I just said yes”

Be inspired – what will you say yes to?

The Issue of Giving

Do you give?  

Do you give your money, your time, your talent – one of these, two of them or all three?  

Anyone who attends a Church has heard the sermon about giving.  It is usually followed up by a plea for money for the Church or for a mission or some other financial need.  

Biblically speaking, we are to give one tenth of our income as a tithe, to the Church.  There was a movement in my Church a few years ago to give your “time, treasure and talent” which was left up to each individual to determine which they had more of to give.  For example, if you didn’t have money to tithe, then you could volunteer your time or your skillset to the Church.

If we believe that EVERYTHING we have is given to us by God, then we SHOULD return back to him a portion of what he has entrusted to us.   This is referred to as “being a good steward”.   One tenth of our income is supposed to be returned to the Church.  

But I have issues.

Because years ago, the Church stole my money.    Well, the Pastor and the Business Manager stole it.  When the collection plates came in, they would take some “off the top” for themselves and send the rest to the Church.  That was my money and the money of all the other Parishioners who were doing what we were taught and giving our Tithe.  

TO THE CHURCH 

So, I have issues with giving to the Church, even though I don’t attend that Church anymore.   I am almost positively certain that this type of thing would not happen in the Churches (yes, two – long story for another time) and yet I still have that lingering issue.  

So what to do?    

For years, I struggled with the guilt of not giving to Church.  I “solved” the problem myself by volunteering and giving money to non-profits.  Or, I would use my tithe money to buy something to donate to a specific cause – for example, groceries for the Food Bank. That made me feel better but I still felt guilty about not giving to the Church. 

Every month, when I do the budget, I struggle with the guilt that I do not give a full ten percent to the Church.   I know its not fair to blame my current Churches for the mistakes made in the Church I attended in the past.  I am also not so naive to think that the stealing of money would NEVER happen in a non-profit.  

So I have an issue with giving.  Not in that I don’t want to give because I do.  I am actually glad my sense over rules my heart in many circumstances otherwise we wouldn’t have money to pay our bills.  

For now, the Church I give to is the collection of God’s people doing work to help others in the form of a non-profit organization.  Well, actually a few of them because I couldn’t pick just ONE to receive the full ten percent of our income.  

For now, that’s what I feel is the right thing to do.  

Do you have issues with giving too?   I’d love to hear your story and how you resolved your issue –