So much has happened! Time to catch up….

It’s been awhile since my last post and so much has happened! From our big move to taking our eldest to college and starting home school there is much to tell. Oh yeah…. moving into our Water View home! Let’s start with….the big move!

Selling our house ended up being very easy despite all my worry. It’s par for the course that I worry unnecessarily while my husband is calm and collected. There was no need to worry about the house not selling during a pandemic. We had the house on the market for just a couple weeks and had so many showings. We had two offers and the one we took was over asking! Husband one, me zero. There was no need to worry about the scaling down of our five bedroom home to a two bedroom and not hiring movers. I’ll share more about how liberating it was to get rid of so much of our stuff in a second…..husband two, me zero. Well, it’s not a competition, but I realized how much I think and worry about things I don’t need to. Thank goodness I have such a calm and collected partner in life!

When we first started getting the house ready to list the house for sale it was a bit overwhelming, not going to lie. Day after day I cleaned, sorted, threw stuff away…..it seemed never ending! Just when I thought I’d finished a room I’d open a closet and realize I had missed it. Ugh…that happened more than once and got more defeating each time. However, what I found through this whole process was how freeing it is to let go of all the “stuff” we had accumulated through the years. So many towels, so much bedding, and why did I have three sets of measuring spoons? What I realized was my stuff had been weighing me down. I didn’t need so much and it felt so good to get rid of things. I don’t ever want to accumulate so much again. In fact, I think there is still a lot more scaling down we can do.

It all got done though and then the showings started. I worried we wouldn’t get any because of the pandemic, but I was quickly proven wrong. (BTW husband three, me zero). I have to say that while the work to get the house into shape for showing was tedious and seemingly never ending the house looked sparkling! I loved how clean and organized everything was and wanted to bring some level of that with me to our Water View.

After one buyer fell through, the house finally sold and we closed on it the end of July. My husband decided to take the road trip with the dog and pull the trailer with our belongings earlier and I stayed back with my son and daughter to wrap things up and then fly out after. The day of the closing I did a final cleaning of the home, double checked I packed up everything, and took a moment by myself to say goodbye to my life in Colorado. I was born in Colorado and loved the upbringing I had there. My biological children were born there….my daughter was born in the same hospital I was born in. I looked back fondly and with much love as I turned my face towards a new adventure.

All our belongings going into this trailer

Traveling via an airplane during a pandemic is certainly an experience. The airplane was alarmingly full which was a bit disconcerting, but in a matter of hours we had “moved.” The whole flight (and leading up to it) I’d been full of so many emotions and thoughts. I’m not sure my son was all that excited to make this move….my greatest hope was that in time he would be happy with the new circumstances and environment. This move meant I could be home with him rather than consumed 24/7 by work. It meant our money would go farther and we could work towards paying off debt and becoming debt free. It meant we could enjoy life right on the water.


My mother, who made a huge move when she married my dad from Louisiana to Alaska, told me to expect a lot of different feelings over this first year especially. She has not been wrong….while I miss aspects of the life I knew in Colorado, especially my family and friends, I wouldn’t give up the chance for this adventure. I feel renewed and excited for the new experiences which are part of this adventure. It hasn’t been all unicorns and rainbows for sure, but it has been rich with life and I’m truly grateful for this Water View adventure.

The last moments at our home in CO.

Escape the rat race!

Both my husband and I have been executives for more than a decade each all while trying to enjoy our family and, well, life! It hasn’t been easy and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to choose work over my family. I’m tired of telling my kids, “Oh I’m sorry sweetie, I can’t come to your NJHS Induction because I have to work!” or “Your orchestra concert is this Wednesday?! I’ve got a meeting that evening…..I won’t be able to go!”

I get one shot at my family and living my best life so I refuse to allow my work to get in the way of my family any longer! When, and if, I’m ready to return to the line of work I left it will still be there while the time I have to build memories and enjoy my family are limited. I was inspired and realized I had to make a change after reading Your Money or Your Life, by Vicki Robin.

There is a way to lead the kind of life you want to lead without being chained to your work. While I’m only beginning this journey towards freeing myself of debt and looking at how I earn and spend money in new ways, I have really had to reflect on my thinking (and habits!) when it comes to money. I’d much rather choose my life than my money and so that’s what I’m doing! As I go through this journey I will share my lessons learned, hardships, celebrations, and I hope you will be inspired to find your path to your best life too.

The journey begins!

My whole life is about to change…..actually, scratch that.  My whole life is already changing.  As I type this I’m waiting for an offer on our house to come in, trying to figure out what my next steps are going to be for work (did I really just quit my job?!), and how we are going to possibly downsize our life from five bedrooms in the suburbs to two bedrooms in the country. I’m leaving the landlocked state I grew up in and have lived in for 41 years and moving to one surrounded by ocean…..whoa. 

The Water View

Regardless of all of this questioning and unknown, what I do know is that I’m heading on a journey long overdue.  A simpler life in a dream location on the water near the ocean.  A life where I’m working to live instead of the other way around.  A life where I can give myself the attention I need and deserve as well as my precious family.  I’ve got some lofty goals  that I’m taking the first steps toward:  

  1. Secure remote work so my day is my own and I can enjoy my new river life with my family. 
  2. Become debt free so we can spend less time working and more time living.  
  3. Claim my own life back- focus on my physical, emotional, and mental health so I can be the best mom, wife, daughter, freelancer, etc. I can be.
  4. Simplify my life- less stuff less worry, get organized! 
  5. Enjoy sundowners as a new tradition for me and my husband while sitting on our dock and watching the sunset over the river. 

So here’s to taking the first steps on this journey going from “Land Locked” to “Water Views!”

Taking the first step into Water Views!