Goodbye Student Loans... You Will NOT Be Missed

Pin It It has been almost exactly 12 months since we read the Dave Ramsey book and decided to knock out our debt. We have had student loans ever since we've been married and would have probably had them until our children were married if we had not put the pressure on ourselves to get free of debt.

Today we wrote our last check on the student loan and said goodbye to that portion of our budget. Now we are free to put that money somewhere else... and it feels so good.

We were not as diligent as we could of been staying exactly on budget, but we were disciplined enough to put any extra toward our debt rather than new projects, plans or dreams (and believe me, the opportunities were endless).

I know not everyone is in the position to pay off large chunks of debt. Sometimes the Lord gives us exactly what we need for that moment and not a penny extra. We have been there too, but we were in a season of life were we could revisit what we spent in certain areas and cut back enough to pay down our debt. It felt good to say no to some things and look toward a bigger goal.

This could have never happened with the the Lord as our Provider. He designed work and created us to be able to do it and has provided us with enough to pay our bills and more. It could have never happened without my husband who faithfully gets up every morning and pours his heart and soul into his jobs so that there will be enough money to get us through.

I am very grateful today... and excited.

CRABBY

Pin It I am crabby this morning. It is 7 a.m. and I already had to apologize to my husband. AND... I really didn't even want to apologize. What I really wanted to say was,"Babe, I am sorry that I am pregnant and huge and that it is going to be 90 degrees today and... that my feet are the size of watermelons and I have only been up for a hour."
Whoa... who wouldn't want to wake up to me this morning? He is so sweet and he has looked at me twice and said, "go do your devotions." Now he is outside hoeing our garden which is sweet balm to my soul (and probably to his soul too as he thinks, "get me away from this crazy lady")

I can't do anything about the heat today.
I can't change that I am 37 weeks pregnant and every task seems like double the work.
I can't change that I have to sit down every 15 minutes to get the swelling down in my feet.
I can't change that I want to drink a whole bottle of TUMS and my trachea is constantly on fire.
I can't change that I feel like I am on the Adkins Diet and I want to be on the ice cream and Swedish Fish diet.
BUT...
I can be a joy to be around. I can exude the love of Christ to my family. I can help others smile and feel the love of Christ when they are with me today. I can be fun and excited about this day.

When I look at my two options I know that plan B is going to work out much better for me.

My "to-do" list might be very short and we might eat cereal more times then I want to. I might not get all the laundry or dishes done, but I might snuggle a little more. Those cracker crumbs might stay on the floor one more day and the kids might have dirty nails for church tomorrow. I might cringe every time some one wants a drink of water and needs to go potty and heave myself off my chair.
However,  if I can choose joy all day today and SMILE as I focus on what the Lord has given me... I will have succeed.

Things I Heard Today

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Building a fort out of the couch cushions...
Jack: "Spence, this is the problem"
Spencer: "Jack, no more problems."
That is right Spencer. Be a problem-solver. Thank you Lord... it is sticking.

Jack: "I will do it right away."
Spencer: "That is exactly right Jack"
Have I ever said that?

Jack: "This is a zipper Abba. Can you say Zipper? Zipper?"
Here is her kindergarten curriculum Jack. Work on that next.

Jack: "Mom can I come inside to the read the Bible?"
Hmmm... let me think about that...

The three little ones who make my days so fun!

The Construction Birthday

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I am a sucker for birthdays. Especially when you have two boys that are so excited about their birthday that it was a daily conversation months before it arrived.  The whole day was a party from the minute they got up until they fell into bed at night. 

We celebrate with their cousins John Paul and Sammy because their birthdays are all so close. 4 boys, two backhoe cakes, crowds of cousins, and lots of fun presents. It was a great day!

Table all set and ready for the boys to wake up

Opening a few presents at breakfast. I wrap up a fun cereal (that we never get to have) and put it in their bowl for breakfast. Pure joy.

One of the best parts of the day for me... my mom and grandma both came to help me make the cakes!

Finished product... THE BACKHOE CAKE

New chainsaw from Papa and Nana Horses

"Waiting for some of that amazing cake mom" and "did you know I am four now"

Surrounded by cousins

My little police officer. I didn't know it would come with a whistle. We might have to rethink this...

Losing Grandpa

Pin It Justin's Grandpa Bartlett passed away last night. Ahhh... it is so hard to lose those you love, even when they have lived a long and happy life.
I never knew either of my grandpas growing up. They were both gone before I was born. Then I got married and my husband had this FABULOUS grandpa. We loved spending time with him and grandma. Sometimes they would stop in on their way back to Traverse City or come down for a party or for a quick game of golf. These were all sweet moments to spend with them.

I saw a lot of my husband in Grandpa Bartlett. Hard work ethic, love of family, joy and excitement about life, magnetic personality, and a way with people... these were all character traits that they shared. It made me realize the value of knowing and spending time with your family. I don't think I would know my husband as well as I do today, if I had not known his grandpa.

Here are some sweet memories of Grandpa we are left with:

Our first child...named after Grandpa. They came to see us at the hospital the very next day. 

Four generations of good-looking Bartlett men

A party at the house in Lake City. A spot Grandpa loved.

Grandpa and Spence

A night with Grandpa and Grandma at their home in Traverse. We ate, played cards and caught up with each other. We were so lucky they were so close to us in our first few years of marriage.

Spencer and Spencer. Our son is a constant reminder of Grandpa... right down to the spiky hair.

Another visit and some gifts for Grandpas birthday. Any thoughtful gift usually brought tears to his eyes.

Making a plane to bring to Grandpa in the hospital.

Grandpa's El Camino.
When I told the boys that Grandpa went to heaven and we were not going to see him anymore Jack said, "But how will Grandpa get to heaven? We have his car in the pole barn?"

The last visit with Grandpa. 

We will never forget that smile.

Rocking my Babies

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Abigail woke up this morning before the boys and fell back asleep on my chest for almost a half an hour... a rare thing for a 16 month old. As I snuggled and prayed over her a million thoughts went threw my head. I thought about how she wouldn't be my baby anymore in about a month, how lucky I am to be a mom and have little ones who cling to me, how this season of life is so fleeting, and how I need to snuggle everyone more.


Growing up, my mom had a plague next to our couch. I always loved looking at it and a few years ago she gave it to me. A true treasure to me.
The strange this is that my husband bought the same plaque for me when Spencer was born. Now I have two spots in the house that I can be reminded at the importance of "rocking my babies".

Today I want to slow down and enjoy these little ones. Everything they say, everything they do, and treasure these moments up in my heart.

I just love this girl
She should be snuggled at all times!

The Real Estate Broker

Pin It My hubby has his broker's license. I am so proud of him.

It has been quiet a journey the last few months since this idea came to him and there was a lot of work to do to make it happen. He had to take 90 credit hours, take the Broker's test, have three years experience and enough home sales, and then fill out an application and wait and see if the State accepted it.

The credit hours were the worst and he spent many nights on his computer in our room.

Oh... there he is crying over it now!

We went to Grand Rapids together and he took his 3 hour Broker's test. When he passed in just over a hour we got to stop and celebrate with a date on the way home.

The next project is his office, which used to be the garden shed alongside our house. It is almost finished and it may end up being nicer then our home! I got some beautiful landscaping in front of my house out of the deal so I am quite pleased with the office.

This has been such a blessing for our marriage as I watch him work toward a dream and we see it come about together. We can handle all of the obstacles and the joys together and I am reminded daily of what a hard working husband God blessed me with.

Doing large house projects and being burdened studying, reading and less time for family and fun can be hard. I am learning that is it is good for me to be quiet and to watch, encourage and pray. Those are the best things I can give my husband. My opinion is amazing (I think), but in the end he is a smart man and he will make good choices. He may not do things the same as I would, but when I allow him to do whatever he wants... he thrives... and we don't fight... and things turn out really well. That is why I married him, right? I thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread... and it turns out that was true. He still is that man, even if 5 years of marriage happens.

I am so proud of you Babe! I am grateful for the growth in our friendship through this. I can't wait for that office to be up and running!

You are the smartest man I know.

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