{I originally wrote this back in August 2018 and never pushed publish. So there are a few updates to add}
On May 24th, 2018, we finally completed the American dream. We became homeowners after a 3 year journey!
You are probably expecting to see fully done amazing photos, but that’s not the case. We bought a 1976 house that was still stuck in the late 70s and could have been considered antique.
It took so long because my hubby is in an industry that is similar to Real Estate, so the market is always being watched. And I wanted a fixer and he wanted a move in ready home.
I should also add that at the start of the 3 year journey, we had just opened a local gym (neither one of us knew anything about the Gym space aside from working out in one ourselves) along with just having our baby and getting married. We did, however, find a house that we fell in love with and put an offer out, the week of our wedding, and it got declined. So 2 days before our wedding, our agent called back and said the seller was going to consider our offer because the original couple had to back out because of medical issues. So we had an up and down battle from the beginning. We go on our honeymoon excited and happy the hunt is over… Fast forward to December and closing and the bank says they won’t approve our loan……. talk about heartbroken. So we were kinda gun shy for a while and the gym was taking a TON of our funds until we decided to sell it in late 2017 allowing us to get back into the home buying game.
Anyways, we (mostly me) looked at several houses, and I’m a feelings and vibe kinda gal. And I LOVE looking at houses and the design, choices, and possibilities. So we had offers in on other homes, but they didn’t feel right or work out until this one.
(Also – if you need moral support while going through this process or just to vent and be sad about an unaccepted offer, I’m your girl.)
And our budget was as little as possible.
So, Mamma won! (Because happy wife, happy life, right?!)
Annnnnd because it sits on a 1 acre lot in the city and has a detached garage that Steve loved…
But also has horses for the neighbors, so it was a compromise for sure!
That’s one tip I have in this whole experience. Learning to compromise on what isn’t the most ideal, but not things that are absolutes for you.
We knew we wanted a big lot and house, with a good price, and the additional garage was an added bonus. The horses were not ideal, but the neighbor is older, so they won’t live there forever either.
The first few visits to the house, I thought I was in an episode of Fixer Upper – trying to bring an old house up to date. Or so I wished.
But the more we got into it and the vision and possibilities presented themselves, we knew we were going to be in a bit deeper. And longer.
Because lets be real, what you see on TV is SO FAR from the truth of how long the project actually takes. At first, it was fun and exciting. Then it was a lot. Now, it’s still a lot.
Now, 6 months later and still waiting on the permits it’s still a lot.. but we’ve made a bit of progress in areas that we wouldn’t have thought to do in the beginning and our floor plan is going to be incredible!
But I don’t know that I’d recognize the same house if we didn’t document the journey. We’ve made 2 mortgage payments thus far, and will pay at least 2 more before we can even think about moving in.
We’ve made 7 payments thus far, and are still waiting on our building plans to be approved before we can start putting the place back together.. which could be at least 4-5 months.
And this was just the first weekend of demo!
It’s way different than from the beginning, but the vision and possibilities are becoming more of a reality, and I’ve learned so much in this part of the journey.
Huge changes right?! I will continue to update as the progress keeps going and we make decisions as to what we should do and companies we are going with so you can get ideas.
When I first moved to Arizona, I wouldn’t have ever thought one of our favorite places to go would be an aquarium. Except I didn’t know how hot it would be in the summers, and how quickly dark would fall at night.
Now that we’ve been through a few summers and winters, I do.
Even still, if I let these yahoos stay out all day and night in the summer, they’d most likely do it, but the second dark falls, they are inside. So fall and winter are a bit tricky because we don’t leave the house much after dark.
But, when I said we have to go see the ‘Monster Fish’ in partnership with National Geographic at Odysea Aquarium at 5:30 on Friday, what do you think happened?
Of course they didn’t care that it was going to be almost dark when we went and pitch black when we got out, oh no! They were so excited to get to go to one of the attractions that we’d already been to twice this year already and Leila went to for her school field trip in the spring.
They couldn’t wait to go!
Finlee asked me every day leading up to going if today was the day… I couldn’t wait to tell her that “YES, today’s the day!”
I have to tell you, the excitement of them walking up to the location and going inside to see the fish in the tanks was enough to make my heart so happy. Then, them racing up the escalator, barely pausing enough to let it work, with zero time for a photo, with my husband clutching their little hands, was pretty precious.
It was nice to be able to go and not have to rush or worry about the time, or somewhere we had to go. We got to enjoy the exhibit and also our time together.
There were little (actually big) fish along the way with fun, interactive games for families to play, and of course the usual suspects made their appearances sprinkled in with some new fish and sea life.
If you desire to go into the tank with the fish, they have a sea experience, which you get to put on a suit and get into the tank like you were diving in the open ocean with them. And let me tell you, as someone who’s done that, (see this video on Youtube), this seems MUCH safer and controlled. And these fancy helmets make it seem super safe.
The sting rays are always a sight to see, and in the open tanks, you can put your hands in and ‘pet’ them(supervised by a staff member of course).
Of all the times we’ve visited, we’ve never seen a penguin outside of their habitat, and for a second, we got to see one! We happened upon it when they were getting ready to put her back up, and she did NOT want to go!
She wanted to come back and play with the kiddos, which was so cute and awesome to see.
We ended down on the lower level and finished the tour saying ‘Hi’ to ALL of the Nemos and learning about the different types of Clown Fish.
Finlee, to this day, still doesn’t understand that the Dory’s are in a different tank, and that we did see them. Alas, she still said bye to both Nemo and Dory when we left this area.
To be that innocent again…. I can’t even imagine. But I also don’t know how to break that in her? I’m open to all suggestions!
Then on to the Jelly Fish tank, which I thought maybe I was the only one fascinated by them, but it appears my entire crew shares the same sort of fascination as I do. I mean, look at them, you can see right through them – their organs, everything. Yet they have the power to potentially kill you. Anyone else think that is just amazing? And they are so graceful on top of it!
Last but not least, I got to see my favorite fish of all time – the Angel Fish. They only live in Salt water otherwise I might have started a fish tank full of them at my house.
I’ve always been amazed by these amazing fish. I can’t explain it, maybe it’s like Finlee’s obsession with the Clown Fish (Nemo). They are so graceful and most often, they don’t break that trailing thing on top of them, which I maybe envy a bit. If I were a fish, I’d love to be one of these Angel Fish.
And we couldn’t escape without someone asking for a toy and trying to get a good picture 🙂
Finlee didn’t take a nap and it was a lot of walking for her, close to bedtime, so this was as good as it got! And telling her we weren’t getting any toys after the photo didn’t work in our favor either…. oh well! We got memories of going and spending the time together as a family.
Monster Fish was such a fun exhibit, we can’t wait to go back and see the big fish again and their friends!
Check their hours and grab your tickets ahead of time HERE to avoid the line and get right in the door. I recommend getting a yearly pass as it is MUCH cheaper if you plan to visit more than once (wish I would have done this the first visit 🙁 )
The idea of Christmas lists has always been weird for me to grasp.
As a kid, it didn’t matter what we asked for, we always got chocolates, a real orange, a real apple, and some peppermints in our stocking.
For gifts, we got socks, undies, and usually a clothing item. Even to this day, I can count on my parents getting me socks and a hand towel and oven mitt set regardless of what my kitchen theme is. We didn’t know any different as some years, we would get to be on the giving tree and get random toys and others not.
We didn’t have money, but as kids, we (I had no idea) that was the case until I was in middle school. My parents did the best they could to make sure we had everything we needed, and not what we wanted.
For a long time, I didn’t understand it. I felt cheated and that I missed out. I would try to make up for it by buying myself as many gifts around Christmas as I would buy for everyone else. I wanted to buy the best and most gifts with the best paper to have people tear into Christmas day. I wanted to give the biggest pile of gifts, regardless if they were thoughtful or if they were last minute cheapies off of the holiday section that wouldn’t ever make it out of their package.
This continued even after the girls were able to open their own gifts. The best paper to be ripped to shreds and not even appreciated then thrown into the trash. The gifts inside marveled for about 2.5 seconds and then pushed to the side.
The difference is, now, we don’t need to make a Christmas list because we have worked to set ourselves up to be able to purchase anything we need or want, whenever we want.
It’s not to sound arrogant or anything, it’s just that that’s the truth. Through a lot of hard work and smart business, we have went from straight poor as children and now abundant adults.
So it raises the question about the Christmas list again. Do we need to make one to list our wants, or do we ask that people spend more money on their own families and simply spend time and have experiences with us?
I know for me, I would rather go to lunch or have a day with someone creating a stronger relationship than any gift could give. And, because we live so far away from a lot of our family, I would prefer they spend the time with the kids instead of giving them a mountain of presents for them to enjoy for about as long as it takes to unbox them.
Maybe it’s me wanting to have less things to move someday when our house is done.
Maybe it’s me turning 32 and finally realizing the important things in life.
Maybe it’s looking back on some of my favorite memories growing up, spending time making noodles with my grandma and eating pies with my other grandma.
Maybe it’s me not wanting to clean up the mess… probably a lot of this…
Most of all, I think I want them to slow down and remember. Remember the holiday season for what it’s really meant to be – family time.
What do y’all do? Do you do Christmas Lists or do you get what you need? Or do you ask for experiences instead of gifts?
Do yourself a favor and start disconnecting from those conversations and people who are always out to harm or talk about others. As you rise in your awareness, they won’t resonate anymore anyways, so the sooner you can disconnect from them the better.
See, in order to have true happiness and everything you want out of this life, you have to raise above all of the low vibe things, or those things that only bring you down i.e. talking about others or engaging in drama.
Each time you raise your awareness and your energy level, the less and less you need the people who are lower than you. You may be already noticing this. These people don’t know how or aren’t ready to raise themselves up and do better. They will continue to come back to you wanting things to be the same, or wanting to carry the same conversations, wanting you to feel sorry for them, etc. but it won’t resonate anymore.
The important thing to remember is that some people and some situations are only here for a short time. Some things are here for much longer, while others are here to serve a specific purpose. If you are struggling or having bad feelings with situations or people in your life, I encourage you to take a few minutes (maybe longer if necessary), and look at all the areas you are having not so great feelings about. Once you have this list, ask yourself Why? Why do I feel like this? Why do I feel like I have to continue this way?
After the Whys are out of the way, ask the What’s. What would I feel like if I didn’t engage in this anymore? What could I do/have instead? What other things are possible when I let go of this?
Now, ask the How’s. How can I make this change? How can I connect with other things that I want instead? How will this change me? How do I tell these people/activities that I’m done?
Write about anything else that comes to mind, and don’t judge yourself for this activity. It will allow you to get what you really want to happen on paper, and the things you no longer desire will also come on that paper, which allows them freedom from your body and mind.
By doing this writing activity, you will be raising your awareness and your energy levels which people will start to notice. Those who you have been dragging around for so long will no longer feel like they can talk or hang out with you because they won’t be a match anymore for your positivity.
It’s time we really take control of our own future and outcomes, and it starts with releasing those people and activities that aren’t a match for us anymore. It’s time to take a stand and raise your energy so you can start connecting with those who are waiting for you to get on their level!
Make these changes for yourself first, and notice how the people in your life also start to change. Notice what your kids start saying to you, notice how your spouse starts treating you, notice how you start thinking, treating, and talking about your own body. It all starts with you and releasing those things that are no longer necessary in your life!
Now is your time to make a difference for you! Are you ready?
This is a question that I get asked all the time, and I get it. I had a hard time deciphering myself when I was first getting into crystals and stones.
Tumbled Ametrine – Amethyst and Citrine that grew together in the ground.
I was totally drawn to the tumbled or polished, like most, because they are smoother and shiny. I was more turned off of the rough and natural stones because they often didn’t shine or had rough edges that made it difficult to work with.
So I too, shied away from using the rough stones for a while in my own practice and that with my clients. As with many other areas of my life, I soon learned that when I would work with the tumbled and rough/natural stones, I could tell there was a difference. I could hold the same type of stone in each of my hands – one rough in one hand and one tumbled in the other hand – and I noticed a difference in the energy.
Rough Selenite sticks to help remove negativity and make a nicer atmosphere for all.
I started to experiment in my own practice as well as in that of my clients and found that in emotional healing, there is quite the difference. The breakthroughs and healings experienced could differ from stone to stone and person to person. But the commonalities between the rough/natural and tumbled were ALWAYS the same!
When I start working with a new client or on a new emotional issue of my own, I always start with a tumbled stone. In my experience, I’ve learned that tumbled stones are much gentler in their energy and working on emotional issues. If the person is looking for a little bit of help, but not fully committed, the energy of tumbled stones allows them to find relief and also not go through an experience called a ‘healing crisis’ which could cause physical illness or something similar.
Tumbled Aquamarine is such a gentle emotional helper.
The energy of tumbled stones is great for working with women who are pregnant, children, or others with sensitive energy (elderly, weakened immune systems, etc).
The pretty colors make it easier for kids to connect with and love the tumbled stones as well.
In instances where a client is looking for deep emotional healing on an issue or with my own emotional issues, I tend to reach for the rough or natural stones. These are natural from the earth, haven’t been altered and their energy is full force. Rough stones also work really great on issues that have been worked on previously to help get to the core.
Black Amethyst is great for emotional healing and helping to ground.
They are great for issues that were brought up by clearing out other emotional traumas previously. Using rough stones first may cause someone to go into a ‘healing crisis’ causing physical illness which typically can be cleared by using other stones to pull the additional energy and movement out of their body.
If you are sharing the stones with your clients or others, the easiest one for them to carry on them would be tumbled stones as they are typically smooth and free of any sharp points.
Many people build grids or layouts of the stones, and this is typically easier to use the tumbled stones as they stay in place.
Alter grid including many different types of tools.
And, at the end of the day, if you find that you are drawn to the natural, rough stones of types of crystals and the tumbled, smooth type of others, that’s ok. You may find that in different seasons of your life, even day to day, you are drawn to rough when the day before you were drawn to tumbled. It’s ok to experiment and try things out. If you have a long weekend and are looking to clear through some deep emotional things, go with the rough stones. If you are looking for quick, easy relief, give the tumbled stones a try.
Tumbled Blue Tiger’s Eye or Hawks Eye is hard to find.
The beauty of working with crystals and stones is that it’s not one size fits all. You get to customize it for you and for your clients. When working with kids or pets, they will usually sense or tell you it’s too strong (maybe in different words) or get up and leave. Listen to that and be ok with that as they are more in tune with their bodies than adults, so often they can tell when the process is complete.
Tumbled Smoky Quartz – a must for protection and emotional healing!
If you have been scared or curious about using the stones/crystals now you hopefully will not be! I would love to know if you tried this and what you come up with!
If you missed my post on why now is a good time to start getting into crystals and stones, give that a read HERE.
Are you familiar with crystals? Do you use them or have you thought about working with them?
Yep, the travel bug has bit and is full on happening right now for me.
the fun stuff:: Thank you so much for your support of my blog! I have some affiliate links in here to help me continue on my journey. If you click on them, I could receive a small commission. My family and I thank you so much for being here with us!
It literally comes as no surprise that after my husband and I started talking about traveling somewhere last month, I’ve finally edited the videos we took on our Go Pro… Almost 3 years ago to French Polynesia, specifically Moorea and Bora Bora.
And in sharing those videos, which you can watch HERE (link is our Parasailing trip, which my hubby was TERRIFIED to do 🙂 ), I’ve received collaborations from companies around the world to help promote their travel brands. I found this really great website that allows you to book a stay at several AMAZING places around the world, at a fraction of the cost you’d normally pay! Check out all the amazing places to visit and see for yourself the prices are much lower at BookVIP than anywhere else! Check it out HERE! Many of the stays offer multiple days, making it a NO BRAINER to spend the entire week there! Here’s a quick snapshot of their weekly deals right on their website:
Weekly deals on BookVIP.com (Click the photo to visit the site!
BookVIP is for those who want to visit a country and stay in a hotel or villa, which is what I’ve always done when traveling before.
If you are looking for a service that’s a one stop shop for travel (think room/accomodations, car or transportation, cruises, and any activities) you need to check out Tripnado. They are constantly improving and making their membership services better to accommodate your travel. I am excited to book a whole trip with them soon.
However, I’ve been made aware of brands and companies who offer Home Swapping all around the world (literally thought this was just in the movies!) which you can visit and join their free Facebook group HERE. I love that you can connect and swap with ‘neighbors’ from another country and travel when ever and where ever you want!
Imagine waking up to your own private pool and house in Australia!
Or being able to walk to see this view each morning in Italy !
I know I will be looking into this when its time to plan Bali!
When we purchased our new home, my intention from the beginning was to rent it out. I wanted to allow others to enjoy the amazing experiences the greater Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona has to offer. I thought maybe just a Airbnb would be the best I could do. However, how cool would it be to be able to explore another part of the country or the world. At the same time, someone could do the same where I live?
Or what about taking my work completely online and pulling our kids out of school and traveling to create those memories while they are still young to other cultures and lands?
So these all sound great, but how do I get to them, Amy?
Pretty glad you asked, because I found a site that looks for that for you too! It’s called Scott’s Cheap Flights –> Great play on words, I thought so too! What this site offers is a free version with ways to get your flights, what airlines are offering, and how to book them. If you want the paid version, for about $40 a year, (totes worth it!) you get multiple alerts of locations and pick your home airport each day. And you get your flight at WAY less than the normal cost. Take a look for yourself HERE. Why pay more for flights and hotels when the whole reason you are visiting a location is to explore? And to explore, and do the things take money!? Smarter travel is available, lets do it!
These things are real possibilities that could happen now because I simply stated and put the effort and energy behind wanting to travel more.
I’m not special, you can do the exact same thing too!
Like with anything, if you want it bad enough, you will figure out a way to make it happen. Since senior year of high school (2005 folks hollar!) I knew I was meant to do and see more than the little Indiana town I grew up in. I never questioned the when, the how, or why but kept believing I was supposed to see and do more.
Fast forward to now. We went to an amazing place on our honeymoon; went to Cancun for a trip with a direct sales business; right now we live in Arizona, which is a paradise in itself; and have traveled many great places with our girls. I know it’s not over and I have been following more and more digital nomads and people who travel full time. I know I’m drawn to them because I know its for me.
I’m a Sagittarius for goodness sakes! I’m a wanderer at heart, and love a good adventure if you are along for the ride. It feels like now is the time to fly. And I know that because I have put this out there, it will happen.
I’m drawn to the water, because it feels like home. It’s calming to me. I also can appreciate pretty architecture and buildings, something I passed along to my oldest <3. So I know that where ever we go and end up, it is part of my journey and I will do everything in my power to keep it coming.
Are you wanting to travel too but don’t know how to do it? Start looking for the signs. Start paying attention to what you are drawn to, and bring more of that around.
py. Then, them racing up the escalator, barely pausing enough to let it work, with zero time for a photo, with my husband clutching their little hands, was pretty precious.
their appearances sprinkled in with some new fish and sea life.
it when they were getting ready to put her back up, and she did NOT want to go!
We ended down on the lower level and finished the tour saying ‘Hi’ to ALL of the Nemos and learning about the different types of Clown Fish.
Last but not least, I got to see my favorite fish of all time – the Angel Fish. They only live in Salt water otherwise I might have started a fish tank full of them at my house.
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