« Ginger & Scallion | Main | Here, doctor doctor doctor...that's a good boy! »
October 28, 2004
Almost there...
It's within reach. I can feel it. After all these long years, it's about to be reality.
No, it's not our adoption, but it is an important step along the way.
After 10 years of marriage, an apartment, a rental house, and our own house, four cars, two graduate degrees (okay, one degree and one "almost"), we are finally about to have our credit cards paid off. That will be a huge load off, and will give us some financial breathing room for the trip to get Emma in (:::crossing fingers:::) the spring.
We've actually accomplished this feat once before, and it lasted about two months...right up until I walked out of my job after more or less telling my boss to kiss my ass. That's a long way behind us, and while we've been close-to-even a couple of times since, we've never made it. Of course, the existing adoption expenses and a series of needed home repairs have run up a small second mortgage on the house, but that was expected and is manageable. It's the revolving consumer credit we want to be shut of.
This'll give us about five months of no-credit-card-payments to save cash for the trip. So here's a warning and request to family members. First, Christmas gifts from us will be kind of thin this year, in anticipation of giving you all a big present around the middle of next year. Second, we know y'all want to buy stuff for the baby for Christmas, but really, we'd prefer cash in most cases. We're not trying to be crass or anything, but we have no idea how old or what size Emma will be when she comes home, and cash would help us get set for a huge expense come travel time.
Even if Andy's plan to cash in frequent flier miles for the China trip works, we still have to cover in-country airfare, plus our hotel and food bills, plus the adoption fees and orphanage donations, etc. All told, we expect to be into another few thousand before things get settled. So having money in the bank will be a big plus.
Man, the closer we get to referral time (well, the time we hope to see it) the more excited I get. Lara's already been warned -- I will teach my daughter not to throw like a girl. :) Now if we could just get enough ready money to have the grading done (fat chance), we'd have a yard fit to play in. Oh well...one thing at a time, I guess.
Posted by at October 28, 2004 02:15 AM