What If Wednesday: Wild Dreams Edition

Hey all- it's 'What If Wednesday'!  That means I ask a 'what if' question and you give me some answers or at least some fun feedback.  :) :) :)  Oh, and most of the time I let you in on what inspiration led to that days particular 'what if' question.

Today's 'what if' is a big one, but a fun one.  Today I would like your answers to:  What if your wildest dream came true?

'Door In The Sky, by Danilo Rizzuti,

found at:freedigitalphotos.net

 

Lately I have many wild dreams that I am working on.  And I am doing whatever I can to make them happen.  This includes thinking positively and actively using the laws of attraction.  I feel strongly that all of the things that I have not yet achieved, that I truly desire, are not only possible but will happen for me and it is simply a matter of timing and the right situation for everything I desire to become reality.

Right now my wildest dreams include the ones you already know about, moving to Southern California and managing my own vacation rental property.  And then there are the other dreams that I haven't shared so much or at least haven't mentioned in a while.  I still desire to learn to pilot a personal plane.  I want to find a way to make money using another creative/artistic outlet that I haven't explored yet.  I have recently realized that I am inspired to achieve a level of fitness that will allow me to be strong and functional for the life of longevity that I plan to have.  I also want deeply to provide kids who would not otherwise have the chance an opportunity to pursue whatever education level or type it is that they desire, that would in turn make their wildest dreams come true.  I can see myself with all of these dreams fulfilled.

Here is my vision:  I am out in the sun riding my bike or a push scooter.  I take dance classes daily.  I fly several personal planes available to me because I belong to a flying club.  I use my ability to pilot to take kids to visit their educational institutions of choice.  I also fly away to fun travel destinations without the hassle of having my body searched and on my own time schedule.  I have enough money to do the things I want to and I make my salary by doing things that I love and that influence others in a positive way.  I visit my favorite places, including those in and around Southern California and enjoy them to my hearts content.  I am open to the idea of loving Southern California enough to live there for a long time or listening to my heart when it tells me I need to move on.  My life will include people I love and value that also love and value me.  The people I love most of all will be in my life for a very long time.

The vision above is mine and works for me.  What is your vision?  What are your wildest dreams?  What if they came true?

Could This Be Real???

After 4 extraordinarily chaotic hours that included lost documents, late documents, documents that had mistakes in them, driving all over town- twice, missed connections and one very badly timed dead cell phone, my husband and I are a whole lot closer to realizing one very big dream of ours. 

As with most dreams that are worth having, this has not been easily achieved.  Along with lots of hard work and sacrifice, the sheer frustration and aggravation of dealing with all the new regulations that have been foisted onto real estate deals has been enough to make a person want to scream- for a very long and loud time!!!

But enough of that...

It's so close I could practically reach out and touch it.  And very soon, we will.

Image credit: Skism by Plismo, found at wikimedia commons

Dreams Don't Believe In Statistics

***Note:  to my faithful readers who would rather stay out of the politics- this will NOT be another political post!!!***

We've all seen the staggering statistics about what happens to kids whose parents are drug addicted. 
Then there are the issues presented for kids who have parents that suffer from mental illness.  Previously, I have touched upon the fact that my husband and I are both people who grew up in these types of households.  And we both want nothing more in this life than to break that mold and have truly happy lives that affect others in a positive way. 

My husband and I especially want to be an alternative view for our nephew and other kids who have had a rough start in any way that we can.

One phone call I received on Friday afternoon has hit me like a giant firework covering the entire night sky on the 4th of July!

My husband and I have been dreaming of many things over the past few years.  We have had big ideas about what kind of life we want.  We have worked diligently to move in a direction that will fulfill some hearts desires for us and also some things we believe will allow us to be the people we are meant to be.

Along the way, we have learned that sometimes things don't happen the way we imagine that they will.

Just as I have come to accept that some things will have to wait, I have also realized that the bigger we dream and the harder we work- the more there is that is possible than either of us could ever have imagined!

As kids who were repeatedly reminded that their world was small and they should never expect to amount to anything, my husband and I are especially thankful for anything that comes our way and we always look forward to how we will be able to share and hopefully motivate others to strive for more.

As for this moment, I wish I could just shout from the rooftops how much I feel validated in always knowing in my heart of hearts that nobody can ever stop you from dreaming and that eventually even really big dreams can be realized.  Never doubt that anyone can become their own tiny statistic.  And then influence others to make that statistic grow.

Along with the picture at the top of this blog, my little cactus garden on my dining room table has served as motivation to scrimp and save and plan and dream.  It will now be a reminder of my own little place in the sun.

We are buying a vacation condo in Palm Springs, CA!!!

That's right.  This 'Yellow Rose Of Texas' may not be in Texas yet, but I'm going to have a whole lot more sun in my life starting about 45 days from now when my husband and I close on our property purchase.

As I cruise off to continue on with my weekend long happy dance, I'll leave you with this:

Update: Looking Forward To A Summer Of Change

credit: picturedepot.com

Wow, I have been at this here blogging thing for about a year and half now.   I can hardly believe it!

Not only am I shocked that I am still in the same location geographically that I started in- since this whole blog got started as a way to document the process and express myself during my much hoped for move to Texas, but certainly maybe more surprising and rewarding is how much I have learned from the other wonderful blogs that I read on a regular basis.

There are simple and major things that have just clicked for me over this past year and a half and I can't really believe that my everyday life would have been as enriched, brought down to earth, or given as much perspective if I hadn't been sharing it, even in a vicarious way, with so many of you.  I appreciate your posts and the comments that you kindly take the time to give, in a huge way.

Now, as to the update: 

This coming summer is shaping up to be a doozy.  On May 16th my husband will have his much anticipated reconstructive surgery.  It will come exactly one week after his next big actuarial exam.  We planned it that way so he could recover without having to study intensely for another test right away.  He will have a major test every 6 months for at least the next 2-3 years.  Although I am pretty OK with all the medical things and physical therapy stuff that my husband will need to deal with, I have to admit that I may run into some emotional roadblocks.  I know that I am much better equipped to deal with the challenge this time around and I trust that things will go smoothly.  My husband deserves the best outcome and I will do whatever it takes to help get him through this.

This past week my husband and I have truly set things in motion to make our dream of owning a condo in Palm Springs happen.  After lots of research on what it will take to be successful with owning and managing a vacation home, we are starting the pre-approval process.  Even though I am aware that things are different these days when it comes to mortgages, we do have a down payment ready and should only require a small loan so we are trusting that the bank will see us as a good risk.  It feels like a huge step and yet it feels right.  By the week of July 4th my husband should be feeling pretty darn good and we plan to be in Palm Springs, physically looking at properties.  With some major prayer and a little luck we are hoping to be owners of a vacation rental that is available to rent by October 1st. 

To top it all off, my husband and I have absolutely not given up on our dream of moving to Texas.  As soon as he is recovered enough to make it feasible for him to travel for an in person interview, my husband will hit the application process hard again.  With another test passed, he should be a more interesting candidate within his chosen career.  If all of our wildest dreams could be realized, my husband and I just might be putting the finishing touches on a vacation condo in Palm Springs on our way to a new home in Texas.

I certainly do believe that everything we do in this life has meaning and that all things happen when and how they should.  I also feel as if these things that we are wishing for are possible and worth planning for.  I can dare to envision a future that holds so much for my husband and I to work hard for and share with everyone we love. 

Credit: sea-life-style.com

I Can Do Anything For Six Months

I can do anything for six months.  Yup, I have said that phrase so many times. 
I have used it often to refer to a particular stint in a real estate management office downtown that proved to me that many adults are way more childish than any children ever could be. 
I am heading back to my trusty saying yet again.  I can do anything for six months.

I have stated recently that I would like to start cutting back on my work load.  While I am grateful that I have work to do in these times, I have felt that my home runs more smoothly when I am not overloaded at work.  I still stand by this. 

However, I have also put it out into the universe that I would really like to realize a dream that my husband and I share of purchasing a vacation home in Palm Springs, CA.  So you can see how these two goals might clash a little bit with one another...

Over the past week I have received no less than 3 requests from my 4 major clients to do some extra projects for the next while- covering about six months time to be exact. 

Funny how that's kind of my threshold for doing things that I don't really want to do before I get really burnt out.  Funny how the end of that time frame would put me right at the point when we are planning to start property shopping (in the summer heat when no one in their right mind would look to buy in Palm Springs).  Funny how when you say something, you'd better be ready to put your money where your mouth is. 

I'm grateful.  And I'm doin' it with a smile on my face.

Bring On The Cheap!

Being one who doesn't usually make New Years resolutions, I still do seem to 'take inventory' at this time of year.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that in our household all things seem to start anew in January.  My husband and I both have birthdays in January and our anniversary is also in January (thanks to Martin Luther King Day being the next three day weekend available for eloping!).  So while the calendar indicates that things have started over again with a brand new year, so too do all our major milestones. 
January has become a time in which we take stock.  Sort of see where things are, evaluate if we are on track for long and short term plans, look at finances, see what needs doing or fixing, etc.  This year my husband and I are completely on the same page.  And oh, what a page it is!  While we are NOT giving up on our dream to move to Texas, we will be embarking on a project that will ensure that we have access to warmth and sun even if it takes a while longer to get to our desired destination.
I am excited and super determined to help make this happen in any way that I possibly can!

Photo credit: packphour.wordpress.com

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT SOME 

THINGS WERE DEEMED IMPOSSIBLE?!

So this project of ours is going to require some serious saving.  And I am pretty good at that.  Really, I am.  In the past I have been known to do things that are not that fun or glamorous to make things I really want to happen, happen.  For example:  when my husband and I were newly married and in a pretty big mountain of debt, consisting mostly of student loans, I went to work at a real estate office down town so we could pay off the debt and save for a down payment on a house.  Now, you must understand that I am not at all a 9 to 5 kind of girl.  I don't do office politics, ever.  So this job was a stretch for me and my artistic self.  And it just plain sucked.  I mean sucked hard.  It was so bad that on most days I ended up crying in the bathroom by lunchtime.  The people in the office were mean and the boss was truly the biggest ass I had ever met.  And yet... I knew that the 1400 extra dollars I was bringing in every month was just the thing we needed to get our plans on track.  So with that knowledge and a deadline in mind I was able to work there for exactly the time it took me to get $10,000 for a down payment while also cutting way back on expenses so as to seriously bring down the student loan debt at the same time.  Yup, I managed to work at that office for just over 7 months.  And then I promised myself that I would never do that type of work again. 
So here I find myself at another time in my life when cash is needed and dreams are big.  How bad do I want it?  What am I willing to do?
OK, maybe not this.... (pause my music player)

That was just plain scary...

But I am willing to do a lot.  I've already decided that there will be no more driving to places that are within 2 miles of my house.  My cruiser bike will get me where I need to go.  And it already has a nifty rack and basket installed to carry things... 

And I'll get a great workout while I'm at it!  I also intend to put my crock pot to some serious use in the near future as well as buckling down on buying in bulk and freezing and preserving- and making sure that I put every last food item we already have to its best use.  No more letting leftovers go to waste.

While I was at the hairdresser the other day, getting my quarterly trim, I ended up sharing my plans with her.  She wasn't nearly as excited as I am about all this.  She told me she would never be able to stand the idea of greeting the weekend knowing that she wouldn't be going out and asked me how I could possibly cut back any more as she is aware of just how good I am about saving money already.  It got me thinking. 

I guess I am one of those people who enjoys delayed gratification more than immediate satisfaction.  At least when it comes to something that is bigger and better, anyway! 

So, what do you do when you really want something?  What's the cheapest or hardest thing you've ever done to get to a goal?  Was it worth it?