Broke as a Joke (but Happy as a Clam)

Life has been a nonsensical blur of dumb busyness and stupid fun. I'm really getting more freedom in my job now, and it feels great. I shot (video) at Cannon's bombing range all day today with my two favorite people in the office. Photographers are seriously so much more chill than videographers. I liked all of today outside of the office.

I only have two classes left in my public speaking course, which dumbfounds me that the last time I blogged was almost two months ago exactly. I'm working on my last really important speech in this class, which is due tomorrow night(!).

Johnny and I are gettin serious about our bad habit of eating out when we should save our money. I met with a financial advisor last week about my hypothetical "600 calorie/day diet" that I put myself on financially. I have no wiggle room, but the pay-off is how rapidly my debts are decreasing! I've paid off 62% of my OSU debt in just two paychecks and my tax return. It felt nearly impossible at first. But I remembered that I just have to use all the resources I have and get serious about not wasting money on eating out all the time.

God honored my diligence to get my ducks in a row last week when Tonya Jones from OSU decided that, since I was making such an effort to get my debt paid off, that I didn't need to pay the $1,400.00 worth of late fees that I've accrued over the last two years of non-payment. When she did that, that's when I realized why God moved me to Cannon instead of the original orders I had to Japan. I never would have gotten serious about paying all these things off if I hadn't been in the same time zone or country. And I wouldn't have met Johnny, who has totally inspired me to be fiscally responsible.
He's made me realize that I don't want to go into a marriage with financial baggage. I don't want us to have money problems from the get-go. He doesn't deserve that in the least bit.

I never thought I'd see a silverlining to being in New Mexico, or even growing up broke. But now I know the purpose of me going through the Valley, and how useful it is to know how to go without all the cushy things most Americans "couldn't live without". Thank you, God, for the silent answer to the questions I always asked growing up, like "Why don't we ever have money?" lol. Now I know why.