God's Perfect Timing

I just wanted to update you on what's been going on in our lives. For those of you who don't know, Tanner and I have been trying to have a baby for 3 1/2 years. Back in October 2013, Tanner went to the urologist and found out he had a low sperm count and a low testosterone level. He had a procedure done that fixed everything but now I am needing to go to the specialist to see what's going on with me, so I have an appointment at the end of May. Currently, Tanner works for United Supermarkets as a financial analysis and I work for a company called Care Options For Kids as a speech-language pathologist. Back in August, Tanner and I sold our house and moved in with my parents to pay off all of our student loan debt. We were nervous to make such a big change but it ended up being the best decision we could of made at this point in our lives. We didn't know if my parents would regret allowing us to move in, but I'm happy to say everything has been going extremely well and the only reason we are moving out is because God has opened up another door for us (or we would probably be roommates with my parents FOREVER)!

I have been doing therapy out at the Texas Boys Ranch for about two years now and have developed a good relationship with a house parent couple there. They too, have had some fertility issues and wanted to talk with us over dinner. At the end of the meal, they said that a position had opened up at the Boys Ranch as house parents and that we should apply. We didn't really think much of it, because the salary was so low, but God had a plan! He planted a seed in our hearts and Tanner and I applied for the position. I'm happy to say that we got the job and will be starting April 1. We will move out there and live in a house located at the Boys Ranch. Being a house parent consist of having up to 8 children in our house ranging from 4-18 years of age. These children have been taken away from their parents either temporarily or permanently due to horrible living circumstances. They will live with us unless they are fostered out or adopted. We will take these kids to church with us and every family function like they are our own. We have so much love to give these children and I feel like this is our calling. God has given us the most amazing family and friends and I'm excited to show these children what a true loving family looks like.        

I'm saying all of this because I truly feel like God has a perfect plan for all of our lives, even when things don't go according to our plans. If Tanner and I had our own children, we wouldn't have moved in with my parents. If my parents didn't so generously allow us to live with them, we would still be slowly paying off debt for 8-10 more years. If we didn't have fertility issues, we never would have met with that couple from the Boys Ranch who told us about this new job. If we had a lot of debt, we wouldn't have been able to take such a huge pay decrease and work at the Boys Ranch. And guess what...we will have all of our student loan debt paid off in April; the same month we start our new job. Coincidence, I don't think so. God just has perfect timing!

Tanner and I will be doing weekly video blogs to update you on our whole experience as house parents so I hope you enjoy those!

Thanks for stopping by,

Kami 

DIY Iron-on Vinyl Shirts using the Cricut Expression

My mom and I were out shopping and we saw some cute T-shirts but didn’t want to spend $20.00 on them so we decided to make our own. The supplies we used to make these shirts were: Cricut Expression, t-shirts and iron-on vinyl.

First, go to http://us.cricut.com/home/ to start creating your own project. Once, you get there your screen will look like this. Click on the green button or the white link under the sign in log that says “Cricut Design Space” to get started.

Then, click on the “Create New Project” board.

  A new template will look like this and you will click on the “Add Text” button located on the left side of the page.

Now, you are ready to type in your words. I chose a font called Kates ABCs-Bal for “WRECK ‘EM” and a font called Pharmacy for “Y’ALL”. When your words are the font you want, your next step is to size your words. I wanted my words to go across the front of a shirt so my words were pretty big. “WRECK ‘EM” was Width: 9.71 in. and Height: 2.08 in. and “Y’ALL” was Width: 6.01 in. and Height: 2.01 in.      

I also made a shirt for my sister who graduated from A&M! Her shirt said “GIG ‘EM Y’ALL”. It was made the same way as the shirt above but I used the font ENGRAVERS MT for “GIG ‘EM” and Pharmacy for “Y’ALL”. “GIG ‘EM” had a Width of: 7.55 in. and Height of: 2.29 in. and “Y’ALL” had a Width of: 6.02 in. and Height of: 2.01 in.   

Now, you are ready to hit the green button at the top to cut out your project. Make sure to check the "Mirror Image" at the bottom of the page before you start cutting! I always do a trial run on regular printer paper before cutting the iron-on vinyl (just to make sure it’s the size I want). Also, make sure you place your iron-on vinyl, shiny side DOWN on the cutting mat and move the knob on the Cricut to “Iron on” before cutting.  

Iron-on vinyl shiny side down.

Here are the words after I removed all the unwanted material around them.

 

I had my mom try on the shirts so I could decide where the words should go before I ironed them on. Once the shirt was on her, we pushed the words in place so they would stick. Then, we very carefully took the shirt off her without moving the words (she held them in place while I tried to take the shirt off LOL). It was quite a scene! After that, I ironed on the words (following the instructions that came with the vinyl).

Here are the finished shirts: 

I think next time I will choose more fitted tops to make them look a little nicer, but I still love how they turned out! 

Enjoy the day,

Kami

DIY Monogram Shirts

I recently got a Cricut Explore cutting machine and I love it! I’ve been noticing monogrammed shirts are becoming very popular, so I decided to make some. Here are the step by step directions to monogram a shirt using the Cricut Explore machine.

First, go to http://us.cricut.com/home/ to start creating your own monogram. Once, you get there your screen will look like this. Click on the green button or the white link under the sign in log that says “Cricut Design Space” to get started.

Then, click on the blue “Create New Project” board.

  A new template will look like this and you will click on the “Add Text” button located on the left side of the page.

Now, you are ready to type in your initials. Make sure to put the last name initial in the middle (e.g., Kim Leigh Wall should be kWl). I chose to use a free font I got off Pinterest, called Monogram KK SC. When your initials are the font you want, your next step is to size the letters. It’s easier to size all the letters together (to get the first and third initials the same size).  

When, your first and third initials are the size you want, you can isolate each letter to make the middle initial bigger. To isolate the letters you will select the “isolate letters button” under the Edit palette (It is highlighted in green below).    

When the letters are detached, a screen will pop up on the right side to show you each individual letter. Now, you are able to increase the middle initial size (Remember, the last name initial should be in the middle). After your letters are the size you want, you will need to “weld” them together. First, highlight all three initials by putting a box around them and then hit the "weld" button, which is located at the top left corner of the Layers palette. When the letters are welded together, you are ready to cut out your monogram. Hit the green “go” button located at the top of the page.

Make sure to check the "Mirror Image" at the bottom of the page before you start cutting, since we want our iron-on to be cut correctly! I did a trial run on regular printer paper before cutting out the initials on the iron-on vinyl (just to make sure it was the size I wanted).

*Also, make sure you place your iron-on vinyl shiny side DOWN on the cutting mat and move the knob on the Cricut to “Iron on”. 

 

Here are all the monogrammed shirts I did and I must say I LOVE how they turned out!!!

   

   

Enjoy Monogramming!

Kami

My Mom Meeting Her Dad

Mom mom finally got to meet her dad on 6/21/14. I will never forget that day and all the feelings that came with it. My mom, dad and I flew into California on a Friday and stayed at my grandmother's house. My mom's dad (Frank) and his girlfriend Gloria, were going to meet us over there on Saturday. I could barely sleep, I was so anxious/excited to meet him. I couldn't even imagine how my mom was feeling. Below is an interview of my mom right before she met her dad.

You can tell she was a little nervous but so excited to meet him. Once, my grandfather pulled up to the house, my heart started beating rapidly and my adrenaline was pumping like no other. I just wanted to run out and hug him and Gloria but I didn't want to take anything away from this very special moment for my mom. I just decided to video the whole thing instead and I'm so grateful I captured this amazing moment!
Side note ~ if the video doesn't load go to YouTube and search "Cathy meets her dad for the first time". It's really something everyone should see!

That day was one of the greatest days of my life. I don't think I've seen my mom so full of joy! Her heart and eyes were overflowing with love and a sense of completeness. Every chance she got, she hugged her dad or just touched him. It was like she was trying to make sure this was really happening. I will never forget hugging my grandfather for the first time and just wanting to freeze that moment in time. He smelt so good and hugged with just the right tightness. It was like we'd known each other forever, except didn't know anything about each other. I couldn't get enough of his stories and wanted to know everything about him. He had a great sense of humor and had us laughing the whole time. Every time he smiled, I could see a little bit of my mom in him. He was definitely the missing piece in our family tree and completed us like no one else could. 

I don't even know where to start with his girlfriend, Gloria. All I know is that this meeting would never of happened without her love and support. Gloria was the first person to talk to my grandmother, when she was trying to find my grandfather. From that moment on, Gloria was so excited to meet us and accept us into her family. She has the most contagious laugh that just makes your heart happy hear. Gloria is a beautiful woman inside and out and I'm glad my grandfather has such an amazing woman in his life. 

When I think back on this day, I only have wonderful memories! I'm beyond grateful that we got to meet both Frank and Gloria and that they so willingly accepted us into their family. The love I have for my grandfather and Gloria, is beyond words!

I'm happy to say that my mom talks almost daily to her dad and Gloria and I know we will see them in the near future. 

Here are some pictures from that wonderful day! 

My mom & her Dad

Giddy like a schoolgirl

My grandfather's a funny man

She can't get enough of him

My grandmother, mom, Frank and Gloria 

My dad, mom, Frank and Gloria

The whole gang

My grandfather and mom

First Selfie

 My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God can not do!


Kami 

My mom's journey to finding her Dad!

My mother has never met her dad so about a month ago we ventured out to find him. The only information we had on him was his name, the age he was when he and my grandmother got married, and where he went to high school. This is his high school picture.

His name is Francisco Rodriguez Jr. and he doesn't have a middle name (which made it only that much harder to find him). We knew he would be around 73 or 74 years old because he was 16 when he and my grandmother got married. After looking for hours on the internet without any success, my sister and I decided to post a picture on Facebook. My sister read about the best way to spread a message quickly and it was to have a person hold a sign, to make it more personal. Here is the sign we made for our mom to hold. Isn't she just precious!!!

My grandmother tried to find my mom's dad by searching for his sister. She called a number and found out that his sister passed away a couple of years ago but her daughter (who is my grandfather's niece) gave her a contact number to try to reach him at. On 5-26-14, my grandmother sent my mom the following text message, "I found your dad. Today is his birthday. Best present he could ever have is the prospect of meeting you. I had a nice visit with his girlfriend, who he has lived with for the last 12 years. She is great. I haven't talked with him yet because he is out golfing. Maybe we can have a reunion here soon." 

PRAISE THE LORD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!!! We set a date to go meet my grandfather on 6-21-14. Here are some pictures that his girlfriend emailed my grandmother. 

I love him already!! 

My mom got a chance to talk to her dad for the first time on 5-27-14! She stated that he was such a sweet man and so loving to her. He is just as excited to meet her as she is to meet him. When she was asking him if he had a Saturday available to go up and meet him, he said, "Sweetheart, you can have all my Saturdays." AWWWW my heart just melted when I heard this. I am so overwhelmed with the anticipation of meeting my grandfather! I can't even comprehend what my mom is feeling. After almost 56 years, she is going to meet her Daddy for the first time. I can't wait for that moment to happen!!! I am going to be there (bawling my face off) recording it all and taking in every single moment we have with him. I'm beyond grateful to be apart of my mom's journey and see the wonderful relationship she builds with her Daddy. Thank you Lord for this opportunity and the blessing of fathers.   

Getting the Right Mindset

One of the most important steps to getting out of debt is having the right mindset. I recently heard on the radio that people would rather tell their weight than talk about their finances. This doesn't surprise me because talking about how much debt your in doesn't really make anyone feel good about themselves. Debt is a topic people feel very judged about (at least I have). One of the many hurdles I've had to overcome is caring about what other people think of our financial situation. We have $100,000.00 in student loan debt, BAM, its out there!! :) It's freeing just saying that, but what feels even better is actually doing something about it! Having support from our friends and family has made such a big impact on our ability to get in the right mindset. A lot of our friends are in the same predicament we are financially and talking about it has really brought us closer together. Communication really is the key in building all relationships and theres just something about being honest and vulnerable that can change your life forever. I feel like Facebook and other social networking sites often hide our true story. We can post pictures and show all the wonderful things happening in our lives and hide the true struggles from day to day. This makes others think our life is perfect; when in fact, most of us are going through the same thing. Pick your friends wisely because they can make all the difference in you getting out of debt. If you hangout with people who are frugal and money conscience, I think it's easier to be the same way. Just like it's easier to spend money when you hangout with people who like to buy stuff all the time. 

Right now, we are in the early stages of trying to get our house fixed up to sale. We still have some work that needs to be completed before we can list our house and I'm ready to get this part over with. We are also trying to figure out what we should sale/keep from our house. My husband really wants to have an estate sale and get rid of everything so we can contribute that money to our debt and pay it off quicker but I have mixed emotions. Some days I want to sale it all but other days I think about how expensive it would be to start over. Plus, I might be a little attached to some of the crap we have acquired over the years! 

To all the people out there trying to get out of debt, stay strong! Hangout with people who support and encourage you to fight the good fight! I'll leave you with this quote Dave Ramsey posted on his Facebook page. "Success requires sacrifice. The first step to a good plan is deciding what you are willing to give up." 

Our journey of getting out of Debt!!!

My husband and I met when we were 15 years old and sophomores in high school. We got married when we were sophomores in college and living on love! At the time we got married, we both worked part time jobs and went to college full time. We took out student loans to pay for my husband's undergrad and also some to live on (since we only worked part time and had a mortgage to pay for). When we graduated from college, I decided to get my masters to become a Speech-Language Pathologist and we slowly acquired more student loan debt. Once I graduated and had a steady income, my husband decided to get his masters in business. He went half way through the MBA program when he decided to make a career change. To make a long story short, we have acquired a total of $100,000.00 in student loan debt, which we have been a slave to ever since!
We finally decided that we've had enough of our debt owning us and are making some BIG life changes! We are going to sell our house and a lot of the stuff in it, move in with my parents, work hard and "live like no other so we can later live like no other!" (Dave Ramsey)
You will read the good, the bad and the ugly of our journey to paying off One Hundred Thousand Dollars of student loan debt.

Proverbs 22:7 "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender."