planning for the year

Spending the day preparing another wedding weekend. I've just finished putting all my scheduling ducks in their collated, double-sided rows, & now it's time for mental preparation. It's been sort of incredible how my time has been filled nonstop with weddings & photoshoots since officially leaving my full-time job. Nothing short of a blessing, donchaknow. It's been nice to have days like today that allow me to immerse myself in the upcoming weekend gig, rather than lighting the midnight oil after a full week of work. I feel a little spoiled, really. Which is probably what has brought me to another inner monologue.

Nearly a year after my Finger vs. the Immersion Blender incident, we received a whopper of a bill for Jared's Head vs. the Hammer incident back in November. "Is that a totally intense heavy metal band?" you might ask... No, he actually had a hammer drop on his head. It was sort of a freak accident & we don't take head injuries lightly, so we made sure he was clear of a concussion & had his injury taken care of like the wise adults we aspire to be. Apparently, wise adults need to also be kadrillionaires to afford such wise decisions.

Last night, Jared & I sat down for a budget & schedule meeting (which sounded way too official, so we called it a Bethune Pow-wow, because we're actually 9 years old) & it was really great. & I'm not just saying that because Panera & Adele were involved. There's a lot to be said for adjusting the budget in an effort to make forward motion in the upcoming year, though I drag my feet so much going into it. Tithing, saving, traveling, buying that pair of glasses that I got a prescription for last year... Oh, the monies. I'm going to be taking my search for a part-time job a little more seriously, which I'm dreading from a it's-been-so-nice-to-have-a-free-schedule standpoint, but really excited about when I think about being a consistent contributor to our budget. Freelancing is one of the best things I've signed myself up for, but saving money for various upcoming trips (& bills) is top of the list. Work hard to play hard, yeah?

& just because it's been on my mind - I don't mean to always be so ambiguous about the upcoming events & adventures in our life. Like, what I quit my job for, what vacations we'll be taking, etc. I just hate putting things out there when tickets haven't been bought or outcomes aren't guaranteed. Hopefully that isn't too annoying. 

Time for more medicine. Because I somehow have a cold again. C'mon, immune system! An instagram friend recommended elderberry syrup to knock it out, once & for all... Any other tips?