Moving to the Adventure Home

January 19, 2009

“Live like no one else. So you can live like no one else.” Dave Ramsey

Some of you all are going to start reading this and wonder if we’ve stopped using deodorant and eating meat. Others of you will say, that is so Ben & Liz. This is an update on the Miller’s. Brace yourself, it is kind of “drastical.”

Our colorful townhouse (below) is now rental property. We now live in my in-laws basement.

Huh, when did all of this come about? Well, January 1st after a major reality check, talk with God, look at the budget, and some tears Ben and I realized that the amount of money we are in debt is huge. Why? Mainly the start up cost of a business, some of life in general. One day when we are debt free, I’ll tell you the amount…and you will surely be impressed! And, for that day to come quicker, we have decided to start living DRASTICALLY.

January 1st I put our townhouse on craigslist. February 1st it is officially rented.

Let me clarify, when I say my in-laws basement, this is not nearly the dim picture that this phrase paints. Pam and Bill are incredibly welcoming yet respectful of our space. Basement means a 800 sq. foot living room, bedroom, and bathroom. When we first talked this idea over with Pam and Bill, Pam called back an hour later and said, “there is one problem, Charlotte being too spoiled!” This is not a bad gig.

Hopefully this “drastical vagabond adventure” will have drastical, positive, long lasting effects on life as a Miller.

I don’t know about you, but there are those times in life when God whispers something to you. You hear it, and do nothing. Sometimes that whisper gets louder. I turn up the music, get busier, make a to-do list. And, then that whisper becomes a clear conversation. Act, move, go, do. That has meant start a car lot. That has meant have a baby. That has meant make art. That has meant join a church. And, now it means pay attention to the details of life. And, those details start with Ben & I learning to hear that whisper everyday.

Dave Ramsey says, “Live like no one else, so you can live like no one else.” Hopefully if we really pay attention to that whisper, and that green stuff that can so easily control our lives, we will be able to make great strides on this task.

Reflections over cheap wine...

January 2, 2009
12:00 a.m.

Reflections through a glass of cheap wine.
This is raw. I hope it is at least. If we lie, what do we gain. First, I must say that praying and drinking wine can co-exist.

I am a DRASTICAL VAGABOND.

And, my worries are only DRASTICALITIES.

What are those?

Will I be able to drink wine in my mother in-laws basement. Or will I have to use a Dixie cup. Who cares? That is just a drasticality.

I just googled drasticality. And, I LOVE that nothing worth while pops up.

This is all just a drasticality. Can I create art in a basement?

These are my prayers:
For my talents and Ben’s talents to be used, drastically.
For our townhouse to be rented (hopefully by good renters) quickly.
For me to enjoy by job and persue it with passion.
To be comfortable living with Pam and Bill.
To please God through this process.
For Charlotte to be loved fully, taught, and for her to know God.
Family! Friends!

WHY is it SO hard to part with JUNK that you don’t like and don’t need?? I haven’t touched this stuff in years. So, why is it SO hard to introduce it to the trash can? Even when I know that I will be so relieved when it was gone.

IF YOU were to go back to college for a year….now….what would you take? Would you put a fridge in your room? Would you take pictures from elementary school? PART WITH THIS STUFF.

I am inspired by Jesus. The Fly Lady. Dave Ramsey. My BF group. My Husband for his guts. Tonia for her selfless spirit. Sarah for her drive and motivation. Ericka for her being so sensitive and constant over time. Heather for her intuition and the way she just -knows what I’m saying. Dee for her energy. Christine for her matter-of-fact-ness and no drama nature. My mom for her patience and love for kids. My dad for his advise and calm nature. Kayla and the way she adores Charlotte and is so stinkin’ smart and respectful.

I am inspired by Taylor Swift to live FEARLESSLY.

I am inspired by Jesus. He was not on earth long. He lived perfectly. Did you ever stop to wonder what that looked like at 5 years old? I just love Him. I love that he wanted to help people. That he knows what we need. That he takes that brut of all of our ick-iness. And, that he was willing to DIE for us. WOW. That is just huge. And, I’m sorry that I am not capatilizing HE. But, we all know that He is he is Jesus. I am inspired by the way that he heals people that do not deserve it. I am inspired by the way that he loves everyone. I am inspired by the way that he shows that he is real when you ask him to. I am inspired by the way that he is evident in my life admist uncertainty. I am inspired by Jesus.

And, I want you to know that I am drinking wine. And, I am Baptist. Above all, I am a Christian, I am a follower of Jesus. And, He (capitalized HE) turned water into wine. I am thankful for the freedom and the honesty that wine brings.

Back to cleaning……

DRASTICAL: is an interesting way of cleaning house. Put your house up for rent. TODAY. Move out in 2 weeks. DRASTICAL

Drastical: Having the guts to get rid of clothes that don’t fit, and admitting that they will never fit again.
Drastical: Is going to UPS, them telling you it will be $22, and saying “NO THANKS” and going to the Post Office and paying $14. That is drastical.

Have we lost our minds?

January 1, 2009

At 9:00 this morning, I posted our house for rent on Craigslist.
I received two phone calls and two e-mails today.
Someone is coming to look at our house on Saturday at 6:30.
HAVE WE LOST OUR MINDS?
So, I have torn apart every room into the trash, sell and keep piles. And, our house is a disaster. I didn’t cry until 9:00 tonight when Ben reminded me that we are moving, we are not spring cleaning. I was upset. But, then he calmly put it into perspective.
WE ARE NOT LOOSING OUR HOUSE. We are gaining an investment property. We are choosing to move, to live DRASTICAL.

These are all DRASTICALITIES.

Reality Check

December 29, 2008
8:50 p.m.

Today was a reality check.

Last night was a get straight with Jesus night. For real. Ben and I cried and cried. For the first time, I was very scared. I have been mad, I have been angry, yes I am embarrassed. But last night I was scared. There is barely enough money to pay our bills.

Last night, Ben sweetly took me into bed to snuggle. He prayed the most beautiful prayer I have ever heard. I balled. It was so sincere. It was Jesus talking through my husband. And, that sounds so ridiculous, or to some it sounds so churchy. But, it was awesome. It was like a 6 year old prayer was answered. Answered admist the harsh reality of DEBT, of fear, of regret. But, my husband was really relying on the strength of God. To be able to say, that I am going to work hard for my business to make it, but I’m not scared anymore of it failing. I just don’t want to loose my faith. I don’t want to loose my marriage. I don’t want to loose my daughter. Money is not my God. God is. And, He is going to mold us and teach us and use us. It is going to be hard.

The conversation turned. Maybe we need to move in with Ben’s mom. Maybe we need to sell everything we have. Maybe we need to live drastically. “To live like no one else, so we can live like no one else,” like our role model Dave Ramsey would say.

Today we hoped we could avoid that phrase. We tried to consolidate some loans. We tried to refinance the house, get a second mortgage. It didn’t work. We could not take the easy route out.

I cried. I pouted.

Then, I put stuff on Amazon.com. I prayed. I tried to enjoy my day. It was hard.

I talked with my good friend, who answered the phone in tears. Balling. Consumed by debt. Drowning in a business that isn’t doing well. Scared. Scared. Fearful.

I prayed.

We talked.

I decided that I’m going to write my way through this. Record the venture to freedom.

WE ARE GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS hole. This ***** worth of credit card debt. ***** worth of student loans. ****** mortgage. ******* worth of car debt. We are going to make it. And, I hope that you will be inspired by it. That you will grow closer to God. That you will be able to see that this is entirely going to be an act of God. We do not have the power to dig out of this hole. And, you know, maybe we won’t dig out of this hole. Maybe God is going to keep us in it for a while. Maybe we will be living in your basement.

Romans 3:23-26
For everyone has sinned; and we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrifice his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times pas, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

I say:It’s not fair that I’m in this situation. This is not where I deserve to be. I should be scrapbooking, and shopping, and eating out.

Was it fair that Jesus died for my sins? That Jesus died for me, knowing that I was going to screw up this bad. That I would let it get this far. And, that he would keep loving me. That He will help me through it. That because of this situation, my family is learning what it means to follow Jesus.

Now, what isn’t fair?