How to use money

“Money is a tool,” my husband has always said.  I tell the kids, “don’t use money to buy ‘stuff’ – use it to buy experiences”.

Recently, Collegeboy has taken this to heart.  When we asked if he needed new “stuff’ for his 2^nd year at college (bedding, towels, clothes, etc) he said he would like to take used “stuff” back with him and if we could deposit some money into his savings account because he had decided to save for a small trip he’d like to take with his girlfriend – an experience!

Collegedaughter, who is now in her senior year at college, has also taken my advice.  When an opportunity presented itself in an unpaid internship in London this summer, she withdrew all of the money she had saved since she was a little girl and made the very carefully thoughtout choice to use it all for that adventure.  I couldn’t be prouder.

Money is merely a tool. “Stuff” can break, get lost, or stolen.  Experiences last forever.

For all you creature lovers...

I was lying in bed this morning, waiting for the alarm to go off, on my side looking through the window in the bathroom at the sky. “Red sky in morning, sailor take warning,” I thought as I could see the sky filling with dark pinks. Then I noticed the dog on the floor in between me and the bathroom window, also looking at the sky. As I watched her, I noticed she was especially interested in something outside that window. She got up and walked closer to the bathroom and sat down, but did not go in. Was she also looking at the clouds? She was clearly looking up at the window. Then she got up again, and this time, went in the bathroom and stood in front of the tub which was under the window, all the while looking up out the window. I sat there thinking, “can’t be a bird, no branches near the house were strong enough to hold a bird worthy of this much attention. Snake? Maybe one slithering across the upper window sill.” But I didn’t see anything. I sat and watched some more. Then I saw her head drop down towards the tub and twitched left, then right, then left again-following .....

Something's in the tub!!!

Gorilla in GA mountains!

Collegeboy texted his sister this picture of a loose gorilla.  It is in the back yard of where he is staying with friends in the Georgia Mountains.  I can only guess it has escaped from a local zoo.  He said they watched as it lumbered back into the woods.  Hope they can figure out who to notify so they can enjoy the rest of their trip- safely! But what an experience for our "nature boy!"