The Cream Puff

So, for the past I don't know 5 years maybe? we have been trying really hard to become debt free.  I paid off my student loans from my first college degree before Mark and I got married.  I also owned my car.  I paid cash for everything when I went back to school to get my Radiography degree.  Thank God Mark was able to support me with his income, because I didn't work while I went to school.  Mark had lots of debt when we got married, but since then we've paid off his truck and credit card and when we sold the condo we got rid of that debt too (so blessed!). 

A few months ago, or probably more, we had discussed selling Mark's Jimmy for a different vehicle.  We really wanted one with better gas mileage and more room.  The only logical vehicle to choose was a minivan.  I have always been anti minivan, and with all the other more attractive options out there I felt we could avoid them.  We looked at al ot of the "crossover" type ones and they were all out of our price range, even the used ones. 

Price was a big deal to us and we had a limit that we didn't want to exceed.  Mark had the Jimmy up on Craig's List but we only had 2 interested people that fell through.  Then the Jimmy started to have some issues with the anti-lock breaks engaging when they weren't supposed to.  We almost slid into another car when we were at the mall!  That day we went to a nearby dealership.

I think you can guess where I'm going with this story!  We got a minivan!

Meet "The Cream Puff"

And I actually like it (shhhhh).

It has bucket seats in the middle row.  All the seats fold down into the van so you don't have to take them out, automatic slider door and tailgate, rear climate controls, leather interior, and I love the color.

What I don't love?  The price.  We have added a new debt to our pile and it's something we I really struggled with.  The good news is that it's the smallest debt we owe (yikes! ).  Right now it was the best decision for us, especially with the truck's braking issues and the possibility of an addition to the family (we'll see!).  This purchase has given me more motivation to follow our budget and pay off these debts as fast as we can.

Gazelles!!!  (Dave Ramsey reference)

See you on the road!

Love,

Bri

Mickey Lake Vacation

Doh!  We've been back for a few weeks now, but I just haven't had the time to write up a trip report.  I am however going to include some of my favorite pictures from the trip in this post.

We had a great time at the wedding!  It was so wonderful to catch up with friends we hadn't seen in a while.  It was a beautiful day and Mackinac Island is such a charming place, I love it!

Little Stone Church, Mackinac Island

The rest of the week with the family was great too (minus Jack throwing up at a restaurant we tried to go to.  Eeek!).  The first couple days we super hot (like in the 90's!) and we didn't have AC, but the rest of the week was nice weather and the lake was really warm.  There was a tiny island (Picnic Island) we boated to one morning and walked around for a little while.  It had very clear water and was a great spot to look for Petoskey stones.  We also visited Sleeping Bear National Park which has gorgeous views of Lake Michigan and some of the largest dunes in America.  One of the other highlights was visiting Short's Brewery in Bellaire.  Always good great beer and amazing sandwiches!  Totally worth the 50 min drive! 

Mark and Jack in Mickey Lake



Mark and I enjoying the paddle boat

Our cabin

Sunsets from the dock



Jack and his cousin





At Sleeping Bear



At Short's Brewery

Fam Pic!

I hope everyone is having a great summer!  I can't believe it's almost over. 

Love, WW