We be sisters: Important Info and Super Long Ramble

Ok, important info first!

Mom sent you a big check, and it should already be there. So please, check your mail, grab it, and then either reply/text me or call mom to let her know you got it. She's very worried about it making it to your hands!

Texas House Stuff

Also, she requested that I pass on some info to you. The info is, if Gary & I don't take the house, she wants to offer it to you. It will be paid off very soon and there will just be a couple hundred dollars A YEAR in taxes to pay. Because I know she's going to ask you if I mentioned it, she wanted to propose that you move into the house for a year or two, with no rent whatsoever, and get an Opportunity Plan family loan for living expenses, just to finish school in something and then move back to CO. Just think about it. I have no idea what your life goals are, but if going to school for something is in there, that would be a great way to do it.

That being said! It looks like we are in fact going to take the house, renovate it, and sell it. We're going to try to do it very fast, like in a year, and then decide where to settle after that using the money for a down payment on a house somewhere. Maybe east, maybe west. Maybe back in Michigan, who knows?
The only way we wouldn't do that is because we find a big enough reason not to, or if you want to do the above plan instead. I would totally defer to you so you could get ahead.

Hopes for Texas

I really expect that we will be moving the beginning of March, after our tax return comes. I hope this is smart. It feels smart, but it also feels scary. Scary and huge and no guarantee, but let me explain what I hope will happen.
Gary's going to quit his job anyways. The company is folding, everything is tense and awful, and he makes no money above the 30k salary. Just for comparison, at his other store before the fall out, he was on track to make $60k for the year. So, he is not going to be working at LL anymore either way. He is going to have to find a new job, either way. And start at the bottom, all over again, either way.

And I still am worthless at bringing in money. I had my DT job for 3 weeks before I had to call in 3 days in a row because one of his guys quit. And I still was making minimum wage, which would not change in Texas, but *goes farther* there.

So the plan is, use our tax return to file bankruptcy, move, and buy a vehicle. House gets transferred to us, then mom gives us money monthly to work on the house, which we do when we're not working. Jobs cover living expenses. We work hard, fast, & smart, and get the house ready to sell in a year. The economy is really good there right now, similar houses are selling in the $160k range. Assuming we sell it for $150k, pay back $80k to recapture fee, $40k to mom for renovations, we get 30k.

Take $10k to make a really nice snowcone stand for summer income, put 10k in the bank, 10k down payment on house somewhere.

Get jobs wherever we land, make decent side income in the summer, have a house and a place to live for the price of rent for as long as is good. That honestly sounds pretty good to me.

And meanwhile, keep writing books in the hopes that I can make equal to a part-time income at it, so I can stay home with Maggie until she stars kindergarten. And maybe longer.

Speaking of Writing...

I'm almost done with my first draft. I'm not going to hit 'done' in 2015 (considering this is the last day of the year :p) But I am pretty close and will finish in January. Then comes editing, and plotting book 2. In Feb I will start writing Book 2. Yes, while packing. :p

I did find out however that Amazon has an algorithm that check to see if your book has ever been published anywhere before. Because of that, I am going to have to take down the chapters I put here, just in case. I do hope you still want to read it, so if you do we will do email.

I also hope you're willing to give me hardcore critique as I edit chapters. I neeeed it. I only have 1 other person to ask, and she's probably afraid of hurting my feelings too. And you guys might! But that is OKAY and NECESSARY lol, if I want this book to be better, and I do. So badly.

I would love it if we could skype sometime, not video but maybe chat, because I also love your brainstorming help. If you don't feel like it or dont have time, that is okay, just thought I would put in an earworm. :p

I got really lucky and am taking 2 free writing workshops this month, that are usually hundreds of dollars. They both last the whole month, but hopefully those will help as I edit too, although those are more big picture stuff instead of focused craft stuff