A Year with the Keyes Guys

My brother Chris just revamped his blog, and is trying hard to post daily. Just a few paragraphs about his day. I so much want to do the same thing. I have a million thoughts every day that I think I should write down, and I take so many photos on my phone that I rarely look back on. This challenge, of posting once a day will help make my life this next year-- our lives here in The Bungalow-- more easily remembered, and reviewed, and so good to look back on in the future. And this will also allow me time each day to think about my day, and notice the good, and the fleeting, and the bad, and all the stuff that makes up my day. I still don't have an official "job". I've applied to lots, had two interveiws recently, and still no job. There is more to that story. I was offered two jobs connected to those interviews, but not jobs I could take with the boys' schedules, and not really jobs I wanted anyway. I told Ryan that aside from my job of being a mom and taking care of our family and home, my other job wil be reviewing our finances and getting us into better shape financially. My job will be making a budget, again, and sticking to it. Inflation is crazy right now, and milk and eggs and bread and gas are all lots more expensive than they were a year ago. And so is electricity and natural gas. The war in Ukraine, continued shipping supply chain issues, and the continuing worldwide covid pandemic are all having a big impact on the economy. And that has an impact on my little family. Home prices in Ogden have skyrocketed. So have used car prices, because you can't get new cars right now. Our home with all it's little problems is worth well over half a million in this current home market. We bought it for $200,000 six and a half years ago. That's a big jump. And it tempts me to sell--when we find another plumbing issue, or have an especially warm day for May and I remember how hot our home is in the summer without air conditioning. But I still love this home. And so do my boys. They don't want to move--- partly because they love our home and our neighborhood, and partly because they really love their new school. Hallelujah. Seriously. This has been an amazing year of school for each of them, and I know we have been greatly blessed. I am so grateful I can start to cry when I think about it. So I won't think too much about it right now. I have to meet Mom and Madi for a hike. With my new hiking boots. Their lives have changed so much these past few years too--- not just because of inflation, and covid. Madi is graduated. She is a pharmacist! And Mom is home from her humanitarian mission. She spent time on the Ukraine border with Poland, helping refugees every day. What a world. I love my life and I am happy for this chance to write each day. And I'm happy to say I enjoyed my last cookie this morning for the year! Here's to a wonderful, healthy, goal-reaching

year with the Keyes Guys!