Daughter's Interview

My daughter, Jill has an interview for a promotion at her work place Thursday morning.  She has already been in training and passed all her classes so is well qualified.  Praying that God calms her nerves and for a positive outcome!  I'll be the first to spread the good news if she gets it ('cause that's just what a mom does)!    Best of luck Jill...you deserve it!!!

Here's a pic of my daughter with her sweet husband, Luis!

Living Life Financially Stress-free

Be still my heart!  I just received a call from someone very close to us saying "thank you" for all our advise.  They are very close to being completely debt free ~ one little payment left to go that they were able to negotiate and lower the interest by 6%.  So proud them!  They said they're now living life financially stress-free!  Whoohoo!

A Thankful Heart

Just want to give a shout out to all those who have purchased a copy of my book.  It warms my heart.  I continue to pray that God will open doors for us to be able to help others who have found themselves in financial stress.  I am thankful for all that we have gone through to get to where we are today! 

Winner's Copy Has Been Sent

To Lisa Wiedmeier...your copy of "Surviving Financial Shock" has been sent!  You should receive it by Friday!  Thanks everyone for participating in my little competition.  It was so much fun!  Please spread the word to all your friends and family to visit my Fan Page and order their copy of "Surviving Financial Shock" today!!!  Blessings ~ Judy

Books Have Arrived

Yay...set of books have arrived!  If you would like to purchase a copy just click on Buy Now Buttonlocated in the sidebar.  Cost is $9.99 plus shipping (shipping costs are less using the Buy Now Button).  If you would like an ebook, just click on book in the sidebar and it will take you to blurb.com.  Cost is $3.99

Financial Peace University

Check out daveramsey.com for details regarding Financial Peace University.  Free downloads are available to get you started on a budget and get you to the place where God always intended for you to be!  Debt free and able to offer a helping hand where needed!

Dave Ramsey experienced the same financial loss we did (maybe even more so) several years ago and fought his way back.  With determination and sacrifice...anything is possible! 

The Impossible

When God gives us an impossible task ~ it becomes possible!

Trust in God and you will know He can vanquish any foe;

Simply trust Him day by day ~

He will be your strength and stay. ~ D. De Haan

Ordered Copies

I have ordered a few books to have on hand.  They should arrive next week so I'll be able to send out copies to those that have placed their order.  Fun, fun, fun!!!

Yay...my book is ready!

So excited to be finished with my book.  It's been a long wait but well worth it!  Just have to say one more time...thanks to my wonderful husband for all his support and patience!  Also, a BIG thank you to all my friends and family for their love and support throughout the years!  And saving the best for last ~ Thank you Lord for watching over us and guiding us through the difficult times, I wouldn't trade it for anything because it drew us to have a closer relationship with You!

New Delivery Date

Fresh new copy of my book is scheduled to arrive on the 8th.  Hopefully the printing problem has been resolved and the word can be spread! (Smiling) 

New Copy Arrived

So sad, the second copy arrived today with no change.  A mishap in the printing I guess.  So I removed the page where we were having the difficulty and replaced it with a new format.  We'll see if that works.  Third time's a charm, right?  I place a new order next week and I know it will be perfect!!!  You can still catch a preview though.  I deleted the first book and uploaded the final book (hopefully).  I'll keep you posted as always.

In The Mail

The second copy is in the mail after a few changes were made.  Should be here soon. (Happy Face)

First Copy Arrived

So my first copy of the book arrived yesterday.  It was so exciting when I heard the knock at the door.  Everything looks great with just a few minor errors in printing that needs to get taken care of.  I will probably want to see one more book in print before I give my final stamp of approval.  It's been a long process but a healthy journey to endure.

Delivery Date

My estimated delivery date of the first copy of my book is the 19th!  Just 3 days!!! :)

First Book At The Printers

Well, it is finally finished and the first book is being printed!  I have ordered just one book to preview one last time for typos and to make sure the colors on the cover are OK.  It should arrive in just a couple of weeks.  Can't wait!  I'll make another announcement once I've made any additional corrections.  It can be purchased now but no guarantees of perfection! lol  Click on the Badge in the sidebar to preview!

I know I say this a lot but I just have to thank my husband once again for all his encouragement and support during this project!  I love you so much! :)

Sneak Peak

This is just a taste of what's written in my book "Surviving Financial Shock".  It's a humbling experience to write the words of our adventures down on paper.  I am so thankful for all of God's miracles and His promises we can count on no matter what comes our way!  Please leave a comment or drop me an email and let me know if you'd like to read more.  The book is finished but still needs to be proof read before printing.  The purpose for writing the book is to bring hope to others who have found themselves in financial difficulty and give them practical solutions that can help turn these hardships into success stories.  My husband and I are passionate about helping others live debt free and welcome the opportunity to speak with anyone who is interested.  

Insanity

In 2005, in the middle of our whirl wind romance and wedding planning, we were hit with a wave of investors entering into our community and suddenly our income jumped from a steady $20,000 a month to an exorbitant amount of $40,000 a week.  It was an unbelievably crazy time, running on shear adrenalin. 

Living Large

We had little time to think about investing for ourselves so our bank account was on the rise.  We had become Millionaires.  We were living the high life with vacationing, cell phones in tow, staying in five star hotels, eating at fancy restaurants and attending special events.  One of the builder’s I represented nicknamed me “Money”.  The more money we made the more perks were offered to us.  We started collecting more art pieces and we were whisked away to Boca Rattan and Las Vegas for all expense paid vacations.  We partnered up with friends and purchased two race horses.  We won the Idaho Cup and Mare of the Year.  These were exciting times.  I have to admit, having money is fun, I'm not going to lie!  Looking at price tags was a thing of the past.  If I would start to question the price of an item my husband would say “it doesn’t matter what the price is, you can afford it”.  I wrote out a check for a brand new fully loaded Hummer and became a member of the exclusive Hummer Club.  We played golf weekly, were given concert tickets and our phones never stopped ringing with invites to be taken out for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Bank Executives were offering us millions in credit so that we would bank with them.  We are so glad now that we did not utilize all that was available to us.  With money comes power but with that money also comes great responsibility.  We were so busy living large that we didn’t pay attention to what was really important in life.  We were focused on fame and fortune and not on the success of building God’s kingdom and giving Him the glory. 

Where Is My Umbrella?

After meeting with our Accountant & Real Estate Attorney, they both recommended that we start investing in real estate for ourselves and our future.  We made what we felt at the time, very solid investments in housing and property.  We knew at some point that the increase in sales would slow down and we figured we would go back to our normal income level.  We invested accordingly and kept a good size savings account in the bank.  What we were not ready for was the big financial SHOCK that was going to hit, not only our community but our entire nation.

Just as sudden as the boom in the housing market began, it ended.  Our income didn’t just slow down, it completely stopped.  The storm was brewing now as we began living off our savings to meet all our obligations.  We estimated that we had enough savings to last approximately two years.  We placed our home on the market, along with most of our other investment properties.  We eventually had to let our employee go at our home décor boutique and I started working there full-time, along with still trying to maintain the real estate listings I was representing.  Nothing was moving, we rented our properties at a loss so our savings was still depleting monthly.  I remember thinking that surely things were going to turn around, this couldn’t possibly last forever.  God was going to intervene somehow and shelter us from the storm.  He was going to hand me an umbrella and save us from loosing everything.  


My mission is to be strong spiritually, mentally, physically and financially.  It takes commitment, determination and discipline.  I will keep a positive attitude and look forward to great success.  I pray for God to place opportunities in front of me to help others during my journey.  I don't have to be perfect and have all my ducks in row before I start helping those in need.  If that were the case, I would never be of use to God or anyone else.  I just need to have a willing heart and listen to what God asks me to do.

We honestly do not know what the future holds but we know God does and that’s our comfort!  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3: 5,6

Thanks for reading!

Blessings,

Judy