All of us have our own stories that influence how we think and behave. This is especially true when it comes to money. With this in mind, I thought I’d put together a bit of personal history for those of you that want to know more about us.
The basics
We both grew up in rural areas and now live near a larger city in the Midwest.
We’re both in our early(ish) 40s.
We’ve been married over 20 years.
We have two kids, ages 15 (sophomore) and 17 (Air Force).
We’re both 2nd degree black belts.
About Amanda (by Amanda)
My family was lower middle class for most of my younger years and moved more into the middle class when we moved to a larger town in my teens.
I have BAs in Sociology and Psychology and a Master’s degree in Social Work. I worked briefly in child welfare and public health after college. Six months after having our son, I quit and became a stay-at-home parent. I homeschooled for a few years, volunteered, and started working various flexible jobs after both kids transitioned to school. A few of my many side hustles included associate teacher, self-defense instructor, and more recently blogger/writer.
I’m an introvert, but some people mistake me for an extrovert (I’m not shy). I’d rather write any day over public speaking, but I have done long presentations in front of crowds (with lots of prep time!). For those of you who enjoy personality profiles, my Myers-Briggs type is INFJ. I’m empathetic to a fault.
My family always has been and always will be my #1 priority.
I LOVE nature and being outdoors doing almost anything (hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking). I have a large garden that sometimes gets tended to and always gets unruly. It produces more than we can reasonably eat, so I happily share the surplus.
I’ve discovered that I like writing, even though it’s not always easy for me. A few short months after selling my first money blog, I really missed it. And that’s how WhyWeMoney came to be. I’m happy to be back to writing again (and in the fantastic personal finance community).
I used to enjoy DIY home improvement projects. But then we flipped a house. So I’m cured of that for the time being.
I have some weird form of a neurological disorder called neurofibromatosis. The doctors haven’t been able to figure out what type it is because I don’t fit any one definition. Anyway, I have this disorder, but it doesn’t have me. Though it does continue to remind me of all the good fortune in my life. 🙂
About Alan (by Alan)
I grew up in a very rural area of the midwest where, if you weren’t farming, you more than likely were involved in an ag-related business. My family owned an agriculture-related business, which probably put us in the middle-class area somewhere. From a young age, I worked on local farms working with livestock, walking beans, detasseling corn, and pulling wrenches at my families business.
When I left for college, I initially thought I wanted to major in Accounting. After a year and a half, I realized that wasn’t going to be good for my sanity, so I ended up majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Management & Organizations instead.
While in college I started working for a local utility company and have been there ever since. I’ve been working in the IT department since 1999, and I’m currently working as a Senior Development Analyst (or something like that) supporting the CIS/billing system. How I got from majoring in Management and ended up in IT as a Senior Analyst is a bit of a head-scratcher…
Along with my wife, I share an affinity for nature. I love being outside doing, well, just about anything. Among the things I like to do are hike, bike, camp, boat (not my wife’s favorite!), kayak, fish, swim, snorkel and just be among the trees. Someday in the not too distant future, I would love to learn to dive. Just being in the ocean is an awesome and humbling experience.
I help with the garden some, but, for the most part, that’s really my wife’s arena. I prefer to take care of all of the trees that we’ve planted in our yard. I especially like taking care of our apple, peach, pear, cherry, and (new for 2018!) plum trees. I also enjoy watching the native oak trees that we’ve planted grow every year.
Even after our recent house flip experience, I still enjoy DIY projects. I just have to make sure I keep the time commitments manageable, or it brings back bad memories! I also dabble a little bit in woodworking (mostly rustic stuff) and just generally enjoy building things.
A couple of weird things about me. 1. I’ve always thought it would be enjoyable to work in a National Park as a ranger or be involved in conservation in some fashion. 2. I’d like to learn to drive a semi! I don’t know why I’ve always just thought it would be a fun challenge.
About Us
We met on day one of college and started dating soon after (despite Amanda’s intentions of not dating at all in college). The rest is history…we married shortly after undergrad while Amanda was still in grad school.
In a way, we grew into adulthood and learned a lot of life lessons together. Though we have different personalities and ways of thinking about things, we complement each other nicely. We work really well as a team – even on DIY projects (I mean, we flipped a house together!).
Even when we were paying down debt, we made travel a priority for our family. Camping was our go-to as the kids were growing up. Sometimes we camped for a weekend close to home, and other times we took a trip across the country to visit National Parks. As the kids got older and the debt was more manageable (just the mortgage), we took more traditional vacations. No matter where we went, it was always an adventure, and we created unforgettable memories we will never regret.
Now the kids are growing up and starting to leave home, which is more of an adjustment then either of us imagined. This transition has us thinking more and more about what the next 5 to 10 years might look like for us. Though we aren’t financially independent (yet!), we are financially secure enough to have options. These options will allow us to take time off to go visit our son, wherever the Air Force takes him. They will enable us to travel and experience new people and places. And, best of all, they keep us free from the worry and stress of the unexpected.
We often have conversations about what we’ll do when we are financially independent. And then we get a little antsy and wish we could get there faster. But, we’ve recently realized that, even though we still need to work, we can create a life we love right here, right now. It’s a constant work in progress, and we often have to step back and remind ourselves how short life really is. Each day really is a gift, and we strive to keep this at the top of our minds as we move through our lives.
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