I've had this blog for about a month now, and I think it's time to introduce myself now that I know I have a few readers - and also to give you a mini-tour of the site, and find out what you, as readers, want. This blog is primarily for me, but I like feedback, and I know an interesting/useful blog will generate more participation. So, here goes.
Family: I live with my husband and our baby daughter. I have two brothers, both in the Army. One just returned from Iraq less than a year ago; the other one will be leaving for Iraq in June. My husband has a brother who is married with no children. They live nearby, and both sets of parents live within an hour, so we see our family often.
Faith: We are Christians - Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod (it's not as stick-in-the-mud as it gets a reputation for). He was brought up in a liberal ELCA family, which brought some issues at first, but now he is comfortable as LCMS. We are active in our church, and are striving to build a solid prayer and devotional life as we build our family.
Hobbies/Interests: I am an avid musician who plays piano, organ, flute, piccolo, guitar, percussion, and mountain dulcimer. My husband plays saxophone, piano, and percussion. We both play handbells in church, and play in our community band. We love photography and traveling. I love learning languages (I'm fluent in German, conversational in Norwegian, and learning Spanish). We bought a 1958 house last August so we have lots of projects there (garden, upgrades, etc) and we both value physical activity. We are both gamers as well, and run a Christian gaming clan.
Income: My husband does tech support for a Catholic elementary school, and is the main income-earner (a switch from the first three years of marriage). He and I both work at a local ice arena/skate park as supervisors/Zamboni drivers. I teach part-time at an online school (math and German) and tutor online through Tutor.com. However, I am trying to build my own tutoring clientele, with lower rates than the businesses, while allowing me to keep a higher percentage of the money (at tutor.com clients pay $30/hour while tutors start at $10/hour). I also work as a musician, both a paid organist in churches and freelancing by accompanying and playing for weddings/parties/etc.
Financial Goals: We are currently paying extra on our mortgage, on pace to be done with our first one in 5 years and done with our second in 14. As a mathematician, I like to crunch the numbers and see if things really add up - for example, am I making enough by saving money and making part-time income to make it worth being at home financially (obviously I'd do it anyway, for the non-monetary benefits). I also like to see if my efforts to save money add up. Beginning in June, I plan to track time spent and money saved or earned, mostly for my own benefit, but it will hopefully be of interest to you.
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