The week ahead, Brittany’s scare

As I wind up this week I am trying to take the time to make sure things are in place for next week, especially at the farm. With work, I have a set order of things that need to happen to make next week go smoothly, while at the farm, things are too often not as predictable. I am confident there is plenty of feed set out to cover the week. Mama is not able to handle the fifty-pound bags on her own yet, so I try to make sure everything is where she and Victoria will need it when they need it. I still have not taken down the dead tree near the birthing center, but I hope to get that done before I leave Sunday morning. As far as things in the home, everything is functioning properly but that is always subject to change without notice. Should I stay in my current employ, I will have many more of these types of weeks ahead. Weeks where I spend the entire week away from home to teach various classes. As it stands now, there are two areas of trainings that would require that much time to cover the assignment. I am not looking forward to those weeks – should I be here when those types of assignments are required.

I spoke briefly to my broker at Edward Jones yesterday about moving my account. The paperwork I have for the move was inadequate, so I have to make some follow up calls with the bank to make that happen, but eventually we will get it done. That will allow me to invest in real estate within that account– something Edward Jones does not allow. The hard part for me is over. I do not know why I was hesitant to face my broker and tell him I was moving the account, but I was. He is a friend and has been a great support to me and Mama as we transitioned away from working for a big corporate company to working for a small, privately owned company. The move was a 55% cut in pay as well as a 75% cut in available vacation – all the while maintaining the farm, condensing our lifestyle and meeting large medical bills. But, business decisions are sometimes difficult on the personal level. And this was a necessary business decision. What I hope is ultimately a great business decision. A decision I should have made several months ago, but I hesitated to do so…until yesterday. He, my broker, was okay with the decision. Disappointed to lose my business but understanding that he could not compete with the potential gains provided by real estate investing. The account has grown 3% per year on average. I believe Mama and I can do better than that as the Lord directs us. My broker agreed…reluctantly.

Mama is taking the day off today. She is trading today for tomorrow. She and Kim Cantrell were supposed to travel to somewhere in Oklahoma today, but that trip got called off because of inclement weather. Not that either Mama or Kim was afraid to travel, but Kim Cantrell’s mom (who they were going to meet with for some banking purposes) was too worried for them to come because of the storms forecast for the area. Mama might actually be relieved. She stayed home from church last night because her head was hurting so badly she had to lie down in the dark to ease the pain. She was somewhat better when I got home from church, but still not fully functional. I have not talked to her this morning to find out how she is faring, but I suspect the overcast, rainy, dark day will be a blessing for her if she is still suffering. She typically does not care for the dark, but under the present circumstances, it is a relief. The rain is certainly a relief.

Brittany had a scare the other day. One of the twins, I do not remember which one seemed to be avoiding standing on one leg. Brittany monitored the discomfort and finally took the baby to the doctor for a diagnosis. She was given several potential issues – none of them good – and referred out for an MRI. The testing revealed nothing suspicious, so we are not sure where that stands. For now, all she can do is monitor the situation and pray nothing serious is happening beyond our ability to diagnose and treat it. I believe it will all turn out okay, but in this life, there are no guarantees of that. Only that if we are His, all things will work out for our good and His Glory.

For now, we watch and pray.