5 Things Everyone Wants, But I Am Happy NOT To Have

1. iAnything!I don't own an iPod, nor iPad, nor iPhone, and I really have no desire to do so. I know, you are going to say it's because I don't know what I'm missing. So what if I'm a Nun of Apple! We have so many gadgets around here that I'm quite content with what we have. I know you're going to freak out when I tell you that I still listen to CDs and you'll faint when I say the other day I listened to an old CASSETTE TAPE. (I'll give you some time to recover...)...
...But life does not end without an iPod, nor begin with one. Really, it doesn't.

2. E-ReaderWhat is the point of using a device that requires BATTERIES to READ A BOOK?? Huh? Books are made of PAPER, and they SMELL GREAT! They travel well, you can tell how much of the story is left by the thickness of the pages on the right as well as how much you've read for that sense of accomplishment, AND they don't die right in the middle of a good part, nor do you have to plug them in! Plus, some of the cover art deserves to be framed!

3. Hybrid CarMy current old beater gets WAY BETTER mileage than the hybrids right now. Did you know they invented cars that got better mileage back in the 50s or 60s (I'll have to ask my dad) and the car makers refused to manufacture them??! They sat right in the oil company's pockets. The "new" hybrids aren't living up to their potential in my book. My glorified lawn mower can do better on it's 3 cylinders! I used to want one, until I read up on their stats!

4. Cable TVThat's right, we don't have cable or satellite TV. We hardly watched it when we did have it, so no loss! No more cartoons, but they were all getting stupid, like worse than Spongebob, which I banned, and which post still gets hits today. I also banned Fanboy And Chum Chum, Chowder and the list kept growing. My kids watched more TV than I ever did. We look up shows on channels we did like, and watch them online via services like hulu. But there aren't many.

5. Credit CardsI mean seriously, do we need them? No. I don't have any. I may not make the most, but I am debt free, unlike most Americans. Okay, so I have a house payment and Student Loans to pay back, but that is good debt. Those don't count against you. The temptation to spend over your means is far too great when you are faced with ads of happy people enjoying their new items. It is far better to live within your means than to go into debt for a fad.


So What Do I Want?

1. To Stay BusyI have multiple writing projects going, I teach my kids at home, we go out to fun places, and we take care of the pets and house. The most satisfaction comes from completing one of those projects, though.

2. To Spend Time with my KidsThey are only young once! My little guy has had a lot of personality and has some new vocabulary words to go with it! Anything that is difficult, he says "That's dangerous!" We worked on emotions with these emotion cards the other day and he took the mad one and made it yell at all the others. Then he took the happy one and told the mad one to stop. I think he's got that down! The older one enjoys going to the library and is learning about weather, the United States, and reads silly books. We go swimming, to movies, and fairs, events at the library, Children's museum, VBS, and even the pet store to see animals! These are the best years. I dont' want to waste them. Afterall, soon I'll "know nothing" and be "annoying"!

3. To Still Have Dates with HubbyEven longer than my children will be around, I plan on keeping my husband around. :) I cannot forsake him to focus on any other area of my life, I have to include him. We are a team. Spending quality time alone together may be a rare event, but it is vital to our relationship. Even if schedules change, or babysitting is not an option, we can still find moments and ways to be together.

4. To Meet my Ficly FriendsI have made some wonderful friendships via the writing website I talk about often in this blog. You can read some of my works in my other blog as well, which is geared toward writing. Those friendships may be online only, but they are very real. My dream is to go have lunch with those that I write with, to meet them, talk with them, and form an even stronger bond. Ultimately, a convention would be nice, but I don't think that is in the budget!

5. To Travel and see an OceanI want to travel. Maybe I can go visit some ficly people, but ultimately I want to swim with some dolphins, go to a real beach, see the ocean, and a few other landmarks. I never went on a family vacation as a child, so this desire is rather strong. We've gone to a few local places, in the state, but never something huge. One goal is to go on a cruise. Not only would that constitute seeing an ocean, but it also would mean traveling outside the midwest to a port. I think the family would also like a train ride one day.

What do you value most? When it all comes down to it, we treasure our relationships, because they lift us up, and the memories we create will last longer than any job, or material object.


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