spending hiatus: week eight

omgosh guys, i fell off the wagon. i might was well be drowning in the river of guilt, because the last three weeks have been bad. bad, bad. you may have assumed that i wasn't giving the weekly update because i was away on a whirlwind roadtrip, but in reality, i was avoiding the shame. it turns out saving money while traveling and hosting guests is nearly impossible. but, here's the saving grace: i don't feel sick to my stomach about it. i actually feel whole. and wealthy. and wonderful. because the past three weeks were filled with treasure of the family kind. and i'm okay with that. 
culprits: i'm a host at heart. i always want people to feel comfortable and welcome and entertained. plus, i want everyone to like me. it's a sickness. [for my own sanity, if you don't like me... fake it. please.] this disease often leads me to make everything just perfect and subsequently spending money to make it so. again, i'm okay with it. i can't think of any better way to dish out the dinero.
lessons learned: it's not the dinners, drinks and decorations that make guests happy. it is the company, camaraderie and comfort. it would serve me well to step back and remember the purpose of it all. to simply be together.
eye on the prize: i purchased one of the big ticket items earlier this month and about six weeks too early. but sometimes an opportunity presents itself and you can't turn away. there's a lot more on the horizon that needs to come back into focus and motivate me to get back on the track to success. so let's jump on, the train's a comin'. she's back.