Timeline

Our timeline seems to be ever changing. Last year it seemed so clear, this year there are more bumps in the path of where we want to go.

Some of our biggest wants have been to move down south, have Bill get a better and stable job, graduate college, and have another baby. Luckily, even with all of those bumps, these things are still true. They just need to be reorganized.

Right now, our timeline is this:

Get Bill a new job before Summer
We have been sending in applications and uploading his resume for the last week to different places. At least half of the places have called the very next morning. The one place we were hoping for, which is literally two blocks away (goodbye, gas bills!) wanted to give him an entry level position, which was about $10 too little an hour, so he had to decline but asked to be considered for a job that opens up that will pay more. But the place I really wanted him to get into has immediately offered him an interview for this week, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they offer him at least our minimum need. This job covers more IVF and med coverage than anywhere else in our area. Praying it goes well! The sooner he gets a new job, the better. Though I will mourn the loss of his first shift position now, as it has totally changed our lives for the better.

Get an Emergency Fund and Savings Fund
That's the big one for this year. Hopefully the new job, wherever it is, pays a little better than now so that working overtime would actually mean a chance to save money instead of just a chance to pay mortgage. I'll also be working towards this goal with a more rigorous food budget, small holidays, and cutting out eating out and any extras. I'll also be starting up a craft business, looking into at home jobs, becoming a travel agent from home, and writing for payment.

Graduate College (unsure if possible yet)
We're going in for a consult to the advisers next month to see where our credits lie. I'm two classes and a semester as a teacher's aid away from my Education Bachelors, but I might be even closer to an associate's if I can't make the Education semester work. Graduating in SOMETHING is the goal. Bill also has 2.5 years of high maths, sciences and gen eds under his belt and should qualify for an associate's in science. Making our college time count and getting to put a degree on our resumes before moving would be preferred.

Have a Baby or Babies
My goal is to start trying IVF by next spring or early summer 2017. I already know what RE and OB I want (since they're partners and work together and both have performed surgery on me, it's an easy choice) so I want to do it before we move. We have to get through the first trimester while here as well, as the RE usually monitors closely for that time. Since I'm a good candidate for IVF, I'm hoping it won't take more than the 3 standard cycles before conceiving, and then having a healthy pregnancy.

Move Down South
Which one is the bigger obstacle, having a baby or moving down south? I'm honestly not sure. Having a baby in this situation seems like a luck of the draw at this point, and there's not much we can do to help our chances. Moving, on the other hand, is risky. It's killing our credit, not having our stable home anymore, moving to somewhere totally new and away from everyone we know, and getting a new job and just starting over. It's the one I'm scared of the most, but I'm SO eager to do it. We're hoping to do it by the end of 2017, but that will greatly depend on how the baby stuff goes, and baby stuff is most important. We want to get out of this area asap, as it seems so draining and impossible to ever get ahead. But moving is such a big leap of faith. Wherever we end up, we'll be stuck at for at least 7 years due to bad credit. So there's a lot to plan for and no way to just jump in.