A Dual Purpose

Thank you Mother Nature! Ed's Mum is visiting from England. When we found out she was coming we wanted to plan things to do.... well... things are expensive. Almost immediately after she arrived it started to snow A LOT. This gave us something to do today! We went to the water and took some pictures and looked at all the snow. BRRRRR and pretty!

We are hoping to make our way down to Madison, thankfully we have some awesome relatives we can stay with. But, beyond that we will probably just be hanging out. Don't get me wrong, it's great to hang out. I just wish after she travelled so far we could show her more.

We thought of visiting my parents in AZ... the flights were kinda pricey. I'm guessing because it is warm there and cold here.

We thought of heading up to Door County and touring a winery... one night in Door County even at an AirBnB isn't all that affordable. Especially, when you add in food and gas expenses. 

Chicago is just a few hours away. So, we considered going there for a few days. FORGET ABOUT IT! The "attractions" and hotel prices were way more than we could afford. 

You may be looking at this list thinking we must make pennies if we can't afford any of this. This isn't true. I know plenty of people who make what we make and are able to visit these places. However, this is after planning to visit these places for awhile. We like to plan. I am DEFINITELY a planner. But, when we lived in China we didn't need to plan sooooo far in advance for these trips to make it work. On top of that, we've got other expenses this month that have to take priority over the fun stuff. 

For those of you who don't know. This blog serves a dual purpose.
1) I can update my friends and family on the weekly goings on in my life.
2) For those who are thinking of emigrating to America, I can give a first hand account of what it may be like.

When it comes to #2, this doesn't mean that this is what it will be like for everyone. But, when researching it myself I couldn't find much. There is TONS of information and help when you are going through the green card process. But, not so much afterwards. This is our story, I'd love to hear others!