Have You Ever Won The Lottery?

Do you believe in weird twists of fate?

I don't and no, I don't play the lottery.  The answer in my life has always been to work your ass off and hopefully you will get ahead.  If not, work your ass off in a different angle for the problem and just keep chipping away at that.  After you've exhausted all angles and are or are not ahead, you make a Plan Z and get on with things

I consider our household fairly normal by American standards.  We have a reasonable (ok higher than it should be but manageable) amount of debt, I have expensive hobbies but I try to do everything on the cheap when I can and save the money for things you can't short cut.  I'm cunning, I'm clever, I make it all work.  I have a plan that everything will be paid off by 2019 except the house.  That includes the existing debt plus a new horse trailer (if I want) and a new truck for hubby (if he wants) and a few other farm related things to make life easier.  It was an easy but well thought out plan and all I had to do in the meantime was work on me, work on my horses, work on school, and well, work.

Its not magical, its not mythical, its going to be doable and I'm going to make it happen.

But then that all changed this year.  March specifically.

I'm not sure what I did to become this fortunate but I have.  Maybe all that hard work and do or die effort has paid off, maybe I really might be lucky in this ONE time of my life where all that struggle pays off.  Maybe my grandmother is just amazing in more ways than I know? 

So backing up, my grandmother passed right after Christmas.  I'm so familiar with death and this wasn't a super big surprise so we did our family thing and moved on.  My mom called me a few weeks later to say that I was in the will and I'd be getting some money but not to get excited.  I shrugged because the information she gave me was vague and I'm thinking $500-5000.  When I got it, I'd deal with it and I was just flattered/shocked/slightly guilty to be benefiting from her death.

Now its March and my Mom tells me the money is coming this week.  I'm like ok, cool.  She says some other cryptic things but no actual amount so I'm like neat.  Thanks Oma!  I don't recall where I was when she called with the actual amount, but my jaw dropped.  I was definitely in shock.  The next day, the money was in my account and I... had no idea how to cope with this amount.  No, I won't say how much exactly but we're talking life alteringly huge amount.

I struggled back to my office and sat down dazed.  And then I paid off all the credit cards.  Like boom.  The idea that I didn't have to work ever again crossed my mind.  I just... sat.  There are no words for when this happens, especially when you're as insane about working to get ahead as I am and used to being beaten down by life and picking yourself up again to laugh/cry and try again.  When someone has handed you a golden ticket its hard to take it when the moment comes.  But I've got a golden ticket.

And my five year plan was paid off in a week.  I don't know what to do from here but I'll figure it out.  I always do. 

Thanks Oma, with all my heart and soul, thanks for taking care of us always.

New 2+1 trailer after I sold my other one.  No words.