Stephen Yeargin

Vacation season is upon us with schools out for the summer and the weather warming up. My inbox has been filled lately of out of office notes and even a few e-mails at home to friends have come back a few days later with an apology for not being around to answer them sooner. I am not nearly as connected as a few of my friends, particularly the Blackberry toting variety. Other than my cell phone, I do not own anything that could be taken with me on a trip to keep “plugged in.” Sure, curiosity will get the best of me and I would want to know if I had any personal e-mails waiting, but I really do not have much a need for staying connected.

I joked today that I wish I could sell off my vacation days in order to pay for a nicer break on down the road. I was only half-joking. My wife and I have yet to take a honeymoon after 1.5 years of marriage, but cost-effective travel plans keep getting less and less cost-effective. It will probably be after my vacation days renew in October before we could seriously plan something without derailing our other financial goals. We are carpooling this week while Samantha’s car is in for brake repairs, but as we work in different directions from home, that will not save much in gas. The new car purchase has been delayed to see if fuel economy can be further improved upon. My consumer confidence is down, too.

Speaking of those other mysterious goals, we occasionally spend a weekend afternoon every now and then driving through Nashville neighborhoods. It leaves us with a bit of hope (home prices are still falling, though not as quickly as the national average) and a bit of anxiety. We have ten months left on our recently renewed apartment lease, so falling in love with trendy neighborhoods in East Nashville leaves us feeling a bit shortchanged. These are exciting yet uncertain times.

In contrast to all of that, I am optimistic that the challenges ahead can be overcome. We know that we are fortunate to be where we are at this stage. I married an A-list financial planner that has managed to keep me from even wanting flat panel televisions or a new computer. I can still talk her into a few things, like the Lego Indiana Jones game for the Wii. I am still laughing after watching the trailer.