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The Groovies are movin’ and groovin’ in 2018. For starters, we begin our home-building and relocation adventure. Then, Mr. Groovy is publishing his first ebook this spring. And finally, we plan to grow his Talking Trash With Mr. Groovy vlog on YouTube. Here’s what’s in store:
Groovy Ranch
A few weeks ago we purchased 3.3 acres a half hour away from Wake Forest, NC, where Mr. Groovy’s family lives. We haven’t even received the deed yet although we know the sale was recorded at the courthouse. Our immediate goals are to finalize a home design and decide on a builder.
Mr. Groovy began chronicling the trials and tribulations of building a home with his weekly Groovy Ranch Update series. In Update 1, he revealed our first two fights about Groovy Ranch. He’ll also be rolling out a new feature called The Fight-O-Meter. The Fight-O-Meter will tally the number of arguments we have while building our new home. And while Groovy Ranch updates will be Mr. Groovy’s baby, I’m sure I’ll be jumping in there from time-to-time to add, shall we say, some clarification.
Healthcare
I don’t want to put the whammy on us (to use an expression of Mr. Groovy’s)—but so far Obamacare has been a breeze. Enrolling, verifying income, and using Blue Cross Blue Shield has gone off without a hitch. However, we may find ourselves in a complex situation when we sell our house.
Once our current home is under contract we plan to live temporarily with my Groovy In-Laws (thanks Groovy MiL!). However, the county in which they reside is different from the one we’re relocating to—and Obamacare plans are tied to your county.
Since we don’t yet have a real street address at our home site, we may need to establish our home mailing address with my in-laws temporarily. That means possibly changing our health insurance plans twice. But I don’t expect too much of a hassle because we’ll still be with the same insurer. Blue Cross Blue Shield is the only insurance company in the Obamacare exchange system for the entire state of North Carolina.
Podcasts
We’re excited about a new podcast joining the community called Countdown to FI. Countdown to FI is hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Countdown (Mr. and Mrs. CTF) who are chronicling—you guessed it—their countdown to FI! They both have government jobs with moderate salaries, and two elementary-school age children. Mr. Groovy will be taping an episode with the CTFs in March. Also on the agenda for March is an episode of Stacking Benjamins—this marks a second appearance for the Groovy household. But this time I’m taking the seat at the round table!
Podcast interviews are a great vehicle for Mr. Groovy getting out into the community and improving his public speaking skills. One of the reasons he started Talking Trash With Mr. Groovy was to force himself to talk to an audience. I don’t think he sounds uncomfortable when he records, but as someone living with him, I know he feels uncomfortable (as evidenced by his shot of moonshine pre-taping)!
I’m a bit more at ease with public speaking and it will be interesting to see how I do. No matter what, after my episode of Stacking Benjamins airs, it’s payback time! Since I always give Mr. Groovy feedback on his appearances, he can’t wait to critique me. Although I think I’m fairly kind (if you can imagine that)—it just gets his goat that my pointers are usually spot-on (to steal another phrase from Mr. Groovy).
My main gripe with my husband and his podcast appearances is that whenever he’s given an opportunity for self-promotion, he would rather heap praise on someone else—anyone but himself! Oh, the joys of living with a self-deprecating genius!
Talking Trash with Mr. Groovy
Watch for one new episode a week of Talking Trash and one remote episode per month. Thanks to the WoWs at Waffles on Wednesday, Mr. Groovy has the means to talk to another blogger or reader and capture audio/video while he or she is picking up litter anywhere else. I’m also joining the technical effort to add some spit and polish to the production. More importantly, I’ll be reaching out to potential guests and concentrating on marketing.
Does anyone want to talk trash? Near North Carolina or remotely from another region? Give us a shout.
Author! Author!
Mr. Groovy’s first ebook, called “The Groovy Guide to Financial Independence” hits the shelves (on Amazon) this spring. I think y’all will enjoy it since it’s infused with Mr. Groovy’s inimitable writing style. He commissioned a wonderfully gifted artist for the book’s images but he’s not revealing who he or she is yet. Let’s just say Mr. Groovy found this artist via someone we know and love in the blogging community!
Friendship
We look forward to meeting so many of our partners in crime in the blogging community this year at FinCon 2018. 2017 was a banner year for turning great online connections into real life friends. Just this weekend we finally squeezed in a second visit with Claudia and Garrett Pennington from Two Cup House. And my belly will never be the same. We showed Claudia and Garrett our favorite barbecue and fried pickle haunts around Charlotte. We also drank lots of wine (thanks for bringing the good stuff from PA, you two) over two very long games of Scrabble. We’re such thrill-seekers, aren’t we now?
New Year’s Resolutions
Since we didn’t reveal our New Year’s resolutions at the end of 2017, this would not be a proper first post of the new year if I didn’t spill the beans. But alas—I have none.
Believe me there’s tons of room for improvement for the Fabulous Mrs. Groovy, but I’m not a New Year’s resolutions kinda gal. However, I do plan to get back into singing, as a hobby, this year. I’ve sung somewhat professionally ions ago (clubs, cabaret, musical theater, choirs) and I’d like to join a chorus or do some community theater when we move. In the meantime, I’m putting out the word—if anyone needs an intro sung for a podcast, I’m available.
Mr. Groovy, on the other hand, loves to challenge himself with New Year’s resolutions. This year he vowed to cut out his YouTube watching and just stick to viewing documentaries for educational purposes, and the occasional movie on the weekend. But no more of that personal commentary shtick he’s been filling his brain with while eating breakfast, sitting on the sofa, or “relaxing” in the bathroom. He wants to spend more time on the written word—be that reading or writing—which provides him with real value, insights, and knowledge.
Mr. Groovy’s second New Year’s resolution is to eat no fast food in 2018, except for when we travel.
Unfortunately, he felt the need to get his last supper in on December 31st. Our car still smells like Taco Bell.
We want to feature guest pickers and remote pickers on Talking Trash this year. If any blogger or reader wants to Talk Trash in person, or remote from where you live, give us a shout. And don’t forget to subscribe to Freedom Is Groovy on YouTube for all episodes of Talking Trash With Mr. Groovy.
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