Book Of Likes Faces

I need to tell this to others who will understand. My husband passed away recently, and he is the only one who would have fully understood... In March of 1992 my husband and I moved from St Louis to the country in Central IL. We bought a house - during either a strike or layoff, I don't remember which - of the local heavy equipment manufacturer, so people were trying hard to unload anything they could think of, including houses. We paid $25,400 for a pretty decent-sized house on 1 acre and secured a 30 year mortgage. Over the years that house managed to increase in value, and pre-frugal living me did not hesitant to refinance and take the equity out. I know we refinanced at least three times over the years, the last time in 2006, when we financed $98,000. Somewhere along the line, I changed my thinking and started my carefully planned budget. I have nickel and dimed that house for the past few years, and I really doubled down for the past three. On June 7, 2022, I finally paid it off. Sent a little 'yippee' heavenward to my husband when I dropped that envelope in the big blue mailbox. I am SO proud of myself. The kids and I have scraped by on a lot of things since Dad died, but we made it. We finally made it. Yay for me!!