With the help of my wonderful husband, I was able to obtain my jackal mount. It wasn’t a particularly involved process, we needed to have 200 contracts on us (zone currency), along with 20 gold, and complete a heart in an area. I had enough contracts after to also purchase the mini (I’ve been collecting them at a snail pace) and then it took a bit of time to get used to the actual mount, but I think I like it more than my raptor. When you hit the space bar (twice) your jackal turns to sand, allowing you to dash forward. Instead of having only two jump abilities before requiring recharging, you have three by default (no idea if this can be extended with PoF masteries, I haven’t looked into it much yet).
We also progressed our personal stories quite a bit and entered a really neat tomb and then a personal library that was amazing. I spent some time collecting books and I’m just shy of 4,000 achievement points, which don’t really have a meaning but are something that I like to work on and it lets me see some progress in a game that doesn’t really have gear or level increases.
Over all, I’m really enjoying my time in GW2, and of course a huge portion of that is because my husband is managing to find time here and there to play with me. Games without subscriptions are certainly an easier way to go for a busy family. As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!