I meant to write my usual “little things for which i am thankful” post last week, I really did. But between working all of my three jobs, and taking a motorcycle class this past weekend (ahem, I passed!!) it just didn’t happen. So, yes, that was a really exciting weekend for me! Met a lot of nice people and had a lot of fun. And I survived!!
So, um, why did I take a motorcycle class?? Well, I want to buy a scooter (which technically is a motorcycle, just one with an automatic transmission). In MA, if you want one that is more than 49cc, or goes faster than about 25 mph, you need to have a motorcycle endorsement on your license (if you’re like me, and already have the regular Class D one.) I saw the class was being offered this past weekend when by luck, I didn’t have to work either day, and I signed up. Yes, it was $285, but it was money well spent. You spend about 9 hours on the bikes out of the two days (which is a lot, trust me) and the instructors are so patient and helpful.
So….musings….I was thinking as I was on my way to the class this past Saturday morning – just what would my ex-husband say if he saw me now? Or my ex-boyfriend? Neither would probably believe it. And that’s important to me because it shows how far I have come! 🙂 I am so NOT the person either of them knew!
A favorite song of my ex-boyfriend was Pontoon by Little Big Town. I had completely forgotten that I had it downloaded on my iPod until it started playing on Monday morning while on my run. And you know what? It was bittersweet. And that tells me that I am healing or more possibly accurate, have healed from that time in my life. I remembered the good times, how he used to turn the stereo up a lot louder every time it came on and how he used to smile when he heard it. (He may have been born in the SW part of the US, but he is a southern boy through and through!)
But that’s it – I only thought of happy times with him, and while I was sorry it didn’t work out, I know it’s for the best. My heart and my mind are in tune with each other on this. It was when I started dating him that I realized there is a way of living without debt. And he introduced me to Dave Ramsey and his philosophies (of which I agree with many, but not all), so those are two really good things that came out of that relationship. He also taught me that yes, I am loveable, and can actually care about someone again. That’s saying a lot because after my divorce, I was worried I wasn’t worthy of anyone else’s love, and that I was destined to be alone for the rest of my life. The difference between now and then is that these days, I’m ok with being on my own for what will probably be the foreseeable future.
You will see from the picture above that my Bonkers, my elder statesman, made the acquaintance of some doctors at Angell Memorial Hospital, which is very well known in this area for their level of care. I took him to my vet on Monday, thinking all he needed was an enema (lovely, I know.) I was bit worried because his bum looked sore and he had just had an enema two weeks before. So, long story short, he needed to go to Angell, where he could be sedated and looked at by a few doctors, one being a surgeon, to see if he had a hernia. Thankfully for him (and my wallet), he didn’t have a hernia. So instead of looking at what could have been a bill for $3500-4000, I got one for $1680. Relatively, a bargain!
But, it’s all worth it in my book to see him sitting in his cat bed and looking out the kitchen window. It’s amazing how even just one day at home and he looks so much more relaxed than he did yesterday when I picked him up. He knows he’s home. (He needs to go back for a check up next week just to make sure everything’s healing ok – he also had a rupture) but that’s just a quick in-and-out visit. 🙂 I am so glad he was taken care of, and he’s feeling better. I’m so grateful for the amazing care they took of him, and also that they called to update me on his progress at least twice a day. This picture was even texted to me by the hospital on Tuesday night – how sweet was that? It came with a note that said “good night from Bonkers.” And I’m so grateful to his regular vet for having called me tonight to check on his progress after she got the report from Angell about him.
My author is now on vacation until the beginning of September so my work will die down in that area just as the school year ramps up. She was also very pleased with my work that I did over the past few weeks, which always makes me feel good to hear. And, I’ve been given a few extra shifts at the gym through the month of September, which definitely comes in handy with Bonkers’ vet bills. And last but not least, I am very grateful that I have taken care of things in my life so that when this emergency came up, I wasn’t panicked about how I was going to pay for it. I knew I could. A few years ago, when my Chloe got sick, I was worried about if she would need surgery and how I would find the funds to pay for it. (Luckily, it didn’t come to that.)
My apologies for not posting my weekly gratitude post last week – as you can see, it’s been an insane two weeks! But, it’s all good. It’s all forward progress, even when the obstacles are thrown into your way. It’s just a matter of how you deal with them that changes. With that, I wish all of you a great weekend.
If you’ve liked this post, please hit like or subscribe, or drop me a line below! Thank you for reading!
Chasing Simple Dreams 
Always good to read your posts. No need to apologize for the delay. I just don’t want to avoid the sidewalk if I see you coming down the road with a motorcycle 🙂 So take all the time you need to learn. lol Have a wonderful weekend too!!
Just stumbled across your blog from your posting on interstellar orchard. Read some of your posts and it looks like you are making progress towards your rv life. Washington would be a great state to live in. I believe that is your destination ? Right?? I’m in Kansas and just put my house up for sale so I can become nomadic. Not sure which rv I’ll be getting yet but with all the youtube channels out there, I’m learning a lot.
Yes, memories of an ex can be bittersweet. I divorced 4 yrs ago so I know the feeling. Take care!!
Gary, thank you so much for taking the time to read through my blog and to leave a comment! Becky is so inspiring and her posts are well thought out and organized. She has me so thinking of so many possibilities now! I am definitely working on getting towards the RV life, and if I will be stationary in one spot, yes, WA state will be the place. I like the climate – I can deal with rain (it’s the snow I have had enough with). That’s so awesome you are going to go nomadic!! Are you thinking of doing workamping? I definitely think a Class C is what I need because of my pets, but as to how long, that will remain to be seen. I have an idea of what size I need so that they all have their own “spaces.” And I have my money saved for it now – it’s such a good feeling to see that sitting in my bank account. Now I”m downsizing, downsizing, downsizing as much as I can until April when I hope to have it and have it parked in a friend’s driveway/yard for a few months.
It sounds like you are making great progress on your loan paydown and savings. I believe I’m also opting for a Class C. Lol, I’ve even been watching vids of people living in a van….which may be a bit too radical starting off. I guess if it was too tight, I could always buy a travel trailer to pull behind it.
Yes, downsizing is a pain. I’ve been having garage sales, posting on craigslist. Most of my possesions are just “stuff” to me, besides some keepsakes and my bass guitar equipment. I’ll be glad to see most of this stuff GONE !! Oh, how do your friends and family view your RV plans? I’m 54 and my family thinks I’m nuts…but I don’t care….my kids are raised and I’m finally going to do what I want, because life is short.
My situation is a little different to yours in that I have no debt so when the house sells, it’s pure profit. I’ll use that money to buy the RV and hopefully have a good cushion to rely upon for a while. I do plan on working while on the road…not sure at what..yet. Something online or monetized youtube vids about the rv life. lol.
This kind of lifestyle I’m sure will take a hit on my dating life, but, it’s not all that great NOW. How about you? Have you thought about it? I’m just guessing that a lot of people wouldn’t understand the RV fulltiming things.
Sorry I rambled so much! Keep up the good work Terry!! P.S. I love your electric bike.
My younger brother thinks it’s awesome, my older sister and one brother are a little more wary and hesitant about the idea, and I have an oldest brother whose wife writes this blog, It’s Not a Slow Car, It’s a Fast House and they are super close to going on the road! They are both in their 50s, and I think it’s awesome.
Yes, I’ve seen the folks in the vans, and to me, that’s just too small. I have 5 cats and a small dog, chihuahua, and they need more room. I do too. I thought of the fact that it might be harder to meet people, in a romantic sense, but honestly, I’m fine with being on my own. I’m just not interested in the dating thing right now – I’m so busy with so many jobs and making preparations! 🙂 Oh, and thanks – I love my bike too!!!
Oh, and unfortunately even when I get the LAL loan paid down, that just means my loan balances are right below 100K, but if I think about it for too long, it becomes crippling. I just keep plugging away.
That’s right, when a person dwells on things too long it can be terribly counter productive and seems to take focus away from what needs done. A person can only do so much ! I’m experiencing that right now; the house has only been on the market for 3 days….but I have to constantly make sure it’s in showing condition because I never know when the realtor may call wanting to show it, and I’m constantly learning about what I need to know about rv-ing. I know quite a bit just from being an outdoorsman but the nuances of finding places to park and have wif-fi and all that stuff…I’m still learning. It really will be a life-changing event…but I’m sooooooo ready. I hope to be outta here before the snow blows….not sure I can take another winter in Kansas (extreme cold in winter/ extreme heat in summer). If things go as planned (yeah right), I’ll be heading south for winter and then spend my summers in Oregon or Washington and travel with the elevations for comfort.
I’ll definately check out your sister-in-laws blog. If you are ever on youtube check out “Don Carpenter” you may have to type “rv living” next to it….but he’s in Oregon and has an interesting philosophy on rv living…..and saving a ton of money in the process.
I can see where you need a lot of room for your pets. You seem Cool Terri !! I admire your determination…not to mention….your good looks 😉 It’ll be interesting watching your dreams progress into reality.
Oh, bye-the-way, my youtube channel is “sonnybassvids” (Sonny Bass is my stage name).
TTYL !!
Hi Gary, I will be sure to check out your youtube channel – thanks for the info on how to find you (and that guy, Don.) If you have never been to the Oregon coast, you HAVE to go – oh my god. So freaking gorgeous!! It’s really like nothing else. The east coast can’t hold a candle to it, no way. I have known people who have had to keep the house immaculate when it was for sale – hopefully you can have an open house and you have it priced right and you can get an offer soon.
Thanks for the info on Kansas – I was thinking about working for Amazon next fall as a possiblity but I had heard that about the weather – the extremes. What is it like in Coffeyville, if you know?
And thanks for the very kind words!
I just checked out Don Carpenter’s youtube channel – Yep, I’ve seen him! He sometimes go off on these rants, they are funny.
Hi Terri. I’ve never been to Oregon but have seen a lot of pictures and vids of it, and can’t wait to check it out for myself. I’ve read that there is a “banana belt” located about 20 miles to the north of the California borderline where to temperature is mild all year long. Bookings-Harbor is the town. Sounds perfect !! I’ve never been to the east coast….well….I did fly to Melbourne, Fla. for my brothers wedding…but that’s it. It seems I’ve always gravitated to the west and NW.
I loved Yellowstone National Park and the Tetons…breathtaking views.
About Coffeyville, it’s only about 30 miles to the south of where I am in Burlingame, Ks. Temperatures are about the same there as they are here; EXTREME. I’ve been following Becky’s channel for a while and know that she had some pretty cold nights there. Not much going on in SE Kansas, It seems when I’ve gone through there, the towns were kind of poor and rundown. As far as Amazon as a place to work…I’m not sure. I know as for me, I hate production work.
So what was your major in college? Can you do anything online with it?
I just wanted to say that it’s great talking to someone else that has similar rv plans. I usually don’t respond to many posts but am glad I responded to yours. TTYL pretty lady !!
Gary, thank you, the feeling is mutual. I’ve never been to Yellowstone or the Tetons, but I definitely want to go to see both of them. I have also heard that about KS – the extremes in temps. I think I would rather be at the Kentucky or the TN locations. I would say Nevada would be my first choice but I heard that there have been some last minute changes to their start dates this year, and that kind of worries me that it could happen with so little notice.
My undergrad was an English degree, but I also have a law degree and masters in library science. I could definitely do a lot of my work online, but there are a lot of paid databases that I use now but won’t be available to me when I leave my job.
I can understand gravitating to the west coast over the east coast. It is much more open and peaceful, geography wise. Oh, and FL doesn’t look anything like it does up here in New England!