Location, location, location

Terri
Fancy, who has changed my life's course. Quite literally.
Fancy, who has changed my life’s course. Quite literally.

I hope everyone had a great holiday – Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, whatever you celebrate! I also hope everyone will have a great new year. My friends and I are in the mood for a mellow NYE this year, so we’re just hanging out at a friend’s house and will have a game night.  Last year was fun, just a bit expensive. Every New Year’s Eve is super expensive in the Boston area.

Melissa, the barn cat (aka "the creeper" because she is skiddish around humans but creeps around to keep an eye on what we are doing in the barn. Super cute.)
Melissa, the barn cat (aka “the creeper” because she is skiddish around humans but creeps around to keep an eye on what we are doing in the barn. Super cute.)

So, before the Christmas break from work (I work in academia so I’m off this week from the full-time job) I was talking with some good friends at work. I was telling them about my plans to move to NC. They were worried that I might not fit in there, and because they consider me super high-energy (to put it nicely, others might think I’m hyper), things might not move quickly enough for me. LOL.  I’m also pretty liberal so they worry I might not feel completely comfortable there – I’ve been told that a lot of the NC coast could be considered to have voted “red.” They asked me about working in other states since I want to try working with large animals, and the subject of Kentucky came up. They also mentioned some southwestern states, and places like the Dakotas, Wyoming, etc. Most of these states, I would love love love to visit. But to spend a winter in Wyoming? No thanks.

Kentucky had already crossed my radar a little while back, for the fact that it is known to be quite beautiful in certain parts, like in horse country. And living somewhere beautiful is definitely high on my list of priorities. I’ve lived in ugly places in the past (sorry, Northeast Philly, but I’m looking at you) and while the living was cheap, I don’t want to do that again if I don’t have to. Then, I spent a few mornings with Fancy, the horse at the ARL in Dedham – see her pics at the beginning and ending of this post. (By the way, she is available for adoption!!! And she’s a thoroughbred.)   And it just hit me. I need to work with animals like her!

I have been thinking of working with large animals already, and when I did some further research, I saw that being an equine vet tech is actually considered a specialty subset of being a vet tech. So that’s my plan as of now. I know I will try to work in a companion-animal vet’s practice during school, and who knows? We’ll see what happens.   As I said to my mom the other day when telling her of my decision, I can’t adopt a horse and bring it home with me, whereas when I am around cats and dogs, I just want to save them all and bring them home with me. 🙂  Needless to say, she was relieved to hear that since I already have five cats and a dog! She was also a little surprised though, as she said “you never learned to ride as a kid” and I said, well I’ve always loved horses (she must not have remembered.) And well, I knew we couldn’t afford riding lessons or anything like that so I never asked for them. No use making my mom feel bad about something she had not much control over, which was our finances.

So…Lexington, Kentucky is located within Fayette County, where there are 150 horse farms out of the total of 450 that exist in the state of Kentucky at large. I’ve done some preliminary research and the standard of living is WAY cheaper than in the Boston area. No big surprise there, of course. I was astounded to see what $500 will get you for a rental unit. Then, just for fits and giggles, I decided to look at prices of condos and they blew me away even more! You can buy a condo in Lexington, KY for what would simply amount to your down payment for a condo in this area. It’s completely insane!

Yes, Kentucky does get a tiny amount of snow but it is nothing compared to Boston in winter. So I can handle that. My plan is to go out there at least once beforehand, and spend some time there, observing neighborhoods at multiple times of days, and probably go back out again another time to meet with a realtor and firm something up. My mom has offered to go with me which could definitely help, having another person’s opinions. (Just gotta remember they are my mom’s…)

Close-up of Fancy in the barn.
Close-up of Fancy in the barn.

I hope you will all have a great and safe New Year’s!

As always, if you have liked this post, please hit like, subscribe or drop me a comment below! And thanks for reading!

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Terri
Callie, asleep in her princess bed.
Callie, asleep in her princess bed.

For the life of me, I can’t remember who sang that song, Easy Like Sunday Morning (and maybe that’s not even the title of the song, but it’s those four words that have been running through my head today. Lionel Richie sang it, maybe?) Anyway… Read more →

A New Direction

Terri

Part of my inspiration for today’s post: 

Instead of my usual thankful post to end the week, I wanted to share some information about some decisions I’ve made about my life. Whereas before I was changing my mind almost week to week, this one has stuck, and when I see videos like this, it hits me in the gut that the decision I’m making now is the right one and probably one which I’ve been drawn to my whole life, but didn’t know how to properly act on.

In case you’re a recent reader, I’ll recap briefly. A few years ago, I thought, well, since I’m so interested in fitness, why not get certified to be a professional trainer? (This idea was prompted in part by many of my friends and coworkers saying to me, “you know, you should be a trainer!”) So I took two certification tests, and also took a few specialization tests, so I could work with a few different “populations” and I got a job at a fitness club so I could see what that life is like from the other side. I really kept telling myself that that was what I meant to do, even as I started to question things as I was studying for the second (and very difficult) certification test. And it started to nag at me that I wouldn’t be able to be outside more if I became a trainer, and of all the hours I would need to spend away from my animals. Then, I thought of living in an RV and doing the travel and workamping thing to support myself, but I realized that lifestyle might not be best for my animals, and also, it would likely not end up costing me less than living in a stationary place. That, and I do like some stability in my life. (This is not to say that I won’t ever end up full time RVing, just not right now.)

Then, I thought “well, maybe I should do some sort of survival program, or even go into organic farming.” Notice, both of those kinds of paths would keep me outdoors a lot. So that seemed to be a theme. I also found that I was happiest when around my pets. Yes, it’s the unconditional love thing at work, I am sure. But it’s also that animals don’t play politics, so we understand each other just fine. Because that’s one thing I just don’t do. Play politics and say yes until I feel like a bobblehead that’s been broken. It’s just not me and I will never apologize for it.

Then there is that punched-in-the-gut feeling I get whenever I read about animals being neglected or abused, or treated like they are just a thing without feelings or souls.  It makes me ashamed for not doing more to help them on a day to day basis. So, I’ve decided I am going to go back to school for an associates degree of applied science with a concentration in veterinary technology. My plan is to go through the formal application process over the next few months with Colby Community College, based out of Kansas. Yes, they are accredited by the AVMA, or I wouldn’t even consider the program. They have been quite responsive to my questions so far. They have just recently been accredited so I am sure they want to really get the word out.

I might be thought insane to do this at age 42, and I do know now that a lot of the job is learned on-the-job but I’ve always felt better also having the book knowledge behind me. Plus, while the program I will be going to will be a distance-based program, there are lots of requirements that will have me learning on the job. An externship/internship will be required, and I’m hoping that the fact that I am going to school for it will help me find a job working for a vet in a new location. And when there is time, I also want to be more involved in animals’ rights issues.

So, since I have been out of school for a while and I didn’t have the foresight as a teenager to take more AP classes than I did, I have a lot of prerequisites to catch up on, like Biology and Chemistry, etc. I will be taking three classes in the spring semester while working, and three over the summer as well. There is also a 1-credit class called Intro to Vet Technology that I have to take, so I’m hoping to squeeze that in by August. This schedule may seem a bit aggressive, or insane, to some, but when you finally figure out what your heart desires or what you really want to do with your life, you want that life to start NOW.  There is also the incentive to start now and take as many classes as I can because my employer will pay 75% of the tuition up to 10 credits taken per semester, even if the classes are not related to my current position. This, and the fact that I will be auditing the Animal Law class in the spring means it’s going to be animals, animals, and more animals for me this coming year!!

Just an aside – do you know how weird it felt to call up my high school last week and ask for my high school transcript? Talk about transported back into the past! Seeing those classes and grades listed again, there are no words….

By the way, I usually don’t get into politics on this blog, but I just have to say, this speech did bring some tears to my eyes and a big shit-eating grin to my face last night. Whatever you think of her, Elizabeth Warren is someone who is not afraid to call Bullshit when she sees it. She is my new role model. I’m hoping her husband’s door is open on Monday morning when I go into work so that I can say a personal thank you for her bravery for naming names and taking numbers. She might be one of the most hated women in certain circles, but what’s that saying? Quiet women never changed history.  And with that, I wish you a good weekend!

As always if you have liked this post, please hit like or subscribe, or leave a comment below!

Little Things for Which I am Thankful

Terri

Friday, people. It’s Friday. Thank freaking god.

My office mate is now officially gone to her new job on the other side of the country. Although I love having an office space all to myself, it’s just not the same. We shared an office for five years. You get used to the other person’s habits and quirks and we used to bounce ideas and questions off of each other pretty regularly. She knew all the business stuff and she knew the foreign and international treaty stuff so it worked well. I would hear the words “securities, equities, stocks” and start to hear “wa wa … wa wa wa” (those of you old enough to remember the Peanuts comics, just think of the voice you would hear every time a parent was talking) and she felt the same way every time mentioned “treaty” so like I said, it worked. So I’ve been kind of bummed this week, but now it’s the weekend.

Remember how I said I thought I had lost my wallet for good at the Animal Rescue League and I feared it might be in the manure pile?? Well, someone found it, thank God. I finally got my replacement zipcard so now I can actually go to the ARL and retrieve my wallet. And that means I can go and volunteer this weekend again, so yay, back to picking up poop and petting animals!

Not sure why, but two nights ago, I rode my bike home from work around the same time I usually do. I feel like lately it’s been pitch black at night every time, like I feel like it’s midnight, it’s so dark. That night, however, there was a gorgeous sunset and I was able to see it reflecting off of/over the Charles River. Just beautiful.

My list is short and sweet this week – I’ll be very honest, I’m just glad this week is about to come to an end because I’m just super tired.

But, if you have liked this post, please hit like or subscribe or drop me a line letting me know if there’s anything you feel thankful for in your life this week!

Getting Rid of My Debt: Learning from Others who are DOING IT!

Terri

I couldn’t sleep well the other night – kept waking up, and finally, at 2 a.m., just gave up and opened up my chromebook. I’ve started listening to some personal finance podcasts – not taking everything they say as gospel, of course, but just trying to keep an open mind about what others are thinking of doing, or have done, to improve their financial situations. (I’ve got a few linked on the right hand side of the page.)  And the other day, the Listen Money Matters! podcast interviewed a girl who paid off $28K in three years after she graduated from college. And no, she didn’t live at home, but she does live with her boyfriend so she is able to cut down on her rent costs. I started reading her blog, Debt Free After Three, and then it lead me to this other blog called Dear Debt, wherein people are encouraged to write a Dear John type of letter to their debts. Their debts are not limited to just student loans, but it seems like they are a big cause of angst and pain and frustration!! (Gee, I *think* I know what they feel like…..) Read more →

Depression

Terri
the reservoir right after sunset
the reservoir right after sunset

Please note, as you read this post, I don’t have medical training of any kind and depression is a very individual thing. What I’m writing below is just my own personal thoughts and experiences. If you think you are suffering from depression or anxiety, please see a doctor.

If I’ve never said this before, I’ll say it now. If you’ve never suffered from depression, I hope and pray that you never will. It’s not always obvious if someone is suffering from it. They don’t want around with a big huge D on their foreheads like in that book, The Scarlet Letter. You might think the person is being lazy, and the reality is that they can’t motivate themselves to get out of bed in the morning, or if they do, they feel like they are in a fog and just going through the motions.  You might think that they are just a negative person, when the reality is that their brain just won’t allow them to see any light in any circumstance. They might be using all of their energy just to get through the day. Or just through the next half hour.  Read more →

Little Things for Which I am Thankful

Terri
I'm very thankful for this little muffinhead! Baby O!
I’m very thankful for this little muffinhead! Baby O!

It’s Thanksgiving week, so there is a lot to be thankful for. The roof over my head and that of my animals (two of which are sleeping very close to me as I start typing this post).  The great meal that I have been invited to with the parents of my best friend. The extra hours I am working at the gym tomorrow and Saturday to keep plugging away and adding to my savings before my big move next year. Knowing my brother is traveling to my mom in upstate NY for the holiday so he won’t be alone. Having an awesome niece in MI who I love more than anything else being able to text back and forth with me regularly, on her mom’s phone. She’s amazingly fast and correct when she types – none of these stupid acronyms that most kids use!  (Although, yes, I do use a lot of acronyms myself when texting, lol)

Now, what’s not so great about this week is that somehow I lost my wallet earlier today when I was at the ARL down in Dedham taking care of the livestock. I retraced all of my steps and couldn’t find it. The only thing I didn’t do was to go through the manure dumpster. It’s the only place it could be now, so if nothing else, I’m grateful for knowing my bank card won’t get used fraudulently. If it is in there, no one is going in to get it, trust me. Have you ever smelled rooster poop?? Good God, it stinks!!

Ok, so picking up rooster and chicken poop and horse poop isn’t the most awesome job in the world. But you know what? I love being with the animals. I loved hearing the roosters and the chickens cooing as I took care of them, and especially when their feed bowls were replenished. One of the other volunteers said “ohhh they sound happy….”  This morning, Fancy, the beautiful horse, came right up to me when she saw me (they had kept her in the barn overnight due to the weather). She put her head next to mine and I got to pet her face and give her a kiss. I was like “yep, this is where I want to be right now.”

I’m grateful for having taken the Scribie transcription test last week and having passed it! Now I can start to do transcribing on my own time and make some extra money for emergencies, etc. It will also make me keep my listening skills strong, and that’s never a bad thing.

What kinds of things are you thankful for this week and this holiday?

 

 

 

Little Things for Which I am Thankful: Weekend Edition!

Terri
Mr. Billy Goat and his shy female friend. She's just beautiful up close.
Mr. Billy Goat and his shy female friend. She’s just beautiful up close.

I’m not going to put this in list order like I usually do, because, well, I’m just not in the mood and I feel like sometimes that breaks up the flow of my thoughts.

I have had a great weekend so far! Yesterday started out bright and early, about 5:30. I spent the morning with the barn animals at the Animal Rescue League from about 7:40-9:30 a.m. I learned how they take care of the pigs, pigeons, chickens and the outside animals too (goats, sheep, and horse.) And yes, I honestly had no problem dealing with animal poop! Maybe having the herd of my own to look after at home, it doesn’t phase me anymore. (Now, ask me to change a baby’s diaper and the thought terrifies me! LOL). When we were all done, I had about 45 minutes during which I could spend a little time socializing with the animals. This is exactly what it sounds like – getting them to feel more comfortable around humans. Read more →

Getting Rid of My Debt: FINALLY some good news (I think)

Terri

I called up Navient today – they are the company that has recently taken over my loans from that EVIL BEE-ATCH, Sallie Mae. Have to say, it was nice talking to someone who didn’t sound like she was reading from a script and could actually answer questions. When she heard that I had already been paying my loans for 17 years (and she could see my balances), she said “oh, that makes me feel sick.” I said “trust me, if it makes you feel sick, you have NO IDEA how sad it makes me feel.”

Someone commented last week that they know about “student loans” and they hear about “student loans” but it’s another story to see them. So I need to put down some cold, hard numbers here. In addition to my LAL loan (which is private) and has a current balance of $13,390.70, this is what is sitting there for my federal loans:

BIG DADDY (consists of my federal law school loans):

Loan 1-09: $44,347.24, interest rate of 7.5% (fixed), unsubsidized
Loan 1-10: $30,821.51, interest rate of 7.5% (fixed), subsidized

TOTAL: $75,168.75

SIMMONS (consists of my library science school loans)

Loan 1-07: $9,106.26, interest rate of 1.62% (fixed), subsidized
Loan 1-08: $14,081.79, interest rate of 1.62% (fixed), unsubsidized

TOTAL: $23,188.05

GRAND TOTAL of FEDERAL LOANS: $98,356.80

GRAND TOTAL of ALL LOANS: $111,747.50 (including my LAL of $13,390.70)
Anyone depressed yet?? This is what the loan system has turned into! This is after 17 years of paying on the $75K portion of Big Daddy and the LAL loans, and paying for 10 years of paying on Simmons Loans!!  Ok, I digress and will stop ranting.

So, the good news: next year, when I change my living situation and move (probably south, but definitely someplace warmer), I will apply for what is called and Income Based Repayment or IBR plan. With this plan, I will never have to pay more than 15% of my AGI as long as I keep reapplying for renewal of the status every 12 months.  I know that as a veterinary assistant, my salary might be somewhere in the 20-30K range (and the 30K range is kinda pushing it.) So I asked the Navient person to run some numbers, if I had an AGI of $25K and 20K, respectively. Whereas right now I am paying $538 a month just to keep my loan from growing, my payments would go down to about $93/month and $33/month, respectively.

What’s the catch? You know there had to be one, right? Of course there is. The catch is that the IBR plan will last for 25 years. At the end of the 25 years, whatever amount is not paid off will be forgiven. (There is some question as to whether that amount would then be imputed to you as taxable income for that year or not.)  So if I were to do something like that, it could be conceivable that I could be paying off law school (and Simmons) loans for 42 years. You read that right. 42 years. And that’s if I changed to that plan right now. However, changing to that plan right now would actually raise my monthly payments, likely to something around $700, so if I do switch repayment plans, it’s not going to happen right now. I’d be paying something like $1800 to save myself somewhere around $360 or $1080 (depending on how low my salary is) to end the loan 25 years from today instead of 25 years from next fall.

So here’s where I am at. I don’t love the idea of paying loans for another 25 years, obviously. I’m already 42. Who wants to pay until they are almost entitled to social security and are almost three times the age they were when they first got out of law school? (I was 24.)  However, since I feel like I have paid for these loans already at least twice, I don’t feel too badly about making the government wait and wait and wait to be paid these amounts, and to then be paying  smaller amount overall. I know as a vet assistant, it’s not like my salary is going to drastically change over the years. It’s not like I could ever make it back to the salary I am making right now, I know that for sure. And, since I have learned to live simply, I could maybe afford to save a bit at the same time too, so I’m not living hand to mouth. I still want to be able to save for retirement, even if it’s at a smaller rate per year. And keep away from the credit cards, because those can bury you. Luckily, I don’t have any of that debt right now. And I would hope that working as a vet assistant, I could maybe get a break on vet care for my herd. 🙂

Unfortunately, society just doesn’t place such a huge monetary value on those who care for animals. It’s not like I’d be running a huge investment bank or anything important like that, right? (Don’t even get me started on that kind of rant about executive compensation getting out of hand…again, I digress. Sorry.)

I do still plan on paying off that LAL loan by the time I move. I could pay it off right now – I have enough in savings, but it would definitely put a damper on what I have saved. And it feels good for  me to mentally keep looking at the savings balance I do have and know I’m getting somewhere. Right now, so much of my payment on that loan goes to principal, that my financial advisor suggested I keep hoarding cash and then take a look at things in the spring or summer and decide to pay it off then. That way if anything else happens in the meantime, expected or not, I’m prepared and have some liquidity.

I find it somewhat sad, but this actually seems like good news to me right now.  Any thoughts from any of you? If so, please drop me a note below.

And as always, if you have liked this post, please just hit like or subscribe!

My Winter Jacket is Hot Pink! (READ: Live your life!)

Terri
A little one that makes me smile every day, all day.
A little one that makes me smile every day, all day. This photo was taken by my friend Gail of Warmest Wags Pet Services.

There, I’ve said it. I’m a 42 year old woman who wears hot pink and is super proud of it. I don’t care what others think. And it’s so liberating!!

I was thinking about this this morning as I waited for the bus (after yesterday’s miserable bike rides back and forth to both jobs during the pouring rain, I decided to not ride in today with the temps in the 30s and the winds in the 20-30 mph range.) I got this jacket last week for $20 at a consignment shop when I was home with my mom in upstate NY.  Some might think I got it for the name on it (Calvin Klein) but really, I could care less. I would never pay for the name on anything!  I just knew I needed a warmer jacket than what I already had, and that it needed to not be made of animal products, and that would last me for this one winter season. Let me make that, my LAST winter season in the northeast! 🙂  And this jacket fit the bill. Made of all synthetic materials, will keep me warm (until it gets EXTREMELY cold and then I have another jacket I bought (with tags on) for $30.  I know it would have cost me about $200-300 if I bought it brand new. Score!

Seriously, how many people do you see walking around in warm winter coats that are all black? If I were to look and take a tally while on the bus, or on the T, I’m sure about 80% of the people would be in black. How depressing is that? And, more importantly, why?? Why all dress the same? Why all follow the same path in life? Go to work (which you may or may not like, most probably would say “not”), come home, eat, watch TV, sleep, get up, eat, and work out or get ready for work, and then commute to work. Repeat, more times in your life than is healthy.

You know what? When I look at that jacket, it makes me smile. It helps me to realize how far I’ve come and especially in the last year or two in growing and becoming more aware of what inspires me, motivates me, and makes me tick.

You know what? When I look at all of my five cats and my dog resting contentedly in my apartment, I smile. A lot of people would term me a Crazy Cat Lady because of how many I have. But I don’t care. They make me happy.

You know what? My ex boyfriend broke up with me for a few reasons, one being the different way we viewed animals. (He hunts, and thinks it’s ok to have a working dog like a hound stay outside all the time — luckily, for the dog he has now, he lives much further south.) Whereas at one point, I took his breaking up with me as a negative judgment on how I live my life and what I choose to care for and consider important, I now feel gratitude that that comment made me really take a hard look at my life. It made me realize you have to know what you feel in your heart is right. You need to know what touches you and gets you really fired up and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning.

What got me out of bed this morning was knowing that this afternoon I was going to be able to volunteer and learn about livestock animals. I met a horse, several chickens, a pig, and some goats and sheep.  I learned how to put the halter on the horse, how to lead it and also petted her quite a bit. She is about 15.2 hands tall, dark brown all over, and just has the most gorgeous brown eyes, and her name is Fancy.

One of the sheep came up to me and clearly wanted to be friends, as she let me pet her! Some of the goats in that paddock are very shy so it’s going to be my goal to get them to be more comfortable around humans. I figure, I can bring a warm thermos of something to drink and possibly a good book, and if I stand still long enough, they will become curious about me. If I can show them I’m not going to hurt them…they say that animals react to the energy you put out, so hopefully my energy will be one of calm and love and acceptance. Yes, even while cleaning up after them (READ: ahem, picking up poop, lol.)

I also heard from my local vet’s office last week about my inquiry into volunteering with them. They asked for my resume and availability, so I sent the resume off to them yesterday. Cross your fingers! They are part of the VCA animal hospital network, so I am hoping to see how a private vet office operates from an insider’s perspective, rather than as the person paying the vet bill. 🙂

One of my friends commented on my last post that I should do what makes me happy because people are going to judge me nonetheless, and that’s what I’m doing. And that is what I am hoping I can encourage all of you to do, if you haven’t begun doing so already!

Anyway, I just wanted to share how happy I felt this afternoon as I stood outside in the freezing cold but learned about something I think I am going to love doing.

As always, if you have liked this post, please hit like or subscribe! And stay tuned because I have some ideas for changes to the blog, in what I hope will be helpful (or at least entertaining) to many of you out there.