I hope everyone is having an enjoyable Sunday. My post is a little off topic, but I wanted to talk about planning a head a little bit. Earlier this week I looked at my student loans statement. Since I decided to go back to graduate school, that meant new loans. Well, every so often I click on those new loans and it would read that nothing was due....yet....so, this week as I was making a payment on my smaller loan, when I just so happened to click on that other tab and came face to face with an incredibly large number due next month. I knew that loan would come up at some point, but it sure would have been nice to get some type of notification. (It completely caught me and my husband off guard). I don't know if I've stated this before, but it has been a real challenge to find school counseling work in the area where I live. There is high competition and no one wants to retire. A lot of the job descriptions state that you need 3+ more years of experience to even be considered. Needless to say that situation has become an even bigger concern. Since I couldn't go back in time and change my degree, I called the customer service department and spoke to a really wonderful and helpful woman about what I should do. She suggested that I lower the payments or defer. (I should mention that both options add much more to the loan in the long run, but I really didn't have a choice. I ended up applying for deferment while still paying the interest so that when the loan does become due, that is not added on. Well, I finally checked earlier this week and both of my loans have been deferred and I don't have to pay the interest!! (at least for another 6 months, at which time I hope to be working at a school or if not, then I'll see if I can apply for it again)
Another this is that we have a dog!
Meet Darwin! He's a two and a half year old Bichon who is the cutest thing ever!
The first day he was home, he was all out of sorts.
And extremely tired!
My husband and I talked about getting a dog, so this past Tuesday, I went to our local SPCA and must have spent a good two hours look at all the adoptable dogs. While there, I signed up for their "Pet Connect" program, where you pay 100 dollars, specify which type of dog you want and your case worker will call when they receive the type(s) you are looking for. So, I ended up leaving not really seeing anything and she had told me that it could take months to find. So, I'm in line at Panera when I receive a phone call and when I answered, she told me that one of the dogs I had listed has just come out of grooming. I could sense the urgency in her voice as she stated that many other people had noticed him and were asking about him. As another part of the program, they hold the dog in your name until you and all family members in your household visit with the dog. My husband ended up getting out of work early and next thing you know, we have a dog! (Was NOT expecting all of that to happen on one day). Thankfully we already have a fenced in yard for him to run around in, but it really has been an adjustment for us. I know it's a little different, but I can almost relate to what it's like to have a child in the home. He does something new everyday and we jump up and down at his accomplishments as he adjusts to his new home.
We are not sure what will come next, and ideally we liked to be prepared for all of life's changes, but I think the most important thing from this is being able to roll with the unexpected, assess the situation and take a course of action you believe is right for you and your family.
"Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy".
Lao Tzu
Lao Tzu
Until next time!
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