Let's Try This Again...

So after taking 2+ years off from blogging, I decided to try it again. My wife recently gave it a try and so I thought I would also pick it up again. Life has changed quite a bit since then. However, I got a chuckle out of reading through my old posts. It brought back some good memories.

When I finished with my undergrad degree in 2008, I had not clue what the next 2 years would look like. Obviously, no one could have forecasted the single largest economic collapse since the great depression, but lets not make excuses. Hindsight is always 20/20 but I think we have fared well enough. Certainly, Life is Good. Both Amanda and I are excited about our future. We may not know what it has in store but that is part of the excitement!

It is interesting to see how much I have changed in the last 2 years. Specifically, my views and opinions on the politics, economics, and our personal finances. I spent 4 years learning how to best diversify risk, minimize risks and maximize potential revenues, but all of that theory didn't do so well when I applied to my budget. Oddly enough, I took the polar opposite view of personal debt and we are trying to eliminate it from our lives.

At the end of 2008, my disgust for the republican party hit an all time high. The promise of a renewed commitment to education, a responsible end to the Iraq war and a the end of bi-partisanship in Washington sounded so appealing. However, the current Congress has increased the national deficit just as much as the prior one so I think all hopes are lost. I'll say this, the math is quite simple. Decreased tax revenue + increase in gov't spending = unsustainable deficits. Something has to give, somewhere.

After 6 years, I finally have the end in sight. This December, I will be done with my Master's and have pledged to take a break. Partly because my lenders really want me to repay the student loans and the other part is that I am really getting burned out. School has almost become an addiction. At times I feel like I could become a career student. Then finals role around and I swear I will never take another class again. I really do enjoy being in the classroom and I honestly think this is what I want to do with my life. However, I do not have enough gray hairs to start teaching right away. I plan to take a few years off and would like to start a PhD by the time I am 30. I think that is an attainable goal.

Below is a recent picture of Amanda and my Grandma Tourny on Vashon Island, WA.