Work Hard, Play Hard

Life has been busy busy busy lately, but in a good way.  I’m so happy with where I am now and what I’m working towards.

I’ve been working hard to be able to afford the things that I need and the things that I want to do.  You have to work hard to play hard, and the things I want to play are expensive (horses, working with animals, etc.).

Right now, all I can afford with Orion is to board him and keep up with feed.  I’ve been trimming him myself, so that’s one cost down.  I plan to have his farrier out in the next few months to check him out officially, but I think he’s doing fine for the time being.  Since it’s been cold, his legs have been fine.  That cold seems to have the same affect as icing or clay poulticing his legs would - it keeps them cool and tight rather than allowing them to get swollen/inflamed as they occasionally do.  He hasn’t had a flare up for a little while now, which is good.  I’m saving up for more feed/supplements/gear to help him out in that department and to be able to do more with him.

I’ve been studying like crazy and acing all of my tests for my vet assistant program.  I love the material I’m going over, even the office stuff.  I’ve been looking at the syllabus for the course lately, and I know it’s about to start getting into tougher stuff, but I’m up for it.  I love what I’m doing.  The idea of working with animals, medicine, and getting to do office stuff? Heck yeah.  It pretty much rolls all of what I love to do into one, and I can’t wait to actually get a job in the field and start.

I’ve been working as many hours as I can get at work, and budgeting like crazy every day.  I’ve been paying super close attention to my budget (I’ve created a living, breathing Excel-sheet that is tweaked and updated every day or every other day) and attempting to only spend what I need.  I make the occasional Sheetz run, but for the last few weeks, that’s about it.  I got my yearly raise, and that has already started helping!  Tax refunds are awesome, and I’ve never appreciated them more than I have this year.  I finally am able to pay off all of my hospital bills from last summer because of the tax refund, and that feels so good to have it not hanging over my head anymore!  Part of what’s left from the refund will go toward my student loans, and the rest will go into savings.  

I’ve also been working hard to try to get back into shape and give one of the dogs in my apartment a little exercise each day.  Walking is invigorating and cathartic, and I love it.  So far this month, I’ve walked around 14 miles and have no plans to stop at that.  I use my Endomondo app to track everywhere I go and have joined a few challenges on there to motivate me.  But really, the biggest motivation comes from the fact that I can see and feel my body changing, even if it’s only in little ways right now.  The fact that it’s an amazing feeling being outside again (even in cold temps - I know how to layer and keep warm. Haha.).  Sometimes I seem to be the only one out walking because of the cold, but that’s fine with me.  I like it.

What has everyone else been up to lately?