H.A. Larson's Blog, page 9

My Top 10 Tips for Life

1. Learn how to use public transportation
Learning how to use and be comfortable taking public transportation is a skill. It means that no matter where you go, you'll have no problem getting around - especially if you like to travel.

2. Use a checkbook register
I know, I know, checks are basically obsolete, but even if you strictly use a debit card, utilize a checkbook register. Knowing how much money you have without having to log into your bank app is the first step in getting hold of your finances.

3. Learn how to cook from scratch
Ever look around your kitchen and think, "There's nothing here to eat," all while knowing you have a bunch of ingredients? Learn to cook from scratch and you'll never go hungry.

4. Don't be afraid to try new things
Seriously, just don't. You'll never know unless you try, so why miss out?

5. Don't sweat the small stuff
Sweating the small stuff has only ever caused stress and anxiety. Save your worry and concern for bigger, more pressing issues.

6. Pick your battles
Some things just aren't worth the time to argue. Know when to let it go and walk away and when it's important enough to fight over.

7. Think before you speak
Take a second to consider the words you want to say, especially during important conversations. It makes a big difference, trust me.

8. Be intentional with your actions
Do things with intention and you'll never feel like you're wandering around blindly without a plan. Much like "think before you speak", think before you act.

9. Don't be in such a hurry
Time is fleeting and only moves quicker the older you get. Slow down and enjoy it more because you'll never get back the time you've already lost.

10. Put aside a little bit of money each time you get paid
It doesn't matter how much, just be consistent. Learning to save money has wide-ranging, long-term, healthy financial consequences.




 

Goals and Stuff

 

Alright, folks, new year new me. Right? Right! This year is shaping up to be great (no matter what that nagging little voice in my head tries to tell me) and it's high time I get some goals going. So, what are my goals for 2023? 


1. Get my physical health back on track
I fell off the health wagon over the past few years, gaining back a good chunk of the weight I had lost, getting lazy, and indulging in bad habits. Back in early November, I started back up with keto and started seeing some success when I decided to nose-dive into carbs over the Christmas Holiday and ride that wave out through the end of the year. Man, I felt it too. I'm back on keto as of the beginning of the year and can already feel an improvement. Carbs + me = bad.
After gaining back weight and moving in 2021, I tore the meniscus in my right knee and then a few months later in my left knee. This really put my walking/hiking on the back burner and started a long period of time where not being able to walk/hike just became the norm. I tried a few times in 2022 to pick them back up but the excess weight I am carrying only makes the meniscus problem worse. 
My goal is to get healthy and return to where I was in 2019. 


2. Get my mental health back on track
Honestly, I've never been someone who suffered from anything more than some seasonal or situational sadness or stress, but after the past few years of turmoil, my mental health needs a boost. No, I don't have any long-term issues, but my mental health took a back seat to other things that needed my attention and I carried an immense amount of stress because of it. This led to a lot of bad coping mechanisms - like eating too much, drinking too much, and not leaving my house much. 
I decided to take advantage of the employee assistance program that my employer provides and have made an appointment to talk to someone later this month. 


3. Have my emergency fund fully vested
I have been working, little by little, to build up six months' worth of an emergency fund. As long as nothing serious pops up, I'll have that goal realized by the end of February. It gives me comfort and a sense of security knowing that I can handle a true emergency.
While I keep my emergency fund in high-yield savings accounts, I do keep a small amount of cash in my local bank. I've decided to beef that up a bit as well. Why? Well, with inflation, things cost more and our paychecks don't go as far.


4. Inventory and build up my stockpile
I have a small stockpile of food that I keep well-stored. I've realized, again because of inflation, that I need to get it to a point where I feel satisfied that my daughter and I could live off just that for a solid month or two should we need to. I've even "shopped" my stockpile over the past handful of months to replenish items in my kitchen without having to go to the store. Hey, I bought them when they were much cheaper than now so I figured I should rebuild and shape the stockpile before prices rise even more....which I have no doubt will happen in the near future. I mean, have you seen the price of food? Do me a favor and don't even look at eggs. 
Just as important as having a proper stockpile, I realize that I need to have an accounting of exactly what items I have and how much. Makes sense as I don't need to overbuy certain items while ignoring others.


5. Get out and do more things
Because of the aforementioned hiding in my house, I haven't gotten out and about like I used to. Whether it's hiking, day trips, camping trips, getting out of Dodge for a weekend, etc, I have a severe lack of adventure in my life. A person like me, who struggles with wanderlust and itchy feet, I myself can't believe how little I've done with my life over the past few years. Not that it happened without reason, because it surely did, but I need to move on and get back out into the world. I need new places, new experiences, new food, and all other things new. At least new to me. Whatever it is, I'm going to fit as much in that works within my budget as far as domestic travel goes and make myself just get outside and about more in general - especially on the weekends.
Yes, I have grand plans to go back to Europe (my ultimate dream) but I am currently planning a realistic return for 2024. More to come on that in the future!
I do need to give myself a bit of credit though, I did do many fun things in 2022, just not to the degree that I normally would want to. 



6.  Dust off the old hobbies
I used to love to read books, write stories, go to concerts, and cook yummy food, among other things. My passion for these things waned with my life's struggles. That needs to change. Hobbies help keep us occupied, help bring meaning to our lives, and enrich us - things my life sorely needs. While I have no plans to go overboard on hobbies, I think I need to read a bit each night before bed (something I did without fail for years and years), hit up a few more concerts, and put together a meal that takes more than 30 seconds to prepare.




There you have it: goals I'm working on for this new year. There's nothing like a new year to bring about changes in one's life - myself included. I'm going to keep you all posted once a month on my progress. I figure it will keep me more accountable if I actually have to update people on my progress.

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.” —J.P. Morgan

I Rode out the Storm

 

For various reasons, the last three years of my life were hard. I mean, they were fucking hard. So many shitty things happened. Okay, more like a handful of shitty things, but still, they were long, arduous, and stressful. To be honest, combined, they nearly broke me. I'm a tough broad, though, if nothing else and I managed to make it through.
Here I am, then, at the dawn of 2023 and all the shitty things have (finally) passed. Now what? 
There are so many things that need to happen that the first thing I'm going to do is bury the last three years as far down into the ground as humanly possible and take control of my damn life again. I mean it this time. That's because things really are different this time.
What am I going to start doing to turn things around?
* Lose all the weight I gained as I ate myself through the past three years* Start walking again* Eventually start hiking again* Remember to breathe* Relax. Like actually relax so my shoulders aren't in fear of falling off my body* Stop sitting around thinking so damn much* Pay off the car* Save more* Smile more* See my friends more* Start camping again

There are so many other things that need to happen this year, but that's all that I need to share right now. Regardless, my life needs to change, and change badly. There's more to say, but I don't have the words for it all now.

I will. 


I will.

Afternoon Coffee and Chatter

The days are shorter, the nights are colder, and I can't wait to get home every day after work, put on something comfortable, and either make a drink or a cup of tea. Whichever one I choose, they're guaranteed to warm me up.
In general, life has been simpler and quieter these days. Well, not always. I do try to get out and about more than I did in 2021 - but it's difficult. I don't know the exact reason, but things are different. My life is different and I am different. I don't know how that will all play out, but I'm not worried about it. Life is peaceful and life is good. I really can't complain.
However, wanderlust has definitely been a looming spectre in my background (as if it ever really went away). I want nothing more than to go back to Europe. Recently, I decided to set a realistic goal as far as Europe is concerned so I can actually succeed in going back. I started using my airline miles and hotel credit cards almost exclusively, opened a separate savings account for travel funds, and have been putting money aside in it each paycheck. According to my calculations, I'll be able to travel to Europe with a free flight, free hotel nights, and all the spending money I need by the Summer of 2024. Yes, I'd love to be able to go next year, but credit card churning takes longer when you're a single person on a lower income. Besides, this gives me plenty of time to plan where I'm going and the things I would like to do - although I definitely have a few ideas rolling around.
Not that I won't go somewhere. My mom is currently working out of Idaho, a state I've never been to, and I'm looking forward to getting out there for a week of touristing and hiking. Considering all the mountains out there, this won't be a problem. 
Not that I don't have a trick or two up my sleeve for what remains of this year. I'll be going away this weekend to visit friends in Missouri, and Christmas weekend will see me, my ex-husband, and our kids staying at our favorite cabin for a couple of nights. There's nothing like being in a cabin in the forest, sitting around a roaring fireplace in the winter, to make things right with the world again. I am ready. 
I've decided to start homeschooling my teenage daughter to get her through her last year and a half of school. Why? Well, I'm not going to get into the reasons but it's safe to say that we both feel a sense of relief at the thought. There's also some excitement there, as well. We've worked together on how we're going to teach/learn and the possibilities seem endless.
Well, it's about that time - time to head home and put on those comfy clothes and sip on that drink. 
Have a great weekend.

-H.A.


















 

Winter Beckons

 

Thanksgiving is nearly here; after that, we only have a month before Christmas arrives. During that time, the air will get colder, Fall will officially turn to Winter, and snow is likely. Deep winter will follow, and memories of the warmth and greenness of the prior three seasons will be merely a dream.
There's a crisp, stark, and virginal quality to Winter - a time of death, yes, but also a time where rebirth waits in the wings. Nature slumbers under the cold tundra and hibernates until the right time. 
While I definitely have moments during deep winter where I feel like my toes will never warm up, there's something about it that pulls me in. A venture out into the woods during this time of the year offers more serenity in the way of fewer people. After all, people would rather find indoor activities when the weather is cold. Not me. I pile on the layers and enjoy the cool, bitter stillness that accompanies the snow.
In my own life, I've instituted a type of death to make way for my own renewal. I've talked in the past about leaving social media, like here and here, but what that has meant is that I removed the apps from my phone (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) but kept the accounts. 
Well, I've finally reached a place in my life now where social media holds no interest to me anymore. When I do log in it's boring and there's nothing I really feel like posting about that anyone else would care to see. I have weaned myself off of it and I no longer have the desire to let hundreds of strangers know where I am at all hours of the day, describe every funny thought or weird situation I run into or share endless photos of my kids/family/friends. 
I get it, social media is an addiction that gives people a constant stream of validation. But is it healthy? No, it's not. Studies have shown that the never-ending cycle of social media we expose ourselves to is taking a huge toll on our mental health. And you know which portion of our population is suffering the most? Our kids. 
So, I've deactivated all of my social media accounts and I can't describe how amazing and freeing it is to just go out and live my life without having to tell everyone about every second of it. 
The downside is that I, obviously, can't promote my site or my books anymore. And that's okay. What will be, will be.


Winter is coming.

Trip the Seattle: Part One

Back in September, I made my annual trip to Portland - with a twist. This year, I met my bestie Lisa in Portland where we took the train to Seattle for a few days. Before I get ahead of myself, let's start at the beginning - and it's quite the tale!
I flew out of Omaha on a Saturday afternoon with the intention of making it to Portland that evening after a two-hour layover in Dallas where I was going to get dinner and a Bloody Mary. Lisa had a reservation for that night at a neat hotel downtown PDX and I was so looking forward to a relaxing evening with my bestie. Well, it wasn't meant to be. My flight out was on American Airlines and as we got close to Dallas the pilot came on and said there were terrible storms over Dallas and that the plane was low on fuel so we'd need to divert to Oklahoma City.
After sitting in OKC for what felt like forever, we were finally in the air again. When we landed in Dallas, I had a mere 20 minutes to get across the airport for my connecting flight. I got there with five minutes to spare but since they close the doors to connecting flights 15 minutes in advance, they wouldn't let me on. I was upset as it wasn't my fault but they directed me to the customer service counter two gates down. As I stood in line, I noticed (through the airline app) that my connecting flight was delayed but when I went back down to that gate to check, they still wouldn't let me on. 
As I stood in the customer service line which was HUGE and getting longer by the minute, I started chatting with the lady in front of me and the lady behind me. All three of us were on different flights and the same thing happened to all of us: pilots announced on our three separate flights that the weather was bad and the plane was low on fuel. All of our planes were diverted to OKC. Frankly, the whole thing sounded a bit suspicious, but since there wasn't much I could do, I waited for my turn at the counter.
When I finally got to the counter, I was given vouchers for transportation back and forth from the airport, a $15 food voucher good at the DFW airport, a free night stay at the Hyatt Place, and a ticket for a connecting flight the next morning. Things were looking up! I LOVE Hyatt Place (each room has a living area as well as a bed and they have the best breakfast) so I eagerly waited for their shuttle to come to pick me up. 
On the way there, the shuttle driver told me there was nothing but clear, blue skies in Dallas all day so American Airlines seemed even more suspicious to me at that point. Obviously, they lied to us all for whatever reason. Still, I was happy to get checked in and since they have a small bar and a night menu, I ordered a cheese pizza and the long-awaited Bloody Mary!



Behold the Bloody Mary! Man, it was delicious.
Later, I talked with Lisa on the phone in the living area of my room so we kinda started our time together. Our train was supposed to leave at noon on Sunday but since my flight was delayed, we had to adjust our train tickets (and pay an extra $45) to take the 3:00 train instead. I finally landed in PDX and I met up with Lisa by the rail, which she took out to meet me. We promptly got back on it and headed down to the Amtrak station.



The station reminds me of Union Station in Omaha, which used to be a train station back in the day.



I've said it before but I'll say it again: train travel is far superior to airline travel. Trains are spacious, comfortable, have dining and snack cars, and are set up for people to sleep if they are going somewhere that takes longer than a day.



It's also a great way to catch the views of the surrounding countryside. This was something I really enjoyed on Irish trains.



We arrived in Seattle after dark but the King Street Station was bright, ornate, and beautiful.



It was late (and dark) when we made it to our hotel that evening, so we just visited. The next morning, we were able to see the Space Needle - one of the main reasons I booked the place.



First tourist spot? Pikes Place Market, of course!



It was Monday, but you would have thought it was a Saturday with the amount of people around. I can only imagine how much busier it is on a weekend.



Pike's Market is essentially a large farmer's market where you can find nearly anything for sale and is interspersed with restaurants, artisans, and various unique shops. The top floor is partially exposed to the outside and is composed of one long, main hallway with offshoot hallways and stairways that lead to outside patios and a lower floor.



Like this intersecting hallway that will take out to see the waterfront and a set of stairs going down.



The walkway to the Viewing Point.



A view to the waterfront.



Here's a fish market.



Vegetables and accoutrements.



A flower stall.






We stepped outside to get a better view of the waterfront.



We then went to the Market's lower level.



There were a lot of interesting storefronts down here.



Including this magic shop. I was bummed it wasn't open because I would have loved to see what was for sale.





Magic, indeed.


There are so many cool pictures and things that we did that there's no way I could fit all of this into one post. So, there's at least one more post - but possibly two - in the future.
Have a great week!








 

Meteor Showers Coming Your Way

 

It's been a while since I've posted about the night sky but with the upcoming Taurids meteor showers active through early December, it's a good time to post about it. 
What are meteor showers? According to Wikipedia, a meteor shower (also known as a shooting star) "is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky." A meteor shower can show several shooting stars at their peak as they make their way across the night sky. 
The Taurids are actually two separate showers, Southern and Nothern, with different peaks but both are associated with the comet called Encke. This American Meteor Society article gives you more information about the Taurids and their peaks. 
For a more in-depth look at the Taurids, read this Space.com article. If you're interested in seeing these meteor showers for yourself, this article will tell you when, where, and how.
I'll be out in the country, away from the light pollution of the city, watching it and I hope you will too!

Evolving Finances

Learning and mastering your finances takes practice and time. Over that time, we evolve along with our finances, myself included. Recently, I realized that I've been going about some things completely wrong. Recognizing these mistakes and figuring out how to rectify them is part of my financial evolution. 
For instance, I pay my car insurance and my phone bill six months in advance. Why? Because paying them in six-month chunks gives me a cheaper price overall, thereby saving me money. However, while I factored in the cost when considering my overall budget, I didn't factor it into my monthly budget folder system. This means I wasn't actually putting aside the money that I needed to pay these two bills on a monthly basis. It wasn't intentional but rather an oversight on my part, and one that needed to be corrected. 
Since I employ credit card churning, I have specific rewards cards attached to these bills to have them pay automatically. I would then just pay the bill when due, but I realized after my last car insurance bill came out that I wasn't putting the money aside. This meant that I was wiping out money from other monthly categories and/or my checking account buffer during that month in order to pay off the card. There's definitely a better way to go about that! First, I calculated how much I needed to save aside from each paycheck to cover the insurance and phone bill. Once I had that calculated, the next was to decide the easiest way to put that money aside. Fortunately, my credit union lets me open as many savings accounts as I want online, so that's exactly what I did. I opened a new savings account, nicknamed it Insurance/Car/Phone Fund, and deposited the amount needed from each check for those categories. 
This turned out to be such a great idea, that it got me thinking about other categories of spending that I should be saving for in advance. It wasn't long before I opened accounts for Healthcare Misc, and Clothing/Gifts, among others. I calculated the appropriate amount to add to each category and then deposit those amounts in their respective accounts each payday. I will note that a couple of categories are funded by money from my personal spending money.
All of these are now permanent entries in my monthly budget folder and have been calculated into my overall monthly budget. It's similar in scope to cash envelope stuffing but without having to have a bunch of cash sitting around your house.
Here are some categories one could use for their own budget:
* Travel * Healthcare * Clothing* Gifts* Down Payment on a House* Taxes* Home Maintenence* Kids' Sports/Activities* Christmas* Wedding
Obviously, the categories are subjective and the kinds are nearly limitless. Basically, anything that you want for the future that saves you from racking up credit card debt and carrying a balance on said cards each month is a win.
How do you manage your household budget? Let me know in the comments!














 

Another Year, Another Passport

I love nothing better than a good passport. My U.S. Passport has taken me out of the country and I love it for that, but there are so many touristy-type passports you can get for a variety of things within your own state. 



Last year, for instance, I dove head-first into the Nebraska Wine Passport. I made plenty of posts about the adventures I took with friends to discover the wines and new parts of the state that I call home. It was a ton of fun and something exciting to do on an otherwise regular weekend. I managed to make it to 18 out of the 29 wineries and tasting rooms that were a part of the passport program, and I scored a free t-shirt and two really nice bottle corks.
This year, the passports came out a little earlier than usual and I just happened to be at Glacial Till Tasting Room an hour after they arrived. While I've managed to get 5 of the 32 (they've added three new places this year!) winery stamps so far, I just don't have the same gusto for doing the passport this year. There are a few reasons for it but the main one is that since I've already done a year of the passport it's just not as exciting this year.



Then, I heard about the Nebraska Passport. Thinking it would be more of a state park, with unique sites, museums, and other fun historical stuff, I ordered a few off the internet and they were shipped right to me. While there are some of the aforementioned in the passport, there are a lot of shops, bars, and stores as well - just about the least interesting things for me to want to visit. Not only that but the passport is really only built for the summer in that you have from May 1 - September 30 to complete all 52 items. With gas prices the way they are, I'm not nearly that ambitious to visit shops.
So, I went back to the Visit Nebraska website to see if they showed any other kinds of passports that visitors and natives could participate in, but there was nothing. On the other hand, our immediate neighbor to the east, Iowa, has a bunch of cool passports listed on their website. Plenty of these caught my eye, but my top contender was the Iowa Scenic Byway Passport.



As you all know, I love nothing better than a good day trip. Many of my favorite ones have consisted of discovering unique places and driving along the Iowa Byways that weave around the Loess Hills (or as I like to call them, the Iowa Mountains). So, I downloaded the passport to my phone (no paper one here) and printed off the accompanying pdf guidebook. Since they both have different things listed on them, it's good to have both. 
First on my list was the Western Skies Scenic Byway. It winds 142 miles, mainly on Highway 44, starting in Missouri Valley and heading east. It's close to home and isn't super long, making it a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon - which is what I did. 



Of course, I had to stop and take a picture of the sign. 



My first official stop is a place I've been to many times before, Harrison County Historical Village & Iowa Welcome Center. It was the main stop on a day trip I took with my ex-husband and daughter more than five years ago.



My next stop was the small Danish town of Kimballton. It's known for its city park that's mainly an homage to Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. He wrote a lot of fairy tales and the fountain you see here is about The Little Mermaid, one of those many tales.






Surrounding the fountain are small statues on pedestals that depict more of the author's fairy tales.









The park is split into two sections. After I admired the fountain and its statues, I headed down the slight hill to eat my picnic lunch at their shelter picnic tables. There's a large rock there dedicated to John James Audubon, founder of the National Audubon Society. The other side of the stone is painted and dedicated to Veterans.



A mere three miles north of Kimballton lies another Danish town, Elk Horn, famous for its Danish Windmill.






I've been here a few times before as well. It costs money to tour the inside of the actual windmill but you can wander around the gift shop and the small historical village on the grounds for free.



Next, I made my way to Westphalia, home of Saint Boniface Church. If the sign above the entry arch isn't a clue for you, this church (and town) were settled and founded by German immigrants. It just goes to show you how much the Midwest was settled by immigrants. I mean, I went to two Danish towns and then this German town. The church is beautiful and it has an interesting display on its grounds. 



The drive itself was very scenic and beautiful. This was in September so there was just a hint of Autumn in the foliage. 



My last stop was in Woodbine. I've heard of this sleepy little Iowa town that's not far from Omaha, but I never had the occasion to go there. 



It's known for its public art that lines the quaint streets of its historic downtown. Like in other bucolic small-town downtowns I've been to, music plays from loudspeakers as you walk around. This was a Sunday though and there was not a soul in sight, so it was a bit eerie.








All in all, this was a fun trip. Some takeaways for me are that next time, I need to sit down and plan my route before leaving. I hopped in the car and just took off with the printed pdf and the downloaded passport on my phone. There are many things on the pdf that aren't on the passport and vice versa. I half wandered around aimlessly searching for things that were listed but not able to find. It would have been more advantageous, then, to have everything plotted out and planned before I left. 
Also, I didn't go to everything on the passport or the pdf. Since the byway starts relative close to home, I've been to many of the things listed more than a few times. You have to be mindful of the fact, also, that some things will charge an admission price.
I'm definitely just getting started on this passport and since there's no expiration/complete by date, I can do this on my own time and at my own leisure. Next up? Covered Bridges Scenic Byway. That one looks incredibly interesting and I'm meeting up with a friend there for a Saturday adventure and campout. 


Have a great week, my friends!

A Postcard Objective

 

I love postcards, I really, really do. My love of postcards began when I was a young child and my mom would send me postcards from her world travels. My love of the hard, rectangle-shaped cards only strengthened when my dad's cousin sent me a postcard from Hong Kong when I was about 10. Somewhere between Mom and Cousin postcards was when I discovered this thing called "Travel to Europe" and knew instantly that I wanted that to be my life one day. 
While I waited for that day to arrive, it was the coolest thing ever to get one of these postcards in the mail, read the few lines that could be written in such a small space, and imagine what their glamorous lives of travel were like. Since then I've gotten postcards from a variety of people: my Dad from Mt. Rushmore and my bestie, Keith, from his once-in-a-lifetime trip to the South Pole remain two of my later favorites.
Over the years, I've collected plenty of my own - with no intention of ever sending them. I started collecting postcards that were prints of old National Park posters, something I still do to this day. When I went to Ireland I bought several as souvenirs, held on to the ones that would come in my monthly sub box to Louisville Vegan Jerky, and relished in the free one I'd get from each visit to my favorite vegan restaurant in Omaha: Modern Love.
Needless to say, they really built up and eventually were forgotten. They were rediscovered during the pandemic so, between then until I got rid of all the shit junk things I had accumulated over the years before my big move last year, I made a point of sending these postcards out to friends and family (with the exception of the National Park ones). The recipients really enjoyed getting them, much like I do.
Now that I've been getting out and traveling more, I've had a brilliant idea. What if, instead of buying postcards and just stashing them somewhere to be forgotten about, I send one to myself from every place that I travel to? How does that sound?
It sounds damn awesome, if I do say so myself, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. I don't care where it is I find myself...if there's a postcard there, I'm going to mail one to myself and write something witty on it. Or maybe I'll write something cool about what I've done there. Yeah, that sounds about right.
Postcard Objective, engaged.