Update

A lot has happened in the last 7 months. The biggest thing is that I finished my masters degree. We attended my graduation in Florida in February, with an amazing side trip to Everglades NP and the Keys, but I didn't actually finish my research project until mid-March. I also was selected to present my project at an international nursing research conference in November which is great opportunity. I have been relishing all my free time. Time to get back to the plan.

How things stand currently:

Job: Still at my current job, I have only been there for about a year but they are paying me so well it hasn't been worth it to look for a job that I actually need my degree for. The final plan is to work for an online nursing school but the pay is far below what I currently make so it didn't make sense to accept a lower paying job while we are in the save-up/pay off phase. I plan on keeping up on my contacts there, however, so I have options when the time comes to make our move.

The Plan: Things got a little muddled and fuzzy after our trip to Florida. After many years of not really being able to travel due to husbands work I had sort of forgotten how much I love it. I traveled a bit in my 20's. I realized that travel needs to have a priority too. Once we get our land we won't likely get to travel so there are some bucket list places we'd like to check off first. That means budget restructuring to make this happen. I still want the farm, I just want some adventure too.

Finances: We spent a bit more in Florida then we should have and also had a tax related set back so April was the first month we began to work on repaying student loans. This is phase one, but we will accelerate after our trip to Hawaii this fall. Yes that's right, we are headed to Hawaii. Pearl Harbor is bucket list for the husband, Volcanoes NP is bucket list for me. Due to upcoming family issues we need to take this trip while we can. Luckily I just got a hefty raise at work so we can swing this.

Garden: We ripped out the hops after finding out that they are poisonous to dogs. That has freed up a lot of space in our tiny yard. I plan on some green beans cucumbers, tomatoes and potatoes for our yard. At work more tomatoes, kale, chard and possibly some fall peas.

Skills: This year I want to start cheese making, get better at food preservation, start composting again, prep for next year when we plan on a bee hive, get better at fishing, possible delve into hydroponic gardening, resume my previous levels of baking. I'm sure there is more...