Header Graphic
Let the world be your playground
ALECSANDRINA
December 31, 2020 @ 2:35 PM

This challenging year is finally coming to an end. Despite the global pandemic, I managed to stay the course even if many times along the way I didn't think I could. But in the end I stayed focused and was quick to adapt to new situations. I had lots of goals, good goals. Some went better than others, some I abandoned some I need to revisit. 

What went well this year:

  • I moved to California. It was my number 1 goal and the hardest one. It took a lot of time, a lot of thinking and planning, a lot of help from my friends. It's not easy to downsize after 18 years of living in a house twice the size, but it's doable and very rewarding! It gave me joy to be able to give my furniture to friends and donate the bulk of our ...
  • ...

Read More
February 1, 2020 @ 9:19 PM

I've set big goals for this year, here is an update after month one.

1. Move to California.

This will not happen until August but I did start the cleaning process as I pretty much need to find a new home for everything I own. It's a slow process but I am moving in the right direction. Should stay on track and make progress every month.

2. Continue intermittent fasting.

Still doing this and feeling great. I believe I will continue this way of life forever.

3. Visit 3 new places.

Haven't been anywhere new yet but Richard and I have a trip to Italy planned next month and it will be my first time in Cinque Terre. I'm so excited.

4. Plant a vegetable garden.

Not yet.

5. Read 12 books.

I have read "The obstacle is ...

Read More
January 5, 2020 @ 11:06 AM

Happy New Year and welcome to the perfect vision year! 2019 has been great and 2020 is looking to be the best one yet! Or at least I will try my best. I have a lot of plans and ideas for this year. It is the year I close up my life here in Lake Villa, it has come full circle and I am ready to move on to my next life. 

Looking forward, here are my 20 personal goals for 2020:

1. Move to California.

The foundation for this move has been set in 2019. Richard and I got married, Melissa moved on to Marquette University and Michael is finishing his senior year here and going to Ohio University this coming August. Mentally I picked a last day for work at my job and I am starting the process of getting the house ready to sell.

2. Continue ...

Read More
July 30, 2019 @ 5:35 PM

I got married last week. I married my best friend and I couldn't be happier. And this is where the fun starts. He lives in California and the decision to move there has been made. It's just a matter of time at the moment. There is a high school senior year to finish by my son and a house to sell sometime next year. Exciting times ahead!

I'm pushing the restart button to life. The children are starting their own lives, carving their own paths. My role as a mother has become a supporting role. I am proud of them both and for the choices that they are making every day. I have my own path to carve. I will have the opportunity to reinvent myself, to restart my business. I have learned and grown a lot as an entrepreneur and I can'...

Read More
July 1, 2018 @ 10:38 AM

It's July already! I'm not sure where the first 6 months of this year went. When life is on auto-pilot, the things we remember are the ones outside of your everyday routine, like travel or misfortunes. If your weeks are made up of work 5-6 days and one day of rest, the year flies without even one tiny memorable moment. It's sad. I figured this out many years ago and I have been working really hard at finding ways of keeping a life full of adventure and diversity. It's not easy but while challenging, it sure is a lot of fun.

My baby is turning 16 this month. I'm so happy for him as he's getting ready to get his drivers licence and earn that freedom that wheels get you in this country. When you can come and go as you ...

Read More
May 28, 2018 @ 4:12 PM

We are coming close to the middle of the year and I am sitting down to review my financial situation, half way through the year. Adjust where necessary, see where the budget could be trimmed. I want to end 2018 ahead financially so I need to pay a bit more attention to where my money goes. This is my first year of being debt free and it took a little bit of adjustment to the new expenses. I no longer have a mortgage so I need to pay my own taxes and insurance as they were previously included in my monthly payment. The car insurance is also been going through the roof as I have one teenage driver with a new car and in about 6 weeks, another teenage driver. It takes a big chunk of my budget!

All the monthly bills have been questioned and ...

Read More
March 18, 2018 @ 1:40 PM

Last month I learned about this NY Times 7-Day Financial Tuneup and I wanted to do it myself. It's a simple thing really, you sign up online and for 7 days you get an e-mail with specific tasks you should do to get in better shape financially. You can do these steps at any time or skip them all together. There is no benefit outside of your personal financial education. Here are the few lessons I learned and the little changes I made to better my financial situation.

  • Day 1 - Optimize your thinking - It made me think of the reasons I want to make changes, the things that matter to me the most and what I work towards from a financial point of view. I know that I am looking for financial independence and that the ideal setting for ...
  • ...

Read More
February 25, 2018 @ 11:22 AM

We are so used to having a 9-5 job. Wake up, go to work, make the money you need to pay for your house, car, food, kids, and so on. It's just how it goes. We then try to schedule our personal life around work. And we do a fine job but at the end of the day we are exhausted and go to bed thinking of all the things we need to do when we wake up in the morning. Or when we finish work. Or at work. And so on. It doesn't really get any easier. Work seems to just get more demanding and kids grow and have a fuller schedule, they need more rides, more money...

How do we change this? How do we schedule life first? Can we schedule life first? Is work our life?

Trying to make that switch in my mind first and then find a way to put it in ...

Read More
November 16, 2017 @ 9:14 PM

I'm above clouds flying to my other home and while I'm mindlessly watching Fixer upper, I notice the smile and excitement that all the participants have while they are working at their future homes. I feel happy for them and it gets me thinking about my future and I too smile. I try really hard to enjoy the present moment. And I do, but every thing I work at today, it is a step towards the future. And it looks bright and exciting and it encourages me to work even harder today. To make grand plans and good decisions. To follow my gut no matter how scary it might feel when I think about it. To love  today and dream of tomorrow. To feel.

Read More
November 5, 2017 @ 9:13 AM

We all have hopes and dreams and they constantly change. Sometimes we adjust our lives to be able to reach our goals and sometimes we make goals that fit nicely in our lives. I don't know which ones are more rewarding and satisfying or easier to reach. I strive and crave change. I make plans and look for challenges whenever I feel that life is boring or too easy or on cruise control. 

This years challenge has been to pay off my house. It has been a work in progress and as the year progressed, I could see a way of taking on this challenge and making it happen. Selling the last corvette in February started all the wheels turning and when I put it all on paper, I knew I could do it. It's been a year of lots of hard work and long ...

Read More
Page 1 / 5
Newer Posts  |  Older Posts