Wandering Money Pig - A journey of early retirement and FIRE (financial independence retire early)

  Toby, our Pomeranian baby Anonymous:  “A companion is gone, but the memory lives on…” It is hard to fathom how fast time flies.  It has been over 2 years since we said our final goodbyes to our baby, our sweet, loyal Pomeranian Toby.  He was without a doubt, our absolute joy.   As my wife and I were traveling to the Great American Midwest state of Michigan during the month of March, I had almost forgotten the day our dog crossed over the rainbow bridge.  Had it not been my wife mentioning it, I may have missed it.   Humans, I think, are really selfish creatures.  We forget, both the good and the bad memories over time, and I think this was exactly what this particular selfish human was doing that day… I guess it’s good that we can move on from traumatic experiences over time, because otherwise, we will suffer for eternity thinking back and constantly rehashing those same experiences.  Why do we remember the bad memories so much better than good ones… Lucky for most of us, time does h

  Taughannock Falls State Park, NY During the month of October, my wife and I were very lucky to have stayed in the famous Pennsylvania Poconos region, thanks to a good friend of mine who agreed (again) to let us stay at his place.  We were really thankful and excited to be able to see incredible fall foliage that is the region’s calling card for generations of people. While we lived in the state of Pennsylvania, we made frequent trips to the above mentioned area with our trusted little furry creature, our Pomeranian Toby.  We would explore places like Jim Thorpe , hike the beautiful Pocono Environmental Education Center , and see the awesome Grey Towers .  We had so many great memories out there in the Poconos, our pack spending time together in the great outdoors. We still remember the happy smile of our dog as soon as he would get out of the car realizing he was in a new environment with all new smells, sights, and sounds.  He, just like myself, loved new environments, always lookin

  Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center Growing up in New York City, the so-called “ TriState ” comprising of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, played a big role in where I would venture out to during the early years of my driving years.  Even as I got older, I was always interested in exploring these three states so close to New York City.   Among my friends, I was the first to get my driving learner’s permit at the tender age of 16.  I couldn’t wait to drive!  I would intently watch my dad driving the family car as a youngster, seeing how he would use his right feet to modulate the accelerator pedal or the brake pedal, all while smoothly turning the steering wheel.  I studied studiously to learn how to drive by watching my dad drive at every opportunity. When I was 15 or so, my dad took me to an empty parking lot near Shea Stadium (now Citifield , home of the New York Mets baseball team), to teach me how to drive.  I remember being extremely excited and eager to finally