Building Wealth, Strength, and Character
As the announcement of our annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) approaches, I’ve found myself thinking through the possible outcomes. It’ll likely land somewhere between 1% and 3%—already an improvement over last year, when I received 0% as a new hire. Still, with inflation averaging around 4% in recent years, it’s easy to feel like […]
On the financial independence track, where does happiness come in? When should we slow our portfolio growth to focus on lifestyle? I don’t think there is a prescriptive answer that fits everyone. These questions require us to look at why we want financial independence and examine what we are willing to sacrifice to achieve it, […]
It is the things we do every day, not necessarily the things we measure, that we excel at. Frequency matters, but so does duration. If you have had the same job for several years, you have unquestionably improved in that role. If you have ever helped onboard a new employee, you know they may be […]
Medicine is a field that has been plagued with “burn out”. While it has become increasingly clear that any field has its fair share, this has been a topic of discussion in medicine before it ever became main stream. At the end of the day, if your job is to help people you can’t afford […]
I am nearing my 2 year work anniversary and last month I was able to completely pay off my student loans. In total, I graduated with just over 60,000 dollars in student loans in 2021. After a brief stint at a local factory while I awaited my physician assistant licensure to be fully authorized, I […]
Beginning around 2021, Colin and I have invested time and energy into transforming our noisy, western MA suburban yard into a nature sanctuary filled with native plants. In our October 2021 post, we documented the original inspiration for such a project- “Nature’s Best Hope” by Douglas Tallamy, an easy read that opened our eyes to […]
I started tracking my net worth back in April 2018. With some help from Personal Capital, I can see my net worth from 4 years ago was -10,000. Since that time, I finished my Bachelor’s and Master’s and completed my first year as a Primary Care PA. In November of this year, (11/10/2022 to be […]
Colin and I have always loved nature even before we met each other, but since we’ve been together, our individual passions have joined. He is the king of the backyard, researching and purchasing native plants that subsequently invite more insects, birds, and wildlife critters to our humble urban home. We’ve been delighted by the arrival […]
Wildlife fascinates me. So naturally, I have always been a quick adopter of any way to preserve nature. However, with talks of carbon emissions, natural gas, deforestation, and unsustainable supply chains, it is easy to become overwhelmed and assume that any efforts to combat these issues would be too minuscule to make any meaningful change […]
Welcome to our blog! We are Sharon and Colin, a couple who really loves the outdoors. If you are interested in hiking beautiful trails, eating great food, or having a hot cup of the best local coffee, you have come to the right place. We’ll be sharing our favorite trails, restaurants, and coffee shops in […]
