Work
In the mortgage world, Spring is our busiest season. People tend to my new homes from March until May. However, this Spring has not been as busy as others. For this reason, I have had to put more hours in to do the same amount of business in past years. Other mortgage loan officers are desperate for business leading which has led to lots of undercutting. On top of this, mortgage rates have dropped to the lowest levels all year.
Travel
I finally booked my trip to Australia for September. Almost 2 1/2 weeks: one of my longest vacation that I have ever taken. I am so looking forward to it. I will be trying a few new airlines on this trip: Air China and Thai. Other than the plane tickets, I have nothing else planned. I booked the ticket using US Airways points prior to them leaving the Star Alliance. A combination of business and first class.
I had a little scare a few weeks back. I was putting my trip on my work calender and noticed an error on my reservation. My return ticket had me leaving Australia on Sunday, but leaving China back to the US on Saturday. Turns out, Thai cancelled my flight and rebooked me 2 days later. After phone calls between US Airways (who couldn't really help) and the Thai, I was rebooked on an earlier flight on Friday. However, the "cancelled flight" almost ruined my entire trip as US Airways want to cancel my entire trip and rebook my OneWorld alliance partners.
Other than Australia, I don't have to much planned trip wise due to lack of vacation days. In June, I have a quick weekend in Toronto and Connecticut. However, not to much more.
Point/Miles
No new credit cards since applying for the American Airlines Executive card.
Why the lack of applications? At the moment, I have no immediate need for points. My trip to Australia is paid for minus some hotel nights. I have enough points to get me to Argentina for the start of my cruise to Antarctica. I am good. Does that mean I won't apply for any credit cards? No, what it means is that I will be more selective. Choice credit cards by needs; instead, of want.
Personal
Over the past year, I have let some friendships lapse. Some might call it getting older and growing apart; an occurrence for all late 20 somethings. I don't buy this excuse. For this reason, I have been contacting old friends from college and high school to check-in. A simple email can go a long way.
Nowadays, my friends are getting engaged, married, having kids, buying houses etc. Some big news comes my way on a weekly basis. Me....none of those items. However, I want to celebrate the small/big wins in the friends lives. A quick email can go a long way to say hi and congrats.
On the other hand, a quick email can bring to light things that were present but hidden in darkness.
For instance, in the past few weeks, I learned that my actions hurt two close friends. Supposedly, a joke was taken to far and caused hard feelings that have simmered for over a year. All I can do is ask for forgiveness. My actions were not done out malice, but ignorance. But without asking, I would never have known and been give a chance to say sorry
Moving Forward
As I entered my last year of my twenties, I am excited for what this year brings. Here are things that I will be focusing on:
- Less travel, but more time spent per trip
- Focusing on becoming a better loan officer
- Blogging consistently
- Strengthening old relationships and repairing others
- Earning points in ways other than credit cards
- Waking up with a smile daily
While not all my goals for this upcoming year, they are a good representation. Overall, I want to strive for happiness, be more positive and be a better citizen of the world.
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