Snow Day, Shut-In Visit, Financial Peace University (FPU), and Superbowl

Snow Day
The day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the federal government was shut down due to cold and snow.  It was great!  I felt like I was back home in Iowa.  I was able to get a lot of work done for law school and read a few books before my life gets busier.  Also the Snow Day cancelled my work groups Holiday Party for the SECOND time due the office shutting down due to weather.  They rescheduled the Holiday Party to February 4th.  I know when the next snow day will be February 4th. :-)

Shut-In Visit
On Saturday, I visited a member of Bethany Lutheran Church who is a shut-in.  He is a 90 year old gentleman living by himself in Alexandria, VA.  He is doing very well.  His house is relatively clean.  The snow is swept off part of his lawn so the mailman has a path to walk with no snow.  He has a car that he occasionally drives.  While talking with him, I learned he is an interesting person.  He is a big hunter and fisherman.  He would hunt squirrel, possum, deer, or anything that moved.  He would also fish in the lakes, rivers, and streams of Virginia.  On his coffee table were multiple copies of "Virginia Wildlife."  He took up woodworking in his younger years. The cabinets in the kitchen, large dresser, and other various items were made by him.  I am glad I was able to spend sometime with him.

Financial Peace University (FPU)
On Tuesday, January 28th, I participated in my first FPU class at Bethany Lutheran Church.  FPU is a nine week weekly course teaching you God's way of handling money.  There were about 17 other people present at the one hour and thirty minute class.  The whole room was filled.  About half the people were from the Bethany congregation and the other half came from online registration.  The class has about an hour of video and 30 minutes of small group discussion.  The first lesson was focused on saving.  Dave introduced Baby Step 1, which is $1,000 in your bank account for an emergency and Baby Step 3, which is about 3-6 months of living expenses in an emergency fund.  It was also recommended to start saving NOW because compound interest is an explosion or the 8th wonder of the world as Albert Einstein said.  Today, I finished my homework and extra credit for the class.  I will probably finish the bonus material sometime before the class next week.  I went to some of the classes with my parents in the summer before I left for DC.  I still wanted to go this FPU because I would get my own material and like learning about finance.  This courses uses a holistic approach to handling money.

Superbowl
Let it be on the record, I think the Broncos will defeat the Seahawks in the Superbowl this Sunday.  I will be watching the game at the house of a co-worker.  I will be bringing a side dish.  At this point in time, I am not sure what the side dish will be, but I know it will be great!