Meet Ruby!

I have some very exciting news!
I bought a car!! Yup, you read that right! A car!

My little sister bought a 2008 Toyota Yaris on Monday. When she went back to the dealership on Tuesday, to sign all her paperwork, I went along. After she was done, she had to go back to work and Dad and I talked with Bryan in financing. I found out I had an impeccable credit score (yay for keeping up with my monthly payments)! Also, since I had recently received my Associate's degree, I was eligible for the Graduate program! Being eligible for that meant I could buy a new car with a very, very low financing rate. Oh, and I was able to trade in my little white Chevy S-10 and got $1,000 for it! Not too bad!

I know you're wondering exactly what car I bought! Here it is!
A 2010 Toyota Corolla!






It was a good time to get out of my truck. Why? It was over 100,000 miles, and probably would have crapped out on me within the next 6 months. The fact we got $1,000 for a trade-in is pretty awesome. The White Knight was a great first car. It got me from point A to point B, it was already paid off, and with the driving I did in high school, it was good for gas. However, now that I'm doing a lot more driving, and I'm going to be working two jobs (one in Hurst, the other in Southlake) every day, I needed a car with better gas mileage.

That's where the Corolla comes in. It gets about 38 miles to the gallon! A huuuuge difference from my truck. I think the truck was only getting about 18 miles? Yeah, I'll be saving a lot of money per month on gas.
Did I mention I got a screaming deal on this car? It's worth $20k, I believe it was listed for $17k and I got it for about $13k! Apparently, it was sitting on the lot for over 300 days. In the dealership business, if a car is sitting on the lot for over 90 days, the dealership has to start paying a ridiculous amount of money just to keep it there. So, they were really anxious to get it off their hands. With my credit score, trade-in, and the graduate program, I will only pay $299 per month. For a brand new car, I think that's pretty good!

Since my truck had a name (The White Knight), I had to name this beauty! Her name is Ruby! My best friend, Diana suggested the name and I loved it! Diana also put some lucky money in my car. She is Greek, and whenever someone buys a new car, they put money in it to bring good luck. So she had put some change under my mats....unfortunately, I forgot to mention this to the dealership when they detailed the car while I was signing my paperwork and they vacuumed up my lucky Greek money. I was actually really disappointed! And I'm not going to ask her to put more change in my car!

I'm really happy about this!! Having a reliable car is such a relief! So, if you're ever in the area and wanting to go out, let me know! I'll definitely want to drive! ;]


Later Days!
Dani

Read more...

A different path

Have you ever just kicked yourself for not doing something differently? That's what I'm doing right now.
I'm kicking myself for not learning a skill and getting a job in that field. Ohhhh no, I had to go to school for three years and get a degree that pretty much says, "Look! I took a bunch of basic courses!" Where that's commendable, sticking with school, an Associate's degree isn't going to get me a job. So, I've decided to look into some programs at TCC (I know, just when I think I'm done there, I go right back).

I am seriously considering nursing. I have been told by many people (strangers included!) that I should be a nurse. I know there is a dire need for nurses, and since my head is in a better place...why not? There was a time when I really thought about going into nursing, but I was always told (by myself and others) because of my learning disability with math, nursing wouldn't be possible for me. I'm starting to think differently. I have to count carbohydrates, and figure out how much insulin I'm going to take. I know how to count milligrams and what not for pills, so why can't I get past my learning disability? I made an appointment with the DSS (special services) office for Monday morning. Ms. Hill helped me when I first got to TCC, I'm sure she can help me out now. Back in middle school, I had so many grand maul seizures, my math retention skills went out the window. If I am taught something, I won't remember how to do it five minutes later. It's as if I wasn't in class. So, at the end of high school, I was tested and I do indeed have a learning disability. Instead of taking the senior level math TAKS, I took a 7th grade level (and passed). Because I had all the right paper work, and had all the ARD meetings at the end of my senior year in high school, TCC waved my required math course, and I took a computer course instead (and did well in it). I'm not going to spend all that time taking the prerequisite classes if the Nursing Program won't wave my required math course. So I guess we'll find out Monday if it's a go or no-go.

The other program I'm looking into to is Surgical Technology. You know the people who are responsible for the inventory of what tools are used during a surgery so nothing gets sewn inside the patient? Yeah, that. I looked at the prerequisite courses, and no math is needed. I would need to take Anatomy and Physiology I and II, but I think if I really buckle down, I can do it.

So that's where I'm at, lovelies. I'm tired of getting e-mails back from companies I've applied to saying, "Thanks, but you're not what we're looking for" (in so many words). I want to get into a field that has meaning, and I want to do something I enjoy. I think I belong in the medical field. I think the meeting with Ms. Hill is going to start me on my journey.
Keep your fingers crossed....or send me good thoughts/vibes or pray for me. Whatever is more comfortable for you! ;]


Later Days!
Dani

Read more...