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

  Laughlin, NV During my wife and myself’s planning phase of our epic 2 1/2 month long cross country road trip going from North Carolina to Southern California, we had penciled in a stop in Laughlin, Nevada .  Laughlin, was always a fascinating destination for us to explore, as it sits right on the mighty Colorado River , offering several casinos and plenty of outdoor activities.   It is a place I had admired from afar, as the marketing photos and brochures always made the place look absolutely beautiful, especially with blue/turquoise waters of the Colorado River standing out like a prima donna.  Combined that with the always happening casino resorts hugging the river and providing a neat walkway along the river, it certainly had a massive appeal for someone who grew up in New York City.   Just about 2 weeks prior to our what would be our second trip to  Laughlin,  Nevada, my wife and I had already stayed at the Avi Resort in the same city.  Even though Avi Resort was technically

  View from Delano Hotel, Las Vegas  When most people think about visiting Las Vegas, Delano Hotel may not be the first hotel that comes to mind.  It isn’t well known like the Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace , or the Venetian , possibly because Delano used to be called “ the Hotel ”, which confused lots of people, including myself. When I visited Las Vegas for the first time back in 2001, I visited Mandalay Bay , specifically, to eat dinner at  House of Blues .  I had no idea there even was “ the Hotel ”, which was/is connected to Mandalay Bay and was/is part of the same huge resort complex.   When it came time to book our 4 night stay in Las Vegas again during our epic 2 1/2 month long cross country road trip, we decided to book it at Delano.   We wanted to stay at some of the top rated hotels owned by MGM Resorts, and rooms looked absolutely stunning with a separate living area and a bedroom with 1 1/2 bathrooms!  After staying at motels/hotels for the previous two months on the road, w

  Pauma Valley Country Club, Pauma Valley, CA Carlito and I have been best of friends since we met in 8th grade.  We got to hang out often, sleeping over at each other’s place over weekends, exploring New York City, and playing outside, like all kids did way back when.   Carlito was always an intelligent, smart, and a thoughtful person, able to keep up his studies, getting really good grades, while still finding time to play with us (there were always 4 amigos growing up).  He got into good schools, and eventually got a law degree, which proved to be a great move, which I’m really happy about. He’s currently working in South Korea working for a big corporation as a high ranking executive, and I couldn’t be more proud of him.  Despite being apart the past decade, we’ve been keeping track of each other, fully aware of what each of us is up to these days. I miss him greatly, as it’s been over 2 years since I saw him, but that’s life.  Sometimes, we don’t get to decide how things work out,