The beginning.

Almost every year we traveled to a tropical location with business associates of my husband.  We were lucky to go to some gorgeous resorts, beautiful locations as an incentive he earned while working along side some great salesmen and their customers.  To have these trips come to an end is the negative of retirement.

   

This year’s trip was to Costa Rica.  Another location I didn’t think I would get to see and the countryside did not disappoint.  We laid pretty low all week as there is a fair amount of “business” that is conducted during these trips although it is all about building relationships more than conducting business.  But, we stepped back and out of the role and just relaxed.  Following our January trip to Key West, I’d say hubs has had a great introduction in to retirement! The people of Costa Rica were sweet and seemingly happy people.  I would not turn down an opportunity to go again.

Since we have returned, spring is making a frustratingly slow entrance.  More snow, frigid cold.  I was hoping we would be a little further in to it by now, to be honest.  We all may remember how antsy I get for getting out in the mud and mire to start my landscaping projects and this year is no exception.  I’m anxious to get started.  My big project this year is going to be landscape lighting along with some foundation planting, so I have begun to research a little, talk style and placement…a little sketching.  This is what I love about early spring; the getting ready.

As for the immediate future, I should take the Christmas arrangement out of the big black pots on the front porch and begin to ready it for a spring transition, as I know it will happen even if slow to start.  I have white lights on a tree up in the woods and over the last week or so the strands have started to burn out so the arrangement of lights is not looking great.  I guess, if it warms up above 20, I’ll see if I can correct that situation. And, the moon garden needs some serious attention. 

 

Oh, and I’ve convinced hubs it would be nice to get a quick spring trip in, so we may be traveling to a warmer location for a few days next month.  I mean, why not?

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What's changed?

What’s different? We are in to retirement zone for about a month now.  Its been pretty smooth although hubs and I do step in to the other’s territory a bit. There definitely are some adjustments happening.

   

He is enjoying the spontaneity of it all.  Yesterday, for example, he came out of the basement, which is how he has been starting his day, surveying his belongings in the basement, making a list of what to do next, and said “Want to do something crazy?” Caught completely off guard, I replied “Uh, sure.  What do you have in mind?”  Now, since I have the reputation of being the “crazier” of the two of us, I admit to being a little worried. Was this a challenge? Crazy is my territory, so only step in here if you mean it.

His idea was to drop everything and drive the hour and a half in to Chicago for the day.  A couple of stores to hit, that I have mentioned, and maybe lunch.  Alright, I said, I am more than game, give me 15 minutes, and off we go.

 

Now, hubs has never been big on driving in to Chicago for the day…certainly not on a whim.  Never to shop or browse, so for him, this was on the crazy side.  In the fog and rain so it wasn’t a pretty drive by any means.  It wasn’t totally aimless, he did have an idea of where we would go, but was open to just about anything I suggested.  We arrived, we shopped and we had a quick bite at a downtown spot, and made an uneventful trip back home.  Nothing earth shattering, no events to attend, just a bit of meandering here and there.  It was not the kind of day I would have spent in Chicago with “the girls” or my lady friends which would have included a show and cocktails in a hotel bar perhaps, but it was a good day.

I can take the spontaneity.  I am a bit more likely to jump than he is and we know that about each other.  I know yesterday was for me as much as it was for him to push his boundaries a bit.  After 45 years of structure it is a big change to have so many “free” hours.  We’ll get there.  We have started a list of places to visit, things to see, day trips to full on vacations.  I asked him yesterday if he wanted to go to an antique show in April, that starts on Thursday and would require some driving.  Instead of his usual “We’ll see”. (which, I’ll be honest, has driven me crazy for 40 years) he replied “Yeah, I guess we can do that, huh?”  Yes, yes we can.

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Following my own advice.

I haven’t written a blog post in several weeks.  I just was too hesitant, to be honest, as some things have really gotten under my skin lately and I don’t want this blog to ever come across as negative, or  “lecture-y”.  I was afraid my thinking, how I was feeling, would come out in my writing, and that’s a self-imposed no for me.

However, a lot of good has happened around me since Christmas and I hope both my outlook and my inner reflection have improved. Do you ever find yourself in a bit of a funk and it just needs to work itself around? That’s what I was hoping for. As James Brown would say “Get up offa that thing and make yourself feel better”.

Hubs retired, his last work day was December 28th.  The night before his very last day we had a bit of a surprise get together at one of our favorite spots, a local brewery. Almost all of the family was there, we are very lucky to have so many close by, and a couple friends. He was completely surprised and shout out to Maple City Dentistry for being in on the secret and shuffling his scheduled appointment around a bit.

We followed that up with a New Years Eve night out, very unusual for us. I have recently reconnected with an old friend and we ushered in the New Year together, our resolution being not to let thirty years go by again.  We were the oldest folks at Journeyman Distillery that night but we didn’t much care, and we made a quick stop in to the Acorn Theater's NYE party as well, super late and time for it to be over, but we listened to a couple songs from the band. It was a good time.

Following that, we traveled to Key West for a week to celebrate retirement and spend money like we have it.  Key West was terrific. Just the perfect response to retirement in that it caused us to slow down, to relax…to retire, if you will. We made plans, we chucked plans. Key West was a good bridge to what life will be like going forward.  

We have always talked a bit about travel. We are not campers or RV people. Seeing RVs shoved into campgrounds practically on top of each other, and I know that isn’t every park, made me cringe. Anyway, we spent a bit of time talking about how to plan for future trips and get-aways.  Our first step is making independent lists of where we would like to go and then compare those lists and start thinking about how to make it happen.  We want to travel in the US a bit, there are so many great places to see.

Christmas is like a blur, now, in some ways.  Our vacation already a week behind us.  We came home to snow and super frigid temps and now it is suppose to rain all evening.  We also came home to a blood red full moon and a lunar eclipse and that’s hard to beat. 

I follow a casual acquaintance on Instagram and she posts a lot of inspirational quotes.  One really rang true for me this morning as I was finishing this post…

One day or day one.  You decide.

Now, that was a week!

So we are sneaking up on the big holiday and I've had a multitude of special Christmas happenings already.  I mean, it's a good one, 2018, and we aren't even "there" yet!

A quick review of my last few days.  It's been busy and fun, and even though I ended my week with a bit of a virus, I wouldn't trade this week.  First, my husband and his valued crew host a holiday luncheon for their customers each year.  It's always nicely attended and appreciated.  This year, they recognized husband's upcoming retirement, too.  I went, along with our two-year old grandson, who had been charged to me for the day.  Grandbaby was a dream, husband was pleased and humble.  It was a great afternoon. 

Next, our son flew in from California for an extended weekend and we were super happy to have him around for a few days.  He looks good, he seems well and is a survivor of the bumps in his road this year.  Was really good to see him. 

Our family attended our local hospital's annual presentation of "Holiday at the Pops", with the local county symphony, and some special guests, including the children's choir our granddaughter participates in.  It was very, very good and the auditorium, which is also where her mom and dad had their wedding reception, housed a full audience.  It was hard not to think about that wonderful December night sixteen years ago, watching those two very young people, start their lives together, as they watched their lovely daughter. They were proud parents to be sure, and the children's choir was fabulous.  Our youngest daughter and son-in-law and their family had driven up for the evening, so our family was complete.

The next day was our annual family Cookie Sunday.   Again, our whole family in attendance, visiting with their cousins, kids running through the house, babies cooing and drooling...it was another wonderful day.  Much laughter, much food, many, many cookies.  It can be difficult to find the right date for this yearly celebration, but we do our best to get as many of us there as we can.  Its a beautiful thing. 

I became victim to a bit of a virus following Cookie Sunday and had to pass on riding along to return our son to the airport on Tuesday, and spent much of a couple of days supine on the couch, not even watching television.  I spent a lot of the time asleep, and a lot of the time wishing I could get up to do something.  After wrapping five presents and then having to sleep for two hours, I just resolved to pick it back up in a couple days. 

Friday night this week the children's choir has their own concert and we are very much looking forward to it.  The next morning we set off for Indianapolis to see the Nutcracker presented by the Indianapolis School of Ballet.  Our granddaughter gets to sit in the audience this year, and I will admit to being a little sad for that...but then I think about how she is just around the corner from me now, singing in the local children's choir, taking ballet at a new studio and enjoying her lake home.  Its a trade-off, yes, but its a solid trade. 

Word of the day, of the year.

I took a break from posting on this blog for the past two months.  There were a couple of reasons why, but, mainly we were busy! I determined it best to fix my brain on keeping on task of all the things on my list.  Not that I am busier than other people…I most definitely am not. However, I had a lot on my mind, things I wanted to sort through mentally and physically.

 

Last year, when I wrote at around the end of the 2017, it was about intention, and more specifically to intend to live with joy.  I wrote about choosing a word, if I could choose just one, my word for 2017 was JOY, my word for 2018 was INTENT.

So, now, with the coming and going of my birthday, when I usually think about such things, and the sabbatical I took from posting, in order to sort through some stuff, I find myself again wondering about a word, just one word, that would be my driving thought for 2019, adding to the cloth I weave each day.  (Here’s last years post, if you would care to read again https://cindiswindow.blogspot.com/2017/12/word.html )

So many things have happened in 2018 that cause me to really consider my 2019. First was the big move back “home” this summer of my middle child with her husband and three of our five grandkids.  Having them here, living just around the corner, has been a gift.  We have helped with the kids as she and her husband finished up the sale of their house in Indianapolis.  I have done school pick-up, and dance class, and attended a cross country meet or two.  It has been glorious, as well as has made me miss our son, who moved from Seattle to Los Angeles this year, and our youngest and her family of four even more.

    

The second big change is coming soon…husband’s retirement on December 31.  I am both looking forward to it and am anxious about it.  All the jokes apply.  He is worried about the budget. I am worried about having him here, all day, every day.  I mean, he deserves the rest and relaxation, no doubt or question, but what am I going to do with him all day?  We had a few appointments and “real talks” related to social security and financial planning which took up large parts of a couple weeks.  While I was able to skate through most of those conversations, it was taking its toll on my husband who needs to feel secure in his decisions and some of the suggestions we heard were uncertain for him.  I don’t think he slept at all, to be honest, all through October!

Which brings me to another change.  I retired early and completely back in 2014 or so but recently accepted a contract for working from home part-time.  Too many details to get into here but some of my October busy-ness was preparing for this opportunity.  Setting a schedule, training, trying to get organized…all that was a time burner.  I am just getting all that under some control as its taken a while to warm up the ol’ memory banks and remember how to work like a professional not to mention reclaiming the office space, which is slow going.

Life is all about the twists and turns in our journey, though, and starting each day from where you are.  It’s a hard lesson sometimes, not looking back, not regretting earlier life decisions or wishing you had done something differently. Accepting that, hey, you are here, now, so go-ahead, make the changes and get going.

   

2019, folks…Adjust

Making a list.

There’s been a fair amount of head scratching and pondering going on at the homestead these last couple of weeks as we move into the last quarter of hubs’ full time work and ease into retirement.  There’s been meetings, phone calls, discussions, paperwork, more meetings.  It’s been an education, that is for sure.  I think it is good? It is a bit scary.

So, we have been doing a fair amount of “taking stock” and making lists.  Doing a little “what’s that?” as we go through some boxes in the attic. It’s not been all drudgery…we did make some post retirement travel plans this week, and spent some great family times, caught a Broadway show.  We bought a “new” car and one of these days, we’ll hit the road in it.

I like making plans for the future.  I have always liked looking at my budget, making lists, crossing things off the list.  I am one of “those”.  I have little notebooks for all my wondering mind thoughts, questions and plans.  I think you are either a list maker or not.  Hubs seems to be able to keep everything in his head…I like to see it written down.  And if I can use a highlighter, well, that’s even better. I also like spreadsheets and I am one of those people who fill in my little lines and boxes with color because I am also a color person although to look at my wardrobe you might not think it.  I am a bit heavy in to grey these days.  Except in my spreadsheets.

I am not always known for following the rules.  I have jumped out of the car while in the student pick up lane to run inside rather than wait.  I have had more than 12 items in the express checkout line, snuck in to a private lounge.   Just this morning I had nachos for breakfast.  But, I also try to follow the rules that keep me and mine safe and secure.  Like, wear your seat belt, sit down, arms and legs inside at all times, three meals a day, moisturize and drink lots of water.  And oh yeah, make a retirement spending plan.

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Winter Break Camp GiGi

Week one of 2018 was a Camp Gigi week.  I met my daughter halfway or so and we switched vehicles...her SUV packed with 4 of the 5 grandkids and all sorts of their stuff to survive winter at GiGi and PaPa's for a few days.  

It was a good time. We were under a snow deluge that kept us from actually going anywhere except out in the snow.  The youngest girl was not a big fan of the snow.  This meant I spent a lot of the time shooing the bigger kids out in all their gear and staying inside carrying the 3-year-old from window to window, following the older kids as they went from snow bank to snow bank, encouraging her to fall in love with winter play…not successfully. So, it didn’t go exactly as planned, but, it brought the grandkids together here, gave their parents a bit of a break, gave them a bit of a break and I hope, created some memories.  I survived numerous cups of hot chocolate, enough marshmallows to choke a horse, and only three major spills.  Those came on one day, within about two hours of each other and only slightly tested GiGi's patience and good humor.  

I am in a county in Indiana that is known for its lake effect snow.  Ten miles away could have zero snow and we’ll have a foot of the fluffy stuff.  I am really not kidding when I say snow deluge.  The week of Camp GiGi, initially projected for an  “accumulation of 1” to 3” possible”, drastically changed to dumping 24” to 30” of snow.  Yes, that’s right…30” of snow in about 3 days.  It is magical, yes, and beautiful to be sure, but, come on.

 

The good news was there was little to no wind so there was no drifting, the roads were very clear, considering the amount of snow.  Secondly, it remained super cold and the snow remained light and powdery and fun.  It did trash the ice on the lake so our planned skating was a bust, but, the days of snow without end really went very well.  I had planned a family gathering for skating and brunch.  Skating was out but snow play and brunch was in.  We had a great time together, as we usually do, eating way too much and enjoying each other’s company.

Now, the kids are back in school, the parents are back at work…we are back in our routine.  I look forward to 2018 and trying a new program for staying organized called Bullet Journaling.  You can find out more about it at bulletjournal.com  I am going to incorporate budgeting into this format, too.  This time next year both hubs and I will be retired and our income significantly reduced…I have some lofty goals for 2018, and am spending this next few days setting up the format and our budget.  Have also made the Christmas returns I needed to make and scheduled some medical appointments that have been looming.  Reminding myself again of my word (see last week’s post) 2018 has begun and I am in with INTENT! 

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