The start of my year was getting to spend the Holidays with these two precious kids. My grandkids, though to this day I have to be called Nana. Grandmother was my Grandmother which is Liam and Kenzi’s Great Great Grandmother.

I won my first match ever in Tennis, not bad after a year of trying. I bought a new used car. Until this car I always had old 2005/2006 Subaru’s. My last one was a five speed wagon and I loved that car, but it was a lemon. Thank god I had purchased a warranty for repairs as the last time in they had it a month and a half. I did not mind because they gave me a brand new car to drive while they worked on it, but it forced me to buy another car and I was so proud I made it into the teen’s 2014. Just a funny note of having older cars for so long, every time I drove and parked my new used car for any length of time the battery was dead. Nothing was left on, but I have always left my keys in the ignition so I could find them. In these newer cars, even if the key is off, if you leave in the ignition it will kill the battery.

We bought a new computer system for the Tennis Center. Originally I was hired to setup their books as they had just purchased the business from the original owners. After setting up the books, I was going to train the Owner and her assistant on how to use Quickbooks for their monthly accounting. The new software for the Front Desk and others to use was new, and a bit complicated and then ended up needing all their attention in training staff and fixing issues and asked me if I would just do the books for them. I agreed (so much for retirement) and am still doing them today (2022).

Back to my tennis escapades. Geez I was so gung ho thinking we could play doubles and singles. This before my hip replacement and I could not move fast at all. I was so uneducated, and poor Jim I just signed us up for both singles and doubles in the local tournament. Some of the ladies we were playing had to play their games early on Friday as they were out on Saturday. Not thinking there would be a problem, we said sure. Well, because of their early matches we ended up playing 6 back to back games on Saturday. I was delirious. The last game I played, the ball went behind the curtain. I went and retrieved the ball, stood on the base line, called out the score and the girl stopped me. She said Kathy that is not the score and I am serving. I was so out of it. I have never played singles again. Although we are trying to start World Team Tennis. There you have players on your team that you have to play the other team women’s singles, men’s singles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles and then a mixed doubles match. The coach can sub you in or out but only once I believe. We had practice sessions last fall and of course I loved it. I started a singles match and won a game and looked at the coach and said I am out. So if I only have to do a couple of games I think I will be okay.

We did have lots of visits from the Grandkids this year which was great. They grow so fast

No Fear Crawdad Hunter

In September we borrowed a motorhome and drove out to California with all the dogs. My poor mother. Jim and I are the Bickerson’s. It does not matter where we go or what we do, we bicker. Now that is what people say when they are going to play us. We have the Bickerson’s.

In July I lost my lovely Lucy. She was my heart

I have always been one that I have to fill that missing hole in my heart with a new one so in December, we added Lulu to the family

Dexter was none to happy with me. What is this you brought home?

So looking back at 2017 it seems like tennis was my focus both working and playing. The Grandkids are always our heart and want to spend as much time as we can with them. We are lucky they like to come to Steamboat and spend time with us.

2018 is next, don’t know what to expect but I hope you are not bored now because I am sure it is a lot of the same.

Feb 2017, that was the last time I created a blog. I am not quite sure what happened and why I stopped and now I don’t know what has given me the urge to start up again, but here goes. (I continue to pay for the website so it was also a driver)

I have an addiction. My addiction is Tennis. Many have asked “Not Pickleball”? No, I am determined to get better at Tennis, so I have one focus. For the last five years I have taken as many drills as I can, two private lessons a week, tennis camps and playing (league and match play). In fact, I just returned from a Florida Tennis Camp. Six hours a day with a two hour break for lunch for three days. I went in two days early and stayed one day after to get some much needed sun and beach time.

My biggest days are Wednesdays. I have a drill from 8:30 to 10, a lesson from 11 to 12 and then I stay for my lesson coaches drill from 12 to 1:30 and then Jim and I come back for a mixed league at 6 till 7:30. People say how can you do that? After six hours a day at camp I need to continue to build my endurance. I get my steps in which is much more fun that running on a treadmill. I also just love it, and while I had a heart to heart with a coach in Florida about my probable progression, it was not quite what I wanted to hear. Starting at 65 and doing all this practicing, I was focused on moving up a level. This all started in wanting to play with my sister. She is 5 years younger but 5 years ahead of me in playing. We wanted to play tournaments together, but her level was 3.5 and mine being 3.0, to play together I had to play at her level. We are starting to look for tournaments that allow you to play a combination of levels which would be 7.0 for us. That means we could play two 3.5’s or a 3.0 and a 4.0 like us. Who knows what will happen this next year – after the last two years – I don’t guess on anything any more.

Besides tennis, what have I been doing since 2017. It is hard to remember pre Covid because it seems like our lives have been taken over for a couple of years.

I decided I am going to do a blog on each each year with pictures. Not that anyone really will care what I did the past five years but I thought maybe it would be cathartic for me. For me, depression and anxiety is a hard way of life. I have a Dr. I talk to, I take drugs, but something happened this January where I truly felt I had fallen down the rabbit hole, with no way up. Weekly talks, more medication and I am just now feeling like I am coming back to semi normal. I have to say two days of two hours each day, in a chair, in the water as the waves rolled in, did something to fill my lost soul. I felt better and though Jim loves it here in Colorado I am leaning towards four visits a year to the beach instead of two. Isn’t the saying, If it feels good – do it?

Steamboat Connection at Tennis Camp – 24 total Campers

People asked me what I was going to do once I retired. The three things on my list were, learn to ride my horse, play more golf and learn to play tennis.

Last fall (2015) a friend and I met a few times at the local park tennis courts and just kind of” hit the ball back and forth but we were not very good. She was much better than I was as she had played in the past with lessons and in a league.

In May, after the snow left, we met back in the park and kept trying to improve. Since I have social anxiety, I did not think I could go to our local tennis center and take lessons, but it turned out a girl I had played hockey with was a Pro at the center and some suggested I tried working with her. I called her, and at first my friend and I split the lesson between us, but I got so into it, I continued taking lessons, even when my friend could not. The Pro worked with me over the summer and she said I could probably join the fall ladies league as a 3.0 player, even being a beginner. I also started taking group clinics twice a week on Sunday afternoons and Wednesday mornings. I thought I was really picking up the sport, but my first foray into the league world was a whole different ball game.

Originally I thought my friend and I would be partners in this doubles league, however I found out that they mix you up each week so that you have a new partner every time. While we keep score while we are playing, there is no “standings” type of score kept. With all the lessons and clinics I had taken I was the worst partner ever my first two weeks and still to this day struggle with my playing. I actually cried on the way home after the second week. It is not so much being hard on myself, it is that I was bummed thinking that I did not give them a good game. I know these ladies come out and want to play some tennis and I felt that was not happening when I was in the mix.

I started talking Jim into going to the clinics with me. As most of you who know Jim, he always wears Levi’s and cowboy boots. The first time we went the owner (who had recently sold the business) saw Jim and came over and shook his hand. He said in the 25 years he had owned the business, he had never seen Jim enter the front door. He also took a look at the racquet he had pulled out of the garage and went to the counter and grabbed a demo racquet for him to use. Jim did take off the cowboy boots and put on his Umpire shoes. After the class the coach said “Jim, next time come in more comfortable clothes” meaning the jeans had to go. Slowly, week after week the clothing changed.

Next thing up was tournament play. I wanted badly to enter. My friend and I played in the City Tournament one weekend at the end of October and I talked Jim into playing in a USTR Mixed Doubles tournament the following weekend. I wanted to get ranked and be able to take that score anywhere and be able to use it to enter tournaments in case we were travelling. Of course big thoughts of us actually travelling (my expected retirement plans) and going to play in a tournament. My girlfriend and I were beat pretty handly in our first tournament, and the next weekend Jim and I were “schooled” by middle school kids that were at our level of play in the tournament. Talk about making you humble. But I continued on. I am now addicted.

The fall league ended in December and over the Holidays I took a camp that was three days the week before Christmas, for two hours each day, and the week after Christmas the same. During this time, I noticed also that I had created a monster in Jim. First it was tennis shoes. Then he thought he should get a racquet. For Christmas everyone decked him out in clothing and socks (I could not take the white work socks look) and now he is as addicted as I am and quite stylish. For those of you that know Jim, you know what a transformation this is as Levi’s and cowboy boots are his standard attire.

This year we are now playing a lot. Sunday’s we have a clinic, Monday’s I play in the Ladies league, Tuesday Jim plays in the Men’s League, Wednesday’s we take a clinic in the morning and then head back in the evening for the Mixed League and now Friday’s I am starting to play Singles with a gal from my Ladies league. Yes addicted, but also what I am using for my exercise instead of going to the gym, for now.

This week, a world ranked Professional was in town and gave a few clinics. I, at the last minuet, signed up for the two hour class, right after my league play of an hour and a half. Eight of us attended this class and I of course was the least experienced and slowest. He did make us feel like we were good, very encouraging, but boy did he make us move fast. I learned a lot, but oh my body come Monday evening. I could hardly stand up straight and climbing the stairs to bed was unbearable. I was fine the next day with a little soreness but I have now learned another lesson which is, I should warm up this ole body every time I get out there before any class or league play.

I started Women’s Ice Hockey at 40, and could not even stand up on skates, and played for 17 years. Now I am starting Tennis at 65, and hopefully I can play for another 17 years. It is a good addiction, at least for me. I guess we are never to old to learn a new sport. It is just dependent on how good our bodies are in being able to do it. I have lost half of the weight that was my goal to lose in a year so that keeps me pushing on.

Whatever you do in retirement, whether it is sports related or not, I hope that you do it and have fun. I worked all those years and took a little bit of the time for myself (hockey) but I could have done much more. Now it is my time, and I am glad I took that chance to walk into the Tennis Center for my first lesson.

PS The new owners of the Tennis Center needed help with setting up their books………………..and now it is my job.

Well I am quite embarrassed as it has been over six months since I have written anything.

I was in a bit of a funk being in retirement and not really doing what I had envisioned our retirement life would be like. Things like travelling, visiting friends and researching places we might want to move to.

I originally started the blog because Jim and I had taken a motor home trip with the dogs and I would send out daily emails about our travels. Many at work liked reading the daily emails and asked how they would keep up with us once I retired. Thus the start of the blog.

As is said above, we have not taken one trip in now what has been over a year and I feel I lost that loving feeling for writing the blog. What do I have to write about that anyone would want to read? Blogs are supposed to be entertaining or at least informative. I am not sure I have either in me.

I signed on for another year for this web site so I am going to try one more time. I can’t say it will be the best but I have to try. I will do my research and see if I can’t find something interesting about “being in retirement” to share.

As always I look for comments from you all. Do you have anything to share with others about retirement or helpful hints for fun and travel? Leave me notes and I will gladly put out for all.

Thanks for reading

Kathy

I have been trying to write this blog for the last three weeks but as I think back on my friends, I am sad thinking of those that I have lost that were very important to me, and I seem to have sunk back into a funk which is what I call part of my depression.

I think I have been a bit lonely since I have retired. While I kept my head down most of the day at work, it was the comfort of being surrounded by friends that did not make you feel lonely. A chat in the morning getting coffee, a comment out the door for lunch, and sometimes a longer chat around the conference table after a meeting. Adult conversation. I miss that.

There are certainly many degrees of friendship. Facebook has been the ultimate friendship connector for me. The most important being reconnecting with friends I had lost touch with for the last 18-20 years. One friend I found while living in Denver, comes up to Steamboat almost every weekend. We have been communicating and meeting for a breakfast and a lunch so far with a promise of more to come. I am excited about that. While we are good as couples getting together, we are also good as girlfriends getting out for lunch and spend 2 hours just chatting and catching up.

Growing up in the military life, I only go as far back as my Senior year in high school in knowing anyone from my past. I have one good friend that we have kept up with each other over the years, with a few years in between some of our communications. The High School Reunion group has made it possible to connect with many I went to school with, that year, and while not the closest of friends we all tend to reach out on birthdays or like/comment some of our posts on Facebook which continues our connection. From this I have an email pen pal that is allowing me to tell my story and being a very good listener and has great positive comments that help push me to continue.

Friends even here in town, that we do not run into or hardly ever see, we all tend to comment to each other, again through Facebook.

Growing up and moving as we did, I think I would always find just one person that would be my “best friend”. I was never one that could be part of a group of girls that all hung out together. I needed that one person, I think, to make me safe. Going to a new school every year, some starting after the beginning of the school year made it very difficult to fit in. Once you did find that someone to hang out with and become close to, you were packing up and moving to the next home. My Junior year in High School I started in November instead of the beginning of the year. By that time groups and cliques were already developed. That was probably my roughest year. As soon as the year was over we were off to Leavenworth for my Senior year.

After getting married, it was couples we developed as friends. Sure we still knew single’s that we continued to be friends with, but it was mostly couples we did things with. I know when we were in Omaha, we would get together and play cards on the weekends and I remember having serious card tournaments. Moving to Steamboat it was more about going out than it was having folks over to your house for dinner and cards although there were times that we did do that.

During my thirties I played women’s softball and learned for the first time about having fun with a group of women. We were close, we had fun and did many things together outside of softball. My forties and most of my fifties I played women’s ice hockey. Those were probably the best times of my life in having fun with a group of women. We travelled together to play in other towns in Colorado since that is how the leagues were setup. We had the most outrageous end of the season parties, and continued to party together throughout the year. We were friends. I did learn it was possible to be with a group of women and enjoy them. With that said, there were four of us that really were close and spent almost every weekend together doing something. A good friend of mine today says it was definitely a “clique” and it was hard one to break in to. As I look back, it was a pretty dysfunctional group. I believe I regressed to that need of a “best friend” and that in turn brought insecurities when that “best friend” spent time with others.

I started travelling globally for work in my mid-fifties. I made great work friends from Chicago to Christchurch to Belgium and Manchester, England. I then worked with folks in Lima, Peru and Alberta, Canada. Part of the reason for the start of this blog was a way people I worked with were going to be able to keep up with my retirement escapades as Jim and I fumbled thru finding our way.

When we lost Tyler, I went into full hibernation. I did so, for so long, that I lost the connection to all my friends. We were invited to many things and we would attend, but after arriving I would panic and we would have to leave. I really shut everyone out. It has been 7 long years and I believe some have said (including my doctor) that I have started to come back to life somewhat. I try to initiate lunches with friends which is more of a comfort level for me vs going to parties. We do enjoy nights out for dinner with friends occasionally.

As I have slowly come of my “self- imposed exile” I have realized that spending time with friends is so important. I lost a very close work friend last year to breast cancer. Another terrible blow to me but it makes you realize that it is important to spend the time because you do not know how long you have. It is also important to tell your friends how important they are to you because without them, you are missing a big part of life.

One friend has been there for me since Tyler left us. She has tried very hard to push me out and has never given up on me even though I have bailed on her so many times they are too numerous to count. When I was alone in Denver awaiting the birth of our grandson, she jumped in her car and came down to be with me because Jim had to head back to Steamboat due to work. Additionally, when we lost our friend last year, she has gone with me to spend time with my friends husband to be able to build a bridge in order for us to discuss our loss, which I could not have done on my own.

If you have a good friend, tell them how important they are to you. While I have been out of the friendship loop for a while, I am slowly working my way back and looking forward to rebuilding and reconnecting. To all of you who have been connecting to me thru Facebook and Email, thank you. You do not know what it has meant to me.

I don’t think I am necessarily a lazy person overall.  I was a workaholic.  I played women’s ice hockey from the time I was 40 until I was 57.  A few years ago I was working with a trainer at the gym (which I find helps get you there if you have an appointment) and did that for two years.

I have “Walk it Off”, “Insanity”, “Cize”, “Yoga for Beginners” and now “The Daily Burn” which is on APP Television and gives you all kinds of 15 minuet short workouts along with a 60 minuet daily class that changes.  In addition I still have a membership to the gym. Jim has hooked me up with my snowshoes so I just have to walk out the door.  Love them all.  Feel great after I do them, but that is the catch, you have to do them.

My goal in retirement was going to be to learn how to play tennis.  Jim and I played on Sundays until the snow came.  I wanted to see if I had the ability to return the ball a bit before I went for a class, and to see if I could run.  Maybe I have not convinced myself I am ready as I have yet to pickup the phone to see about lessons.

The weather really has me down this winter.  December was so cold even the dogs would not go outside.  January it snowed, and snowed and snowed.  As Jim was going into town to work everyday, he would pickup anything I needed so I would not have to drive in. February I was sick for two weeks and hard to get motivated when you don’t feel so hot.

I believe I envisioned a trip or two to warmer weather this winter, after I retired, but my travel companion who always wanted to go when I was working, has decided that he likes working.  He is taking advantage of the retirement of another carpet layer in town and picking up many more jobs.  He thinks things will slow down here soon and they have started to.  He is definitely not stopping me from going anywhere but I am just not ready yet to fly to Florida and rent a place by myself for a month.  With him being home, I won’t exercise  in front of him.  Snowshoeing, well I am a fair weather outdoor girl.  Jim gets out every morning after feeding the horses and goes for a walk.  The snow is still frozen enough he can walk without falling through.  Me, I want to go around 11 and depending on the day, the snow is sketchy.  Definitely need snowshoes or you would fall in but there is always something about the weather that holds me back.  Windy, snowing, raining – I know excuses.

I don’t know why I am in a funk about getting my body moving.  I need to get it done.  I have 3.5 stone to lose.  Can’t lose by sitting on the couch.

So I have done what all girls need for motivation – a little shopping.  I picked out a new outfit from that Fabletic’s clothing line, who’s ads we see on Facebook everyday and it has just arrived.  I have decided that I have to go somewhere, and not try to exercise only in my house so I am headed back to the gym.  I am going to try to go everyday.  Just make it part of the routine.  I can still watch news until 9:30, read until 11,  and then head to the gym.

Today is my first day.  Getting out of the house will be my first hurdle. Wish me luck.

I know money is a very private matter.  What we make, what we have or have not saved, and what we choose to live on in retirement is all personal.  I have just been obsessed with knowing,  do I have enough to live on until the end?

Last week I read an article from the Los Angeles Times, “Too Poor To Retire and Too Young to Die.”  The majority of the article was about a 79 year old lady.  Her savings are long gone.  She had not done much financial planning and lives in an aging RV, driving from one temporary job to the next.  Author John M. Gilonna says, she is like a growing number of the nation’s elderly (households ages 55 and older) that have no pension or retirement savings, and have an average annual income of $19,000.  Many of these individuals rely on small pensions or social security, mostly because half of all workers don’t have employer-backed retirement plans.  Eight out of ten Americans say they will work into their 60’s or skip retirement entirely.  To me that is sad.  I thought that the retirement years should be about enjoying life after working so hard all those years.  I did not realize that many folks did not have the luxury of saving and do not plan on living on more than social security.

I could have very easily been one of these people, as my husband never saved a dime towards retirement.  He told me when we first met, after his return from Viet Nam, that he was happy living with a roof over his head and food on the table and not needing anything else. He still believes that today.  At 21, I did not think anything about it, but when I turned 40, and realized we had no plan for retirement, I freaked out.  Luckily I was working for a company that had a 401K  plan available to their employees.  I started out contributing what I could and later as my career developed, I started saving for two people as I knew Jim was not saving anything at all.  A few years ago a family friend, who was a financial planner, came to our office to do a presentation.  She showed us that there were other options in addition to our 401k plan, which I had heard about, but did not really know what they were, or how they worked.  I jumped in and worked with her on a plan. Today, I don’t think I would have been able to retire without a financial planner’s advice.  For those of you that are thinking towards retirement, I highly recommend you to sit with someone and let them guide you, even if it is only a one time event.  If you are really far off from retirement, save early, and as much as you can.  This could provide you with the ability to retire early if you want, or at a minimum, provide you to live a little easier.  Who knows what the state of Social Security will be in the future.

I asked a few friends, who are retired, what they are doing and are they worried?  One friend sat down and created a spreadsheet of expenses, categorizing them by fixed, fixed but could be lowered and, optional like entertainment and travel.  They factored in their possible medical emergencies and home repairs and came up with an absolute minimum monthly income that they would need to live on.  Another friend’s husband was managing their money but recently turned it over to a family friend financial advisor.  Were they worried?  No, but it made them more aware of their spending, and my friend has taken a part time job for just a little cushion.  They are also trying to be more creative about their vacations and travelling.  Her husband plans to work until he is 66.

I would love to hear from any of you who are already retired and if you have any suggestions or ideas to share. Do you have any tips on continued saving or spending?

We are hoping to get out and do a little travelling.  I can’t believe I am so ready that I am actually excited about going to Reno, with Jim, for the Men’s National Bowling Tournament at the end of March. (it’s been a long winter)  I am a Crap’s player, so I will have to definitely go with a budget now that I am not working any longer.  When I worked, I never worried about my trips to Vegas but now it seems that I need to pay attention to what I am gambling with.  Bowling is not a great spectator sport, but the thought of a Casino in the Hotel is very appealing.   I am looking at a Yoga retreat in the fall and we are planning at least two motorhome trips, one to Yosemite  and one down toward Lake Havasu, Arizona. We are also thinking of renting a house in Denver next year during the month of December.  We missed too many Grandkids events this year, recitals and actual Christmas Day, due to weather and not being able to travel down to Denver.  We have a lot of friends in Denver as well, so it will be good to be able to spend time visiting them or having them over. Those are our “big” travel/expenditure plans for 2016.

Am I worried?  With all the saving and planning I have done, I am still concerned.  I had so many grand ideas of what I was going to do in retirement.  I think it is probably too soon for me since it has only been three months.   I should revisit this a year from now,  see what we spend, and where we actually travelled to know if our current plan will work or if we will need to adjust.

I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

From my friend Christina Alexanians –

You are retired.  You do not have to do everything that you planned to do.  Just take it easy and if it’s meant to be it will happen.

The whole Obama Care – Health Insurance process went on around me, without me paying much attention.  I thought It did not pertain to me, because I was covered by the health insurance provided by the company I worked for.  I knew in the back of my mind I would have to deal with it when I retired.  I budgeted for it in my expected retirement expenses.  I actually tried to be proactive six months before my last day of work.  I called the information line, here in Colorado, and explained what I thought I was going to do, to get verification that my plan would work.  My plan was to go on to COBRA, (Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act – which is an employees right to pay the premiums but continue under your current group health insurance plan that your would otherwise be losing by leaving the company), for two months – November and December.  This would give me time to review my various options for health insurance and start with the new company at the beginning of 2016. I was told that my plan would work so I forgot about health insurance.

I retired in the middle of October, so I was covered until the end of month under my current work health plan.  Employees have 45 days to decide if they want to enroll in COBRA.  I received the documentation regarding COBRA from the Human Resources department of the company I had retired from, and found that only I was eligible for COBRA but my husband was not.  I was not advised of this when I had researched “my plan” six months prior.  The reason Jim would not be covered was that he was eligible for Medicare.  Medicare, I had ignored,  just as I had Obama Care.  I thought because we were covered while I was working, we did not need to worry about it.  Researching this I found that you can actually get penalized by not filing for Medicare, 3 months before your 65th birthday.  Jim was now 66.  Luckily, because he was covered under my work group plan, we did not get penalized and, because of retirement, he was allowed a special enrollment period when we applied for him.

At the time I was reviewing all of this it was the middle of November.  I started to panic.  Now I know that the earliest I can get Jim covered is December 1st, leaving him uncovered for November.  As sure as you know it Jim,  who has been sick maybe 4 times in the 41 years we have been together, has to go to the doctor to get checked for possible pneumonia because he has been sick for a few weeks and is just not getting any better.  End result is we ended up paying for the doctor visits and the medication out of our own pocket.  Could have been worse but a note to be taken.

I had some great people helping me out which I can not thank enough.  Abby Wilson with High Point Financial Group, and Cynthia Guldy, New York Life Insurance Company.  Abby, while being a personal family friend, is also my financial advisor.  As she saw me struggling with setting up my health insurance, she put me in touch with Cynthia who scrambled to get me information to review, policies to pick from, guided me,  and provided me the UPS labels to get the application documentation in on time, for Jim to be covered by December 1.  I do also need to give a shout out to Stacey Noonan.  She visited me one night and we talked about insurance and she went home and worked out another insurance quote for me, not realizing that Cynthia had already done so.  They both came up with the same plan which was great, but I felt bad that Stacey had done the extra work.

In addition to Medicare, we had to pick a supplemental insurance plan and a drug plan for Jim and select an insurance plan for me starting in 2016.  After reviewing all options, the cheapest plan for me was to stay with COBRA for 18 months which will then take me into enrolling in Medicare.  Things may change in the next 18 months so I can not say at this time what I will be doing for supplemental insurance but at a minimum I would go with what we picked for Jim.

There is so much information out there under our new (or at least new to me) insurance world.  There are so many options you need to consider.   Deductibles, Out of Pocket expenses, in-network, out of network and co-pay’s.  If you are planning on retiring, start early.  I did not do it the right way.  Educate yourself and allow yourself time!  I would probably still be figuring things out if I had not had the additional help.

Well, it has now been three months since my retirement. It is surprising how quickly the days have gone by, but I am ashamed on how much I have not accomplished. The start of this blog being one of those things.  I think this comes from just needing to get used to your new life of not working. The holidays, being within this timeframe, were not conducive to productivity.  An excuse, I know, but true.

I have been thinking back over the years that I worked, back to the very beginning when I was given a choice by my husband to stay home and be a housewife.  What would my life have been like?  The early 70’s were a time when most women were not thinking career’s but it was the start of the need of two income households. When we were first married my husband used to buy me clothes. These clothes that he purchased were his vision of what I would wear around the house.  These were long flowing dresses that even today, I would only wear to very special occasions, certainly not around the house.  I think it scared me that he was picturing a “Donna Reed” or “Leave it to Beaver” kind of wife, and that just was not me.

We first lived in an apartment complex where we were the maintenance couple.  When people moved out, we would repair or replace the carpet and repaint all the rooms.  We would get up in the morning and finish our day around 2 P.M.,  and then we would have the rest of the day for laying by the pool or playing golf.  It was a nice arrangement.  I enjoyed the lifestyle but after six months of coming home with paint in my hair and paint under my finger nails, I had enough.   I went out and got a job.  My very first job was with a Title Insurance Company and looking at the Want Ads, I saw that there was an opening at one of those companies.  I applied and started work right away.  That was the end of the possibility of me staying home and being a housewife, and the start of 43 years of working.  We are now at the end of those years of working and looking forward to what will be in our retirement years.  I hope you will join me as I head into this next journey and I will strive to find interesting information to share.