Woo Hoo! I'm officially retired!!

Wow!  I'm now officially retired.  Although this has been a well planned and thought out event it does seem somewhat surreal.  I left with a little lump in my throat as I walked out of the office with my box of belongings.  As I drove home the reality started to wash over me and my smile got bigger and bigger as I approached our motorhome. 

I will miss my co-workers and have enjoyed my job very much. They have been very supportive and encouraging.  They asked lots of questions and took a great interest in our retirement plans as they approached.   



Compliance, Privacy, & Internal Audit Staff



Me, Beth, Jackie, Marti, Angie, Tom, & Gerard

When we first seriously considered this option about five year ago, it seemed so far away.  At times we wondered if it would become a reality.   Earlier in the week I received the nicest email from a former co-worker.  She said she admired how we have made our dream a reality.  Pretty cool! 

John has 29 more days to go before his retirement is official.  In the meantime, our friends and family have planned several "going away" parties for us.  This will certainly be a lot of fun and help make the time go by quickly. 

My sister in law sent this to me today on how to know when it's time to retire....she finds the funniest things!



Seven More "Wake Ups" for Me!!

 


Mornings are certainly not my favorite time of the day.  Each work day John makes my favorite substance (coffee) and tries to lure me out of bed with a steaming cup.

 

My favorite comic strip is Maxine.  She feels much the same way I do about coffee.  One of my favorite quotes of hers is "ever feel like you have had too much coffee?  Me neither. "  Here's another favorite  "have a favorite coffee flavor?  HOT!"






My morning ritual usually involves having to receive several get out of bed reminders.  John, on the other hand, is just the opposite.  He gets up with the first alarm and is ready to go.  Not me.  For me, the perfect morning is getting up slowly, drinking a cup of coffee, watching the Today Show or reading by favorite blogs.  I'm looking forward to those times being Monday - Friday, rather than just on the weekends.

I'm especially happy today.  There are only seven more "wake ups".  My last day of work is Friday, October 29th.  From that  day forward, I can get up when I want to, rather than have it be imposed by  my work schedule.  Wow! Life is good!

Rememberance collage

After reading Rick and Paulette's blog today, I've decided to try making a collage.  Rick stated this was a very difficult time to be a blogger and  he was struggling with today's post.   He said Margie always enjoyed learning new techniques and he thought she would like his lesson today.  He demonstrated how to build a collage using Picassa.  Click on his link above for the step by step  instruction.

Mike and Gerri created three in honor of Margie.  They are really beautiful.  So, I decided to try to put one together.  What should I use for a subject?  Right now we are not traveling and do not have any new pictures to share.  So, I searched in Google Images using words and thoughts for some pictures (for example loss, sorrow).  Try one yourself.  Thanks Rick!

To Remember

It is with great sadness and shock we mourn the loss of two very special friends in our blogging family.  Margie and Bruce Mallin touched many of our lives.  They were tragically killed as they walked together near their RV park in Pismo Beach California.  

Pismo Beach California

The driver of a car had intended on killing himself.  Instead he killed our dear friends.  The news took our breath away. Today I've spent time reading other blogs and have been touched by the many testimonies  Their words give me comfort  Like many other bloggers we never met them.  But, we felt like they were a part of our family.     Our thoughts and prayers go out to their family and many friends. 

Together we remember, we grieve, we celebrate their lives, we reflect, and we mourn the loss of two special people. 

Renovations & Maintenance

(Greenfield) We ordered some very cool shades called Magne Shades for our coach at the Escapee Rally in Goshen.  They are held to your windows by very strong magnets.  They arrived this week and they were very easy to install.  They come in a variety of colors and patterns.  You can even custom design your own.





Installing front and side shade

 


Entry door shades




Front view.  Note windshield wiper covers

They are very easy to put up and take down.  Inside our coach you can see out. However, you can not see in our coach from the outside during the day.  It dramatically decreased the temperature in our coach after installing.  This is sure to come in handy when we are in Florida and Arizona.  We really like them.

Here is a video demonstration  I found on U-Tube.

John went back to Amish country (Topeka, Indiana) to pick up my wall hugging recliner from Lambright. It fits perfectly in the living room and is very comfortable. Notice the emphases on "my" :). It takes up far less space and does not hit the wall like our previous one.

Our friend Al (see previous 5/11/10 post) came by to help John change the oil in the diesel engine and the generator.  He was able to get  the filters at a great discount for us.  It took 6 gallons of oil.  Amazing!  It was sort of a messy job but with Al's great guidance we saved a lot of money.  John said it was much easier to do than he had anticipated. 

Oops, a little oil on the top knot!

Thanks again Al for all your help!

A Wonderful Braziliaan Dinner with Friends

(Indianapolis)We had a wonderful dinner with friends Debbie, John, and Norma at a Fogo de Chao, (click on link)  a Brazilian restaurant.  This type of restaurant is called a churrascaria, and offers a wide variety of meats that are fire roasted.   

There were over 15 cuts of meat were brought to our tables by a gaucho.  Each person has a red and green disk.   



You turn it to green when you would like the gaucho's to stop by and turn if over to red when you need to rest.  You definitely want to go hungry. 

Our friend John kept his turned to green most of the time!

There was also a gourmet salad bar  included smoked salmon and cheeses.

John really enjoyed their Brazilian lime drink called Caipirina. We ended the meal with a delicious Papaya Cream dessert blended with fresh papayas, vanilla ice cream and Crème de Cassis liqueur. From beginning to end it was a great time together.

We had experienced a restaurant like this when we visited John’s sister in Sao Paulo. We were so happy to share this experience with our friends

After we got back to the RV, Debbie and I talked about the upcoming “changes”.  We have been friends for a long time and leaving this area will be hard for both of us.  Debbie is so happy  we will soon be living our dream. However, she mentioned just knowing we were nearby was a great comfort to her and she was struggling with us leaving.   I confessed to her  it was very difficult for me too.  It’s a new passage and we talked about having to learn ways to maintain and nurture our very precious friendship.   I reminded her  at least she can come visit us in some amazing locations.  That is certainly a plus! 

Good Friend + Good Food + Grill = Priceless

Our realtor that sold our home, Jeff, came by the campground last night to see our motorcoach. It was so wonderful to see him and we are sure appreciative of all his great skills in selling our home. It was only on the market for two weeks when we received there offers (same day). Be sure to see earlier posts with all the details.

I gave him a tour of the campground by golf cart and John gave him a tour of the motorcoach-inside and out. . He asked us lots of questions and says he’s so excited for us. We are too. It is less than seven weeks before we will set off down the road.



Checking out the diesel engine

Discussion around the water station



We decided to give him the full camping experience and cook our dinner outside on the fire.

We especially liked the rib eye steaks and portobello mushrooms.









Thick Cut Ribeye w/Red Wine-Honey Mustard Vinaigrette and Fresh Thyme

Recipe from Bobby Flay"s Boy Meets Grill

For the vinaigrette:
1/4 coup red wine vinegar
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T honey
1 T finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, honey, and thyme in a medium bowl and season to taste.  Gradually whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.

For the steaks:

2 boneless ribyeye steaks cut 2 inches thick
Salt and pepper'

Heat grill
Season steaks with salt and pepper.  Grill until lightly charred and crusty.  Move to cooler part of grill and continue to cook until medium rare

Remove the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minuets.  Cut in to 1/2 inch slices and spoon a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette over each serving.

Enjoy!


It was a fun and relaxing evening spent with our friend. 

Why We Will Like Retirement

My sister in law sent me this today (author unknown).  Enjoy! Please feel free to share with your friends. It might encourage others to join the ranks too.  What is your favorite?

Why We Will Like Retirement

Question:    How many days in a week?
Answer:      6 Saturdays, 1 Sunday

 Question:    When is a retiree's bedtime?
 Answer:      Three hours after s/he falls asleep on the couch.

  Question:    How many retirees to change a light bulb?
  Answer:      Only one, but it might take all day.

  Question:    What's the biggest gripe of retirees?
  Answer:      There is not enough time to get everything done.

  Question:    Why don't retirees mind being called Seniors?
  Answer:      The term comes with a 10% percent discount.

  Question:    Among retirees what is considered formal attire?
  Answer:      Tied shoes.

  Question:    Why do retirees count pennies?
  Answer:      They are the only ones who have the time.

  Question:    What is the common term for someone who continues to work and refuses to retire?
  Answer:      NUTS!

  Question:    Why are retirees so slow to clean out the basement, attic or garage?
  Answer:      They know that as soon as they do, one of their adult kids will want to store stuff there.

  Question:    What do retirees call a long lunch?
  Answer:      Normal

  Question:    What is the best way to describe retirement?
  Answer:      The never ending Coffee Break.

  Question:    What's the biggest advantage of going back to school as a retiree?
  Answer:      If you cut classes, no one can call your parents.

  Question:    Why does a retiree often say he doesn't miss work, but misses the people he used to work with
  Answer:      He is too polite to tell the whole truth.

  Question:    What do you do all week?
  Answer:      Monday to Friday; Nothing, Saturday & Sunday I rest.

Saying Good Bye To Our Workamping Mentors

(Greenfield)  We will soon be saying good-bye to our workamping friends, Danny and Gaye.  We met this couple in June while having some work done on our motorcoach (see June 26th post for more details).  We are sure glad  Jimmy needed to go for a walk.  The campground was right next door to the dealership and during that walk we met Danny.  He told us how much they enjoyed working at the campground and conversation led to our first workamping job.  We are very grateful.





Gaye and Danny



Danny and Gaye have been so encouraging and told us many stories about their past 6 years as workampers.  This is their second season here and they plan to return next summer too.  They have family nearby and really like working for the owners of the campground.  

Danny can fix and trouble shoot just about anything.  Campgrounds require a lot of maintenance and he does such a great job taking care of everything.  He has generously shown John some of the tricks of the trade.  Gaye taught me how to use KampSight  (KOA's reservation system) and the register for camp store sales.   Plus, she gave me lots of tips on how to handle customers.  She has so much experience and it has been delightful working with her.  

Last evening we went out together to a restaurant  Gaye and I have wanted to try and had heard so much about from others.   It is located in downtown Greenfield in a historic library building.  It's called Carnegie's and our dinner was delicious.  It features a wood fired oven and everything is homemade.  Gaye and I especially enjoyed our bacon wrapped salmon, but  they are most known for their steaks and tenderloins. 

We will miss them very much and hope our paths will cross again.  Gaye said, if not, our hearts will always remember our friendship and time together.