Monday, November 1, 2010

Fun With Friends - Halloween Weekend

We had a great time with friends this weekend.  A very special Saturday evening was spent with our friend Debbie and her family.




She recently redecorated one of her bedrooms and made it into a nice office with a tropical theme.  The walls are painted a very pretty Caribbean blue. 






She hung a very cool wallpaper mural that  goes from the ceiling to floor on one wall.  Check out the cute pink flamingo metal sculpture her Mom found.  The office looks really nice.  Debbie loves the ocean and this office will be a great place to getaway from it all and dream about her next vacation.












Debbie is a great cook!  She prepared one of our favorite dishes - Pork Roast with a  Raspberry Glaze.    She also served mashed potatoes, green beans, and her Mom made homemade yeast rolls.  Dessert was a recipe from Carnival Cruise Line called Warm Melting Cake.  I promise not to talk about food all the time in this blog.  However, this dinner was very memorable.  She had taken such care to make a very special meal for us.  Thanks so much Debbie!





Her parents have adopted us!  We love them very much and have appreciated all their support and encouragement.  They gave us a gas card for our travels. It will certainly come in handy.








Below are pictures of Debbie's son and daughter and their significant others. 

Newlyweds Chris and Carissa

Mandy and Dustin
We celebrated Halloween with my boss, Jackie and her family. They stopped by to trick or treat at the campground.  Their daughter, dressed as an artist, is almost three years old.  They were unable to coax her into her original ballerina costume.  She looked adorable and entertained us with all her new songs.  John gave them a tour of the campground by golf cart, and after some time at the playground we all had some chili and corn bread.  We had a great time.  

Jackie, Kenzie, and Bern

Thursday, October 28, 2010

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!