Sunday, March 1, 2015

The 411

It's snowing here again, or still depending on your point of view. This is a dainty snow, quite pretty if you can get past the five foot+ high snow mountains in driveways and parking lots and ev-ry-where you go, the freshly iced walkways and porch steps your husband spent two hours chipping free and clear just yesterday, the chalky gray salty substance touching literally everything from the bottom of your feet to every square inch of your vehicle and, most importantly...you are not out in it.

Then it's quite pretty.

But guess what? I'm not here to talk about the weather. My blog, my little corner of the Internet, has been neglected in recent weeks, and I want to try and rectify that. Because while the blog has been quiet, life has not. Life has carried on at warp speed in spite of the fact that we're essentially housebound due to the extreme cold and above mentioned winter mayhem.

This past Thursday, February 26th, marked 30 years to the day my hubs began working for the company he has worked for come rain or come shine, since 1985.

On Friday February 27th he retired from that company.

Done. Closing one chapter. Officially not working.

Have mercy.

I kid. But only sort of, because there's a whole lot to figure out in the next little bit, and I've been somewhat reluctant to write about it here because all the retirement things were colliding in my brain with all the wedding things. I needed to compartmentalize. These two not small life events have been running on parallel tracks for the past few months and whew...we've got a lot of things going on here people.

How about if I keep today simple and respond to the three questions I'm asked most often when someone hears our news.

1.  Will you move? 

Absolutely. In fact our house just went on the market.
Potential buyers please read paragraph one. Winter-yay! It's great!

Okay, maybe not great, but it is survivable. And pretty! Really really pretty!

2. Will your hubs go back to work?

Yes, eventually but not tomorrow.
Did I mention it's winter and we're in the house? A lot?

3. Will you go bonkers? Will he? 

Hmmm...stay tuned.

That last question is normally asked by people who actually know hubs in real life, as opposed to most of you reading here who know him via my blog. ahem. 

I don't in any way mean to imply that my hard working husband is going to drive me crazy by not immediately going back to work, but!...there's always a but in life isn't there? One of the absolute best and most admired traits my husband possesses is his drive. His strength of character and steely determination to always push forward, think long term, to set goals and meet them and then set some more. To fly headlong into the future. Take risks. Overcome challenges.

He likes to picture himself sitting on his dock reading a book, and while I'm sure he'll do some of that there will be more. Because there always is. We're young. Not young in the sense of just starting out, but certainly in the sense that we have a very long list of things we want to accomplish in this world.

In order to do something different you have to step off the path you've been comfortably trekking for thirty years and forge a new path. As much as we hate to admit it, change isn't a naughty word. And while I always normally dig in my heels resist, I know this much is true-

God has always always used change in my life for good.

Something else I know?
I may as well decide from Day 1 to see this as an adventure.

Because with hubs, it always is.

19 comments:

  1. Congratulations to your hubby! Any ideas where you'll be moving?

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  2. Congratulations, again, on the hubs retiring! Hopefully he'll find a project very soon! ;)

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  3. Whew!! I don't envy you, but I know it will all be exciting (if not exhausting). Moving.....ugh. But a new chapter, and exciting things to come.... what fun! Thanks for putting us 'in the loop' and know that we are here to cheer you on!

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  4. I am going tomorrow to a retirement meeting-gosh and planning a wedding. i keep telling hub this is too much at once for me to grasp-but oh well. Congratulations to hub and enjoy the ride!

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  5. Wow, have been waiting with baited breath for this post. And, it wasn't at all what I was expecting. I figured Maggie was engaged. :o)) Well, I hope Hubby and you adjust well to the time that he is retired and that your house will sell in a timely manner. Your life is just one adventure after another. Gives you plenty of blog fodder for sure. Our Hubby's sound so much alike. Tommy is so driven and owns his own insurance agency and built every bit of it from the ground up. He has it running like a well oiled machine at this point with a staff of 5, one being our son and he goes in about an hour a day. He's probably retired as he will be for a long time. Best wishes!!

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  6. Congratulations! I wish retirement was closer for us...
    Sorry for all your snow, but the weather has been nicer here. Well, except for the panic of a whole inch of snow in our part of the metro. We were amused. :)

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  7. Enjoy your new adventure!

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  8. I can only IMAGINE what the parallel track of retirement and wedding would look like in my head. No wonder you had to compartmentalize! Congratulations to hubs on 30 years of very hard work and obvious success. My hubs likes to quote the advice (he hasn't retired yet but tells this to potentials) that the happiest retirees don't retire FROM something but TO something. Sounds like what you mean--going from one adventure to another.

    God's got a sense of humor to give you guys an ice storm to get used to 24/7 together! :)

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  9. Congratulations on 30 years! What an accomplishment! And wishing you success and all the best on your new adventures...whatever they might be!

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  10. Congratulations! Looking forward to hearing all about your new adventures as you live them.

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  11. As a survivor of a similar adventure some years back, I can tell you that it won't be long before you wonder how you had time to work! A part time job and volunteering, meetings with friends, etc., all seem to crowd in on your calendar to where yo need to take a vacation from it all! ;-0

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  12. Well, Joyce, I don't quite know what to say! It appears that you and I suddenly have a whole lot in common, with our husbands retiring in this brand new year!
    I wish y'all the best with whatever adventures lie ahead! Ed and I are still finding our way through his retirement, but with each passing week, it gets easier. I think the arrival of spring will help [all of us] tremendously :)



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  13. That's BIG news....sounds like an awesome adventure. I know I'm ready for one! I also know it will be an adjustment and patience will need to be your friend. Wishing both of you all the happiness in the world! ((Hugs))

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  14. Well this is exciting! Kind of. No really... Congratulations! I wish there was such a thing as 'kind of' retirement. Such as, work when want, play as you want...Ha.
    I'd like to say we are not far off, but realistically, it's likely 8-10 years. I think I'm okay with that. ;)

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  15. Hi,
    Good luck with your new adventure.
    We are starting on our teen years with our boys, so a bit of a new adventure for us too. Our oldest will start Drivers Ed in April. He also is looking at a Computer Programming class / internship. I am excited for the changes coming. Yet, remember that little boy :-)) and wonder how did he grow up so fast. xx oo
    Have a blessed week,
    Carla

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  16. How exciting, Joyce! I can't wait to see all that God has in store for you and your hubby! Let the adventure BEGIN!

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  17. It's funny how moments like this one are completely unexpected but in the end, when it all plays out, you can look back and see how wonderful God orchestrated it all. I only wish sometimes He provided some insight on what was going to happen a bit so we could relax a bit more, but I guess that is where our faith in Him comes into play. Hoping that you will love your next chapter!! We're with you in thought and prayer.

    Love and Hugs ~ Kat

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  18. Congrats on the retirement. I can't wait until I get to say that myself!

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  19. Congratulations to you and your husband! This is a very big deal, following on the heels of another big deal. It sounds exhausting and exciting and full of opportunity for the two of you. I have every confidence that God will bless you and guide you on a new path in your journey of serving Him. If the offer were right, I'd sell you a house in Wisconsin where we didn't get nearly as much snow, but lots of days that started out well below zero F. :-)

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