What I Wish I Knew Before I Retired
Yesterday, my husband and I attended his 50th high school reunion. It was a great evening, and a wonderful weekend back in the area where he grew up. Richard enjoyed catching up with old friends and classmates. I loved getting extra snippets of his life before we met (way before we met)! It really was… Continue reading Why You Should Attend Your High School Reunion…And Take Your Spouse!
This past week, I hit the one-year mark both of being officially retired and of living back in Canada. With a full year behind me, has it been all that I anticipated? Yes and no--in equal measures. I remember a conversation that I had with one of my daughter-in-laws the day that we arrived back… Continue reading Reflections on Retirement – One Year In
It has been a quiet week at home, so I have been trying to check off some of the key pieces for our upcoming Camino walk. As I mentioned in my last post, we plan to carry our full packs. Hence, we want to travel as light as possible without getting caught short. In my… Continue reading Packing For The Camino: Three ‘B-Words’ and One ‘C-Word’
I’ve been trying to plan our upcoming Camino Trail walking trip—without over-planning. If you’ve met me before, or even just read a few of my posts, you probably know that I LOVE to plan and to GEEK OUT on details! I really can’t stop myself. It’s like that Geico commercial …”It’s what I do.” My… Continue reading The Camino Trail in Ten Days (or Less)–The Plan
We spent this past weekend in Victoria, BC, watching our youngest son, Creighton, compete in a half marathon. A priority for our retirement years is to attend family events as often as we can. It was a beautiful weekend—with our dog in tow. While waiting for Creighton to pass by the 16 K loop, we… Continue reading Reflections from a Half-Marathon
I’ve been surrounded by thoughts on irrelevance. A blogger, that I recently began to follow, shared that she was overwhelmed with feelings of non-importance as she completed her final term of full-time work and prepared for retirement. While I was mentally composing a reply, I glanced at a television program that my husband was watching.… Continue reading Does Retirement Equal Irrelevance?
It had been a perfect evening on the beach. The campfire was intoxicating and the s'mores (with their melt-in-your-mouth chocolate, and gooey marshmallows, precisely smushed between two crispy graham crackers) had never tasted so good. While we savored our meticulously roasted treats, marvelled at the majestic skyline, laughed and reminisced, our dog fervently dug a… Continue reading An Unforgettable Evening
One of the bloggers that I regularly follow just announced that he is ending his blog--or at least thinking about it. He hasn’t achieved the objectives he had set and is feeling the pressure of constant posting. He is witty and insightful. His posts make me laugh and reflect. Selfishly, I hope that he does… Continue reading On Blogging
Out of all of the gifts for which I am most grateful, being blessed with a kind, caring, and generous mother stands out among the best. This single good-fortune has helped prepare me for so much that followed. I grew up with the confidence that comes from having a central person in your life always… Continue reading Thanks, Mom!
We have now completed our 4,900++ kilometer road trip from Parksville, British Columbia to Winnipeg, Manitoba and back. The primary purpose of our trip was to visit my niece and attend the interior design exhibition that was part of her master's program. The time spent with my niece, as well as the exhibition, were both… Continue reading On the Road Again: Traveling Through Canada’s Western Provinces
Retirement Reflections 