What is Retirement?

This morning while talking to Stevie he was teasing me about sleeping in until 7 and that I had taken time for a walk.  I know he doesn't really begrudge me my flexible schedule - but it made me wonder if I might be missing something.  Am I letting this time of my life slip by without making the most of it?  Should I feel guilty when I take a long walk or sit down with a book?  Sure my house could use a good cleaning but my body is only willing to work a short time before the the joints & muscles start complaining.

 Four and a half years ago I decided to quit my job and retire.  I wanted to be 'available' to be a grandma - or Nana as it actually turned out.  My children are doing an excellent job of helping me stay busy in that capacity - and I love that.  But of course this only fills in some of the time - plus Nana is not as young as she once was and does need her own time once in awhile.  I know at some point the grandkids are all going to start school and will only need me now and then - and then later their lives will become so busy - well, I don't even want to think that far ahead.  The point is - am I going to have trouble filling in my time without feeling guilty about it?  Is retirement free license to enjoy yourself?   The answer is - I don't know and I've decided I really am not even going to worry about that right now.  

This morning I heard a song Jenny had on her blog several weeks ago.  "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins.  It's about a girl who can't wait to be 18, and then when married can't wait to have kids, and when the kids come feels overwhelmed with them - and she keeps being reminded 

'You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this'

After the song I remembered a paper I had written in high school.  It was an essay about some quote from a guy who claimed the good times are in the past.  I remember that my stand was that the best of times are right now - at whatever point you are at.  I remember my teacher writing on it 'I wish you lots of luck in trying to hang on to that point of view'.  I'm still not sure if she was being genuine or sarcastic - but I have always tried to maintain that outlook.

So what have I done today you ask - I took a walk, ran errands, read my bible, wrote a blog - and tonite I am babysitting Ayden.  In fact the only 'real work' I've done is make my bed and do a little pick-up.  Ok - so maybe I'll go do some laundry and clean a bathroom - but its NOT because I feel guilty!!

The Beach

My blog seems to have a mind of it's own so it has posted "The Beach" 

before "Disney- without Kids" -

just in case you're thinking maybe I had a little too much sun and am confused.  Well, I'm often confused and this may be my own fault but I didn't intend to post this way.

This was the view out our 'den' window at Daytona Beach.   The place was clean and we enjoyed the beach but - and maybe it's just Daytona - there was so much constant noise even at 2 and 4 AM that I have no desire to ever return to that particular part of Florida.  I guess it could have been 'spring breakers' still but the woman yelling at either her kid or husband at 4 AM was just rude!  

Anyway, it wasn't exactly the quiet serene beach I had hoped for but we made the best of it - by the 3rd day we were more than ready to pack up and head for home.
As I said, the beach was very nice - a great walking beach - which Sue used a lot, both Brad & I took some walks with Sue - but Steve never stepped foot on.  He didn't know what he was missing.  Of course, he and Brad had done a lot of walking on the golf courses every day.
I always enjoy a beach sunrise or sunset (I prefer sunsets for sleep's sake - but that's on the Gulf side).  The guys (headed off to golf) told me I missed a spectacular one the day before so I made Steve wake me up for this one.  It wasn't as good but since we were leaving the next day before the sunrise it was the best I could catch.
All in all it was a great time and another good thing - I managed to come home without a sunburn!!!  Yeah!!  Ok - so my scalp is a little tender - but it gets hot with that hat on.
Well, I hear my washing machine beeping for me and the cupboard is bare so I need to head to Schnucks - I guess my vacations is over.

Disney - without kids

Steve, Brad, Sue, & I had decided to take a little trip to Disney without kids just to experience a few of the things they had always found 'boring'.

  The funny thing was that I still had kids on my mind - but it was grandkids this time.  As you can see from the above picture - we had to get a pic of us with Mater for Spencer.  I found myself making mental notes on what the kids would enjoy and what they would find a little too frightening, etc.  

But we did enjoy our adult times. Above is a pic from the German restaurant where we had our first dinner.  The food was very good and as you can see, it included some lively entertainment.  The other dinners we had on Disney property were ok but they didn't come close to the quality of this one.   We learned later that to get in at the good restaurants you had to make a reservation about 6 months ahead of time so I guess we were lucky to get this one.

As I said this was our first day there and about 1 hour after we checked in(around 1:00 pm) it began raining - not just a drizzle - it poured for the rest of the day.  We didn't let the rain slow us down - in fact, it made it a little easier to get on some of the rides at Epcot.  The best part was that we had to buy umbrellas and Steve's had a bonus we didn't expect - Mouse ears.  If it hadn't been raining so hard I would have taken a pic but trust me - it was a hit with everyone who saw him.  We did see a few others but not as many as you'd expect.

The rest of our time at Disney had great weather and was fun.  We stayed at the Port Orleans - French Quarter and it was very nice.  It had a nice River walk that we (especially Sue) enjoyed.  We visited Epcot about 3 times, MGM (this is not what they call it now but I forget the right name) a couple of times, and even the Magic Kingdom once - the best place to find souvenirs for the grandkids.  We didn't make it to the Animal Kingdom but it looked interesting - I bet Spencer will love it when he gets a little older and goes.  

We also took one 'off the grounds' trip to have dinner with Bill & Lorraine (my cousin) and enjoyed some yummy barbeque and a very nice visit.  Thanks guys for dinner and for taking the time for us.  I wish I had thought to get a picture. 

But by the 4th day we were all quite tired (even without kids) and ready to move on to a slower pace.

Books & Book Clubs

   Anyone who know me at all knows how much I enjoy reading.  The problem is that I can never remember what I've read after a few days - but I really do enjoy the journey with a good book.  I've started keeping a notebook to help me with this task.

   Almost 3 years ago Susan,a friend I've known for almost 30 years, asked me to join a book club she was forming and to bring a friend.  I brought the best friend I've ever had, my sister.  The other members of the club are all nurses Susan knows.  Our group is a nice mix of women with different views and a variety of backgrounds so it's always an interesting evening when we meet.  Nancy and I learn a lot about the real scoop on how a hospital is run - sometimes good to know and sometimes wish I didn't know.        

Unlike most groups we don't have a 'list' of books we're going to read.  Each meeting we decide on our next book by making suggestions or more often, perusing the 'popular paperback' tables at Barnes & Noble.  This can become a real challenge at times  - Rita prefers mysteries, I prefer historical fiction, Nancy is (of course) agreeable to anything, Kris who is such an avid reader that she's always read almost all of the books, and my favorite is Susan who chooses a book by the size.  Not really - I'm just teasing but she does read the end before she'll read the book and she's the only person I've ever met who didn't like "The Red Tent".  All this just makes us a great fun group.  

The best part about this method is that I've read several books I never would have chosen on my own and been pleasantly surprised with the choice.  If I knew I could get the books read I'd almost join a second club - but I really like the group we have and they might have set too high a standard.

So, I have found another option - I find other 'readers' and get suggestions from them.  Kathy & Kathryn have been excellent sources for me (must be something about the name??)  But I'm always open to more.  Right now I have 5 books on my desk to read that have been suggested and a list of about 6 more - but those will be gone sooner than I like.  

So what am I babbling on about?? - I'm not sure myself.  I guess I'm recommending book clubs and sending me any good titles you've read lately.  I'll even give you a few of my favorite recent reads :

"The Space Between Us"

"Water for Elephants"

"Same Kind of Different As Me"

"One Thousand Women"

"The Book Thief"

I'm just starting "Those Who Save Us" - looking good already!