Retirement 2017

Week One:
Went on an all-inclusive trip to Ocean Coral & Turquesa with Bob, Wenda, Larry & Pat, and we met up with Cheryl & John there.  Amazing time, we all forgot about most things back home and skirt around the day having lots of smiles and relaxation.  Great weather, good food and drinks, trip by cab to Peurto Morales where we "window" shopped, had the best tacos ever at Tacos.com off the main drag, and walked back to our resort via the beach.  Stopped along the way at two fun spots with awesome cocktails and enjoyed fresh foods like ceviche, guac and pico.  Swings at the bar at one, both sandy bottom/and deck flooring.  Wonderful way to spend the afternoon.  Walk back was a little too long for the ladies, but the pelicans dive bombing into the water was a great distraction.  Cold pool for me when we returned brought my body back to normal.

Week Two:
Laundry, started straightening a few messy things around the house, made two new soup recipes, as I want to eat soups for lunch now.  Bob and I drew cards and he will make supper on odd days of the months and I have even.  So far so good.  Breakfasts and lunches on our own.  Started a new budget together.  I signed up for Audible as I experienced withdrawals from not listening to "my book" in the car right after I stopped driving to/from work.  So I can listen on my iPad or my iPhone and it's great.  Greg helped me set it up and I will trial it for a month.  Writing thank-you notes galore after retirement.  And last but not least, alphabetized and reorganized our spices with Bob's input.  So that's where I'm at right now.

Week Three:
I organized my sock drawer - badly needed!
Rode to Chicago with Bob, Larry & Randy for "food shopping".  First stop hit one of the items on my bucket list, Eataly.  What a place to spend a couple of hours.  Great eateries throughout, amazing food items for purchase, books, gadgets, clean atmosphere, beverages, very fun.

Week Four:
Celebrated St. Pat's Day earlier in the day than usual.  Wore all of my green "garb".
Enjoyed a visit from Sarah, Raina & their kiddos.  Went to a Magic Show and 2 movies during their time here and a train extravaganza in Delavan with Raina & kiddos too.

Week Five:
Getting ready for Game Weekend coming up.  Wondering who is looking forward to it most:  grandkids, kids, or me?  Trying to figure out a new budget system with Bob (Greg is guiding us on our way to feeling comfortable with it).  And worked 2 days on tax papers to send off to our accountant. 

By now I've made 4 new recipes:

• Cauliflower Fried Rice - we both loved it.
• Crustless Pizza - from the Dash "gold" book - delicious! 
• Fountain of Youth Soup
• Elizabeth Berg's favorite soup - Beef, Cabbage and Tomato Soup

I have my To Do Lists, lots of hopes and dreams, and won't even mention them here yet as I have to see if I can relax into this retirement thing. Yes, a couple of times I've forgotten what day of the week it is, already!  Yes, I'm missing my rides to and from work and chatting with my coworkers. 

And, the reason these blogs have fallen short this past year is because I'm having great difficulty uploading photos with my words.  I have my 2017 D.C. post all ready to go except for some blanks that need to be filled in and photos too. 

Books so far in 2017:
1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
2. Neverhome by Laird Hunt
3. Born Survivors by Wendy Holden
4. You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott
5. Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
6. Molokai by Alan Brennert
7. Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris (wow!)
8. The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
9. East of Eden by John Steinbeck (this was a long one, read via Audible)
10. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (per Pat P's recommendation.  Couldn't put it down.)
11. The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango (didn't like the ending to a good book)

Until next time, more books, more relaxation, more pj days.