Year Three of Retirement, Still Loving It

Year Three of Retirement

Year three of retirement looked a lot like one and two.  The time went by so quickly!  It is a bit scary how easy it has been to adapt to a very relaxed lifestyle.  I still love that we can basically sleep as much as we like.  However, we do like getting up early to maximize sunshine. I can’t seem to get enough of that.

My husband and I are together 24/7 and most of the time it is fine, but sometimes we get on each other’s nerves.  But, he is still my best friend and I can’t imagine doing this retirement thing with anyone besides him.

Family

It is good to be able to spend as much time as possible with family.  Our grandchildren are in their teens and beyond now.  We had another grandson graduate high school this year.  Even our great grandchildren are no longer babies.   The passage of time is so easily seen through our grandchildren and especially our great grandchildren.

Family
Oldest daughter’s family
Family
Granddaughter’s Family
Family
Youngest daughter’s family

Our son got married, so we have a new daughter.  But, they  moved out of the country this year.  They are happy and we are happy for them, but hope we will continue to see them often.  This year, they visited several times and we were very grateful.

Newlyweds
The Newlyweds

Travel

Our favorite retirement pastime is traveling.  This year we traveled by  plane, train, coach, and camper.  All were a blast!  We know that our ability to travel can end abruptly at any time, so we cherish this time of mobility and exploration.

Camping in the 400

Most of our traveling time was in our T@B 400, which we had for the entire year.  We took one fabulous 3,000-mile trip,  Long Summer Trip 2019, with Friends Old and New , that included a üCamp Rally, five new states to add to our map, an island with wild horses, Shenandoah National Park, and the gorgeous Outer Banks.

Year Three of Retirement Big Camping Trip
Our Big Camping Trip

We attended our second üCamp and it was so much fun despite quite a bit of rain and muddy conditions.   This rally left us even more impressed with nüCamp as an RV brand.

Winklepleck Grove Campground
Winklepleck Grove, the site of üCamp 19

The T@B 400 really increased our comfort while camping.   It performed beautifully for our five week long trip and some smaller ones.  We sold our T@G early in the year and it was sad to see it go, but we love the 400.  No regrets whatsoever!

Third year of retirement camping
Comfortable in our 400

A highlight of our trip was seeing wild horses in our campsite at Assateague Island.  It was so exciting to see them.

Wild horses at Assateague Island
Wild horses in our campsite

The Outer Banks were even more beautiful than anticipated.  We were in a small campground in Rodanthe and were blessed to experience the most beautiful sunsets over the sound.

Sunset in Rodanthe
Sunset in Rodanthe

Many of our camping trips were with groups.   We camped a couple of times with our friends from dancing and a couple of our camping trips were with the Southeastern T@Bs, T@Gs and Friends.   We also attended the Tiny Christmas Campout for the third time.

Cheaha State Park with SE T@B Group
Cheaha State Park with SE T@B Group
Winter Getaway to Miami

Miami was our winter getaway for this third year of retirement and it was more fun than we could have imagined.  We stayed at the Dream Hotel in Miami Beach, which was in a fabulous location.  It was a couple of blocks from legendary Ocean Drive and the Beach.  The weather was clear, warm, and sunny during our entire stay.

Tear three of retirement in Miami Beach
Beautiful Miami Beach

We tried to take in all the local sights of interest to us including Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Wynwood Walls, the Holocaust Memorial, Little Havana, and the Wolfsonian Museum.  We also took a bus tour of the city and one to the Everglades for an airboat ride.

Vizcaya Mansion
Vizcaya Mansion
Holocaust Memorial
Holocaust Memorial

Lastly, Miami gave me one of my favorite short haircuts ever.  I spent the rest of the year trying in vain to find someone local to replicate it.

The United Kingdom

This was our first trip to Europe since retirement and it did not disappoint.  We booked a Collette tour through Alabama Public Television.  Collette Tours has become our favorite guided tour company.   This tour had two spectacular inclusions that are not always available, Highclere Castle (the Downton Abbey site) and the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Both were wonderful beyond words.

Highclere Castle
Highclere Castle
Military Tatoo
Military Tattoo in Edinburgh Scotland
Hand Clasping at Gretna Green
Hand Clasping at Gretna Green
Stratford Upon Avon
Stratford Upon Avon

I have wanted to visit the UK for many years and this was truly a dream vacation.

A Train Ride to NOLA

We traveled by train to New Orleans in May with our Viking Dance Group.  It was our first time to travel by train in the United States.  We loved being able to hang out with our Viking friends while visiting this historic city.  It was quite lively because our hotel,  the Saint Marie, is in the French Quarter.

Year Three of Retirement in Jackson Square
Jackson Square

Dancing

I am sad to say that our ballroom dancing has fallen by the wayside a bit.   It declined over the years as my husband’s knee issues progressed and we have forgotten much of what we knew.  I hope to revive it some in 2020.

Fortunately, we did attend some dances, including our Viking group’s Leadout.  The theme this year was “Around the World in 40 Songs.”  Everyone dressed to represent a country and ours was Scotland.  My husband’s legs were the focus of much attention.  He is a bold man!

Third year of retirement Viking 2019 Leadout
Viking 2019 Leadout

Year Three of Retirement Health Issues

This year was our healthiest one to date because I fought respiratory issues  for three months the first year and my husband’s had knee issues and then pulmonary embolisms which made it quite challenging.  In year two I was good, but knee replacement occurred for my husband and it was not easy.

While this year provided more mobility for my husband, I learned that bronchiectasis is the reason for my decades old respiratory issues.  I started getting sick in late October and ended the year still trying to get over the repeated infections.  However, I have high hope for a Kirklin Clinic specialist I am seeing in January.

Conclusion

This third year of retirement, 2019, was truly wonderful.   It was not perfect or without its challenges, but it was wonderful to be able to live this year as we did and especially to be together.  Time is passing though and nothing is guaranteed for tomorrow.  As a plaque of mine says, “Dream as if you’ll live forever, Live as if you’ll die tomorrow.”

Three Years of Retirement
Anniversary Dinner