SHEs Organized

Home again here, and I walked Ddogs. Both of us ate too much. We got there just after the rest of the group had ordered dinner, so our dinner all came out together. Turned out to be an okay evening. Dh is just a workaholic and was at the office still and had been on the phone. He said it's usually just him there when he's working late, so he didn't wonder why everyone else left.

Kathryn, the tears were a little bit of almost everything. Frustration, relief and just a smattering of emotion overflow from the end of my work career today.

His office manager missed most the party. His dd had a car breakdown in K-town in route home from Va tech today, so he had been to Knoxville and back. (Maybe the moon is in the wrong phase?)

Thank you all for worrying w me. We are heading to bed.

Late night wave to y'all...

Twins...I hate it when I get really scared ...And I understand about the last day of work thing. Yesterday when I went to school there was a faculty Xmas breakfast going on. When my friends saw me, they made me join in the fun. It was a very weird experience because it was oh so familiar and yet I felt a bit out of place. Several of my friends are thinking of retiring and asked me about my retirement. I told them that from watching my other friends retire before me I learned a few things. First I had to replace one purpose or passion....teaching..with another. To me that was the key for transitioning. Its easy to loose site of who you are...one day you are a teacher with a title, respect and purpose, and the next you are just you. Its what you do with that that brings you joy. I was able to walk away from teaching excited about all the new adventures I was about to take on. There is great freedom ...now if its cold when I wake up, I can snuggle back under the covers without any guilt. I can drink a second cup of coffee without gulping it down, I can start reading a book at 7 am and finish like you did at 1:30am that nigh/morning. All the things I wanted to do but couldn't when I was working. I don't have that Sunday night dread, or its finally Friday feel. I'm proud of what I accomplished over my life time...so when I look back I smile. For me its a truly wonderful feeling. Bet Lucylee is feeling some of it too.......

So nice of you to join our club

You know that commercial thats now on tv that says what would you be is you could pay yourself...and then they talk about retirement??? That's exactly the point. I'm being paid to do the things I love now. I'm lucky as I can still step into a classroom and be with kids and teach if I want to...and it is a blessing in many ways.

Sweetie and I did the rest of my Xmas grocery shopping today. I still need to get a few more things, but they are perishables and will have to wait until Sunday. I can do a quick dash on Sunday.

I am going to cook my Xmas turkey dinner on Monday. Very low key at that...we are celebrating our Xmas meal with Norma and Mr Guy, along with a couple that Norma has known since grammar school. All of them are a hoot when we get together. The crew, along with Sweetie, my son and I are dining at a very nice resort. Sweetie and I had a wonderful meal there last year and I am hoping it will be just as good this time. Know there will be plenty of laughter at the table.

I won the "lottery" today in the mail....well sort of. The school district over charged me during the time I was on Cobra insurance and today I received a check making up the difference. It is totally unexpected and a tidy sum I might add. It is enough to pay off my credit card debt. So instead of working most of the month of Jan to pay off my debt like I had planned, I no longer have to worry about it. I am one happy girl especially since I had no idea about the reimbursement check.

Every day for several months I've conscientiously been trying to do at least one act of kindness a day. Some days it been way more than one. I've been walking around with a smile on my face trying to say nice or pleasant things to people I see or meet. Sometimes they are strangers and sometimes it just with Sweetie. Perhaps the check is a direct result of my efforts....someone doing something very nice for me.

Nitters to ya'll. Tomorrow I have my Xmas luncheon with my friends...and I will bless my home during the weekend. Gonna take time to breath and enjoy the moment. Once my son gets here the time will whip by if I don't.

{Twins} I'm glad your DH was ok. Men can be so forgetful.

I had a productive day. Still so much to do. But I worked non-stop. Baked chicken for dinner. I brought in the LOL and I washed another and hung that up. Getting caught up with all that. Helped DH water the grass. I got the veggie garden watered and half the back yard, he did the other half. We need rain.

Tomorrow we're out the door early to bone dr. for DH. I can't begin to tell you how apprehensive I am about it. If we make the wrong decisions, it will be huge. If DH doesn't like what the dr. has to say, I might head for the hills till he recovers.

Home again.

Dh was a bit late arriving so I waited 20 minutes for him and got a bit cold (turned the car off but left the radio on because the music was so lovely.)

We got home in time to attend the open house and saw a lot of friends.

I walked home because it is so lovely out. Dh helped me get the garbage out (our last time for garbage collection until Feb. 28) and I started a load of laundry. In theory we should be going straight to bed but that usually takes 40 minutes so I decided to start the laundry.

I'm going over to CM's in the morning to help her with a church assignment. Assuming driving is alright.

Oh, yes, Twins -- thinking about how emotional that last day of work was for me! (((BIG BIG HUGS))) Cowinkie is exactly right -- it is very different, and very nice in so many ways. I guess I have replaced my role as a teacher w/my role as wife and grandma, and daughter, but I am at a point where my family really does need me a lot. And sometimes, that IS sorta suffocating, but I am really, really glad I am available for them. I'm terrified of what my dmom's needs may be as time goes on... but I'm glad I didn't have to get a substitute teacher and make out lesson plans and grade make-up work for the times she did need me for driving her to & from those doctor's appts this fall. And sometimes ds/ddil want us to babysit when we really had something else in mind for ourselves, but I'm glad we can be flexible for the most part and help them out. They just don't know anyone they want to call on for babysitting except us right now.

And Cowinkie -- IKWYM about fun/but out of place at the same time. Several times I've had to go to school to pick up something or drop off something, and everyone is always so glad to see me and it's nice to see them... but I feel a little bit like I'm intruding or something, you know?

DH is so happy that I am retired; he was talking about that last night. He thinks we have more time for each other and appreciate each other more now, b/c we're not always in a rush-rush stress. I don't know; I guess he's right. I thought I always appreciated him, but I know I was sorta a workaholic when it came to the school newspaper, and my classes, and he probably did feel he was placed on the back burner a lot. I think seeing what dbil & dsisil are going through has made us appreciate each other more. I don't know why what we have works and what they had didn't, but somehow, I think dh and I have grown closer together over the years, and I am very thankful for that.
* Gee... I wish I could develop just a little bit of that workaholic quality re: housework.

Oh, (((Harmony)))... praying for good news tomorrow for dh. Praying also that you both get a good night's sleep!

I've finished vacuuming & dusting the main part of the house -- and it will probably need another once over Monday, but if it doesn't get it, I won't worry too much. Still need to do master bedroom/bath, and quick run through of the other rooms -- guest room, baby room, and study.
And hey -- I thought of another good answer to any criticism or "suggestions" I might get from duncle or anyone else: "The first Christmas was celebrated in a STABLE. We're waaay better off, as far as 'creature comforts' are concerned, than they were, so I'm not worried about _____ (whatever it might be)."