It's a Wonderful Life!

I am repeatedly amazed about the path my life is taking now.  All of the big questions about work and finances and retirement are all coming together, and I couldn't be happier!  There are still many unknowns, but we are working through it as well as we can.  One big question is what will it be like for both of us to live without a paycheck every 2 weeks?  It's kind of scary.  We both have been working since we were teenagers.  Sometimes part-time, or full-time, or more than full-time.  Sometimes 1 job at a time, or 2 or 3.  Learning to value the balance between work and family and vacation and frugality and enjoying what our work produces.

We have had a vision of gaining the means and freedom to leave our home for extended periods of time.  We are putting our plans into action now and it feels so good!  We want to be able to see people and places that we have been out of our reach for a long time, but do it in a way that we feel we can safely afford and enjoy.  So, this week we are clearing the ice and the snow from our Airstream Flying Cloud so it is ready to head south in a few days.  Several things to do before that can happen, so we are getting our lists and tasks organized.  Bob's last day of work is Friday, so after that we can buckle down and get everything packed and ready to hitch up.  I can't wait!  We are heady south and east, looking for 3 little grandsons in Charlotte, NC!  And looking for warmer weather, so we can de-winterize the trailer and feel what it is like to spend more time outdoors again.

I did just return from a 5 day quilting retreat with my friend, Debbie, and 14 other quilting fans.  I took a few pictures to share, to give you a sense of what I did.  Everyone worked on their own choice of projects from home.  Mine were all things that were either partially finished or just needed some finishing touches to move them to the "Done" column.  That feels good!