All Things EARTH... part 2

[awhfy]

Margaret, exciting times ahead for you. The transition from workday attire to retired attire can be interesting. I donated most of my work suits to Dressed for Success (after 30 years, in mostly the same size, I had many to donate...& the shoes!). I would find myself standing in front of my closet before dinner on Sunday to select the next week’s clothes & shake my head realizing I didn’t need to do that any longer. I think that’s one reason I enjoy selecting cruise clothes...Melody 

[laurspag]

Margaret, our cruise is in August, a month and a half after the wedding, and about two months before our grandson is born!  We are sailing out of Bayonne, so we are driving.  That saves us some money there, and our hotel is a little bit of a splurge.  However, seeing what we have paid for some other hotels in Florida, it isn't far off so we are very happy.

 

I am very envious of you, Margaret, but in a good way!  You have realized you have a need, and you are taking care of it.  What you are doing is so much like what I dream of doing, which is why I used the word envious. I am so, so, so happy for you.  It is an amazing opportunity for you.

 

As you all know, last Sunday was Mother's Day.  Since graduation is always on that weekend, it means my husband is literally gone from morning (5 AM) until night (10 PM or later) so I always tell my husband that I am blessed to have such wonderful people and family around me...a special celebration is not needed.  He always feels the need to do so though.

 

Seeing that my birthday is also in the same time range, we decided to just have a fun long weekend.  My birthday was Thursday, so on Friday, we did do some errands, but we also went to the mall for a little while.  It's fun to see things in person, but the mall is way too big to have a true shopping experience.  By the time you get from one store to the next, you are fizzling out.  

 

Yesterday, we went to a nicer restaurant called the  Inn Between.  It is named that as it sits right near the lines of the Town of Camillus and the Town of Elbridge.  Last August, I received a very generous gift card for celebrating my 35th anniversary at the bank, and we FINALLY found time to make a reservation.  Having a dinner with no phones, no TV, in a romantic setting and a higher level of food was so much fun and so relaxing.

 

Today, I'm going to dinner (again!) with my family.  So me, my husband, daughters and future son-in-law.  Once again, a special restaurant but not a fancy one.  This one is downtown, and has a very urban vibe to it.

 

And I'm off tomorrow too!  Hopefully, I will address my upcoming lease expiration.  I may just buy the car...it has served me well.  Overall though, we are planning more odds and ends, as well as today before dinner.

 

Yesterday was my daughter's bachelorette party.  My other daughter planned it out to be what suited Steph perfectly.  A small group of friends went to dinner (casual) then went to a place called Board and Brush.  It looked like a blast - my daughter wore her bride to be sash with a veil, my other daughter had on these funny glasses with the nose and big eye brows (Groucho Marx??) and so on.  It was a fun artsy evening where they all got to take home their wonderful art projects.  After, everyone came back to our house where we had a fun nightcap activity for them to finish off their day.  There was a campfire, smores and snacks.  What made it all kind of neat is that my daughter doesn't drink, and can't anyway.  So no one did.  They just had a good time!  We stayed out of the mix and let them enjoy their time as a group of friends, once my husband had the fire going.

 

This all comes full circle to your conversation, Margaret.  I am 54, have worked at my job for 35 years, to the point where I think about it 24/7.  The thoughts are not all happy ones.  I'm so grateful, but also burnt out.  Over the past ten years, my daughters have grown into adults, I have started to travel.  No one daughter is getting married, and I'm going to be a grandparent. This has me assessing so much of my life.

 

I kind of have a lump in my throat right now.  I have so many emotions at once.  More than anything, I am grateful for all I have in my life, and I have been talking with my husband a lot about what I can do differently.  While I can't leave my job, I am working towards an early retirement.  (we both spent a long time at lower paying jobs while working our way up, so we don't have as much retirement savings as we would like)  We do need both incomes, and maybe mine a little bit more.  So that means I need to make other changes for the time being to tide myself over until I reach 62.

 

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm trying to hog the topic or anything, Margaret!  I just wanted to be able to explain how I can relate to all you are saying.  I am so excited for you, and look forward to seeing how all this works for you.  It's like having a new world to explore!  

 

I have been trying to get better with clothing choices.  I have a few shirts in my closet that I absolutely cannot get myself to part with that I don't wear.  I asked myself to be honest with myself, and the reason is that I had these shirts in mind for when I go to a certain place or event, and I haven't done that.  My goal now is to either let the shirt go, or let the event go - not both.  So I was thinking about a shirt that I thought is good for a cruise, and will likely go to that.  But, it will look great today with the navy ankle pants I think I am wearing tonight!  So I'm thinking hard about clothes.

 

Speaking of clothes, there is an Athleta store at the mall now.  It's very exciting, except the store is so tiny, and most of what I want just isn't in the store.  We wandered in, and I made a beeline right to the back when I saw the one piece rust bathing suit I like so much online.  My husband insisted I try it on, and I totally fell in love with it.  He bought it for me as a present.  I am so excited!  I am thinking a lot about taking a February cruise in 2020, and this would definitely be my beach bathing suit.  The neckline I was worried about looked so much better than I thought.  Maybe it is because my shoulders are more squared off than they used to be? 

 

One color I am seeing here and there is what I would call desert rose.  It is earth, but it definitely nods to a dusty pink color.  it works for me.  I might look for a shirt since it is probably a color trend that will be gone next year.  I will try to make sure the style isn't trendy though.

[laurspag]

On 5/17/2019 at 10:38 AM, Sailor_Sally said:

Laurie , In Halifax there is a boardwalk that is very close to where the ship docks that is an interesting walk . We took a tour in Halifax .In St. John's which is very small we just walked around . It is a cute town with a very pretty waterfront area . Great seafood in both places . The New England cruise was one of my favorite cruises . It was casual but then most cruises are pretty casual anymore .

 

I enjoy doing things like this.  For us, it is an adventure to explore on our own.  The biggest issue with tours is that you are confined to their schedule, and sometimes, you spend a lot of time on a bus.  

 

Since tomorrow's errands are more leisurely, I am going to research more about or ports to see what we can do where effectively on foot, and where we may need a hop off, hop on bus, or where we need an excursion.  

 

Our cruise is only 6 days, and we have dinner reservations made for one night.  On final payment, our TA gave us a complimentary specialty dining so have been thinking a bit about the cruise.  I don't intend to go all casual, but maybe more casual than usual.  My dress for the wedding is a high low dress, and I have a shorter formal dress.  Maybe I won't take a long dress at all?   But there will be dresses for dinner each night.  I do wear some more casual things on a cruise.  It's fun to establish a feel for the vacation and build what you are going to wear around it.  This one is different - no beaches.

[laurspag]

One of these two for formal night, perhaps:

 

 

[laurspag]

And even though this is a long dress, I want it, lol.  I guess I'm struggling with casual, aren't I?????

 

https://flash.adriannapapell.com/sleeveless-sequin-beaded-gown-with-v-neck-and-v-back-797532622304.html

[laurspag]

As of late though, this style is more flattering.  I don't know, must be a shoulder thing.

 

https://flash.adriannapapell.com/high-low-sequin-beaded-halter-gown-797532625312.html?sizeRefinement=8|10

[Sailor_Sally]

Laurie , Pretty dresses but way too formal unless you are going on the QE 2

[Sailor_Sally]

Margaret , Exciting times ! I went part time at 51 and retired at 60 . Those part time years were so good . My daughter was living in Boston so I was able to take lots of long week ends and visit . My daughter teaches several courses online . She loves the flexibility . She also designs web sites .

We are getting ready to downsize so I am going through closets ruthlessly. Yesterday I attacked the closet in the spare bedroom and got rid of a ton of special occasion clothes that I will never wear again. I also found a huge box of pictures . There were several pictures from when I started cruising and you would get a picture with the captain .Lot's of memories !

[Sailor_Sally]

Laurie , I think we all question everything in our 50's and where we are going . I was widowed at 51 so I got thrown into wondering about my life .I was nervous about going part time since my husband dying cut my income by a lot but I knew mentally I needed to do it and it all worked out . Of course my part time was three days a week and sometimes 12 hour days .After I retired I started my online business to see if I could do it and it took off . Maybe that is something you could look at since you love fashion . I sold Women's dresses on ebay for twice to three times what I was able to get them for and I made a chunk of money . I loved working in my pj's .IMO the most important thing for retirement is getting rid of any debt including a mortgage . With that gone you need so much less.

[awhfy]

Les retired at 41 (from the military, but also for medical reasons). I retired at 60 with 34 years of federal service. I was able to buy back my 6 years of police paramedic work. So I retired with 40 years of government service (it’s not a bad retirement).  Be reflective on what you really want to do, be really serious about it. Melody

[pacruise804]

I wasn't able to see the more formal dresses, Laurie, but I really like the lace dress above.

 

When we went to Saint John, NB (there is also St Johns, NL - so be careful with your search results) we did an excursion through Princess that included a brief stop at the reversing tides both ways and a Kayak trip with full lobster lunch.  In Halifax we walked to the Citadel (great for history buffs), had lunch at a local restaurant (Your Father's Mustache), walked the Public Garden, and a little bit of window shopping on the boardwalk.  We went in October, so some shops were closed already on the boardwalk.  Halifax has several good breweries if I remember my research, plus a local specialty called Donair if you want a light lunch.  It's similar to a gyro but with a sweeter sauce than tzatsiki  (sp?) sauce.

 

We are still a few years from retirement, but I wonder how that will look for me as a homemaker.  I'm sure my life will change a lot once the kids are grown, but I suspect I'll always be "working" - maybe I'll finally have time for projects though.

[awhfy]

This is May 21st in Colorado Springs, sigh 

[MJC]

Melody, that last photo LOL.

 

Last Monday it was in the forties, and yesterday we had an official high of 84, though in Queens it was 87. Crazy.

 

Laurie, those links to the dresses don't work for me either. I agree that a long dress might be too formal. I think northern cruises like NE and Alaska are less dressy at night than that.

 

I was fortunate to have two careers where the work was meaningful to me, so "retirement" will continue in that vein but with more control over my schedule. In a sense, I will always work, but hopefully it will be rewarding and fun and on my own terms. I definitely need to connect with people and be part of a community, so rusticating at home will not be an option! Laurie, I'm happy you are jumping in with your thoughts. We are both going through a period of great change and transition in our families, which comes with some introspection and realignment of priorities, I think. Anita has big changes coming as well. There are wonderful new experiences ahead for all of us, but it's also difficult leaving past happinesses behind. A big challenge for me is that with no children and now no parents, I feel the need for connection with my siblings even more, but they are very spread out. I think they feel it, too. Leaving my current job means that I will be able to spend more time with them.

 

We have been working with a lawyer on our new will, and one facet of that is financial planning. It's good because it's forcing us to be more concrete on how we hope to budget not just for daily expenses, but also for travel and other things that we'll want to do. One example is that if we start spending more time at the lake than we are currently able to, we will need a second car with all the expenses that entails.

 

Oh, and Laurie, that color you talked about... desert rose. I would not have tried colors like that except for the exercise that Anita posted here, I can't remember what it was called, but that was my "romantic color."  It didn't at first seem like a deep autumn color, but the right shade is perfect for me. It's a nice color addition to my wardrobe, and actually looks better with my skin tone than some of the rust colors that one would think are truly autumn.

 

[awhfy]

Laurie, I can’t see those pictures. I do really like that lace dress. 

[Sailor_Sally]

Margaret, There is a forum called early retirement .org that has lots of information on retirement including budgets , general living ,travel,investing ,etc. You would probably find it very helpful . There  are many very smart men & women on that forum offering sane advice .

[MJC]

Thank you, Sally, I'll definitely check it out.

 

Love the color choices for this tshirt, but don't think the cut would work for me.

 

https://www.orvis.com/p/lakeside-linen-printed-tee/2ty3

 

 

[MJC]

Has anyone watched Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries? The clothes... OMG so beautiful! And someone clearly knows color theory to make the women's skin look so lovely.

[laurspag]

Melody, your weather makes ours look great.  We have had a lot of rain and cooler weather.  Sunday was an exception, sort of.  It was in the 80s but we had tornado warnings.  Fortunately, there were no tornados but a few strong storms.  Today the temp is back up so it is in the mid 70s,

 

The funny thing is that we had dinner plans with the family as a belated birthday celebration for me, and just before we sat down, we all got the tornado warning on our phones.  

 

Thank you for the suggestions for our ports.  We think we have a few good ideas now.  It's going to be a fun cruise!

 

The reason some of you can't see the links I posted is because the dresses sold out.  That was a big sale for just a few days.  If I could find that in a shorter version, I'd be very happy wearing it on a formal night.  I think the dress might be too much in a long version these days.  That makes me kind of sad...

 

Margaret, I have not watched that show.  I would love to see it, just to check out the colors.  What channel carries that show?

 

We are starting to get into the thick of things with the wedding now.  It's a lot of fun though.  I have often thought I would love to do this for a living.  Then again, this is my daughter so it is different....maybe I've seen too many tv shows with bridezillas, lol!!

 

We thought based on the RSVPs we were getting, that we'd have about 70-80 people attending.  It appears it will be 100-120!   This should be fun.  I've got a lot to work on.  I need to finish baking all the wood.  (wood slices for the table - there was a tree down in the woods so it was free, and already down)  I need to bake it to make sure there are no bugs.  I really don't think anyone would enjoy seeing bugs while eating dinner.  Then we have to add the lights to the mason jars.  I'm not sure if you've ever seen this, but it is a popular option for barn themed weddings.  You use little firefly lights inside the mason jars, and set them on the table.  We have about 40 of those to get ready, and with the extra jars, we will add baby's breath.  

[pacruise804]

The reception sounds beautiful.  I never thought to bake the wood - great idea (be careful though that it's hot enough to kill but not catch fire).

 

Melody, that snow is something else!  I won't complain about our rain and wind 😉 

 

Graduation is next week, then we leave for Bermuda.  I'll be running around like a chicken with her head cut off 😄 

[awhfy]

Laurie, hmm bake the wood, we’ve always frozen wood pieces that were going to be decorations. 

 

Colorado weather...today is 75 & bluebird sky...who can tell

[awhfy]

Les is having shoulder surgery on 6 June (DDay). He’s not happy. They “hope” to do a repair, it may return into a shoulder replacement.  He’s most concerned about joy being able to lift anything heavier than a coffee cup for 6 weeks. It’s going to be a long summer 😢. 

[laurspag]

I have heard freezing works well but I was concerned with moisture.  Baking the wood is a very slow process but I'm getting there!

 

Melody, I hope the surgery goes well for Les.  I'm hoping for the best!

[Sailor_Sally]

Laurie , The wedding sounds fabulous . I just remembered that there is a cheap local tour of St. John . We had all intentions of going on but there is a time change in St. John so we missed it but we took a horse drawn tour for a very reasonable amount . It was right next to where the other tour leaves in the center of the town .If you goggle St. John the local tour should show up .

Melody , I hope the best for Les . Gary has had both shoulders operated on . The immobility is difficult .

[MJC]

So sorry to hear that Les needs surgery -- not a great way to spend the summer, or any time for that matter. I hope everything goes as well as possible.

 

Laurie, we had 118 at our wedding, and I think that's a fun size. You must be so excited, it's right around the corner.

 

Well, I decided to go back to my red hair. After a year of experimenting with lighter colors, most of which didn't go with my wardrobe and made me look old, I'm so happy. The difference in how my skin looks was shocking. I've been reading about Deep Autumns going gray and hair color, and most sites said "don't go blond!" and try to keep some contrast. I decided I would rather color more often for awhile, and also find a new hairdresser who has the skill to be able to deal with me as I age.

 

We currently have nesting flickers on one side of the house, and kingbirds on the other side, so it's very noisy at the lake. Bird talk all day long! Some robins tried build a nest on our porch light but I said enough is enough. We didn't use our porch most of last summer because of the doves in the same place. Last night as we ate dinner by the window, a bald eagle flew into the tree just outside. I never get tired of them, they are so spectacular. I need to bring my camera back up here.

 

I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend. We are happy to finally have some nice weather!

 

[pacruise804]

Sorry to hear about surgery for Les, Melody.  Prayers for healing and patience for you both during recovery.