Three years......really?

It is hard to believe that on July 31, 2012, it will be three years since I retired from the State Dept.  The time has flown by.  This summer, as we have the last two summers, we are heading to MN for a few weeks to catch up with family and friends.  We kind of enjoy the road trip back (approx. 1800 miles), and I refer to it as the MN Hajj, our yearly pilgrimage back to God's country.  The trip always gives us a chance to reflect on the beauty and grandeur and expanse of our great country.  We are blessed to be Americans.

As most retired folks will tell you, we don't miss our previous work, but we do miss the folks we worked with.  Also, because we left the DC area, we miss all the friends we made especially at The Falls Church (Anglican) and Christ the King in Alexandria.   We miss some of our favorite restaurants and stores (The Carlyle, Artie's, Harris Teeter, etc.), but we are getting to know some pretty good ones here in Tucson.

Some of you may recall that our first year here was spent getting the house fixed up, which was a major task.  After 15 years of renters we needed to make serious repairs and updates.  But by the end of 2010 we were pretty much done and pleased with the results.  Now we have minor tweaks and repairs as every homeowner knows, and I don't mind fixing the things I can, but will call for help from a pro when needed.

Martha and I are active in our community.  We knew from the beginning that to make this Tucson thing work, we had to dive in and get involved.  Within six months we had joined a church (Resurrection Lutheran) and became Mobile Meals drivers.  Also, Martha joined a women's-only sport club, where she has made several friends.  We were also very intentional about getting to know our neighbors.  We are very thankful that we are surrounded by good people who we can call friends.


One of my goals in retirement was to be involved in literacy, so I became an English Language Acquisition for Adults (ELAA) tutor.  I have thoroughly enjoyed helping non-native English adult speakers get a better understanding, comprehension, and pronunciation of English.  I do my tutoring Jan - May for now.

I have not golfed as much as I thought I would, sometimes once every two weeks.  When you live in a place where you can golf "365", sometimes it is not as critical to get out.  But I still love golf and plan on golfing a bit more in the weeks ahead.  Prices are pretty good now, but you have to balance it against playing in the "dry heat" of the day.  I am involved in a golf group that has tournaments every month Jan - July, plus Sept.- Nov.  Each time it is a course in the Tucson area, some of which are pretty hard to get on normally.

In summary, it has been a great three years (including the fact that Martha is cooking up a storm), and I have no regrets about retiring when I did.  My father, Gene, has had over 25 years retirement, and I am hoping that is in my genes as well.  Martha and I are very aware how blessed we are to be in this position, and we do not take it for granted.  We feel good and are trying to take care of ourselves.  We thank God for all His blessings: each other, family, friends, and the chance to give back, in a small way, for all He has given us.