2005 and 2006

Bill and I enjoyed a quiet New Year’s Eve.  We made margaritas using the new blender that my daughter gave to me for Christmas.  We had bean soup made from a mix given to us by our daughter’s in-laws.  We had enough snacks to last us until midnight.  We rented three movies—Million Dollar Baby, Princess Diaries 2, and War of the Worlds.  We paused Million Dollar Baby long enough to kiss at midnight! 
 

2005 was a very good year.  We were healthy except for Bill’s knees causing him pain.  (He may have knee replacements this year.  He has an appointment at the end of the month.)  That means we were able to work and come closer to retirement. 
 

We were able to visit family in Arkansas in May and July.  And family came to us to attend Bill’s 60th birthday party in August.  In September we took a trip to California to play tourist and visit family and friends.  We spent time with our two granddaughters during football season.  They stayed with us when their parents attended University of Texas home football games in Austin.  We celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with our kids and granddaughters.
 

However, there were some sad parts.  I lost two uncles and an aunt.  Both of my sisters lost their fathers-in-law.  Bill lost a high school friend to cancer.  This has made us realize that time spent with friends and family is all the more precious.  We are blessed because we were able to spend time with them.
 

2006 will be a year of change.  I am retiring at the end of March!  I think about my retirement with excitement and fear at the same time.  Excitement in that I will be able to do some things that I haven’t had time to do in the past.  I’ll be slowly going through the house in preparation for our moving north to be with kids and grandkids.  I’ll be able to walk more, which I really, really need to do.  I have a list of old movies that I want to rent.  One of my co-workers wants to join me on some her days off.  She is a really nice lady, and it will be joy to spend time with her away from work.  There are local places that I want to go to like museums and neat little nearby towns.  I’ll be taking on more of the “housewife” duties like cooking supper at night, going to the grocery store, and running errands during the day.  The fear is that it is a change, there will be less money coming in, I’ll be bored, and I’ll wish I hadn’t retired.  I do know that I won’t miss the work and the stress.
 

I hope this year will also be a year of sameness.  Bill plans on working and playing golf.  We still have family and friends to love.  Bill and I continue to love each other after meeting almost 36 years ago.
 

Whatever 2006 may bring, I know that everything will be okay.  God has taken care of me for the last 59 years; I know that He will continue to do so.  Happy New Year!!