We are going to Vegas in March. This will be year
12 or 13. We can't seem to agree on the number. We
handle the madness" like pros - well other than the gambling.
We are taking a "retirement eligible" cruise in April. We had booked it long
before Micky took the job in DC. Our Canadian friends, George and Tamara
are going with us. We have survived (barely) almost 2 full years of "no Canadians" due
to deaths in family and our relocation. We are desperate for some George
and Tamara time. We will cruise out of Port Canaveral, Florida with stops in
Bonaire, Aruba and Turks.
James and Mendy are
joining us for a fall
foliage cruise out of Baltimore, Maryland in late September.
We will have stops in Boston, Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
(Just taking advantage of being in this area.)
And the Self kids are
taking a sibling
cruise. Joni, Marvin and Linda will sail out of
Galveston with us late October. I expect there will be
some serious redneck jocularity on board.
GCamp will be
brought back on land in 2018. We know it won't be many
years till the big kids will have other pulls on their
time. Notice we didn't say "other things they
would rather do."
We want to lose a couple
of dollars in Atlantic
City. I would love for Micky to try the ski
slopes in
the Poconos or maybe Lake Placid (home for former winter
Olympics).
Speaking of winter Olympics, February 8, 2018 is the date!
We want to check out Philadelphia, Virginia Beach,
a few more baseball parks and
many other "local" areas while they are handy.
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We took advantage of being
"in the city" and saw The Sound of Music at
the Kennedy Center and actually went to a hockey
game. As much as we love sports this was our first
NHL game. Other than a bit chilly (and
yes I know they play on ice) we had a great
time. We have tickets for the Moscow Ballet
presentation of The Nutcracker and the Trans-Siberian
Orchestra Christmas concert.
2017 found us in Texas,
Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New
Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut,
Massachusetts, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia,
Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and
Nevada. Don't forget Mick went to Michigan
and I went to Colorado. Whew!
We miss our kids and
grandkids. We miss our friends and family. We
miss the easy life of Texas. We miss Kroger
grocery store. But we have fallen in love with
Arlington and the WDC area. We never dreamed
we could adjust so quickly and happily to city life.
We have no plans to grow old here, but we are
enjoying and taking advantage of our stay.
The BIG Plan . . .
The "new" official retirement date hasn't been set - yet.
Micky is eligible for full retirement on April 1,
2018. He
is working on new tasks, dealing with the
upcoming farm bill and enjoying his job. We hope to
save enough money so when he does retire we could stay in DC an extra month or two and let him enjoy
some relaxed DC area time.
Where are we going
when we finish here? It will be in Texas.
Sorry guys but it won't be where the dirt blows.
And after Harvey, it won't be too close to the coast.
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