Grow Old Along With Me

I love that song! (Of course, I loved the poem by Robert Browning, first.)

John Lennon wrote a song version, and then Mary Chapin Carpenter followed with a beautifully lilting “cover” of John’s recording.

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“Ok Crystal, fair enough.

But, what are ya getting at”?

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Bless you, Kids. I know I don’t make it easy. 😉

There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes, here.

We’ve been caught up in meetings, buried in literature, and immersed in the filing of countless forms.

In just a few weeks, Sir Beads is going to retire.

He would tell you that although he has been blessed to work for a wonderful company . . . after 4+ decades – he’s more than ready to leave the everyday stress behind.

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We are happy!!!

We are nervous.

We are excited!!!!

And with the current economy – maybe a little scared!

The whole procedure has very much reminded me of the arduous process of college applications – which we went through several years ago with our girls.

Suddenly we have so many new decisions, lots of choices to make, so much red tape! Who knew?

We ARE making progress, though. Yes, indeed!

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For example, I can now go on for hours about the pros and cons of annuities, the details concerning rollovers, and the differences between Medicare A, B, C, D, Medigap, and Supplement plans . . . whereas a few weeks ago it was pretty much a foreign language. (Fear not, Kids! I have no intention of getting into any of that here.) 😉

The one thing I have no worries about is having more time with Sir Beads. I am actually thrilled about that. Oh, I know there’s been a study that wives in Japan literally become ill when their husbands retire. And I’ve heard stories of women who struggle to maintain their usual schedules with the sudden appearance of husbands who continually want attention, and conversation, and (gasp!) 3-meals-a-day!

Sir Beads and I were married for a few years before our kids arrived so we know the drill. During those pre-kids years, we had a chance to become good “friends”. From the beginning, we learned to compromise and accommodate, how to have fun together and still give each other a little space. We’re feeling confident those lessons will serve us well now.

There won’t be a dull moment. Of that we’re pretty certain!

Grow old along with me;
The best is yet to be
. . .
😀

Hugs,

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Calendars and Resolutions

snowingAlthough I love the adventure of a new year and am inspired by the chance to fill it with lots of fun and positive things, I’ve never been too big on New Year’s resolutions, per se.

Not that I couldn’t use plenty of improvement, mind you! 😉

It’s just that I don’t think of January 1st as a day of self-assessment. I’m more likely to contemplate changes or choose new goals on my birthday. To me, there’s something about adding a year to my age that triggers thoughts about how I would like to modify aspects of my life.

But speaking of the adventure part of a new year – don’t you just love a brand spanking new calendar? The crisp pages are so gloriously empty. What fun it is to imagine all the events and bits of info that will gradually begin to fill-in some of those blank spaces. Sure, there will be the boring dental appointments, and the oil change for the car, but think of the family birthdays, and the summer picnics, and the lunch dates with friends!

I bought our new wall calendar yesterday. Talk about last minute! In my defense, I do like to wait until they’re half-price. I chose this little bit of whimsy called “Flower Fairies” by Cicely Mary Barker.

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Sir Beads-a-Lot (saint that he is) always allows me to choose the new calendar. He knows that I will probably never select anything remotely masculine, yet he good-naturedly nods with enthusiasm when I present my pick for the year. The artwork on this one is lovely and it has fairly large boxes for each date, so it will be easy to write (and fit) any information for a given day.

Oh, before I forget! The first GIVEAWAY of 2010 will begin tomorrow. Hope you’ll stop back then to enter for your chance to win!

Hugs,

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