52 Weeks of Blogging

Today I am celebrating a year of blogging about my new life as a Runaway Boomer. 52 weeks – 52 blogs. I’m pretty proud of myself. I’m also grateful to the friends who are following this journey of mine and sending encouragement. Thank you.

This week, I’ve categorized what I have written to provide an index, with hyperlinks directly to the articles – giving you an easy way to go back and read anything of interest that you may have missed. I’d be interested in knowing which ones touched you in some way, and love it when you submit comments and suggest ideas for topics. Here's to another year (I hope)!

RETIREMENT PLANNING
Planting the Seeds: How and when we started planning for retirement. First steps.
Just a Year Ago: The flurry of activity that started our new life.
Planning for Your Dreams: The need to track, analyze, and adjust your spending habits.
Where Does Your Hard Earned Money Go?: Categorizing and analyzing expenses.
Aligning Spending with Priorities: Do your spending habits require adjustment?
Savings Spree!: Opportunities to save for retirement.
Financial Pulse Check: Notes from an Aug. ‘09 meeting with our financial advisor.
Visualize Your Retired Life: Think and dream about the life you want.
Lifestyle Changes During Retirement: Plan for different phases over the years.
Health Care Shock: My rude introduction to shopping for individual health insurance.
Determining Your Number: Figuring out how much money you need for retirement.
Expect the Unexpected: Contingency planning for the curves life will throw at you.
Now Do It: Trust your plan and make the transition out of your working life.
Day of (Budget) Reckoning: Reconciling actual expenses against our ’09 budget.
Winter Escape with a Purpose: Planning a scouting trip to the southwest.

LIFESTYLE
Decorating Whiplash: Urban living inspires a change in decorating style.
I’m Not Always in My Pajamas…: My schedule on a normal day.
Mastering the Carbohydrate Challenge: Type II Diabetes and carbohydrates.
Eating & Thriving, the Low Carb Way: The basics of low carb eating.
Summer in Chicago: What the city offers us during summer.
From Suburban to Urban Living: The differences in lifestyle.
Uh Oh…Caught the Golf Bug: I never thought it would happen to me.
A Virtual Leap: Getting connected online.
A Little Self-Imposed Discipline: Discovering the need for some structure.
Living the Dream: Some days it just hits us.
The Downside of City Living: It’s not all a wonderland…
There’s No Place Like Home: Happy to be home after a long trip.
Our Neighborhood, On Foot: A walking tour of our frequent haunts.

TRAVEL
Road Trip!!: About our 2009 driving trip to Vegas and National Parks in Utah.
Buona Sera, Roma!: An amazing 4 days in Rome, Italy.
These Feet!: We walked and walked on our European trip. These feet performed!
Athens At Last: My first day on Greek soil. A big day for a 2nd generation Greek girl.

SELF-EXPLORATION
Marriage to Retirement – Another Fork in the Road: An interesting parallel discovered.
I’m Mostly Not Working: But as opportunities surface, I find I still have interest.
Ready for 2010: Thoughts on plans for the New Year.
When I Grow Up: I’m not sure what happens now.
Poetic License: Kamikaze poem out of nowhere.
Searching for Musical Relevance: You know you’re getting old when your music is too.
Rationalizing Dual Identities: Personal vs. professional personas online.

RANDOM MUSINGS
Early Retirement vs. A Boot in the Ass: Glad I left Hilton before they laid me off.
The Other Side of the Coin: Remorseful alternative view of the Hilton situation.
When One Door Closes: Another one opens. Sometimes more.
Embracing Simple Pleasures: Some of my favorite things to do bring great joy.
10 Things I Learned from Bollywood Dance Class: Yes, really.
Echoes of the Past: Visiting an old family vacation spot and seeing ghosts.
My Favorite Products: A list of my current favorite things.
Giving Thanks: A message on Thanksgiving 2009.
Chasing the Magic of the Season: Don’t we all try to recreate happy childhood memories?
God Bless Us Everyone!: A message on Christmas Eve 2009.

BLOGGING
Blogging with a Purpose: The first posting - an introduction.
New Name – Same Blog: Why I changed from “Retired Early – The Reality” to “Runaway Boomer”.