EEK! It's Thursday!

Every Thursday morning, I get up early knowing that it's the day I write and post my Runaway Boomer Blog. But this morning, I was coming off a dinner party we hosted last night. Woke up late with a Greek food hangover, and enjoyed some quality time with a few much-needed cups of coffee. I checked on my Facebook friends, wrote some emails, made a few calls, and even considered a late morning nap.Then, "EEK! It's Blog Day Thursday!".

It's been a busy week. Rehearsals for our upcoming Sweet Adelines concert are taking up a minimum of 6 hours a week (2 rehearsals of 3 hours each + practice at home). We have also been consumed with preparation for our patio construction project. Tomorrow, we hope for final approval. That would mean that work and all the ensuing chaos starts early next week. I just scheduled installation of some rain gutters, which may happen in the midst of the patio project. Yesterday - house cleaning and food prep. Had our quarterly consultation with our financial advisor at 8am this morning, which is probably what threw me off in the first place.

Summer is in full swing here at Talking Rock, and that means our golf and social schedule is busy, busy, busy. In the midst of all this activity, we had the stress of the Doce wildland fire that came within about 5 miles of our home. Let's see, "Golf or evacuation, which will it be?"

So, you see, I'm a bit tired and discombobulated. It's been one of those weeks when I don't know what day it is and can't keep track of my calendar events or to-do list. I think doing laundry is about my speed today.

Runaway Boomer is 2

This Runaway Boomer posting today is my 104th. You know what that means – a 2 year milestone. I have managed to write once a week, every week for two years. Somehow it has become important to me to consistently meet my self-imposed Thursday morning deadline.

In the beginning, at the request of friends, I wrote a number of posts about the steps we used to plan for our early retirement. Then I expressed more about what our life has been like after leaving our corporate jobs, including enjoying our homes in Chicago and Prescott, travel, and our newfound love of golf. The biggest surprises for me have been a few odd posts that have sort of written themselves – like my (bad) poetry. There were words and phrases in my head that wouldn’t be ignored, and just had to come out on paper. One poem I swear I composed in my sleep – I just had to get up and write it down before it was forgotten.

Friends; I sincerely thank all of you who have read my blog and reached out to me. Your comments and encouragement inspire me to act on my desire to write, and continue to “spill my guts”. Some have told me they are living vicariously through my experiences. I hope you are actually dreaming and making your own plans for personal freedom. The first big step toward living your dream is being able to visualize it. I wish that for you all.

Peace.

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”.