At the end of June I will retire! Which is amazing since I am only 30! Ha!! Oh, how I wish I were that young!! Retirement! A word that brings about so many possibilities! Retirement is one of those things that a person thinks about but it is so far in the future for too much serious thought. I began teaching 29 years ago - retirement wasn't even something I gave any thought at all. Fast forward about 15 years - retirement became something I dreamed of (i.e. something along the lines of "When I retire I will be able to work out whenever I want....") When I had Seth, many people assumed I would stop working; however, I was only seven years away from completing 25 years in education. My thought was "I can retire when he is in second grade!" I guess there is a perk of having your child late in life. Even though truthfully I would have loved to stay home with him right then - it didn't seem financially sound to walk away when I had invested 18 years in my career. Eventually I reached the 25 year milestone and the time just didn't seem right. I enjoy my job and the people I work with are wonderful! The commute; however, is another thing! Seth and I drive over an hour (each way!) every day for work and school - he goes to school in the district in which I work.... which, as you can see, creates another problem. If I retire Seth will have to leave the school he has attended since kindergarten. This has been our main focus throughout this year because I have really grown weary of the daily drive - I feel like all I do is commute, work, ball practice for Seth, cook, iron, repeat! It is amazing how over two hours a day in a car will drive you nuts! (I realize people all over deal with this - I am just being honest. I have gotten to where I don't want to go places if I have to drive. Sad, but true!)
We decided if we were going to make a decision about retiring then we needed to make it sooner rather than later. I want Seth to be settled in his new school when he begins sixth grade (middle school - oh my!). We had thought we would have to make a decision about where Seth would go to school in Mobile; but as the school year has continued, the decision became even bigger. Should we move closer to my father and sister? They live three hours away in Mississippi. Truthfully, my father (and my sister) need us to be closer. My dad fell in February - he is now at a swing bed/rehab center for the fourth time in the last four years. (On a funny note, one of the nurses said my dad was her favorite "repeat offender"!) My sister works full time as a pediatric oncology nurse manager. She has the added task of accompanying Daddy to all doctor appointments (he has a lot!), helping clean his house, cooking for him, running errands, etc. This is daunting at times when coupled with already stressful job!
After a lot of thought, prayer, and talking with my family and closest friends, Jon and I have decided that the time has come for us to make a major life change. I will retire and we will move to Mississippi. We are all excited and scared at the same time about our new adventure. We are about to undergo big changes for our family: new job for Jon, a new home for our family, and a new school for Seth where he doesn't know anyone (and they don't know us - scary for me since I have always worked in the district where he goes to school). We are leaving behind dear friends we have grown to love. BUT, I know we are making the right decision. When it comes down to it, family is everything. I am excited about living in the same town as my daddy and my sister and her family. (As my niece pointed out, I have not lived there in eighteen years - she said, "Sissy, I am ready for you to come home!")
Please pray for our family as we make all this happen between now and July. Again, I am super excited, but it does feel a little strange. I have been a teacher, principal and curriculum director for the last twenty-nine years. What will I BE now? Consultant? Baseball mom? Spend time decorating and/or renovating our new home? Will I discover a new talent? Will I be able to blog more? The possibilities are endless? Life is good!!!
As always, thank you for visiting Buttercup Bliss!
Lisa
