New Wardrobe

Now that my husband is officially retired, I thought I might get him a new casual wardrobe. What do you think of these pants?

I could accompany him wearing these....

or just settle for my old stand-by.

Have a good weekend everyone and enjoy the warm weather!

All pictures from The Satorialist.

Vacation Recap

I have so many pictures from this vacation that it is hard to choose which ones to share.

I would have to say that this was probably one of our best trips that we have enjoyed. The boys are at an age where there are few meltdowns, they can sit at dinner and participate in conversation and responsible enough to send back to the house if they get tired of the pool or the beach.

Smiles were the "look"of the week! We shared many fun stories with family and friends.

Noses were freckled and hair was brighten by the time spent in the sun.

We ate in more than we ate out providing the children to be excused when finished and conversation and wine to flow at a relaxing rate. This year we had Seafest '09! This is sure to become a yearly tradition.

Bikes or our feet are our modes of transportation for the week.

I wasn't a huge fan of bike riding after dark, but the boys sure thought it was great fun.

Yay for the kids!

Our yearly photo shoot didn't turn out as planned. Next year we have to wait for the sun to dip just a bit closer to the horizon so we don't all look like we need glasses.



Yay for the ladies!

and yay for the men!

As the plane touched the tarmac at home Ryan leaned over to me and said,

"Only 364 more days until we go again."

V.R.I.P.

(V)oluntary (with a gun to your head) (R)etirement (because you are getting old and expensive (I)ncentive (severance) (P)rogram (because it's easier to label it this way than to say you were laid off.)

Yep...we have become a statistic in our nation's economic woes. Two days before we went on vacation, my husband received the bad news. Twenty-six years at the same company, eleven of those years as a Partner didn't matter a bit in the eyes of the big guys.

My husband has been leading a pretty stressful work life over the last five years. Many of those years have been spent on the road, living out of a suitcase and eating bad food. I always told him I would be happy if the day came and they "retired" him. But, when it became reality it really hurt. It hurt because my husband is no slacker. I have never met a more conscientious and loyal person. He puts his heart and soul into everything he touches. These attributes were even brought up at our own wedding ceremony. The spreadsheet he created for our wedding would put wedding planners to shame. The support we have received over the past few days has been overwhelming. People are shocked, angry and questioning how such a thing could happen. It feels good to hear, but yet...it makes me more angry and I find it difficult to look beyond all of this, because I get caught up in my bitterness.

We are not risk-takers, so I think this has happened to us to force us to look outside of that nice, neat box that we have created. It has forced us to look at our own personal relationship and discover that seeing a spouse on the weekend is no way to live. It has forced us to step back and see the toll this has taken on the boys. People tend to think kids are resilient to all the travel and lack of "Dad" time, but the boys have talked a lot in the past week about how excited they are to have Dad back at home. Home on time to watch baseball games, go golfing, and to plan summer trips.

So, we are lucky enough to have saved for a rainy day, to receive a year's severance and to be healthy. We are planning on taking advantage of this "bonus" time. Lists are being made for home improvements and general cleaning out of the stuff that has accumulated through the years. My husband is even planning on playing a little golf.

And remember, if you hear of a job for an auditor with twenty six years of experience, let me know.

See Ya!

Be back soon recharged and refreshed!