Wow, I've already broken my vow to write every day. Yesterday was well-spent, however. The main event was an appointment with our financial planner. That helped me let out a psychic breath I'd been holding for weeks. Since I don't turn 55 until October, I won't apply to draw pension benefits until my birthday to avoid a significant penalty in my monthly check. So for the next few months, I'll be drawing on our "nest egg" to cover expenses. That had me really nervous, but once we looked at the overall picture and she reassured me, I felt much better. I highly recommend hiring a professional to help with this aspect of life. Ours has worked wonders, and it is as much because of her expert handling as our willingness to sacrifice during our earning years that I was able to retire this early.
Once I had made the trip to Green Tree and back, I spent the rest of the day at home. Gary stopped by and I made lunch for us, then my mom came up for help with her checkbook. I had the chance to try a few new recipes I got from my brother-in-law, caught up on the phone with a few old friends and even had time to reflect.
Some of my thoughts:
It really is unfair that the east coast has had to endure an earthquake and the threat of a hurricane in one week. The quake was felt here in Pittsburgh; in fact, when Bob texted me about it I was at my mom's. I said, "We just had an earthquake." She replied, "Thank God. I thought I was going crazy because it felt like my chair moved." I had been running around her house doing some chores, so I missed it. But we have friends and relatives in Virginia and Maryland for whom it was more "adventurous."
It is also unfair that I am still having school dreams and waking up in the middle of the night unable to fall back to sleep for a while. I guess besides an internal clock, teachers have an internal calendar. Even when my dreams are not about school, they are far from pleasant. I have awakened every night since we returned from vacation, and even a few times there.
I really need to start writing things done and making lists. I am going to try emailing myself with a to-do list so that I don't forget important things.
Last night's dinner was my mom's favorite: grilled salmon, salt and vinegar roasted potatoes, roasted red onions with tomato and roasted asparagus. (Hmm...I'm picking up a theme.)
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