The Little Road to Retirement
“The journey of a
thousand miles begins with one step.”
The Dream Becomes a Reality
Retirement was just a 10 letter
word that seemed like such an impossible dream. Occasionally Jim and I would
throw out ideas of what we would do if we were ever able to retire, but neither
of us really believed it could happen for us. But, then…
In November of 2005, Jim’s Uncle Harry, who we
both adored, died. It was on this sorrowful journey to Mineola, TX that
the seed of retirement was planted because we were missing quality time with our
families due to our jobs, but mainly Jim’s lack of summer vacation time since
he became principal.
The miles dwindled away as I made list after
list of things that needed to happen, bills that needed to be paid off, the
pros and cons of retiring. You name it…I had a list for it. Since I had
forgotten to bring a tablet of any kind, the notes were written on the back of
gas receipts, napkins, etc. Then it hit me…I had a journal at home that Leah
had given me back in December of 2004. I would transfer all of my notes to that
journal as soon as we got back home.
Imagine our shock when I dug out that empty
journal that I had put away to use later and then forgotten about. On the front
of the leather bound cover was a plaque that read, “The journey of a thousand
miles begins with one step.” We couldn’t believe our eyes…”Could this be a hint
of things to come?” I asked that question out loud, but then both of us scoffed
at that. However, I did go ahead and transfer all the notes I had taken.
Caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas,
the thoughts and talk of retirement were put on the back burner. Then the New
Year, 2006, rolled in and it was back to school with basketball games at night
for Jim and Odyssey of the Mind practices for me. We seemed to only see each
other when we fell in bed at night. There seemed to be no time for dreams. But,
they were still there for both of us, probably, in honesty, more in me than in
Jim.
However, that lack of faith, that complacency, changed
on January 29, 2006, when David Bagwell, our pastor at First Baptist
Church in Liberal,
preached from Nehemiah chapter 2. I can’t begin to do justice to David’s
sermon, but the main points for us were this:
- Ask
God’s permission
- Ask
for His safeguard, His protection
- Ask
for His supply
And…”Where God guides, He will provide.”
It all seemed so simple, so important, why had
we not realized it before? As soon as we returned home, I made posters to put
all over the house to remind us to pray for permission (to retire), for His
safeguard (to retire), and for His supply (for us to retire). And with the
quote, “Where God guides, He will provide,” those prayers, that quote, became a
vital part of our daily devotional time. And, with the posters everywhere, it
was easy to remember that prayers can be said at any time, anywhere, any place.
Doors were opened. Leah and Ryan qualified to
buy our house. The house was appraised at a price that allowed us to pay off
the cars. We were able to buy the motor home of our dreams. Everyday we were
led to make choices that helped our dream become a reality.
And, on the first Monday in March (the 5th)
of 2006, only 35 days after hearing that special sermon of David’s, Jim turned
in our letters of retirement to Mr. Welch for him to give to the school board
that night.
Was the road always smooth? No! Were there
times of doubt? Yes! Did we continue to pray and turn to the Lord? Absolutely!
At times one of us would question, but the other was strong. With God as our
Captain, we continued the journey towards retirement.
Transition Time
On Wednesday, May 10th just as Jim
and Lance Stout were on their way out to the barn to get Winnie for us to use
for one last weekend trip, I received a call from Debra at Sisemore’s in Amarillo. Our 2007 Voyage
was in and we could pick her up on Saturday, May 13th. This was a
complete surprise to us as we weren’t expecting her until the end of the month.
Where would we put her? She was too long and big for our driveway. But, the
next day this major obstacle was solved when Jim was visiting with Bob
Oblander, our next door neighbor. They were leaving for a long trip in their 5th
wheel, and we were welcome to park the Voyage in their drive. (God’s
Protection/Supply?)
Once we returned from Amarillo and had the Voyage in the Oblander’s
driveway, we began to move things in, including ourselves! Leah and Ryan were
already living in our old house so the only time we had to bother them was when
we needed to take showers.
Alas, we only had three days in the Voyage as we
had to pack her up and take her to the barn while we made the journey with the
Odyssey of the Mind teams to Iowa
for World Competition May 22-27.
However, when we
returned on May 28, Monday, we moved the Voyage to the Liberal Fairground where
we could have full hook-up services. Thus, began our life in our new home.
First photo of the dash as we started to make Big V our new home...
It was during this time that we pondered on a
name for our motor home. It couldn’t be Winnie…that was our old one. Jim kept
saying we’d know it when the time was right. Then one night as we sat outside
in lawn chairs, Jim noticed that every vehicle we owned started with a V. We
had (1) The Voyage (2) The Vibe, our car (3) The Voyager, the cycle. Then it
hit us…the motor home was the biggest of the V’s! Thus, our motor home now had
a name…Big V!
Retirement Begins
Late in the afternoon of Friday, June 30th,
Jim and I left Liberal, Kansas,
with mixed feelings. To leave our friends, everything familiar and “normal” was
a little scary, a little sad; but, on the other hand, there was anticipation
and joy for the new life we were beginning.
For our first step, we decided to go a
completely different way to Artesia. We’d go to Santa Fe and then down. However, we gave the
travel up in Las Vegas, New Mexico, as it was dark and we were
tired. We’d explore Santa Fe tomorrow, and then
journey on down to Artesia,
New Mexico, where Edith, Jim’s
mom, and Jean, Jerry, Nancy, and Becky Terpening lived.
Saturday,
July 1st…Tuesday…July 4th
We set up Big V out at Jean’s next to the barn
for these 4 days and joined the Terpening and Francis family in a July 4th
celebration.
Paul, Jean’s grandson, was the social director
for the 4th activities and planned a horseshoe tournament for all of
us that afternoon. Everyone drew numbers and then we were matched with our
partners. They were:
Paul and Barbara
Susie and James
Warren and Jerry
Jim and Karen
Barbara and Becky
Nancy and Jean
Then the tournament began with double
eliminations. Becky and I lost our first game in a heartbeat. Everyone was
ready to wipe us off as losers, but…it was not to be.
1st Annual Horseshoe
Tournament Results
1st Place…Karen
and Jim
2nd Place…Susan
and James
3rd Place…the
dark horses, the ones that everyone doubted!...
Becky and Barbara
Wednesday,
July 5th, 6:30 AM MST…Jim and I left Jean’s for a 3 week trip to
reconnect with each of our grandchildren. First stop would be Carrollton, TX.
We encountered one interesting challenge on the
trip down…Jim couldn’t get the windshield wipers to turn off and finally just
took the fuse out. Remember, everything on Big V was still quite new to us.
Sandy Lake
RV in Carrollton, TX
became our home base for the next 7 days. There we were close to Heather, Andy,
Alexander, and Abby and could visit and baby-sit for the kids.
Saturday,
July 8th…Nancy
and Tom rode their cycles over to see us and inspect our new home. While Jim
and Tom barbequed, Nancy
took me over to the Harley place to buy a new helmet. When we returned,
Heather’s family had arrived and it was time to eat. Later, Jim, Tom, and Nancy
returned to the Harley store to find Jim a new helmet.
Sunday,
the 9th…With
Heather and Andy and the kids in their vehicle and Jim and I in the Vibe, we
drove over to Mineola, TX, where Granny (Edith) was staying with
her sister TJ. We spent the day visiting and watching the grandchildren play.
Four Generations of Littles
Tuesday,
July 11th…Jim
and I had a unique experience! Since it was Heather and Andy’s anniversary, we
went over to their house around 1:00 to baby-sit. Both kids were taking a nap
and we listened intently while Heather gave us instructions on how to care for
the kids, especially Abby. We had no questions as we thought all was clear.
That was a mistake, as we soon found out.
Everything went quite smoothly until we decided
to take Alexander and Abby to McDonald’s for supper. I had packed Abby’s bag
with all the proper bottles, diapers, etc. However, the one thing I forgot to
check on was…did the milk bottle have a nipple inside it? Back in the old days
when I was a new mom, the nipples were turned down and placed inside the
bottle. Imagine my shock when Abby awoke hungry and I couldn’t feed her since
there was no nipple! She, to put it mildly, was not a happy camper! And, while
I had my own challenges with Abby, Jim was experiencing others with Alexander.
Jim…Heather and Andy had
recommended a particular McDonalds because it had an indoor play area…something
important for watching the little ones AND keeping everyone out of the
mid-afternoon heat. It took us a couple
of tries to find it – I have to admit that sometimes I am a little
directionally challenged. Alexander and
Abby were both very patient with us as we turned extra corners, went down wrong
streets, and eventually made a somewhat legal crossover U-turn (no one was
watching) and pulled into the parking lot at McDonalds.
Once
inside, we ordered our meals. Barbara
found a table in the play area while I waited (and waited, and waited) for our
order to be completed (it never was completed, since they didn’t get it
entirely right, but getting something we ordered a little late was better than
taking a chance on waiting longer and still not getting it right). Once at the table we said a blessing and
began to dig into whatever it was we received.
We were thankful they got Alexander’s order right, since that was the
only reason we went to a McDonalds.
Alexander
wanted to play, but he was very good about finishing his meal first. As he ate, Grams and I tried to solve the
problem of getting Abby’s formula into her.
I knew that baby animals are fed by using dropper tubes, gently
squeezing a drop or two at a time into their mouths, where the autonomic
swallowing process takes over. So, I
reasoned, even though we didn’t have a dropper, I could make one out of a
straw…just dip one end of the straw into the formula, put a finger on the top
of the straw to seal it, hold the straw over the baby’s mouth, and gently
release a drop or two at a time…simple physics.
Obviously, I have more experience in simple than I do in physics. My basic premise was right, but I forgot that
Abby’s system was based on sucking liquids from a nipple that was in her
mouth…not holding her mouth open and letting someone drop milk into it. So, I gave up and let Grams take over the
nurturing of Abby, and turned my attention to Alexander.
As
soon as Alexander was finished, we let him out of his chair and he headed
straight to one of the climbing areas that led to all the “fun stuff” at the
upper level of the play area. I told
Grams that he was going to get away from us, but she pointed out that the first
step was much higher than the others, obviously a safety measure that kept the
little ones from getting away from their parents. Sure enough, Alexander was stuck at floor
level until I could get over to lift him up.
Once he was up, he easily negotiated all the shorter steps and made his
way through the maze, climbing, sliding, and generally exploring the play area.
Meanwhile,
Grams had taken Abby and tried to get her calmed down. She came back to the play area and said that
we needed to go so we could take care of Abby.
I called up to Alexander and told him to come down because we needed to
go. He immediately responded with,
“Go…no, thank you,” and headed to the far corner of the upper reaches of the
play area. There was nothing left for me
to do, but go up after him.
Let
me tell you from experience that the play area was constructed for small
children…not for 61-year old grandfathers.
I had to lie down on my back and carefully wriggle under and over the
steps to get on the level where Alexander was playing. With each twist and turn I would call out,
“Alexander, please come down,” or “Alexander, it’s time to go,” or “Alexander,
Grams and Abby are waiting.” With each
call he would respond with, “Go…no, thank you.”
No crying or complaining…just that little phrase. At one point I even played the dreaded “Alexander
Mark Dondis!” card, but to no avail.
Eventually
I caught up with him and convinced him that it was time to ride the slide down
to the floor (I knew there was no way I would be able to hold him and negotiate
those steps again). He agreed and went
straight to the slide and headed downward while I got down the hard way. He beat me down to the floor and was headed
back to the steps as I emerged from them, still twisting and turning and trying
not to strain or break something. As
soon as I crawled out, he headed back to the opening of the slide and tried to
crawl up, but gravity soon took over and brought him back down.
As
I took his hand and headed back to our table so I could put his shoes on him, I
noticed a man and his young son sitting at the table right behind us. The son was busily eating his sandwich, but
the father was watching us with a knowing smile. We sat down and I started looking for
Alexander’s shoes. To my dismay, I
couldn’t find them anywhere around the table.
About that time the man sitting behind us suggested that I look in the
little cabinet a couple of tables down, since that was where the kids usually
put their shoes when they were playing…sure enough, that’s where they were.
As
I got up to go over and get the shoes, Alexander got up and made a beeline for
the steps to the play area as I called, “Alexander, come on back.”
The
man sitting behind us said “Looks like he’s gone again.”
“It’s
no problem,” I confidently stated. “See
how the first step is taller than the others?
It’s made that way so the little ones can’t get up there without help.”
“Alexander,
come back to Gramps,” I called again, expecting him to be stumped by the height
of the step.
Was
I ever wrong! Alexander was up on the
first step and had made another one before I got over to pull him back so he couldn’t
get completely out of reach, all the while saying, “Alexander get down,” or “Alexander
come back.” This time I held his little
hand and walked with him back to our table, making sure that I could get him
seated where I could make sure he couldn’t get away again before I could get
his shoes on and laced.
As
I was lacing one of his shoes, the little boy behind us (maybe five or six
years old), turned around, held out his right hand, and said, “Hello, my name
is Miles.”
I
shook his hand and replied, “Hello Miles, I’m Gramps, and this is Alexander.”
He
looked at Alexander and solemnly said, “I know.”
I
managed to keep a semi-straight face while I finished tying Alexander’s shoes
and gently guided him out of the play area toward the doors to the parking lot,
but broke down into convulsive laughter when I got outside and saw Grams and
Abby and told what had happened.
If
today was a skills test, we had surely flunked “Grandparenting 101,” but what a
story we had to tell!
Barbara…Needless to say, the
first thing we did after Gramps and Alexander got in the car was head back to
the kids’ apartment to get nipples for Abby!
They
say that confession is good for the soul…so…when Heather and Andy returned home
around 10:00 PM we did just that. What a day! What a fond memory now that it’s
over!
Wednesday…the 12th
Left
the RV park very, very early (before 6:00 AM) expecting to beat the traffic.
Well…we may have beat some of it, but Jim certainly still had his hands full on
I-35 trying to keep behind the car in front and not get run over by the car
behind! All in all, traffic was kind to us in cities like Dallas,
Waco, Austin, and
eventually San Antonio.
That in itself was a blessing!
We
arrived at Blazing Star RV Park just in time to find the office had closed for
lunch. No problem though when you carry your home on your back. We just settled
down and had a bite of lunch ourselves.
Only
two things stand out about the rest of the day…(1) They gave us a site that was
long enough for Big V and the trailer…didn’t even have to disconnect her. (2)
John, Carol, and Randi came over for supper and Randi got to spend the night
with us.
Thursday...the 13th
Basically,
life at the Blazing Star is quite simple…you get up, go swimming, eat, take a
nap, swim, visit with the kids when they get off work! How’s that for the rough
life!
Friday…the 14th
Leah
and Ryan arrived with Jaycie whom they had picked up in Lubbock. They had been given a tent site
right in front of us which made everything very handy! Carol brought Kris and
his girlfriend, Karen, over for a while to visit. Then later when John got off
work, we all ate and enjoyed being together.
Saturday…July
15th…
Carol
came over to Big V to get the girls ready for photos they were going to have
taken at a studio together in their cheer uniforms.
Later
that day, after naps, we all horsed around in the pool and then cleaned up for
photos of our own.
Barbara
Francis and her boyfriend, Warren, who also live in San Antonio, joined us for a yummy cook-out
around a picnic area next to Leah and Ryan’s campsite. The night temperature
was pleasant after the heat of the day time, so we all enjoyed just sitting
outdoors visiting. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos that night.
Sunday…July 16th
We
all attended Sunday morning services at John and Carol’s church. Then Leah and
Ryan took the girls off to do some sightseeing and shopping at the River Walk
while John and Carol treated us to a delicious Mexican food dinner at a
favorite little restaurant of theirs.
Monday…July 17th
- Wednesday…July 19th
Leah
and Ryan packed up and headed back to Liberal. At some point, I don’t remember
which day, the girls and Jim and I spent hours getting the Vibe inspected,
tagged and registered, as well as getting our driver’s licenses changed over to
Texas ones.
Normally
though, our days were filled with the same routine I mentioned
earlier…swimming, eating, sleeping, watching movies, and swimming some more. It
was a very easy and restful lifestyle. John and Carol would join us when they
got off work.
Thursday…July 20th
Woke
the girls up early so we could pack up and head for South Padre where we would
spend several days before Randi’s cheer competition there.
This
was the first trip the girls had actually made in Big V and we all had a blast!
They took the picture of me while we were traveling down the road. We stopped
somewhere at a McDonald’s to rest, let them run around, and to eat breakfast.
South Padre is a long, long way from San
Antonio, but, overall, the trip was entertaining for
the girls.
We
had reservations in South Padre at the Destination RV Park with a view of the
bay. That place was huge and crowded. First thing we did once we got set up was
to go exploring the beaches and the town.
Once we returned
to camp, we headed for the swimming pool where we found a family from Canada who had been in San Antonio with us at the Blazing Star. It
was as if we were reuniting with old friends.
Friday the 21st…
We
spent part of the day shopping in the tourist traps, though both girls were
very selective in their choices of purchases. The afternoon was taken up with playing
on the beach. At the beach, we set up a
huge beach umbrella, unpacked the food and lawn chairs, and finally headed for
the water. At first the girls were very
clingy and didn’t want to go out very far without Jim and me holding them. Finally, they got the idea that the water of
the Gulf was still very shallow even though it looked like we were far from
shore. Once they grasped that concept,
they had a blast riding the waves alone.
Of course we were always close by in case they needed us.
We
had been told when we checked in at Destination that every Friday night South
Padre had a fireworks display at dark which could be seen from the park’s
pier. So, after the beach we cleaned up,
took lawn chairs, an ice chest filled with snacks, and good books for Jim and
me to read while we waited for the show.
However,
the fireworks were nothing compared to the entertainment offered on the pier as
the men fishing caught various sea creatures, such as eels, a stingray, and
crabs. Each fisherman was kind enough to allow the girls to get close looks and
take photos of their catches.
The
girls took turns taking photos and running around like they owned the pier.
Randi took the photo of Jaycie looking out over the water. That shot continues
to this day to be my favorite. What an eye she had when she snapped that photo!
Saturday…July 22
It’s
been 16 years since Henry died. How proud he would have been of his
granddaughters and how they would have had him wrapped around their fingers!
Since
this was the day of Randi’s cheer competition, we had to have the girls over to
Carol and John’s motel room quite early. Then Jim and I just goofed off until
John called and let us know it was time for us to get to the convention center.
First
impression of the cheer competition…NOISY! The music was so loud we thought our
eardrums would burst. This is definitely a sport for the young, not only noise
wise, but in athletic ability. What can we say…Randi’s team looked great!
Since
the competition was a whole day event, Jim and I were on our own for the better
part of the day. Then it was pizza around the pool for the team. Since Jim and
I weren’t hungry, we bid good-night to everyone and went on home. Jaycie chose
to spend the night with Randi, John, and Carol.
Sunday…July 23rd
A
morning of more competition and then awards. Randi’s team won 1st
which was a good thing. Finally it was to the beach for all of us. After an
hour or so of playing there, we went back to John and Carol’s motel room where
we were going to cook hot dogs in the parking lot.
However,
someone suggested that we walk to the beach near the motel first, which we did.
Again, more fun in the sand and surf.
By the time we finished that, we were
all starved. Jim cooked the hot dogs outside while the girls showered and then
played.
Eventually
though, it was time for us to take Jaycie and return to the campgrounds. Randi
was spending the night with her parents since we were leaving South Padre early
the next morning.
Monday…July 24
Up
at the crack of dawn to claim our trailer and head back towards Lubbock. Somewhere along
the road, we decided to see if Jimmy and Cat wanted to meet us in Lamesa to pick
up Jaycie as she was ready to see her parents! Her parents were just as eager;
so it was agreed upon to meet at the roadside park just outside Lamesa.
After
returning Jaycie to Jimmy and Cat, Jim and I decided to try to make it on home to
Artesia. However, we finally gave it up for a lost cause in Hobbs, NM.
We were only an hour and a half from Artesia and the heart was willing, but the
body wasn’t.
Tuesday…July 25
Here’s
a math problem. Umpteen miles plus 21 days equals what?
Answer:
Quality time with all four of our grandchildren and half of our children!
What
more could one want?
Jim
and Barbara
And that, dear readers, was the beginning...July, 2006...Now, on with Year 15
