Count with me - 118, 117, 116........

This has been a big week for me. Today is my fifth wedding anniversary, but even more exciting (sorry, Ed!) is that I gave notice at the hospital on Monday!!! I'm finally retiring - after 20 years at this facility - at the end of January. This is something Ed and I have talked about and I have been planning for the past couple of years and it's so great to finally have taken the plunge. It will be interesting to see if the next four months fly by or drag their heels. Either way, I'm outta here soon!

I like my job - most of the time. And there are a lot of people that I'm going to miss - especially the physicians. But I am so ready to move on. I recently got my Real Estate License and plan to spend part of my time working with my husband in his business. I know, I know, not the best time to be messing with real estate! However, there are a lot of non-selling things I will be able to do. Also, my daughter wants me to volunteer some time each month working in her classroom. That will be totally cool. And, on a day when one of my grandchildren may be sick and Jenni needs to go to work, I can be the grandma that babysits! I want to take some HTML or Photoshop classes at the community college. I want to be able to go to Target in the middle of the day! And I want to wake up some morning when it's cold and rainy outside and say, "I think I'll just plop on the couch and read a book". Oh, yes, I am SO ready.

I started working at 18 right out of high school. First job was a receptionist for a law office in downtown Tucson. Made $.92/hour. After lunches, bus fare or gas, work clothes - I had a whopping income of $30 a week! I worked part time through college and then had a break when the kids were born. Well, if you consider raising twins in a new city with no family around a "break" .....

Other than that, I've been working full time for 39 years. Now, in 118 days I can finally start doing those things I've wanted to do since I was 18!! No more waking up to an alarm clock at 5:30am, no more asking permission to take time off, no more hearing a constant flood of business buzz words, no more commute, no more over-caffienating myself so I can stay awake during boring meetings.

Sometimes this getting older thing is really a good deal.....