At Last! Retiring for GOOD!

This is one of the BIG things I have to do over the next 3 months or so. We have a ridiculous amount of loose paper around our house. This paper onslaught comes from several sources: Work papers Paycheck stubs, communiques from our benefits department, receipts Related to professional activities PD (professional development) Continuing coursework and CEUs Mailing list items, catalogs, random CD/DVDs PTRA - we provide workshops for teachers - this will continue even after retirement Student work - this will be less of a problem, as I will no longer be generating these. But, Den still has responsibilities to maintain records and grade papers Financial Bills Financial investments Banking statements Refunds in process, warranties Taxes Hobby/Church Radio and electronics (me) - I recently built a workbench in the attic, and will be moving most, if not all, of my gear to that space Magazines, mailing offers Church bulletins, Catechist paperwork and materials, ref...

It's official. I submitted my retirement letter today. Already heard back from Benefits. I do feel relieved. Actually making a decision is less stressful than avoiding making one. I'm going to spend the rest of this week catching up on grades, making notes about what to take and what to pitch, and planning for the transition.

...and, I'm nearly there! I just completed the paperwork (oh, I do hope I did it right!) for transferring my NC Teacher's pension to SC. I'm crossing my fingers, but - in the back of my mind - won't be totally surprised if I have to re-do all, or part, of it. D-Day is Thursday - that's Decision Day - I have to either sign my contract, or I'm automatically NOT renewed for the next year. I'm about 80% sure that I won't sign. I don't need to babysit DJ (pity, I was kind of looking forward to it), but my dear SIL is apparently facing another bout with cancer, and my daughter may need me, at least occasionally, in the fall. I have PLANS! Writing is # 1 - I have been chomping at the bit to get started. I've upped my blogging regularity, and have been keeping a journal, as well. I figure that it will take me a week or two to get fully in the swing of daily production, but - watch out, World! Cleaning and Organizing - both a good cleaning of ...

I'm SO on the fence about retirement. On one hand, if it were totally up to me, I'd already have my papers in. DH is more focused on having our income replaced before leaving. If not, at least having a much bigger pile of cash in our TSA (Teachers' Savings Account - a special type of investment available only for Teachers and a few other nonprofit employees). So, the Back and Forth. Today, I'm planning to work on taxes. By the middle of the week, I hope to have them done, and have updated a list of what we owe. On the trip to Cleveland, then, we can talk about how to manage the transition to debt-free (if we agree on the basic premise), and have a clear understanding of how much of each of our paychecks to dedicate to that process. I COULD do another year, but I'm more inclined to commit myself only to until the end of the calendar year (2017) - at that point, if I decide I've had it, replacing me at a semester change would be less of a problem. A lot de...

Den and I were at church today, and heard a visiting priest talk about a charity effort that supplied low-cost, solar-powered computers to poorer countries. Den was so motivated, that he approached the priest after the mass to see if he could volunteer. He was not sure, but suggested that we contact the sponsoring organization. It made us think. One of the possible choices we have is to start our retirement, not with a luxurious cruise, but with an extended volunteer experience (probably NOT Haiti, at least in late summer/early fall - the hurricane season will be in full gear by then). It would be great to have an opportunity to pass on our science/computer/ham radio experiences to another generation. What about YOU? Are there life opportunities that you might, in retirement, be able to pursue for the first time? In the comments, tell me about them.