Retirement is too much work

For so many years I thought, if only I didn’t have to work I could____, you fill in the blank. Yep hundreds of things. But somehow the reality isn’t living up to the fantasy. I retired in 2014. The 2014-2015 was the first school year that I wasn’t in a classroom in oh, about twenty five years.

So I hit the ground running with my retirement. So much leisure time to fill. Yeah, right. Do you realize there are only 24 hours in a day and most people expect to spend at least 8 of those sleeping? For years and years I’d been storing away things to do once I retired and had all the time in the world to do stuff.

Being retired is hard work. My list of things to do is still long enough to wall paper the west wing of the White House. So what have I been doing with all this free time, if I haven’t been working through my bucket list?

I went to Key West, drove the entire way. Mary Marvella and I went to the Mystery Writers Fest. That was an interesting drive, monsoon rain for almost a hundred miles on the trans-Florida highway. White knuckles all the way. The Keys were beautiful, it was my first visit and I loved it.

Next Mary Marvella and I attended the Ancient City Romance Writers Conference in St. Augustine. I didn’t have to drive all the way that time because Pamela Vanardo drove most of the way. That was another awesome trip. However, we almost walked over a six foot cliff when we went to the beach the night we arrived! The beach was eroded by a hurricane and had a major drop off. So much for walking on the beach at night. That trip was great as well.

Let’s see, what else? Mary Marvella and I attended the Alabama Book Festival in Montgomery and signed our books. It was hot, but we were in the shade of a tent. So we survived.

Oh yes, Mary Marvella and I drove to Shreveport to attend the NOLA Writers’ Conference. Those of you who know MM know that she always travels with a hugh sippy cup (sorry MM, couldn’t think what else to call it) of medicinal tea. That cup wound up bottom up in the floor of my van more than once. But we still enjoyed our trips. Once it tipped over and landed in MM’s pocketbook! That was interesting.

Oh, yes I nearly forgot. MM and I flew out to San Antonio last summer for RWA National. We enjoyed seeing the city and took the river cruise around the riverwalk. Our friend Nanci Race joined us on that trip. Getting the three of us together can be dangerous, but so much fun!

This year MM, Nanci and I reunited in New York City for RWA National. We walked over the city, found our favorite restaurant, AA Jing where we had the most delicious dinner. We also attended the Broadway show Jersey Boys. What a treat. We loved it.

In addition to all that, I’ve published stories in five anthologies, help to edit several books and meet weekly with MM and other partners to critique and plan more adventures. Yep, I’m tired. I think I might have to go back to work to get some rest. Legends of the Dragon is my latest project and is available now on Amazon for pre-order and will be live on August 31st. Help a girl out and download a copy! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0142700XS

So, what’s your year been like?