A peek into the home design of our newest Empty Nest!
Home design is personal. What appeals to some will definitely not appeal to others. As we decorate and fill our homes with treasures, the only people we need to please are ourselves.
Craig and I have moved many times; this would be our 7th in 37 years. Why did we move so many times? As a young married couple, we were finding our way, looking for the right city to raise our children, and then after our nest was empty, we chose to downsize.
The downsize was the most significant adjustment, not only because of the new tiny footprint but also because we moved away from our friends and the city where we raised our family for 27 years.
Our move to the Pacific Northwest has been challenging, sad, wet, sunny, exciting, exhilarating, and so very different from our old life.
Back in Southern California, we had downsized and renovated our Empty Nest, which was just perfect for two. We enjoyed our small, quaint home, relaxing back yard, proximity to family and friends, and warm weather.
There has been a lot of adjusting and the climate takes some getting used to also! New dry cleaners, grocery stores, dog sitter, you name it, we had to find it! And, with a much bigger house that needed inside paint and new furniture, we embarked on another home project!
However, this move provided us the time and accessibility to watch these babies grow up, support our daughter and son in law, and begin our life as grandparents. Flying from California every time we wanted to see them would be a hassle and we wanted to be more hands-on. Luckily for us, we could work from home long before COVID offered this newest possibility.
I want to dive into the house design choices, but I will do that in another post. I have been updating my audience through Facebook and Instagram, but many of you do not participate in social media or miss these posts, and I wanted you to know what it was like living here!
Does the idea of a virtual romantic getaway sound a little crazy, but fun?
After all, this is 2021, travel remains at a virtual standstill, and almost everything we do, even as ridiculous as it sounds – is virtual. Work, school, birthday parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas, cocktail hour, baby showers, wine tasting, cooking class, exercise class! Good grief! Why not enjoya virtual romantic getaway for two? Let’s create everything you need to pretend to be at the destination of your dreams!
Valentine’s Day is around the corner, but we have a little time to plan. Why the heck not? As a travel writer, my work life was upended by the pandemic, which allowed me the freedom to try a few new ideas. One of which was to create a Virtual Maui Vacation. Brilliant, yes?
After umpteen months of quarantine, a virtual Maui Vacation sounds kind of fun, doesn’t it? Maybe you want to create a weekend in Maui? Just check out the Vacation Guide, which has all of the details!
Maybe you need a little help with this virtual romantic getaway idea? I plan to give you a few tips to get your creative juices flowing.
I have many reasons to be grateful for 2020. Actually, the list is pretty long and full of emotion. Fortunately for me, they help to counterbalance the challenges we have all faced this year.
After seven months of quarantine, we were more than ready for an anniversary trip. At the time, restrictions from COVID had lifted enough where we could travel to the glorious California coast at Big Sur.
I needed this vacation so much! Tired of being cooped up with no trips planned, it was time. Travel is my passion, my occupation, and honestly, what lights me up inside. I love to create the plans, to experience new places, and find adventure. I’m not ready to settle into retirement yet; there are too many fabulous destinations to visit, too much out there to learn! Don’t you agree?
I wrote the post “25 Reasons to be Thankful for Time” exactly five years ago. I had just begun writing Adventures of Empty Nesters, and so many things were so different in my life. Who knew? One thing that hasn’t changed, I am still so grateful for time! However, we all have a lot more time than we ever did before.
Since travel adventures are not currently a top priority, family adventures are just about all the adventures we can create. Some of us see our families often, while others have not been together since March or before. This lack of family interaction is heartbreaking, and uncertainty is commonplace.
In a million years, I never thought that I would not be writing about my exciting global travels and only focusing so close to home. I was in Japan just one year ago, and I still dream about travel. I have taken several trips during COVID between Washington and California. You can click HERE to read about my experiences.
It’s official; we are starting to see some positive movement toward travel. Travelers are thinking about a possible road trip and trying to decide just where to go. Many have already taken the plunge back into the delightful world of travel. Today I am working with my friends at Hotels.com to talk about a tasty, fun-filled trip to Nashville, Tennessee.
Whether it is country music, the incredible food scene, fall colors, or a lively atmosphere, Nashville has become the place to be. Just writing this post reminds me of how at home I felt in this vibrant destination! This city has a big heart, is large enough to have everything you want, but still gets away with a small-town feel.
Craig and I, along with two of our best friends, Troy and Brad, designed a fantastic road trip that went from the Kentucky Bourbon Trail to Nashville. We have been friends since we were kids, and this was our fourth recent trip together.
It’s October! This month brings Fall leaves, pumpkin spice lattes, the World Series (Go Dodgers!), and is our anniversary month. For as long as I can remember, we have traveled somewhere to commemorate our anniversary. Maui was our usual celebratory destination, but this year it isn’t possible due to COVID restrictions. We are traveling to Carmel by the Sea and Big Sur, CA, and looking forward to it!
Allow me to declare that all anniversaries should be celebrated! Any time a married couple begins another year together, it’s fantastic. Long term marriages and relationships are an essential milestone, and I wouldn’t be me unless I also said we need to find adventure in life too!
I vacillated back and forth as to how to write the introduction of this post. Do I recap how hard things have been this year? The sadness, despair, disappointment, and COVID? Or any of the other negative adjectives?
No, I am skipping the bad parts and going straight to the joyous part! Ok with you? Here we go!
Celebrating life in the craziest, most challenging year we can remember is the best way to look at 2020. Many people may want to erase this year, but I don’t want to forget any of it, because we have grown from it. And more importantly, as a family, we are rejoicing three very special additions to our family!
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