Officially retired

I am now officially retired. I don't go work tomorrow. I will post pictures from my party tomorrow. It was great, my friends came and I hope a good time was had by all.

The Guitar

Ray stopped on the way home today and rented a couple of movies. With all the snow and sleet staying in was a great idea. One of them was "The Guitar". It was an indie film directed by Danny Boyle who did "Slum Dog Millionaire". It is the story of a young woman who was told she had terminal cancer and two months to live. At the same time she was laid off from her job and her boyfriend dumped her. She totally changed her lifestyle and maxed out all of her credit cards, and then found her cancer was in remission and how she moved forward.
After the end of the movie I told Ray that I didn't know what to think about it. It wasn't a big flashy film and at first I didn't care for the main character. But the more I think about it though, I think I enjoyed it and it is a good movie. The characters were real and I didn't expect the movie to end the way it did, but the ending fit. If you only like fast moving films starring big names, this isn't for you, but if you want to watch movie that makes you think about it after it is over, "The Guitar" is one to watch.

Just to Compare

These are the cards I have made using the same design as the cards I posted earlier. I used Marrakech paper by Basic Gray, the Boxer rubons and Basic Gray fibers. These cards look totally different than the first set. I used stamps to do the sentiments instead of rubons. I have been told that Basic Gray is discontinuing the fibers. That is probably a neutral decision for me in general, but they do look good on these cards.

I am donating this set plus five other cards to our churches basket auction on Sunday. The funds go to provide scholarships to church camp for children from our church and another church located in a low income area of town. The last time I did cards, they went for a good price. I hope these do as well.

Pretty cards

This is the set of Mother's Day Cards I will be teaching a class for on April 21st at Scrapbook Garden. The cards are made using Basic Gray Eva papers. Every time you do a class there is something that is the big feature. These cards use a lot of rubons. Most of them I like very much, a couple of them could use a little more discretion on the rubons. I like them so much that I am going to make another set to donate the our basket auction at church. They will be multipurpose cards and I will be using Marrakesh paper instead.

Lists

For a long time I have been keeping a mental list of what I would like to do once I am retired. My mother had lots of things planned and like most retired persons I know was busy enough that she never was bored. I have things I would like to do as well. I am realistic enough to realize that watching my granddaughter will take time, but it never hurts to have things in mind.
1. Keep working on my scrapping
2. Do more photography
3. Start selling some of our "stuff" either on E-Bay, or get a booth at an antique mall
4. Do more things at church
5. Keep in better touch with my friends.
6. Work in the yard more.
7. Establish a regular workout schedule at the Y.

There are going to be more things, but this is a start. As of today, I have seven work days left. When I started working, retirement is something I couldn't conceive of, then about ten years ago, I could see it as a possibility. Now that it is just days away, it is hard to believe that I have actually arrived at this point, but I have. I just have to live this out too to see how it goes.

Moon Over Death Valley

This is my effort at being Ansel Adams. This photo looks more striking in black and white than it did in color. It brings out the starkness in the landscape in Death Valley.

Death Valley Days

At about the mid point of Death Valley is Furnace Creek. Furnace Creek has the National Park Visitor Center, camp grounds and a couple of resorts. It is exactly what you would expect an oasis to look like in the middle of the desert. It is green and palm trees are growing. One of the resorts has a couple of the old wagons used to haul borax out in the late 1800's and early 20th century. What it did for me was take me back to television in the 50's when there was a television show, Death Valley Days. Ronald Reagan did the introduction to a western story each week. Boraxo was the sponsor and they always talked about Twenty Mule Team Borax. Some things you never forget.

Las Vegas

Look how tall Penn is.

Teller is really quite talkative off stage.

Ray at the Thunderbird's Museum

The sign marking sea level is about halfway up the mountainside above Andrew's head.

We got back from five days in Las Vegas on Monday. Andrew is at Nellis for Red Flag until the middle of March. What better reason to go out for a visit. We gambled very little, we weren't able to win anywhere. We went out to Nellis and visited the Thunderbirds museum which was interesting. On Saturday we drove out to Death Valley. It was interesting, but a whole lot bigger than I expected. I didn't get to see two of the places there I wanted to see, but at least we have been there now.

We went to two shows. Les Folies Begere which was fun, and Penn and Teller which was interesting as well as funny and mystifying. Penn and Teller tell you how the magic is done, but even while they are explaining it, it is hard to see how it isn't magic. After the show, they are out in the lobby so you can meet them and take pictures. I am always amazed at how accessible some of the celebrities are in Las Vegas.

We weren't that impressed with Circus Circus, but the price was right. It will be a few years before we go out again. Who knows what we will do then.

Day Three

I know this is boring as all get out, but what is going on at work is really big for me. Anita, who is taking my job when I retire at the end of the month is all over the loan process. She is a good originator. All I had to do when things settle down was show her the basics and she is ready to go. I am so glad to let the lending go to Anita, it has been a while since I was able to give it my serious attention.
The foreclosure part is still staring us in the face, but I not going to seriously address it until the last two weeks of the month. I am taking three days vacation, so Anita can get into the idea of it being her job. (Truthfully, I just really wanted some time off, this is just a plus) When I get back, she will most likely be more interested is asking me questions, than having me show her things.
Everything is so much better than when we started out on Monday. Thank goodness for that.

Give it another try

I woke up with something of a plan for today. Yesterday at work was so chaotic, I was frustrated and I am sure Anita was too. This morning I realized that I needed to give up control. Why is that so hard for people to do? I am going to put Anita at the desk, we are going to list the work that needs to be done and she will do it. I will be there to answer questions and do foreclosure calls. That will be enough to keep me busy for the rest of my time at work. I really want lending to get back on its feet again since it has suffered since the foreclosure situation has heated up so much..

What a strange day

My replacement started today. Anita is very talented and experienced in lending. Normally, when someone starts a new job, there is time where you get to tell them about the job. That didn't happen today. There was one call after another and then more people to talk to about loans. It really made me understand how much stuff has been going on with my job and I finally understood why I haven't been able to make any progress. I went to talk to the director and at least he is aware of my concerns about this. I am rambling here, but that is how the day left me.