Ironically, the last photo in my album, for March, is also my husband’s last day of work, as he retires for the last time. The Lego Jeep feels symbolic to me as it defines the adventure in us. It was a fun gift from my daughter to keep him busy, she whispered to me.  

It took him 3 hours.

Monday morning he woke up with the question I had anticipated: What are we going to do today?

We?

The honey do list I prepared wasn’t long enough either, since he finished up one of the projects earlier in the month, my office space. The floor has been replaced and my new work space is exactly what I wanted. The room looks fresh and the extra storage is a God-send. He did a great job on the floors, and the cabinet/desk was a project he watched over.

The beginning of the month was supposed to be our anniversary trip to Valley of the Fire, Nevada. It was cancelled because of his back injury. His gift to me was a promise that he would get well and we would be on our way in no time.

So we plan.

Truth is we are both ready for this next chapter. We are used to roaming, as we traveled the country for two years before settling in Arizona. And his years of military deployments translate to cherishing the littlest things. Neighborhood hikes with our youngest granddaughter is a favorite of mine.

Our sunrise hikes have morphed into neighborhood walks with the emergence of the rattlesnakes, and we are OK with that. There is always something to see.

There are places to visit.

And gardens along the way.

Retirement makes dinner reservations more convenient too, since the clock is a mere suggestion. We celebrated our milestone at Maggianos Italian Restaurant and talked about this crazy life of who knew.

Do you ever feel like that? Who knew we would be living here? Who knew we would have 4 grandchildren? Who knew what successes, and adversities we would face?

Who knew we would still love each other 39 years later?

Following dinner and a walk through the nearby art park, we laughed when this time… I said:

What are we going to do tomorrow?

And it feels good to just go.

Wind Kisses, Donna

PS. We plan to return to Valley of the Fire sooner than later. Something tells me it will be even better this second time around. There is no greater gift than time. Use it wisely.

Inspired by: Bushboy/The Last Photo/The Changing Season, Ju-Lyn/The Changing Season