Congratulations!! LOL Jaymie, that is an apt comparison. One more push is right! Enjoy that beautiful home, in that even more beautiful setting. I remember pictures of your land when you were getting started. Just gorgeous! Cheers, Amy

He was career military and when he was sent overseas four times for a full year tour to countries which were not stable, I of course worried very much. That is now behind me and I don't dwell on those times anymore. Now he is retired from the military and has begun an entirely new career which is not at all dangerous, however the freeway driving he has to do twice a day freaks me out. It's a very dangerous piece of highway for driving. He found a nice, quiet back way to get to work, I feel SO MUCH better and the driving stress for him is now gone - he was doing 40 miles each way in bad traffic. He is much more relaxed going the back (and pretty) way to work. He will only do the freeways now if there is black ice or a lot of snow predicted. I'm so sorry you have this stress, I remember what it felt like. It's just always there, even on very "good" days. I'm much more content and far less worried about him now.

I am out in the Inland Empire AKA Riverside~~~we get a bit of flooding on our property but it soaks up fast. I went out to feed my birds and our grass is way over soaked I wonder how long it will take to dry out. DH read that the Laguna Beach area is closed they got slammed with the rain and are all flooded out. I am off too have lunch with my DD and gkids it looks like the rain is just about over here so not expecting any problems. I love the rain it makes the hills in my area so green in the spring and less fire hazards. We live in a semi rural area so this is all good for us.

I plan on teaching another 2-3 years, while DH does part-time (sometimes full-time) consulting mostly from home. We work with a "wealth management planner" and always planned on retiring when DH was 60. That time came, we decided we "want" to keep working. I think the key is that it is now a choice, not a requirement. We have met (or exceeded our goals) and tend to be fiscally conservative. We are in our early 60's and are healthy and active, with hobbies and interests outside of work. I have never defined myself by my profession, and had the luxury of working part-time while raising our family. We planned for college, planned on paying off the mortgage, pay cash for cars......yes, we are planners! We live within our means and always have. What scares me, is that like Pal, we both have longevity genes and could live a long time. That was the case with my late father, who spent the last seven years of his life in a wonderful assisted living facility. He had the money, it met his needs and it was the best place for him. That came at a price (about 80K year at the end). He had the money and could afford that lifestyle. How does one plan for THAT? We did not buy long-term care insurance and are now to "old" for it to be affordable. We do not want to be a burden to our children-ever! If we have grandchildren at some point we would like to help with college tuition and "gift away" our assets as allowed by the IRS. In the meantime, we are in a sweet spot and are enjoying life in general. We feel very blessed!