Retiring Tina

So it’s my last week at work. My retirement party is Friday evening, and I’m sure that there will be plenty of tears, laughs, and promises to stay in touch. My desk is pretty much cleaned out, my project list is blank, and I’m happy to report that the last week of work is very similar to the first week of work—you’d don’t really do too much.

When you get older, holidays are bittersweet. Christmas, birthdays, Thanksgiving…they’re wonderful times to be together with your loved ones. You’ll talk about old family stories and make new ones. You’ll bounce babies on your knee, bring out time tested recipes and feel that wonderful contentment that I’ve found only comes when you’re surrounded by family.

This past weekend I took some time to visit a show at a small theatre in northern Indiana with some friends. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a while now, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I remember summer vacation as a child. The last week of school would be filled with laughter and field days, and we’d dash out of the doors on the final afternoon to a world full of possibility and heavy with the promise of countless free hours.

It pains me to admit this, but I have a great-niece who is getting married next month. My oldest sibling (she loves when I call her that) is a decade wiser than myself, and as a result, I grew up very close with my niece and nephew. I was often a babysitter for them during my teenage years.

Since I’m getting so close to my retirement date, it’s important to remember what it felt like just starting out. It’s been a long and interesting journey from realizing my savings wouldn’t sustain me during retirement to actually packing up my office and making travel plans. ...

You may have noticed a surge in the number of ponytails and slightly exposed tattoos around the workplace water cooler...

I love my husband. We’ve been through a lot together, and after a few decades of holidays, birthdays, vacations, and loans, we’ve also been through a lot of MONEY together...