Two Years Ago Today We Began This Journey: Happy Cinco de Mayo!

My last day at the office was May 5th, 2017, on Cinco de Mayo. How fast have these two years flown by! We began this journey with great excitement and some concern for the unknown. Was I doing the right thing by retiring early? Should we sell the large home where we raised the kids? Would we really enjoy living fulltime in a 41 foot home? Would we miss our family and friends? Would our budget hold out?

Most of these questions have now been answered after these first two years. Yes, absolutely we did the right thing! We are still thrilled with our lifestyle. Oh yeah, it comes with some challenges. But, when you weigh it all together, I feel that we are truly blessed to have our health and to be able to enjoy traveling all over this great country of ours.

We will probably continue for at least another two to three years. There is much of the US that we have not yet seen. And we are still having a blast! Living in a small home is great. We enjoy the minimal living, but with all the luxuries of home.

We are making many new friends on the road and have also enjoyed traveling with some to other destinations. Besides all of the natural beauty and man made wonders, making new friends has been a huge bright spot. We do miss all of our family and friends back in Virginia, so try to pass through that area a couple of times per year.

As far as selling the house, yes it was the correct choice, even though it was perfect colonial style home. I had customized the basement for hobbies, a workshop, and pool table. The four bedrooms gave us room for gathering the family at the holidays. We will have another home one of these days. Something smaller and easier to maintain. Where, we do not know yet.

Occasionally, I chat with some of my former co-workers and hear of the never ending challenges to operating a business in the automotive industry. I love to hear from them, but it certainly reinforces the decision to retire and leave the stress and headaches behind. So, yes it was the right decision for me.

And lastly, the budget is doing just fine, thanks to the strong US economy and the stock market performance. Our spending continues to be more than the initial budget that I developed, mainly in food, supplies, and some giving opportunities. But as long as my withdrawals from savings stays within the 3-4% per year, we should be fine.

Yes, I am certainly happy that we chose this life to enjoy the first few years of retirement. I could certainly fill my day with many hobbies, if I had retired and just stayed at home. But would have not known the enjoyment of seeing the country with my best friend and wife.

God Bless and happy Cinco de Mayo!