Good News!

I got some good news today.  I'm going broke!  And I'm glad to hear it.  It's a long story.

When we found out in 1995 that Deb was losing her sight, we decided to travel as much as we could.  We didn't have any money. But we would take out an equity loan, go on a Cruise or trip, pay it off, go on another one.  That was the plan.

When I was able to retire, with Dad leaving me money, we really stepped it up.  We traveled A LOT!  Any where Deb wanted to go.  But we both knew, that when we had to start paying for our own health insurance, THAT was going to come to an end.  We have to consider our future, and the travel will be cut way back.

So, since that time, when we learned of her eye sight going, we have been on THREE cruises.  Two starting in Puerto Rico, one in Miami.  We've seen Puerto Rico, Miami, St. Thomas, Haiti, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevins, Grenada, Aruba, Cozumel, Jamaica, Mayrou, Martinique, St. Croix, Isla Margarita.

We've been BACK to Grenada and Miami a couple of times.  Grenada is awesome.

We've been to Isla Mujeres THREE times, Ambergris Caye, Belize, twice, just to hang out with Jerry Jeff Walker and our new friend, Kelly McGuire who's been to our house twice to do yard concerts.

We've been to Cuba TWICE!  This last time with our son.  Any of you out there who weren't on the the FIRST KUER Cuba trip know anyone who's been there even ONCE, let alone twice?

Didn't think so.

London.  Paris.  THREE times!  Spent almost two weeks in Greece with friends.

I sent Deb and our daughter, Meagan to Sicily for eight days just so I could stay home and watch college football with my son!

And that's just the out of the country trips.

I've taken the family to Los Angeles, I don't know HOW many times.  San Francisco just for fun AND for football several times.  Las Vegas?  COUNTLESS times.

Phoenix for the Fiesta Bowl.  New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. Deb and I spent a whole week there.  Love NOLA!

Since I've retired, I've taken the whole family (Meagan didn't got to Minnesota, she had a summer job that year) to Minneapolis, Washington DC, New York, Boston, Chicago, Miami Beach.

We've spent time in Tucson.  And Denver for hockey games and football games.

I've been to Las Vegas so many times, I can't even count.  To see my friend, Lisa the comedian, to go see Penn & Teller cause Deb's nephew got married to a southern Nevada girl.  And soccer tournaments.
The last soccer tournament?  The four tickets for Deb, Danny, Trenton and me to see Penn & Teller?  $450.  Worth every penny.

But now, my broker has spoken, and I'm SO glad he did!  If I told Deb that it was time to quit traveling?  She might not have believed me. But when our guy says, "You have to stop spending money like you have been, or you will be broke in 11 years."  I hear that, and thank you, thank you, thank you for SAYING that!

So now?  I can quit trying to get a really stubborn, cranky, BLIND woman through huge international airports six or eight times a year!  And that is NOT a bad thing!

This does NOT mean we have to stop traveling.  But we have to stop traveling as much as we have.  And when you want to get warm in the winter?  Might mean Las Vegas cause we HAVE a time share down there we've already paid for.  And NOT Belize EVERY year!

I'm OK with that.

I'm really HAPPY with that.  Yeah, we can still travel, but not as much.  And we might have to quit going to Europe until I pay off that Camaro and the trip to Cuba.  And you know what?  That's fine!

Now, I can start living like a normal person.  With health insurance, and a pension that pays my bills.  Cause my bills don't include several trips to the tropics every year!  And I'm OK with that!

Kind of like having a weight lifted off my shoulders.

Anyone wants to come over and visit?  I'm pretty sure I'll be here all winter.  At least THIS winter.