<p>I have a drawer with about 20 of my son’s lone socks in them. Not a single one exactly matches any other. I keep thinking that maybe their mates are all in Chicago. Because he clearly doesn’t care if his socks match. (One day when he was home for vacation he wore non-matching shoes, believe it or not. This is someone who’s going to be 20 in a few months.) In any event, they’re certainly not with me.</p>
<p>My biggest plan is to rediscover living in New York City. In other words, to move back after 23 years in the wilderness, when my lease expires at the end of May.</p>
<p>There are thousands of fish out there that are waiting for me to catch them… ;)</p>
<p>And I have some “big” hunts that I’ve always wanted to go on too. </p>
<p>But mostly, my wife and I will enjoy traveling. One of the things that makes us so compatible is our love of experiencing new places. Can’t wait to spend some REAL time with her in places we both truly enjoy.</p>
<ul>
<li> Weekend getaways for just me and my wife.</li>
<li> Writing fiction. (Haven’t written a thing in over a year.)</li>
<li> Composing music. (Haven’t written or recorded a thing in almost three years.)</li>
<li> Converting one room into a man-cave with 19th-century furnishings a la Sherlock Holmes and knick-knacks from Romancing the Stone and Black Market Minerals that I can pretend come from my Indiana-Jones-esque archeological adventures (cheesy, I know!), where I can smoke an occasional pipeful of cherry tobacco.</li>
<li> Having a little money for myself!</li>
</ul>
<p>I suppose technically we are in year three of the empty nest, but it’s really like 7, since D went to boarding school for hs. Tonight over dinner H and I finally agreed that we will retire in four years, age 60. We’ll take this time to get things in order, and will retire to Spain. Just saying the words outloud was truly liberating!</p>
<p>My d and I are tutoring at an inner city school, when she leaves I may ramp it up a bit - it’s very satisfying but she doesn’t have time for more than one afternoon/week.</p>
<p>My h travels for business, he’s going to Asia and South America this year but it won’t work for me to go with him next year is Europe so I hope to join him then.</p>
<p>We all LOVE the area where my d will be in college so I look forward to exploring and spending time there :)</p>
<p>Doing a little community service of my own.</p>
<p>Taking some classes at the community college that I never could squeeze into my own college schedule; archeology, history, art, astronomy, for starters.</p>
<p>Most importantly, my aging parents are beginning to need alot more care and attention now, just as my nest has emptied. I’m so grateful that I’ll have all that time and energy to devote to them.</p>
<p>I am looking forward to a clean house, specifically one that stays clean.</p>
<p>I want to purge the huge accumulation of “stuff” we have that I keep because maybe the kids will want it.</p>
<p>Travel.</p>
<p>Spend time with hubby. We married late in life and had kids right away, so we didn’t have much time for just the two of us. I hope we both stay fit and healthy so we can enjoy it.</p>
<p>I work for the schools, so I’ll still be tied to the schools schedule Unless I change jobs, which is a distinct possibility.</p>
<p>Looking forward to a clean house and eating what WE want, instead of avoiding foods that the kids don’t like. On the other hand, I don’t really enjoy cooking, and don’t see much point in cooking for 2. So we may be eating out a lot. </p>
<p>I am keeping my eye out for other parents whose youngest is a senior this year. Hoping to build some more friendships and social relationships when the kids are gone.</p>
<p>Oh, and I have big plans for purging accumulated “stuff” and redecorating. Lately I’ve been on a kick where I find something, say “why do we even have this?” and throw it away… I feel good when I do that! The opposite of hoarding - the less stuff I have, the better I think I will feel!</p>
<p>We’re building a new house. For now, it will be a weekend and summer/holiday vacation home. It will be our fulltime home when S2 graduates fr. college (2012).</p>
<p>Hmm, we have 1 more at home. Both DH and I retired from our long term employers in 2009, but DH found another full-time career position that he will stay with for another 2 yrs. I started on a long term project of transferring all our family photos into albums of archival quality…than came the holidays! Our house was the “place to be” during Xmas.</p>
<p>Last yr, DH and I did celebrate by going on a cruise to Alaska—sans daughters! It was great fun. And, we have a list of top 10 destinations to visit…one major trip each yr. But, until D3 leaves the nest in 2011, we will remain in our family home. We would love to relocate out of the big city and head to the NW…perhaps Portland…and downsize.</p>
<p>For now, the parents are nearby and I am busy chauffeuring them to their medical appts. We will play it by ear…</p>
<p>I love this thread! My H and I are parents of 1 and when she’s 5.5 hours away next year I will have a lot of time on my hands. I will have a lot of house cleaning projects as our D has stuff not only in her room but the other two bedrooms (aka guest room and art room.)</p>
<p>Not too much $$ to travel yet, but maybe we can do weekend explorations until she’s out of college, and law school or grad school. . .oh boy. Well, we do try to go on at least one decent vacation a year, but I want it to be with her too (she can bring a friend if she wants)
I’m getting good ideas from everyone. I’ve wanted to start a garden for years, but I’m afraid of bugs and also I don’t know how to keep the rabbits away. They seem to live in my backyard and come out at night.</p>
<p>I’m definitely signing H and me up for dancing lessons-He’s actually the one that’s been wanting to do it! I hope to meet some new friends that way. Most people I know will still have kids at home (I’m a fairly young Mom, I just feel about 95) and my closest friends with “empty nests” live far enough away that we only see each other about every other month. Anyone have good ideas about how to meet and make new friends when you don’t work?</p>
<p>I don’t see too much changing as my younger one is the more “needy” child, and it will take some doing to launch him off! </p>
<p>In the future, I hope to devote more time to work ( sometimes I just feel pulled in so many directions…it would be nice to have the opportunity to better focus on my job, which I enjoy).</p>
<p>I hope to share more quality time with hubby (nothing major, just enjoying dinners, movies, convos and such).</p>
<p>And then there’s the fantasy of retiring, selling the house, moving to a warmer climate…</p>
<p>Just having one college freshman and one in high school brought lots of extra free time this year. </p>
<p>I can tell you that when they’re both gone cooking or a clean house is NOT on any of my lists. The occasional weekend car trips are high on the list. I teach so we’ll still be tied to the school calendar to that extent. But looking into new employment is very high on the list too. We are also thinking about moving to a warmer climate after our youngest is settled in college life, probably sometime during his 2nd year. Maybe turning in our suburban lifestyle for the big city lights.</p>
<p>BrooklyninOh: that’s good to know that one out of the house makes a difference. My younger one is usually less demanding of my time so I’m hoping that the same will happen with me.</p>
<p>I also realized that a couple of volunteer things that I do will end when the kids are in college too (PTO & Sunday School) so I’ll be able to rethink how I volunteer.</p>
<p>RobD - I’m with you. My younger son is so easy to have around. His soon to be college brother is total high maintenance. As soon as he walks in the house, a whirl of high energy seems to sneak in behind him and chaos erupts.</p>
<p>I am looking forward to reclaiming a huge section of our garage by getting rid of all the hockey and baseball stuff. And I can’t even imagine what it will be like to come in the back door and not trip over shoes and backpacks!</p>
<p>I too will need to make new friends. Most of my female friends are hockey and baseball moms.</p>
<p>Yes, we have done lots of (inexpensive) weekend trips since S2 went to college last year.
It’s so much fun. When it’s just the two of you, you get to be spontaneous instead of worrying and planning every thing out to the nth degree. It’s great to leave work on Fri. afternoon knowing you’re taking a trip and don’t have to think about anything else for a couple of days.</p>
<p>You have to almost pinch yourself to believe that you and spouse are in the car headed to where WE want to go, listening to music WE like and loudly singin’ along (with nobody in the back seat to roll their eyes), stopping anad eating at restaurants that WE like, stopping along the way if something looks interesting because we’re on OUR schedule.
It’s a weird free feeling but we like it.</p>
<p>I am going to focus more intently on my health, take on a new hobby, do more liesure travel on weekends, and try to reconnect with old friends. DW says she’s going to take some classes which also sounds like a pretty good idea to me.</p>
<p>Somehow this thread ought to be marked so in the fall when the slew of sad parents of new-in-college kids start to comment, they can know that there is another side to the coin. ;)</p>
next year is Europe so I hope to join him then.</p>
It was great fun. And, we have a list of top 10 destinations to visit…one major trip each yr. But, until D3 leaves the nest in 2011, we will remain in our family home. We would love to relocate out of the big city and head to the NW…perhaps Portland…and downsize.</p>
The occasional weekend car trips are high on the list. I teach so we’ll still be tied to the school calendar to that extent. But looking into new employment is very high on the list too. We are also thinking about moving to a warmer climate after our youngest is settled in college life, probably sometime during his 2nd year. Maybe turning in our suburban lifestyle for the big city lights.</p>