About our Blog - RUNAWAYANDRETIRE.COM -
Several times a month my sister Pam comes down for the day or for an overnight and we sit on the balcony talking and laughing and drinking coffee and eating bacon (prepared to perfection by Joe). Our conversations are too often about our health issues but quickly turn to what's next? I am nearly 70 and Pam is 65 and we worry about the cost of living and how we will survive on Social Security and what we have managed to save in our 401 and other retirement plans - for the rest of our lives. Even though we have lots and lots of aches and pains and issues - folks in our families live really long lives!! We are living great lives while the checks come in but what happens next - when we actually retire?
That is how we came up with the idea to have Pam move in and share expenses which is perfect timing as John has decided to move on, move out and follow his own dreams - escaping the old folks while he can!
We talked about moving to Italy for a year but the idea just got too big and too soon after so many other changes - so that was postponed - for now. Then, we landed on the idea to move around the country to places that are wonderful and inexpensive compared to Southern California - which is almost everywhere. We choose Oregon to move to first - fairly close, familiar, cost of living is about half, great convenient medical services, affordable and frequent airline schedules home to the kids, and different enough with the rain and some snow to peak our interest. Some future choices may include - Arkansas, Colorado, South Carolina and sure maybe even Italy - moving every year or two - depending - but always flexible and making sure to have a great time, take good care of ourselves and stay in touch with our families and friends - making frequent trips to visit!
Everyone we have told about our plan for retirement has decided to do something similar - I mean everyone is so interested in our ever changing and evolving plan that we decided to do this blog to share our experiences - so that you can join us as we runawayandretire!!!
I AM PAM – PAM I AM
Pamela Sue Scott also known as Grammy Pammy, Mom, Pinot Pam, Hey You and a variety of other nom de plumes! My life has taken me through many phases. Youngest sister of three. A few name changes that didn’t seem to stick. Mother of the two most astonishing adults I call Jenny and Bryan. Grammy to Jordy, Lily, Anna, Myles and Jacob. AND NO PETS.
Life is an adventure. I am blessed beyond words and ready to mix it up a bit. Recent history has been about saying good bye to our parents and other very important people in our lives. Along with that goes the monumental task of taking a lifetime of their TREASURES and giving them away, donating them to the Salvation Army and just tossing them in a dumpster. The three sisters, Gabi, Kathi and I (STILL the youngest) are now on the top of the family tree. It’s time to shed ourselves of our non-essentials so our children don’t have to. Sell the house. Move to a location that affords us a less-expensive life-style, the ability to explore a different part of the US, easy access to visit the kids and grands and visit lands across the oceans from time to time as well. The clock is ticking on our bank account, our life line and our physical bodies. So, buck up, pack up and move on……
Gabi and Joe, both retired, and myself will be sharing housing and life experiences. Planning travel for my friends and clients is still something I am passionate about and plan to continue doing while adding more value with increased travel experiences. By moving every two years to a new part of the country we will enjoy the US in a whole new light. A long-term trip to Italy and other long-range travel plans are also on our agenda. World situations change and so to might our travel plans….but we are anything if not flexible!
Hopefully we can attain new experiences, casual living, friendship and continued health without looking like the Clampett family with the rocking chair on the top of the old station wagon. We plan to stay in touch with family and friends through regular visits to see you, shorts visits from you to see us and our fun-filled blog about moving on and retiring. Stayed tuned for more!
GABI
I was born in Glendale , California and I have 2 daughters, 1 son and 3 grandchildren. I am married to Joe and we live in Marina del Rey in a fabulous apartment overlooking the water with our son John. I have been working in the communications arena for almost 20 years and currently in the retention department for a major cable company fielding calls from customers who want to cut the cord. My position is very stressful and challenging but has afforded us a wonderful life and I have no regrets. I am, however, ecstatic to be retiring on June 1st and moving to Oregon to begin the next chapter of my life! Did I say ecstatic? Seriously, the journey we are about to take is daunting, challenging and so exciting I can't sleep at night!!!
So John is moving out, Pam (my sister) is moving in and we are moving on - running away to retire in -first stop Oregon! Our plan is to settle in different spots around the country - who knows - maybe even the world - and explore - the area, people and options available as long as we are able!
We are running away from very high cost of living, traffic, angst, political issues and toward the best life we can capture while our health and finances cooperate. It should be fun and we would love to have you join us as we runaway and retire!!!
JOE
I was born in Honolulu and came to Los Angeles when I was 12. After high school, I spent the next 10 years going to college, spending 2 years in the navy and finally entering the brand new field of business computer programming. The next 45 years were spent in various computer jobs in various companies as an employee and contractor.
My unexpected career choice provided a good income and job satisfaction but, finally, the changes became too much to keep up with and I entered semi-retirement. My lovely bride, Gabi, (did I mention I got married and had a son?) had an absolute gift for customer relations, so I took on a support role for her and my son and we continued the good life in L.A. while Gabi counted the days and weeks (and hours and minutes) until retirement.
Pam, Gabi's sister, while not quite ready to retire but, to our surprise, suggested that we live together and share expenses. And thus hatched the plan to downsize and move to a new and more reasonable location. We had given little thought to retirement, assuming it would be a step down from our working lifestyle and, suddenly, saw much better possibilities.
Maybe what we do will be of interest to other retirees... maybe we should start a blog... maybe...