Turning To A New Page

My Last Day on
The Day Job

On January 31, 2013 my life entered the next phase: that of a retiree after 40 years in public service and 42 years in the work force. I've been saying that the planets must have come into perfect alignment for me. For the last several months all of the signs have been moving me toward this decision. It was time to move on.

And it's time to pursue my passion - genealogy. That passion takes a variety of shapes - researching my own family history, teaching classes and giving lectures on genealogy, and devoting a significant amount of time doing volunteer work for my local genealogical society, Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society (LLCGS).

It seems as though genealogy has really caught fire in Nebraska in the last couple years. There are so many classes, workshops and conferences available for furthering our genealogy education. Even as a newly retired person with a flexible schedule, I'm not going to be able to attend everything that comes along.

But - plans for 2013 include the genealogy conference at the Family History Center in Lincoln on April 20; the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society spring conference featuring Paul Milner on April 27; the Nebraska State Genealogical Society annual conference May 3 - 4 in Grand Island; the Family History Expo in Kearney on September 6 -7. Now I've learned that there are plans for a Roots Tech conference in Kansas City. And then there are the online webinars and hangouts!

The genealogy cup runneth over! And as passionate as I am about genealogy, I'm also about having balance in my life. There are several writing projects that I've been putting off that I plan to spend time on. I want to get out and about and rediscover my hometown and post more photographs on My Lincoln Photo Blog. I've also started writing a blog documenting my life as a new retiree, It's a Retirement Life. It's not an ego trip and I don't expect most people to be all that interested. But I tend to see life and the world around me from a quirky perspective and I'll be sharing that perspective with readers. I'm also continuing to write a genealogy column for Lincoln 55+ Seniors Paper.

I also plan to maintain and expand my skills. While no longer employed, I still like to take classes on computer software, public speaking and other topics of interest. Lincoln has a wealth of educational opportunities, especially for seniors.

I'm looking forward to being active, involved, continuing to learn and grow as a person. I've waited an awfully long time for retirement and I intend to make the best of it. Please come along for the ride!