Hello? Anyone out there? It’s me, Sharon. I know, I know. I’ve been gone for almost a year. I can’t believe it’s been so long. So much has happened in a year and yet so little has happened as well.
Where should I start? After I stopped writing, I spent time taking care my boy Ben. He was not doing well, and unfortunately in October, 2020 I had to say goodbye. I lost the dearest, sweetest dog in the whole world. Ben was MY boy. He didn’t quite make it to 14, which was my hope, but he gave it a valiant effort. I miss him so.much.
After two months without a dog, in a weak (very weak) moment, we decided to get another golden. It just so happened that there was a litter born on my birthday… I took it as a sign. (It wasn’t a sign). Before we knew it, we were picking up a new 8 week old puppy. To say the last nine months have been a whirlwind of ups and downs is an understatement. It’s been down right life-changing. This pup is NOTHING like Ben, which I guess is to be expected. No two dogs are alike, right? But we had no idea what we were taking on.
Meet Auggie: Our 10 month old English cream Golden. He is sweet (when he wants to be).
During the last 9 months, we have had to deal with a bunch of behavior issues with this little guy. We found it necessary to hire a dog trainer. ($$$$$). After 12 weeks of training, we can say Auggie has come a long way. Thankfully, my husband has been working from home and has taken most of the responsibility of Auggie. My husband adores him. Me? Not so much, although, if I’m honest, he is starting to grow on me.
Auggie has been our biggest life change, and for that I am grateful. We have remained healthy, and gainfully employed. My “adult” children are doing great, and I get to see my grandchildren all the time. I am fortunate, I know.
Going forward, I will continue to document and share our journey to retirement and beyond (it won’t be long now!) in this space in an upbeat and positive way. (We can all use a little positivity in our lives, right?) I will share how we are saving, spending and gearing up for the next phase of our lives. It’s scary and exciting all at the same time.
I’ve missed you all, and I hope you’ll stick around too.
My best, Sharon
P.S. Let me know you have stopped by commenting below! xoxo
JOURNEY TO RETIREMENT 