Family Retirement Party, Outer Banks North Carolina

 A much anticipated event transpired the week of June 6-13, 2021, when all of our children and grandchildren flew to meet Bob and I at a beach house in the Outer Banks of North Carolina (OBX), for a retirement party in honor of Bob.  It was his request that we join him in revisiting his childhood summer stomping grounds.  Having grown up in Richmond, Virginia, his family often rented a beach house here for their summer vacation.  Bosen's, Johnson's and Bob and I were on the same flight from Houston.

The beach home which we rented was called "Corolla Paradise" and was located on the northern end of the islands.  It was the perfect vacation home for our family, with 2-bedrooms for each family, a huge kitchen/dining/living area, video/playrooms, heated pool & spa, and was just a short one-block walk to the beach.

We all celebrated dad's retirement and enjoyed a birthday party for Linley, Knox and Holly. For her birthday, Linley invited Emma to a special outing to the aquarium.  Stephanie made family reunion shirts for us all to wear throughout the week.

The beach was a fun place to hangout and chase crabs. On the way to the beach a tennis court provided added enjoyment, and the colorful rows of houses were so charming.  Although the water was chilly, it didn't stop anyone from taking the plunge and testing their balance.

Chasing crabs was a favorite activity - and the boardwalk at the town of Duck provided for some nice "crabbing" experiences and a little shopping.  "Ghost crabbing" at night was a hit with adults and children alike.

  

Let's continue documenting these fun memories in the following post . . .

New Life Springs Forth

After a bitter Texas winter, a glorious spring burst forth with hope for beauty anew. As wildflowers bloomed along highways and bluebells blanketed the ground with color, tradition compelled Bob and I to capture that quintessential Texan photograph among the flowers; resulting in this squinty-eyed selfie. Chelsea and kids came to visit us for a few days mid-May and we hit the trails at Huntsville State Park for a refreshing hike. The massive statue of Sam Houston is always a an impressive site to behold.

Chelsea, Knox, Holly, and Jude were a big help with our annual mulch spreading process. We had two full dump truck loads of mulch (40 yards!) delivered to our driveway to spread around the 80 azalea and other bushes which Bob and I recently dug up and replaced following the big freeze.

Not only was new life preparing to spring up in our yard, but Bob's life was going to begin growing in a different direction. He decided that the end of May was a good time to retire from his career with Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. Interest rates were going to have a negative impact upon his retirement savings accounts, so he pulled the trigger on his career after working for 38 years - first for Motorola, then with Phillips 66, and finally Chevron Phillips. At age 62, he still had lots of opportunities to pursue, but on his own terms!

Several business associates threw a lunch party for him and another employee retiring from the company. The Johnson Family stopped by to congratulate him on his final day at work. And the Scoffield's took us out to dinner. But the big retirement celebration will be covered in the next post - a trip to the outer banks of North Carolina!

We finished out the month of May, 2021, with a Memorial Day swim party at our home. It has been fun to see friendships develop between our children and a couple of Bob's work associates and their families. 

How about ending this post with a toast to Bob?! He has certainly blessed our family and the lives of countless others through his diligent work and successful career. I love him and am so proud of all he has accomplished thus far. His amazing work ethic is apparent in every aspect of his life and is worthy of emulation by all of us! I can't wait to see what the future holds as we let new life spring forth!