About Us

 Steve and I were college sweethearts, and got married in 1985. We spent the first six years of our marriage working. And I mean working a lot. Our philosophy was to have strong finances and a strong marriage before bringing kids into the world. So once we decided to have kids, we knew that they would be our priority. Our oldest daughter was born four weeks early on May 17th, 1991, after an anything but normal pregnancy. At 5 lbs. 5 oz., she was small, but feisty. She was beautiful, and quickly became the center of our world. On September 12th, 1991, our world was shattered when Steve and I simultaneously got calls at work, telling us to go to our local hospital. Our beautiful daughter had passed away from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) a condition for which doctors still do not have any answers. 

We, along with our families, spent many years trying to understand, and overcome this tragic event in our lives. After trying unsuccessfully to have another child, our doctor told us that the stress of our loss was getting in the way of starting our family again. He suggested that we take a long trip, and completely escape from life for a while. We immediately went home and started our research. We found a small cruise line, based out of Aruba, and decided to book our first ever trip together. We flew to Aruba on Air Aruba, and cruised for 14 days with Dolphin Cruise Lines, visiting St. Maarten, Martinique, St Lucia, Barbados, Bonairre, Curacao and ending back in Aruba. The trip was amazing, but our souvenir was even better. 

In March, 1993, our second daughter was born. For the next three years, we enjoyed working and raising her, traveling around Colorado, and even enjoyed a short trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with family. Then in April, 1996, our third and final daughter was born. She looked very much like both of her sisters, and since the third time is a charm, we knew our family was complete. 

Although work has always been a priority for us, our girls have always been our highest priority. We have dedicated the last 22 years of our lives to raising strong, independent, compassionate young women. We were very lucky to do a lot of traveling with our girls throughout the years, and through this, we have come to realize that people and experiences are much more important than things. Our girls are now in college, and have basically flown the coop, leaving us with a big, quiet, empty nest. Steve will be retiring in a few months, Andra’s work is slowing down a lot, and we no longer have all of our volunteer commitments to keep us busy. So the question becomes, what next? Where do we find our next journey in life? 

This blog is our transition into retirement, learning to balance our new priorities of somewhat independent children, aging parents, and our need to find fulfillment with no children, only a part-time job, and no real limitations. We like being active, eating healthy and have spent our lives looking for “good deals” in everything we do. If you are looking for a blog that will show you a sample of different places and different cultures in a variety of price ranges, with hopefully some tips on great bargains thrown in, then read on. We have no real idea what retirement will look like for us, and we’re sure there will be some bumps in the road, but we are looking forward to testing the waters (literally, and hopefully on multiple continents) and to start understanding our new lives.