Lover of flip flops, waking up without an alarm, fireside chats, street tacos, waves lapping up on shore, creativity, family, the cork and all things garlic.

Hello there and welcome to my blog. After a lot of planning, saving and discussions over thousands of cups of coffee, my husband and I both retired before the tender age of 60.

After the initial euphoria of leaving the workforce, I began to question who we are without our careers to define us. This started me on a mission to transform my career into a lifestyle of the unencumbered. Free from the constraints that work imposes on us, we can strike out on a whole new journey. We get to choose how we spend our days, who we see and how we use our time and money to enhance our lives.

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, “Wow what a ride!”

Hunter S. Thompson

My husband (also known as Mr. U.) and I have been married, well, a long time. Together we raised our four sons who have grown into wonderful young men. And now they are bringing amazing women and grandkids into our lives. We live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with perfect summers and way too long of winters. I had a very rewarding career as a registered nurse and later as a nursing instructor and then an administrator at our community college but now I am ready to delve into a little alchemy.

Alchemy is defined as a seemingly magical process of transforming a common substance, usually of little value, into a substance of great value. An alchemist is one who transforms things for the better. I hope that you will join me, the Retired Alchemist, as I traverse this next phase of life and that this blog will encourage and inspire you to transform your career life into a retirement lifestyle that enriches you and that you can look back and say “what a ride.”

Let the ride begin.