What empty nesters do with their "free time"

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

When we first became empty nesters and woke up on Saturday morning wondering what do non soccer/baseball/hockey ( your choice of child oriented time eater) do?

I suggested gardening, I love it, and quickly put us both to work. It did not take very long before my DH remembered that he hates gardening. Oops!

Soooo... we had a golden and a husky, but we started hunting for a show quality husky. We started going to dog shows and talking to "husky people" and "show people". We did finally find a grandson of a national ranked husky, but honestly, it would have been easier to adopt a child. The questions we answered to get a labradoodle were nothing compared to the screening we went through for Thor.

It was a great idea - every weekend you pack up the dogs, some food and a couple of chairs. It was just like soccer. I spent 10 anxious unsuccesssful minutes in the show ring, mildly embarassing, but not terminal and then we got to spend the rest of the day talking to other dog people, sitting in the sun, and rooting for our favorite husky. My DH thought it beat gardening by a mile.

Just about 18 months Thor developed epilepsy and that was the end of our show career.

Time passed and now we have two doodles. Unfortunately we cannot find a doodle romp that last all weekend every weekend and so..

We are redecorating the first of several bedrooms. Even though DH said he would never weild another paintbrush. It took us two hours to take the first eight feet of wall paper off. I am looking for emptynester ideas. My Dh is already reconsidering the home decorating idea.

Any suggestions???

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I love this. Our youngest is finally away at college and not doing sports. We don't know what to do with ourselves either. With two in college we are terminally broke but we were just talking about taking a nutrition/cooking class and learning more about eating healthy. Now we need to find one. Anybody else got ideas????

[Karen & Lucy]

We are empty nesters, BUT I am still working. My DH reitired about 3 years ago and I am hoping to retire next winter (2011) As we are planning for that glorious day, we bought a motorhome as my Dh has always wanted to go to Florida in the winter months. SO, I am looking for people that travel in motorhomes, travel trailers etc. In the mean time while my DH waits patiently for my to be able to retire, he cont. to do remodeling around the house. He does keep himself quite busy.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We have an RV, Karen, and have used it extensively for those sports our kids were into. We used it for tournaments, a team transportation and "hang out" station between games and for weekend BMX (bicycle motocross) Nationals. Since we are teachers we also use it bunches in the summer. We haven't traveled that far from home, but when we retire, we want to travel around in it for months at a time. We are kind of tied still to my 87 year-old mother though, so..... We even use it for day trips to the beach. One of our little budget "weekend get-aways" is to spend the night at the roadside rest on the freeway near the beach and go to the beach for the day. In California, beach parking is at a premium.

[Karen & Lucy]

WOW that sounds great Nancy. When are you able to retire? I hope to in the next 1-2 years. We take trips within the state but after retirement plan on florida trips too. Can't wait

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We have 1 2/3 years unless the school District offers us something we can't pass up (hope, hope, hope), My husband has been teaching 35 years but needs to be 61 and a half to get the maximum retirement. I have worked part time so have 25 years of credit - I can't get to the magic 30 years. So when he goes I will also. With this economy being so unsettled it is a little scary to retire though. My mom, who is 87, is close to running out of money. We may have to sell her house which she still lives in (but shouldn't).

[Karen & Lucy]

I agree with being scary to retire. That is why I didn't this year. I have to work until I'm 66 and 8 months, but believe me I can not go that long, so with any luck I want to retire in a year and a half. I will be 64. I think as long as I keep saying we can't afford it we will never do it. We just have to go for it and do the best we can.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

What do you do? My husband and I both teach in the same district so our retirement opportunities and investments are exactly the same. I wish in a way that we had different careers so that we would be bringing different things to the retirement table. We definitely are the grasshoppers rather than the ants so retirement may be rather boring and sedentary for us.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

My nest has been empty for almost 14 years. I would love for the kids to come home more often. Our son is in Boston with our three little grandsons 5 1/2, 3 1/2 and 1 1/2. Our daughter was living in NYC after college so I would make the loop every other month. Boston for a week to see the babies and then down to NY for a weekend to visit my daughter. No point staying during the week with her in a studio apartment and working around the clock!! My mother developed dimentia and my husband was diagnosed with prostrate cancer. He is totally fine now but I had to stay home and not travel as much during that time. Then I got Gracie Doodle and that changed everything. She filled that big empty spot in my heart from not seeing the kids and now I feel so much more able to accept the distance. My daughter and her husband moved to San Jose, CA a year ago and now have a 6 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback. I LOVE having her back in California. They drive down for visits and I fly up for visits. They are coming for T-Day and we are driving up with Gracie for Christmas. This year we won't go East for the holidays since we were just there for 9 days in October. Also ALL the kids and babies were here in August. So, the question was...What do we do with our free time??? I play golf, yoga and hang out with Gracie. She is my baby and I love just being home with her. I do her grooming now so that has created a special bond along with the Agility Classes we took last February. I never feel like I have "free time" because I always seem to be busy and running here and there.

[Margie S]

I retired early so I could spend more time in painting. I am an artist and I work in oils and watercolor. I love to paint and spend the time with my dog, Buddy.

[Carol and Banjo]

My husband has been a motorcycle enthusiast (this term is totally understated!) his entire adult life....he encouraged me to take the Rider's Safety Training course a few years ago and now we both ride! It's been wonderful to find this passion at this time in my life....I would never have considered it while raising my children. Also, do a lot of boating in the warm weather. We ski and snowshoe during the winter months. I have a feeling once we get our Banjo (2 more days!!!!) we will do less riding. I'd considered finding something to put on the back of my bike so he can go with us....but I don't ever want to compromise his safety! So.....we'll do doodle friendly activities...we've already discussed the idea of buying a small camper and taking up camping. Something neither of us has ever done. I have a feeling this little dog will keep us busy!!!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Wow, congratulations on your new pup Banjo! This will totally rock your world! I speak from experience. It really is wonderful, but your life will change for awhile. Keep us posted!

[Adrianne Matzkin]

My 'free' time is devoted to my girls and working with the DRC helping them help doodles!
Free time?? Not really but I love what I do.