The Send-Off

Yesterday I was employed; today I am not.

But, oh-my-goodness-gracious,

What a send-off!

  It started off with surprise visitors: my Sis, John, Kari, Kaden, Anne, Maja and Ellie coming to my final Storytime session.  (Wes was the only one who I knew to be coming from my family.)

Meanwhile, busy staffers were doing this and that behind the scenes.

More surprises: Vicki and Janis showed up!  Dearies, both!!

9:30 and Storytime is about to start.

I hope and pray I can hold it all together.

But seeing all those little faces, eager and ready for stories, dancing and fun is a lovely reality check.

All systems go.

Singing the final Good-bye song is tough.  

It's the same farewell song that has been sung since 1981.

I like it because it's tradition and a child's first intro to winking ;)

Following this, there's the sweetest community reception with snacks and a craft.

 

Thanks, Jan, and others for pulling this together with such style and mindfulness as to 

what youngsters would like to have as a snack! YOU NAILED IT!!!

Thanks, kids, parents, friends and family for making this time so much fun --- I loved your smiles, hugs, cards, flowers and bakery treats!!!!

 Next it is time to celebrate with fellow staffers.  Kind speeches and that kind of thing. 
Thank you!

Great potluck appetizers, foods and desserts with the cutest cake EVER...check out the words.

Then it was time to check out what was inside those lovely cards and packages!


OOOOeeeeee!

Thanks, so much, everybody for making this send-off so special and memorable!

 

You really made a very bittersweet occassion one of the best memories of my professional life and I thank each one of you from the bottom of my heart.  <3, Deb

P.S. I miss you already!

 

Out Takes

Yesterday my family managed to pull off a surprise retirement party for me!  I loved every minute of it.

What really gave me the giggles, though, was trying to get the three Grands captured in action on the couch.  (More like guffaws than giggles, actually!)

Toy "borrowing" and distraction

Hair tugging and hiding behind action

Concern and squawking

Holding hands and belly

Expressions galore with a bit of bib grabbing

This pretty much sums up my three biggest reasons for early retirement!

Embarking With my Sis

As many of you know, my sister and I go all out celebrating each others birthdays. This year was certainly no exception!

For a change, though, I thought I would start with the end and end with the start.

 

The outing:  Swedish American Museum in Andersonville at the "Dressing Swedish" exhibit.

This is one special show and filled with inspiration for these two Svenska Flickas.

 

 Good thing we went there on full stomachs with French crepe fortification.

The lunch:

Le Creperie is a gem on Clark Street.

It actually closed after many years of

operation - and satisfied customers.

The retired owner decided he missed

the restaurant business too much and

recently reopened the place.

Oui to this decision!

Before going to lunch, Diann showered me with gifts at our City Nest.

The theme for this year:

Embark!

 This was the large tag that came with a box full of items to use on my new journey.

She is some kind of a digital wizard to come up with this!

 

The gifts had a lot to do with taking trips - neck pillow, blanket, adaptor plugs, guide book, travel slippers, totes, etc.  

She also knows me well enough to give items for the interior journey, too, for transitioning from being a working gal to a retiree.  There is some rather serious embarking going on these days with just three weeks before my step onto the platform of a library-departing train.  I boarded that same train in 1981 after a devastating personal loss and it has been a wonderful trip (with a break for refueling/teaching) for more than a couple of decades now.

There you have it:  the gift, the lunch and the outing.

Like I have said many times before, I am blessed beyond measure - and now have another year under my belt.  With comfort to come via neck wrap and warming blanket as the journey unfolds..

Thanks, Sis!!!  C'mon along with me?