The Class of 2011

[zaqxsw]

Zaq, don't worry - I went through the same process (as many of us do). The last week at w*rk, and the second thoughts are a trying time.

Thanks Packman! I sincerely appreciate the comment and it actually made me feel a whole lot better! The roller coaster ride of feelings and emotions is certainly new to me. I don't think I've ever experienced them before. This is a very unique, human experience.

 

[Midpack]

Thanks Packman! I sincerely appreciate the comment and it actually made me feel a whole lot better! The roller coaster ride of feelings and emotions is certainly new to me. I don't think I've ever experienced them before. This is a very unique, human experience.

As I PM'd, it's a big transition. I was ready to go with closure on all my work and passing the baton to my successor. I was also mentally prepared for the get-togethers and even saying goodbye to everyone. What I did not anticipate, was saying goodbye to everyone - all at once! One or a few at a time would have been easier and I did spend one-on-one time with those I most cared about before the final goodbye, but it was still tough to face everyone all at once. That was tough, good thing I wrote down my parting words, or I might not have made any sense. FWIW, something to be prepared for...

 

[Midpack]

Congrats to zaqxsw today, hope it was an enjoyable day!!!

And steelyman next Tuesday!

It appears the website admins have added a limit to how many smiles etc. we can have in a post, hence many were eliminated with this update. May be just as well, I am sure the older smilies arm's were getting really tired...

Jacmac (53) 1/1
kwblack (54) 1/1
Skye (62) 1/1
Sullidc (58) 1/1
Prototype (55) 1/15
Beryl (56) 1/31
JmfromTx (56) 1/31
KingB (62) 1/31
Danijoh (63) 1/?
10 nvestysly DW (48) Jan
crispus (56) 2/?
heyduke (55) 3/1
martyp (55) 3/1
Purron DH (55) 3/1
TodaysTheDay (55) 3/14
RunningBum (49) 3/15
dessert (60) 3/31
Coolius (60) 4/1
KingB DW (63) 4/1
20bizlady (55) 4/11
Queenie (55) 4/23
cj (56) 5/1
jimbohoward69 (41) 5/1
Sixteen Tons (57) 5/1
SomedaySoon(53) 5/10
Seeking Hobbes (48) 5/13
Jacmac DH (56) 5/31
NW Landlady DH (55) 5/31
Packman (54) 5/31
30 heirloom (61½) 6/1
slj455 (62) 6/1
OhSoClose (54) 6/6
norske69 (59) 6/13
casky (58) 6/29
chas57006 (57) 6/30
chas57006 DW 6/30
Midpack (57) 6/30
NeverBored (59) 6/30
bob boag (55) 7/1
40 RobertFrost (62) 7/1
Southern Geek (55) 7/4
nvestysly (52) 7/8
Tomcat98 (43) 7/10
Arnie (55) 7/15
JJPIES60 (61) 7/15
freedom42 (43) 7/28
gsparks2 (55) 7/28
chinaco (50) 7/29
NookWine-n-Tinker (50) 7/29
50 Paddy (60) 7/29
Surewhitey DW (46) 8/5
zaqxsw (57) 8/12
steelyman (53) 8/16
jerryo (61) 8/31
REattempt (46) 8/31
Surewhitey (40) 9/5
afntrn56 (55) 11/30
Tree-dweller (58) 12/31?
59 frugal-one (??)

 

[zaqxsw]

Done deal. All done. D.O.N.E.

Feeling great this morning, and FIRE is feeling right and good.

Just stuck a boot CD of Partition Magic into my w*rk laptop and am ready to reboot and wipe this baby clean.

Meeting DW for coffee, lunch, and a movie in an hour.

This is the last message I'll ever write from work and this laptop! How appropriate!

 

[REWahoo]

Congrats!

Don't forget to update you sig line to reflect your new status...

 

[KingB]

Done deal. All done. D.O.N.E.


Just stuck a boot CD of Partition Magic into my w*rk laptop and am ready to reboot and wipe this baby clean.

Congratulation!. You finally did it.

Just wondering. Are you not suppose to preserve whatever is in your work laptop (assuming it is the company's)?

 

[W2R]

Done deal. All done. D.O.N.E.

Feeling great this morning, and FIRE is feeling right and good.

Just stuck a boot CD of Partition Magic into my w*rk laptop and am ready to reboot and wipe this baby clean.

Meeting DW for coffee, lunch, and a movie in an hour.

This is the last message I'll ever write from work and this laptop! How appropriate!

Woo-hoo!!! Congratulations!

 

[Alan]

Welcome to RE club Zaq

 

[NookWine-n-Tinker]

Zaq,

As Bruce Willis said in the first "Die Hard" movie, "Welcome to the party, pal!" Having now been officially ERed for 2 weeks, it has been easy to make the transition. I am actually providing contract labor support for Mega Corp, while they hire my replacement. With the roller coaster market it is nice to have a few extra bucks coming in, and to be working on my terms 3 days a week is much better than being under the old corporate hammer.

Now if I could just get this ankle to heal and get the Harley back, all will be well.

Congrats again to Zaq and pre congrats to Steely.

NookWine-n-Crutches
________________
Retired 07/29/2011

 

[zaqxsw]

Just wondering. Are you not suppose to preserve whatever is in your work laptop (assuming it is the company's)?

I had just typed a longer reply, but then thought better, as there may be some retired IT admins out there!

I had already passed everything of importance on, and my group used a shared network drive for all of our active work. Plus, email and other systems all resided on networked databases. I'm still in good standing and got two offers to consult this week after I "tired of doing nothing" .

Not even something I want to think about, it would defeat what I'm trying to do with ER, but who knows? Never burn any bridges.

Thanks for all of the congrats!!! Great afternoon off, but it's weird thinking this will now be every day!

NookWine-n-Tinker, man what a way to go out!!! You have my sympathy, but it sounds like you are taking it in stride. Hope you heal up quick!

 

[steelyman]

How sweet it is! On to the good stuff...



Jacmac (53) 1/1
kwblack (54) 1/1
Skye (62) 1/1
Sullidc (58) 1/1
Prototype (55) 1/15
Beryl (56) 1/31
JmfromTx (56) 1/31
KingB (62) 1/31
Danijoh (63) 1/?
10 nvestysly DW (48) Jan
crispus (56) 2/?
heyduke (55) 3/1
martyp (55) 3/1
Purron DH (55) 3/1
TodaysTheDay (55) 3/14
RunningBum (49) 3/15
dessert (60) 3/31
Coolius (60) 4/1
KingB DW (63) 4/1
20bizlady (55) 4/11
Queenie (55) 4/23
cj (56) 5/1
jimbohoward69 (41) 5/1
Sixteen Tons (57) 5/1
SomedaySoon(53) 5/10
Seeking Hobbes (48) 5/13
Jacmac DH (56) 5/31
NW Landlady DH (55) 5/31
Packman (54) 5/31
30 heirloom (61½) 6/1
slj455 (62) 6/1
OhSoClose (54) 6/6
norske69 (59) 6/13
casky (58) 6/29
chas57006 (57) 6/30
chas57006 DW 6/30
Midpack (57) 6/30
NeverBored (59) 6/30
bob boag (55) 7/1
40 RobertFrost (62) 7/1
Southern Geek (55) 7/4
nvestysly (52) 7/8
Tomcat98 (43) 7/10
Arnie (55) 7/15
JJPIES60 (61) 7/15
freedom42 (43) 7/28
gsparks2 (55) 7/28
chinaco (50) 7/29
NookWine-n-Tinker (50) 7/29
50 Paddy (60) 7/29
Surewhitey DW (46) 8/5
zaqxsw (57) 8/12
steelyman (53) 8/16
jerryo (61) 8/31
REattempt (46) 8/31
Surewhitey (40) 9/5
afntrn56 (55) 11/30
Tree-dweller (58) 12/31?
59 frugal-one (??)

 

[Alan]

Congratulations steelyman, welcome to the world of the retirees

 

[Midpack]

Congrats to steelyman! Cool pic!

For those who may not realize, steely has also done more to build and maintain this list than anyone I can think of. Thanks from all of us...

 

[zaqxsw]

Way to go! Steelyman, it's better than you now think. It's really a mental thing and that makes it diffferent from vacations. You know you're not going back and it makes a world of difference. Knowing you have all of this time, you can really enjoy all of the little things in life. Newbie, novice here, but I LOVE it.

 

[nvestysly]

WOW, That's Quite a List!

+1 on keeping the list up to date. Thanks!

I'm glad to be on the list and have enjoyed 5 weeks or so of FIRE along with DW. Still seems like a vacation of sorts but we are filling our time with what we think are meaningful endeavors. I can certainly imagine this being the new normal.

 

[steelyman]

Thanks for the well-wishes, classmates! I'm still spinning a bit. And loving it (in my best Maxwell Smart voice) .

I just noticed that, if one can believe the view counts generated by the site, this topic is currently the 12th-most-viewed one in the "Life After FIRE" forum. I'm hoping that means that the arrival of each and every one of our Big Days helps inspire and motivate others who are heading down this same path!

 

[steelyman]

... been way too quiet around here lately, but wait a minute... I think I hear a parade coming down the street! Who's it in honor of? The latest graduates of the Class of 2011:

jerryo and REattempt!

Congratulations!!!!!!

Jacmac (53) 1/1
kwblack (54) 1/1
Skye (62) 1/1
Sullidc (58) 1/1
Prototype (55) 1/15
Beryl (56) 1/31
JmfromTx (56) 1/31
KingB (62) 1/31
Danijoh (63) 1/?
10 nvestysly DW (48) Jan
crispus (56) 2/?
heyduke (55) 3/1
martyp (55) 3/1
Purron DH (55) 3/1
TodaysTheDay (55) 3/14
RunningBum (49) 3/15
dessert (60) 3/31
Coolius (60) 4/1
KingB DW (63) 4/1
20 bizlady (55) 4/11
Queenie (55) 4/23
cj (56) 5/1
jimbohoward69 (41) 5/1
Sixteen Tons (57) 5/1
SomedaySoon(53) 5/10
Seeking Hobbes (48) 5/13
Jacmac DH (56) 5/31
NW Landlady DH (55) 5/31
Packman (54) 5/31
30 heirloom (61½) 6/1
slj455 (62) 6/1
OhSoClose (54) 6/6
norske69 (59) 6/13
casky (58) 6/29
chas57006 (57) 6/30
chas57006 DW 6/30
Midpack (57) 6/30
NeverBored (59) 6/30
bob boag (55) 7/1
40 RobertFrost (62) 7/1
Southern Geek (55) 7/4
nvestysly (52) 7/8
Tomcat98 (43) 7/10
Arnie (55) 7/15
JJPIES60 (61) 7/15
freedom42 (43) 7/28
gsparks2 (55) 7/28
chinaco (50) 7/29
NookWine-n-Tinker (50) 7/29
50 Paddy (60) 7/29
Surewhitey DW (46) 8/5
zaqxsw (57) 8/12
steelyman (53) 8/16
jerryo (61) 8/31
REattempt (46) 8/31
Surewhitey (40) 9/5
afntrn56 (55) 11/30
Tree-dweller (58) 12/31?
59 frugal-one (??)

 

[Surewhitey]

Fyi, I got off a week early, so put me on today's...we're going white water rafting today on the Kern River, woo hoo!

 

[Alan]

Congratulations surewhitey, jerryo and REattempt.

 

[zaqxsw]

Way to go surewhitey, jerryo and REattempt! You are going to love it and will wonder how you ever survived working!!!

Now this is living! I'm waiting for my month anniversity before I post on my newbie FIRE observations!

 

[steelyman]

Who doesn't admire a person who is early in retiring early?

Congratulations Surewhitey!!!!!!

Jacmac (53) 1/1
kwblack (54) 1/1
Skye (62) 1/1
Sullidc (58) 1/1
Prototype (55) 1/15
Beryl (56) 1/31
JmfromTx (56) 1/31
KingB (62) 1/31
Danijoh (63) 1/?
10 nvestysly DW (48) Jan
crispus (56) 2/?
heyduke (55) 3/1
martyp (55) 3/1
Purron DH (55) 3/1
TodaysTheDay (55) 3/14
RunningBum (49) 3/15
dessert (60) 3/31
Coolius (60) 4/1
KingB DW (63) 4/1
20 bizlady (55) 4/11
Queenie (55) 4/23
cj (56) 5/1
jimbohoward69 (41) 5/1
Sixteen Tons (57) 5/1
SomedaySoon(53) 5/10
Seeking Hobbes (48) 5/13
Jacmac DH (56) 5/31
NW Landlady DH (55) 5/31
Packman (54) 5/31
30 heirloom (61½) 6/1
slj455 (62) 6/1
OhSoClose (54) 6/6
norske69 (59) 6/13
casky (58) 6/29
chas57006 (57) 6/30
chas57006 DW 6/30
Midpack (57) 6/30
NeverBored (59) 6/30
bob boag (55) 7/1
40 RobertFrost (62) 7/1
Southern Geek (55) 7/4
nvestysly (52) 7/8
Tomcat98 (43) 7/10
Arnie (55) 7/15
JJPIES60 (61) 7/15
freedom42 (43) 7/28
gsparks2 (55) 7/28
chinaco (50) 7/29
NookWine-n-Tinker (50) 7/29
50 Paddy (60) 7/29
Surewhitey DW (46) 8/5
zaqxsw (57) 8/12
steelyman (53) 8/16
jerryo (61) 8/31
REattempt (46) 8/31
Surewhitey (40) 8/31
afntrn56 (55) 11/30
Tree-dweller (58) 12/31?
59 frugal-one (??)

 

[Midpack]

Congrats to Surewhitey, REattempt & jerryo!!!

Looks like we need to start recruiting for the remainder of 2011 though! Jeeeeeez...

 

[REattempt]

Done!!!

Finished my last client meeting and sent out the farewell email. Just need to shutdown the laptop, walk to HR, give it to them along with my badge.

Don't know that I have much to say except THANK YOU to everyone here that helped me, directly or indirectly, think through my plan and approach.

I certainly COULD have FIRE'd without you, but it wouldn't have been as much fun!

Mark me FIRE'd 8/31/11

 

[steelyman]

Whoops... we seem to have let lovinglife1 fall through the cracks. All's well now, though, and we are up to a class count of 60!

Jacmac (53) 1/1
kwblack (54) 1/1
Skye (62) 1/1
Sullidc (58) 1/1
Prototype (55) 1/15
Beryl (56) 1/31
JmfromTx (56) 1/31
KingB (62) 1/31
Danijoh (63) 1/?
10 nvestysly DW (48) Jan
crispus (56) 2/?
heyduke (55) 3/1
martyp (55) 3/1
Purron DH (55) 3/1
TodaysTheDay (55) 3/14
RunningBum (49) 3/15
dessert (60) 3/31
Coolius (60) 4/1
KingB DW (63) 4/1
20 bizlady (55) 4/11
Queenie (55) 4/23
cj (56) 5/1
jimbohoward69 (41) 5/1
Sixteen Tons (57) 5/1
SomedaySoon(53) 5/10
Seeking Hobbes (48) 5/13
Jacmac DH (56) 5/31
NW Landlady DH (55) 5/31
Packman (54) 5/31
30 heirloom (61½) 6/1
slj455 (62) 6/1
OhSoClose (54) 6/6
norske69 (59) 6/13
casky (58) 6/29
chas57006 (57) 6/30
chas57006 DW 6/30
Midpack (57) 6/30
NeverBored (59) 6/30
bob boag (55) 7/1
40 RobertFrost (62) 7/1
Southern Geek (55) 7/4
nvestysly (52) 7/8
Tomcat98 (43) 7/10
Arnie (55) 7/15
JJPIES60 (61) 7/15
freedom42 (43) 7/28
gsparks2 (55) 7/28
chinaco (50) 7/29
NookWine-n-Tinker (50) 7/29
50 Paddy (60) 7/29
Surewhitey DW (46) 8/5
zaqxsw (57) 8/12
steelyman (53) 8/16
jerryo (61) 8/31
REattempt (46) 8/31
Surewhitey (40) 8/31
lovinglife1 (55) 11/1
afntrn56 (55) 11/30
Tree-dweller (58) 12/31?
60 frugal-one (??)

 

[Coolius]

Boy, it's really exciting watching the list of the class of 2011 grow.

My hearty congratulations to everyone - and to all of us in the class of 2011 - a well earned and well deserved retirement!

I'm proud to be a member of the class. Who will join me in a virtual toast?