WHAT DOES LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

As we pass from one stage of our life to the next, priorities change. Choosing to start a family early on, the #one priority for so many years was for @farm-mom and I to provide for our children. I'm not just talking about the things money can provide, I'm also talking about the responsibilities that come along with raising children that you can be proud of as they grow up.
This is where spending QUALITY TIME with each other as a family has paid the biggest dividends.

We agreed early on that raising our children was our desire, and with that understanding, farm-mom put her career on the back burner and was a stay at home mom.
She worked harder at her job at home, than I ever did chasing the elusive dollar.

Sometimes we felt as though we were in over our heads, but the realization that the job of parenting was all too important, personal sacrifices were made.
Looking back now, those sacrifices we made for so long have paid off in spades.
One of the biggest things that changed, as our first little guy was spanked on his rump, inducing his first breath, was the amount of time we had for each other!

Time is now ours to spend as we see fit.
After 50 years together and still in Love, we are having a ball.

This is our fourth year being retired, and heading to Florida for a respite from the cold winters in Upstate NY, is starting to grow on me.

Living in the mountains, where Robin calls off of the grid, provides me with one of my most cherished possessions, PRIVACY.
Florida, at least where we have been staying, privacy doesn't exist unless you are enclosed by four walls.
But, with some exploration we found a place that offered us the chance to be alone.

This was our view from

here.

The spot we found was just over the 1st of three bridges that brings you out to Sanibel Island.
Before crossing the first bridge you pay $6.00.
As you pass over the first bridge you can see the spot that offered us a place void of people.
This is the first of the Causeway Beaches, which few people stopped at.
I guess since they paid $6.00, most people wanted to get their money's worth and cross all three bridges, and join the crowds that waited.

We ended up going to this spot a half of a dozen times. Every time we decided to try another beach in the area, we would return here, wondering why we had gone any place else.

The only visitors we had while swimming were the fish and the birds, my kind of company.

An occasional fishing boat would drop anchor and hang around for awhile.

Now, that's some serious relaxing going on.

Just prior to our departure, SiriusXM radio had a three month free trial which we hooked into.
With no one around we were able to turn up the volume.
Channel 82, Classic Vinyl provided some great entertainment.

A few songs got me up out of my chair. These songs are just a few that we listened to and will be added to my Spotify playlist when we get home.

Not too often do you get such a clear image of the moon during the day!

A few more great tunes.

As Robin and I basket in the glorious surroundings, conversation ran free and easy.
Being together as friends for the past 50 years, working on 51 years starting this past October 27th, reminiscing brought laughter, pride, love, fond memories of our younger years, and so much history back in focus.

Many people have told us how lucky we are to have each other and how fortunate we are to have so much.

We do feel fortunate to have the life we presently live, and we all know that can change on a dime.

The one thing that I TOTALLY disagree with, is concept that luck has anything to do with our situation.
Being lucky is going to an event and buying a raffle ticket, and having your number pulled.

What we have, we attribute to good old hard work, roll up your sleeves kind of work, perseverance, and beyond all else an unwavering commitment to each other and to our ever growing family!

This was the case three short years ago,but the beach queen from Jersey has me contemplating a 9/3 ratio.