BLOGGING GRANDMOTHERS SERIES WITH DONNA FROM RETIREMENT REFLECTIONS

The 18th blogging grandmother to be
featured for this series is Donna from Retirement Reflections.

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR BLOG

NAME OF YOUR BLOG: RETIREMENT REFLECTIONS – NEW CHAPTERS, NEW DISCOVERIES AND NEW ADVENTURES

SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook • Google+ • Instagram • LinkedIn • Pinterest • Twitter

WHERE DO YOU LIVE: Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Before retiring in June 2015, I lived in Beijing, China for fourteen years.

WHAT DO YOU WRITE ABOUT: I first set up my blog to record the adventures, discoveries, and reflections that I was experiencing as I transitioned into retirement. With this focus, I also include statistics and fact-finding that I have explored along the way. So far, my most frequent posts have been about family, travel, self-discovery, trying new things, ‘ah ha’ moments…and grandchildren!

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME FOR YOUR BLOG: Actually, I couldn’t believe that the title wasn’t already taken! It was so straightforward. As ‘retirement’ and ‘reflections’ were exactly what I planned to write about, the name was a perfect fit!

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START BLOGGING: The motivation behind me beginning this blog was a New Year’s resolution. In all honesty, this may be the only January 1 resolution that I have kept (so far)!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BLOGGING: Since January 1, 2016.

WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST CHALLENGING OR FRUSTRATING ABOUT BLOGGING: Many things. Proofreading. Editing. Photo layouts. Technology. Learning curves…. If anyone wants to take on any of these jobs, they are up for grabs! Although, I must add, the pleasure received from writing, comments, and connection with others have strongly outweighed all frustrations experienced.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU BLOG: Originally, I posted every sixth day. That seemed to be about right for both me and readers. It also allowed me to reach a wider audience, and to experiment with which days of the week work best. For the past few months, I have been running a guest post series of my favourite bloggers. That has brought my posts up to two per week.

DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN LINK PARTIES: I have just returned from forty-four days of hiking the Camino Trail in Spain. I haven’t participated in any link parties since I left in July. I do miss them and am greatly looking forward to participating again. Wednesday AIM and Blogging Grandmothers are the two link parties that I join in most frequently.

THE BEST THING ABOUT BLOGGING: I am constantly in awe with this little corner of the blogosphere. I had not anticipated the meaningful connections with others that blogging would bring. I have been amazed by (and am incredibly grateful for) these relationships.

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU AS A GRANDMOTHER

WHAT DO YOUR GRANDCHILDREN CALL YOU: My grandchildren are currently two-years old (boy) and ten-months old (girl). So far, my children refer to me as “Grandma”….but I am open to whatever my grandchildren decide to call me (she says with confidence)!

HOW MANY GRANDCHILDREN DO YOU HAVE: Three. We tragically lost a newborn granddaughter last November. She is forever in our hearts.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET TO SEE YOUR GRANDCHILDREN: Our grandson lives in Vancouver so is a ferry ride away (three+ hours door-to-door). Our granddaughter lives further up the island (about two hours away). Having the flexibility of retirement, and very supportive children, we usually see our grandchildren at least monthly. We also regularly use Skype to connect with one another.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING A GRANDMOTHER: I never understood the deep and immediate love and emotion that would come with being a grandparent. It is truly indescribable.

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU

MARRIED, SINGLE, DIVORCED, WIDOWED: I’m married to Richard (who frequently appears in my blog posts).

HOW MANY CHILDREN DO YOU HAVE: Four sons. Two live in Vancouver, one on Vancouver Island and one in Singapore.

DO YOU WORK OR ARE YOU RETIRED, WHAT IS OR WAS YOUR PROFESSION: Retired School Administrator (Middle School Principal and Deputy Director).

WHAT IS THE BEST AND WORST THING ABOUT GETTING OLDER: So many things! I loved my career and am very grateful for it. But retirement is hard to beat. It’s hard not to wake up each morning and shout out “yippee”!!

WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY: My family, my friends, the kindness of others and simple pleasures.

WHAT 3 WORDS BEST DESCRIBE YOU: This depends completely on the day! Usually, positive, energetic, and reflective.

WHAT ARE 3 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT YOU: 1.) As mentioned above, I lived in Beijing, China for fourteen years. 2.) I just returned from hiking 720 kilometers (447 miles) on the Camino Trail in Spain. 3.) I would do both of the above all over again (in a heartbeat)!

HOBBIES: Blogging/writing, walking/hiking, yoga, travel, reading, cooking, cross-country skiing/snowshoeing and cards/board games.

PETS: My husband and I had dogs for the past eighteen years, but sadly lost our last dog, Cody, this past November. We currently walk dogs (every Tuesday) at our local animal shelter.

FAV ICE CREAM: Vanilla

FAV COLD DRINK: Ice water

FAV FOOD: Chili

FAV AROMA: Vanilla

FAV AUTHOR: Too many to list in entirety. Liane Moriarty and Bill Bryson are authors that I often reread.

FAV MUSIC: Eclectic

FAV TV SHOW: I don’t regularly watch television, but I do enjoy the ‘Grace and Frankie’ series on Netflix.

FAV TV SHOW WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD: I was more of a reader. Still am!

WERE YOU A GIRLY GIRL OR A TOMBOY AS A CHILD: A (hopefully healthy) mixture of the two.

SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, OR WINTER: All four. Although I wouldn’t mind winter being much shorter!

DO YOU HAVE A TALENT: If I do, I’d love for it to be writing. Even more so, I would love for it to be kindness.

EARLY BIRD OR NIGHT OWL: Early bird

HOW DO YOU RELAX: Reading….and a warm bath!

MOVIES OR BOOKS: Books

CELL PHONE – APPLE OR ANDROID: iPhone 7

CALLING OR TEXTING: Email

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO TELL US: Thank you to Dee for including me in this series. I greatly enjoy getting to know other bloggers. Please leave a comment so that we can connect!

 

*Who will be the next featured grandmother in this series?

*You can see those who have been featured at the bottom of the this page.

If you would like to be featured, you must first join our Blogging Grandmothers group at Facebook. Click here to join. Once you're approved as a member, let me (Grammy Dee) know you’re interested and we’ll get it set up.

 

Click here to see where I party!