Helping Your Aging Parents Move... and a Glorious Stop in Alghero, Sardinia

Helping your folks downsize and move as they get on in years can be a daunting task.

 The emotions of leaving a place that has been home for many years -- along with that elephant in the room, aging -- are heavy burdens.
We have recently assisted with three moves with varying degrees of success, and have... CONTINUE READING >>


Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

A Glorious Stop in Alghero, Sardinia

It is always a striking experience to venture inside the walls of an historic Italian city but even more so in Alghero.

The mix of cultures over the centuries has left a truly unique place. We could hardly wait to explore... CONTINUE READING >>

Follow us here too!: Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Google+ - Pinterest - Instagram - GoodReads - StumbleUpon - RSS Going Gypsy One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Coming in February 2015 from Skyhorse Publishing! Pre-Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold!

Using our Empty Nest Egg - and the Mecca of Fiberglass Ginormous Stuff!

Where did you live when you were first starting out? I'll bet it wasn't quite the Taj Mahal.
Our first place was a one bedroom, former screened-in porch that had all the weather proofing of the average wiffle ball. It was a veritable private zoo of insect vermin -- and we were glad to have it. We were proud and happy to be on our own.

 Who are we to deny our offspring those same pleasures?... CONTINUE READING >>

Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

A Fiberglass Menagerie - the Mecca of Roadside Ginormous Stuff

Ever wonder where they came from? So did we!

Nothing lifts the spirits while traveling through America quite like the sight of a fiberglass colossus looming in the distance. On a summertime roadtrip, through the shimmering heat from the highway, a form begins to take shape...

 A sky-scraping Abe Lincoln, a Paul Bunyan the size of a small office building, a life-sized brontosaurus or a fish that could swallow an airliner -- all have great power to inspire, or at least attract... CONTINUE READING >>

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The Couple of Things

I was recently interviewed for a magazine article about empty nesting from the Dad's point of view. As usual, I was happy to add my two cents.

 Most of the questions involved the logistics of pulling off our GypsyNester lifestyle, things like selling the house, making an income, traveling and the like.

But one question completely caught me by surprise... CONTINUE READING >>

We have a winner!

Click to see who won!

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No Home for the Holidays

Selling the nest and becoming GypsyNesters has given our adult chicks the joy of being hosts for the holidays in their homes.

Once again this year we will be making our way to The Big Apple for the holidays. Oh, the anticipation! The joy!

Christmas is the one time we allow ourselves to hands-down spoil our kids -- and, boy, do we ever! As thrifty as we are during the non-Jesus-being-born part of the year, we let loose the coffers when we visit The Spawn during that "most wonderful time of the year."

It's not about expensive gifts - instead we enjoy... CONTINUE READING >>

Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

Picture This: The Basilica Cistern of Istanbul

We were blown away!

Row after row of hundreds of columns hold up arches and domes this stunning work of architecture that was never meant to be seen. 

Descend into the Basilica Cistern with us to see the upside-down Medusa and other hidden oddities... CONTINUE READING >>

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16 Boxes

Almost everyday we hear somebody say “I live vicariously through you” or “ I wish we could do what you’re doing.” As inviting as it may seem, it’s probably not the lifestyle for everybody.

There is actually quite a commitment to chucking it all and becoming a gypsy. It takes a dash of nerve and a pinch of intestinal fortitude to get rid of everything you own except a handful of personal items that can be fit into a few boxes.

16 boxes to be exact. Close to 30 years of marriage and 3 kids later, we're whittled down to 16 boxes, most them in storage. Many of these boxes are tagged to go directly to the kids... CONTINUE READING >>

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The Plan is No Plans

On the same day that we officially became "empty" nesters, the very day our youngest started college, we boarded a plane headed for Zürich. We didn't really plan for the two events to happen on the same day, it just worked out that way.

What WAS planned was to... CONTINUE READING >>

Advice From Traveling Couples

Ever think of taking an extended journey with the one you love? Elise, one half of Positive World Travel for Nomadic Matt wrote this compelling article about three very different couples and how they cope with each other out on the road.

You might even know one of them:

It has almost been 2 years since Anthony and I started traveling together. In that time, I've learned more about Anthony and our relationship than I ever could have if we had stayed in Sydney. I certainly believe our travels have only strengthened our relationship. And so I began to wonder what have other couples learned from their trip. I'm sure they would have so much advice they could share so I decided to contact a few couples and hear their thoughts, tips and perspectives of life as two on... CONTINUE READING >>

The Plan is No Plans

On the same day that we officially became empty nesters, the very day our youngest started college, we got on a plane headed for Zürich. We didn't really plan for the two events to happen on the same day, it just worked out that way.
What WAS planned was to spend time together and to do the things that obligations had pushed aside before. The three years between our older girls leaving the house and the boy flapping his wings gave us plenty of time to decide how we wanted to spend, or at least... read more

Boomerang "Kids"

Today's column was just plain disturbing. It involved a mother who is a newly retired homeowner with an outstanding mortgage. Unless she was the CEO of a major publicly traded corporation, this lady is on a whopper of a fixed income. Now get this—she has two butthole sons, aged 22 and 24, living in her home and she has asked them to pitch in and pay $30 a week. “Stressed-Out Mom” says that they are now “ranting and raving and calling her a bad ...read more

Boomerang "Kids"

 Today's column was just plain disturbing. It involved a mother who is a newly retired homeowner with an outstanding mortgage. Unless she was the CEO of a major publicly traded corporation, this lady is on a whopper of a fixed income.

Now get this—she has two butthole sons, aged 22 and 24, living in her home and she has asked them to pitch in and pay $30 a week. “Stressed-Out Mom” says that they are now “ranting and raving and calling her a bad mother.” She goes on to ask if she is being unreasonable. What?

Kick those pot-smoking, Cartoon Network-watching, little punks out of your...read more

My Dirty Little Secret

 David and I have one chick left in the nest. He graduates from high school in June. And I am marking the days. I keep a gigantic calendar and mark a red X each day. For my son's sake (and to avoid horrified looks from house guests), I keep the calendar between the mattresses of my bed.

I'm fully aware how bad this looks, so I will explain myself. I LOVE MY KIDS! But, when June 8 rolls around, I will have spent almost twenty five years of my life raising them. I deserve this dirty little secret.

This callousness does not make me impervious to the emotional milestones along the way. I recently received my son's cap and gown picture taken at his school. My heart literally ... read more