Life in Early Retirement

Well... We Booked a Flight Back to Panama!

Well… We Booked a Flight Back to Panama!

And just like that, everything changed in an instant. That glimmer of hope is now sparkling so… we booked a flight to Panama! Booked a flight??? What the heck are you talking about, Jim?! Just last week you talked about what it’s looking like to move back to the U.S. for the long-term. 100% true. And it was looking like it would be inevitable that we’d be putting that plan into motion over the next month or so. I ended […]

Well… We Booked a Flight Back to Panama! Read More »

The Financial Impact of Moving Back to the U.S.

The Financial Impact of Moving Back to the U.S.

2020 has been one helluva year, hasn’t it? For us, this pandemic could be the sole catalyst in our possibly moving back to the U.S. from Panama. Not only did our first year there get severely hindered by this mess, but it might also be the reason we don’t go back for a second year. That’s a tough enough pill to swallow considering how much we were enjoying our time there. But life happens and you just gotta adapt accordingly.

The Financial Impact of Moving Back to the U.S. Read More »

Tennessee and Arkansas - Leg 1 of the 2020 Road Trip!

Tennessee and Arkansas – Leg 1 of the 2020 Road Trip!

From Opryland and hot chicken sandwiches in Nashville, Tennessee to camping and hot springs in Arkansas. It’s been a fun start to our road trip and it’s only just begun! We decided on our method of transportation, loaded up, and took off. This leg of the trip wasn’t exactly slow travel but we’ve made some headway across the country. We’ve gone from Ohio to Tennessee, to Arkansas, and now we’re in Texas. We’ll be planting ourselves here in Texas for

Tennessee and Arkansas – Leg 1 of the 2020 Road Trip! Read More »

Is Our Retirement in Panama Unexpectedly Over?

Is Our Retirement in Panama Unexpectedly Over?

We started our early retirement in Panama in the late summer of 2019. It was just me, my wife, Lisa, and our daughter, Faith, who was 9 at the time. We moved there and found a condo close to town in Boquete that we really liked. We even got to be part of a House Hunters International episode along the way! Things were moving along very well. The weather in the mountains of Boquete where our place resides is wonderful

Is Our Retirement in Panama Unexpectedly Over? Read More »

When Life Gives You Lemons… Take a Road Trip!

When Life Gives You Lemons… Take a Road Trip!

As we’re sitting here in Ohio wondering when (or if) we’ll be able to get back to Panama, we decided why not take a road trip? The iconic road trip is something that used to be the standard of almost every family vacation. With the pandemic raging stronger than ever, these types of trips have been making a big comeback this summer since not many folks are ready to jump on a plane right now. We’re in that same boat

When Life Gives You Lemons… Take a Road Trip! Read More »

Is Anyone Else’s Mental Health Still a Wreck?

Is Anyone Else’s Mental Health Still a Wreck?

What a year! And I figured that if my mental health is still a mess right now, then I’m sure some of you might be in the same boat. Before you get too concerned about me though and start telling me that I need to talk to someone… I’m fine. I’m just a lot more off-balance than usual. I feel like I’m exhausted all the time and just plain anxious. Anxiety is something new to me. I’m used to being

Is Anyone Else’s Mental Health Still a Wreck? Read More »

Here’s What Traveling Internationally Looks Like Now

Here’s What Traveling Internationally Looks Like Now

Around most of the world, there is obviously some trepidation with traveling because of the pandemic. Then you toss in the idea of traveling internationally and the uncertainty is even more intense. As most of you know, we’ve been living in Panama since August of 2019. When this pandemic initially came around, we decided to stay put living abroad. That went well for a while, but it got tougher and tougher being stuck in lockdown without family nearby, particularly for

Here’s What Traveling Internationally Looks Like Now Read More »

This Is a Horrible Idea… We’re Doing It Anyway!

This Is a Horrible Idea… We’re Doing It Anyway!

Everything about this plan is a bad idea. We’re just asking for trouble in every way possible. But… we’re doing it anyway! If you read my post “Our Planned Trip Back to the U.S. from Panama…” from a few weeks ago, you might remember that we were heading back to the U.S. in the second week of July. Well, not too surprisingly, that whole agenda fell apart quickly. The President of Panama, Nito Cortizo, decided to extend the suspension of

This Is a Horrible Idea… We’re Doing It Anyway! Read More »

Here's Why I'm Liking... The Fitbod App

Here’s Why I’m Liking… The Fitbod App

Hey, everyone – I thought it would be fun to start a new series called “Here’s Why I’m Liking…” I’m guessing that the title of this one should be a pretty good giveaway that I’m talking about the Fitbod app today. I keep running into awesome products, services, apps, and just other fun stuff that I think you would enjoy as well. This series will showcase those cool things. Sometimes there are just some great products and services out there

Here’s Why I’m Liking… The Fitbod App Read More »

My Homeschooling Review After One Interesting Year

After a year of teaching Faith ourselves (mostly Lisa), she was nice enough to give us a homeschooling review. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Lisa and I were both blessed enough to retire from our jobs. I left my job at the end of 2018 after 20 years in IT. Then in 2019, we sold everything and moved to Panama with just two suitcases each. We decided not to get residency here yet until we’ve had a chance

My Homeschooling Review After One Interesting Year Read More »