My wife and I admittedly have some relationship baggage, with our 17-year union being a second marriage for each of us. We also have grown children from these first attempts to “get it right.” This, on occasion, leads to awkward family get-together’s at weddings, funerals, and events. Fortunately, we all live thousands of miles apart. Two weddings this year will certainly test our patience. Also, as a result of these previous marriages, our travel experiences have taken us in different directions. When we go to a spot that one or the other of us have already been, we call it a “redo.” I’m just glad we “got it right” this second time around and have learned from our mistakes.

Speaking of baggage and travel, we’ve had to invest in two new pieces of luggage this year. On our recent trip to Phoenix and Tucson, the handle on my rugged and fashionable Hartmann suitcase refused to retract. The same thing happened a year ago on another of our pieces. To be fair, we’ve owned them for a long time and they’ve gotten a lot of use. Replacement was the only option, especially after I had to cut it out of the casing. It fought me the whole way, reminiscent of the Samsonite commercials with the ape jumping up and down on their luggage to prove its durability. Our baggage turned out to be very durable, but suffered instead from mechanical malfunction. Two new suitcases are a big investment in travel and not necessarily part of the retirement budget. Just another “redo” in our lives!

I also had to “redo” our upcoming travel plans to Chicago. I was in a hurry to schedule, trying to take advantage of a sale that “ended at midnight.” I also attempted to do it my Alaska Mobile App, and apparently didn’t read the small print. We were on a connecting flight through Seattle that had us sitting in the airport for six hours, meaning that our arrival time in Chicago was just before midnight. With the “redo,” we now have direct flights and cheaper fares, but not on Alaska. In addition, I used Orbitz today to book my birthday flight to Steamboat, Colorado in August. Previous attempts to book were proving to be frustratingly costly. Sometimes, it’s better to wait a few days and “redo” your attempt under less pressure! As “chief booking agent,” I hope I don’t have to “redo” any of our other travel plans.

In addition to these other retirement hassles, I’m working with my wife to “redo” our will. This has turned out to be a lot more work than I initially thought. Our attorney must be drowning in the secretarial pool or trying to do it himself, because the typos are plentiful and the “seek and find” function is giving us new names and relationships. He’ll now have to “redo” the changes I had “redone” on this previous document “redo.” My “redo” wife has already lost patience with the attorney and me, her “redo” husband. This is all for the benefit of our heirs, and I hope we have many travel adventures before they cash in on the inheritance. I’m confident that in the end the thick document far outweighs the money we have left.