Ideas and inspiration shared by husband/wife empty nesters
My son Kai and I finally rode the Katy Trail. Perhaps COVID and the change in “normal” activities finally pushed us into action, but after at least five years of saying “we should ride the entire Katy Trail someday,” we completed the 225-mile bike ride from Clinton to St. Charles, Missouri. We thought we’d share... Continue Reading →
Just like everyone else who has been following the stay-at-home orders, the Think Beyond the Nest household has been a bit cozy these days. Togetherness has been a blessing and we’ve found many ways to enjoy this time together. We’ve reinforced those things that we enjoy doing together. Thanks to input from friends via the... Continue Reading →
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: The following message was written by Phil's mother, Laura Shoffner, on March 25, 2020 and sent to all of her grandchildren in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Laura is a long-time English teacher in both public and private schools as well as a published author. My precious grandchildren, I write the following... Continue Reading →
Happy New Year and welcome back to "Think Beyond the Nest" where we cover topics related to life as empty nesters. We've been a bit busy in the back half of 2019 with two weddings and a run for a local elected office (all good fodder for more blog posts), but in an attempt to... Continue Reading →
You land in Chicago. After hitting the first available bathroom, you walk through the concourse on your way to baggage claim. As you near the end of the concourse the signage directs you down a level to baggage claim. There's an escalator. Usually full of other travelers headed to the same baggage claim. There... Continue Reading →
Today, Lailan and I are fortunate enough to celebrate thirty years of marriage. And I couldn't be more blessed. I have the notes from the toast my maternal grandfather, Philip Schuyler Lyon (Papoe), gave at our rehearsal dinner. I thought it would be interesting to read back through his words, and I believe he summed... Continue Reading →
Spring is definitely in the air, and I don’t know about you, but it seems as though more and more of our nieces, nephews, and friends' children are getting married. It’s a wonderful thing, and yet mind boggling all at the same time! It's crazy to think we have children old enough to now be... Continue Reading →
In the past week alone, several of our friends have lost a parent. We even had one friend a few months ago lose both her parents in a tragic accident. There have been some beautiful tributes and even social media posts sharing absolutely priceless photos and videos. As our friends faced the difficult task of... Continue Reading →
Like many of you, Phil and I have been long-time fans of Trader Joe’s, and more so recently since we have become empty nesters. It's hard to believe our Leawood, Kansas store opened almost seven years ago! Yes, Phil and I have our favorite TJ items that we will share with you, but I first... Continue Reading →
The sport of pickleball has officially been in existence since 1965. But like many things that originated on the west coast, it took over fifty years for pickleball to find Phil and me. Now that we’ve given it a try, we have yet another activity to pursue in our empty nest years. Pickleball is a... Continue Reading →
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