THE FATHER BLOG

I definitely fall under the category of a “Do It Yourself” person. There is pretty much a YouTube video explaining every project one could possibly imagine. I also figure it’s worth trying and giving most things a shot on your own before calling in a professional. You never know…you may just be handier than you thought. And if you screw it up….then call in the professional.

I am in the starting phases of remodeling our master bathroom. I pretty much have all the materials ready to go and when Mary and Emily are gone next week on their mother/daughter trip to the Florida Keys, I will be completing the project. I will definitely post some before and after pictures once completed. I was lucky enough to learn from my Dad when it comes to carpentry and woodworking as he did that as a hobby. As a homeowner, I learned some basics of electric, plumbing, flooring, designing, etc. Most of that stemmed from researching professionals and saying “you wanna charge me WHAT?!” That’s when I figured it was worth learning myself.

In today’s AI and Chat GPT world, it’s nice to know how to do somethings for yourself working with your hands. And for the generation of individuals out there now trying to figure out what to do after high school….give this article a read: Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang says electricians and plumbers will be needed by the hundreds of thousands in the new working world

https://fortune.com/2025/09/30/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-demand-for-gen-z-skilled-trade-workers-electricans-plumbers-carpenters-data-center-growth-six-figure-salaries/

Not exactly for me. Today it will be Troegs Tuesday with a little sushi.

Luckily for me, I don’t really have to travel much for work anymore. In the past, when I was single and living out of hotels roughly 3 days a week, it wasn’t so bad. I wasn’t leaving anyone at home alone and I certainly built up those hotel rewards. But now that my life it different and there are lots of activities happening in the evenings, I prefer to spend my nights at home.

But today is my last trip for work to the outskirts of my geography for this year. The destination? The sweetest place on earth: Hershey, PA. So each trip I take out there ends with a quick stop into Troegs Brewery. Definitely a decent place to grab an after work pint before checking into a hotel for the night. Here is the current list: https://troegs.com/visit/beer-menu/

Let me know if you see anything you like….I’ll gladly sample it for you!

Other than that, I embrace the peace and quiet. I order some pick up sushi from a place down the road and eat while watching TV. Nothing too exciting but it’s a little recharge before making the drive home and jumping right back into whatever is happening next.

Anyone else have a set “travel routine” for work?

Do you have a dream of retiring someday to a warm climate with sandy beaches? I know I do. I’m not that close to that dream yet and obviously have several years to think about it. But I am thinking about it!

I do know my retirement will not keep me here in the state of New Jersey. Though my state does have a lot of benefits and things to offer, it it not exactly what I would call “financially efficient” for retirees. Our taxes are way to high and we constantly rank as one of the most expensive states to live in here in the United States.

I’m not 100% sure what the exit plan is yet since I’ll be curious where the kids both land after college. But I found an interesting article for anyone thinking about moving abroad for retirement. There are definitely many beautiful, less expensive countries to explore for this purpose. But there are also several other things to consider. Give it a look:

https://www.taxesforexpats.com/articles/retirement/top-tax-friendly-countries-to-retire.html