The Real Housewife of Rossville: June 2012

Friday, May 18 was my last day working at Covenant College and the end of my 12-year career in higher education. Thursday, May 24 was my dad's last day working at Principal Financial Group and the end of his 34-year role as an actuary in that company. It's been fun going through this transition with him -- we've had conversations about where we find our identities, what we're going to do with our extra time and what we think we've accomplished in our careers.

But as I think about my dad and the work that he has done for the past 34 years, I am most impressed by the intangible effects that he has had on so many lives. There were opportunities he could have taken that would have led to higher promotions for him, yet he very adamantly kept his working hours so that he could come home at nights and coach his four daughters and their many different sports teams. He worked a job that made enough money so my mom could stay home with us when we were younger. And he knew us and was involved in our lives. Long road trips for volleyball tournaments and hanging out in between softball games gave us plenty of time to talk, and I saw my dad as more than just my coach or my dad, but as one of my best friends.

Dad retired on Thursday, then got in his car early Saturday morning and took the 13+ hour drive down to visit us for a few days. While it's so much fun when the entire Gosselink family can get together, Ash definitely thrives more in smaller groups, and it was obvious how much he loved playing with Grandpa! We picked fresh strawberries from a farm, played outside and just enjoyed being together. Here are some pictures from Grandpa's visit and a (sideways) video that you DEFINITELY need to watch. :)