Judi: Mariscos, Mariachi and Marriage

Retiring in Mexico has brought a few surprises.

Mariscos

The first surprise is the language. I’m not fluent in Spanish, but I can understand quite a bit. Still, there are plenty of words I’ve never learned.

Case in point:
While riding our e-bikes along the Carretera, I kept seeing signs for restaurants called “Mariscos.” It sounded like a person’s name—Marisco.

I wondered… who is this Marisco guy, and why does he have so many restaurants? Which one is the best?

Then I had a thought: Maybe I should look it up… “Mariscos” means seafood!

Ahhh… that makes much more sense. Definitely more logical than one very successful man named Marisco owning restaurants up and down a 20-mile stretch of road. I still laugh about that.

Mariachi

The second surprise happened on Easter Sunday. Around 8:30 that evening, as we were getting ready for bed, we heard music. That’s not unusual here—music drifts through neighborhoods from passing cars or open windows. But this time, Kent said, “Let’s go find it.” So we did.

We followed the sound down our cobblestone street to the Carretera and then a little farther, until we saw lights and a gathering of people in a backyard. Mariachi music. A live band.

We stood just far enough away to observe without intruding—and then, like the carefree retirees we are becoming, we started dancing right there on the roadside. In the dark. With passing headlights. Just the two of us. We clapped and cheered along with the crowd, even though they didn’t know we were there.

Our first live Mariachi concert. And one we’ll never forget.

Marriage

The third surprise has been our marriage.

This year, Kent and I celebrate 45 years together. In those years, we’ve raised four children, worked full time, gone to school, served in our church, cared for family, and built full and busy lives. Even as empty nesters, we each had our own routines, work schedules, and circles of friends.

Now, everything looks different. We are together every day. All day.

Before moving, we talked about this. We knew we would still need time for ourselves. So far, that has been… a work in progress. Even after 45 years, there are still plenty of opportunities to practice patience. Sometimes the stretching is fun. Sometimes it isn’t. This is real life.

But something else is happening too. We are slowing down together. We are cooking together, washing dishes side by side, walking, riding bikes, and figuring out this new rhythm of life. We are more aware of how we spend—our time, our energy, and our money.

Through it all, we are growing. We have always loved each other. Now we are learning how to live this next chapter—together, in a new way.

Marriage, it turns out, is still a work in progress. And still very much worth the effort.

— Judi

READ KENT’S APRIL 12, 2026 POST