Empty Nest Adventures Begin | First Stop: Our Lifestyle Preview at The Villages, Florida
Fun with John and Becca: Designing and Enjoying Our Empty Nest Adventures
Welcome, fellow adventurers and current (or soon-to-be) empty nesters! If you've ever wondered how to make the most out of life after the kids fly the coop (or even if you're simply considering retirement or an occupational change of pace), or if you just want insider tips about travel, hobbies, and active adult communities, then you’re in the right place. Today, we're excited to dive into who we are and why we’ve decided to share our thought processes about how we want this next stage of our life to look. We'll also provide a sneak peek into our upcoming travel adventures!
Who Are We?
We’re John and Becca —high school sweethearts turned empty nesters. We're ready to pack even more fun, travel, and new experiences into our “second act.” Right now, Lexington, Kentucky, is our home base, but the world is calling! We’ve spent months watching travel and retirement vlogs to plan our own trips, so we decided it’s time to give back and share our journey to inspire others just like us.
Why Do We Think This Is Important to Share?
Life after the nest empties isn’t about slowing down—it’s about finally having the freedom to explore new places, passions, and possibilities. We think you can have both an empty nest and a full life! We love watching other people’s adventures, and now we want to contribute, giving YOU creative ideas for travel, local fun, and ways to keep your life vibrant and full (no matter your age). Because we know this stage of life has its own unique set of challenges (like dealing with adult children and aging parents, growing older, and wondering what our retirement could and should look like), we think it's important for us all to share our experiences and thoughts so we can learn from each other. We believe that life is best lived in community, and we want you to navigate these exciting (but sometimes intimidating) waters with us.
Our First Shared Adventure: Touring The Villages, Florida
Many of our videos center around our exploration of The Villages, Florida's legendary active adult community. Why The Villages?
It’s the world’s largest active adult community
Home to almost 150,000 residents
Spans three counties
Features over 200 pickleball courts, 100+ pools, and 3,000+ clubs ranging from woodworking to arts and crafts
Includes “lifestyle visits” where you can try out life as a Villager—complete with a golf cart, bikes, and access to all activities!
Live music and dancing 365 days a year in the town squares,
For just $99/night (including fees and taxes, as of the summer of 2025; rates may vary), you get a fully equipped two-bedroom, two-bath home PLUS a golf cart to explore this unique community.
Why We’re So Excited
Whether you’re retired, working from home, or just craving more fun, The Villages is designed for stay-young, adventurous spirits. Where else can you live the dream of driving to Chick-fil-A on a golf cart, swimming in over 100 pools, playing pickleball to your heart's content, and dancing to live music every night? With mild year-round weather and lots of other people also looking for connection, community, friendship, and fun, The Villages may just be our next landing spot.
We’ll be sharing future updates from our Villages experience—what we loved, what surprised us, and tips for anyone considering this lifestyle. So stay tuned for those videos! (And no, we aren't associated with or paid by The Villages ... so we will also share the things we don't exactly love!)
Bringing Our Memories to Life & Sharing Yours
We realized how many memories have vanished because we didn’t record them. Now, we’re preserving our journeys, inspiring others, and building a digital scrapbook—without a single scrap of paper!
We want to hear from YOU: Have fun activity ideas, travel suggestions, or empty nester stories? Comment below, share your thoughts, and let’s build a community together.
Connect, Subscribe, and Share!
Don’t miss out on our escapades — join our growing Fun with John and Becca family and stay up-to-date on every crazy, genius, dumb, and outside-the-box adventure. Subscribe, like, and comment to our account on your favorite social media platform so you don't miss a thing.
And always, please feel free to share our information with your friends, family, and anyone looking to make their empty nest years the best of their lives! We are better together.
Fun with John and Becca: We're on a mission to prove that empty-nest life can be fuller, funnier, and more adventurous than ever before.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for our Villages experience—what in the world will we do next? We hope you'll come along for the ride!
DISCLAIMER: We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The Villages® or its parent company. Our content is based on our own personal experiences and opinions as visiting guests participating in a Lifestyle Preview or Lifestyle Experience. All views expressed are solely our own. Our content is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered legal, financial, real estate, health, travel, or other professional advice. We encourage you to conduct your own research and speak with qualified professionals before making any decisions related to retirement living, relocation, travel, property investment, and lifestyle changes. While we strive to present accurate and up-to-date information, details such as pricing, amenities, policies, and availability may change over time. Please verify all information directly with The Villages® or other official sources. As an Amazon associate, we may receive compensation from qualified purchases at no additional cost to you. We may also participate in other affiliate programs that may compensate us.
Rest for our Weary Souls
May 10, 2021
Have you ever experienced a period of time where life slows down, not because you chose it, but because of circumstances out of your control? Most of us feel comfortable with a busier pace of life. In fact, it’s pretty typical for us to reply, “Busy!” when folks ask us, “How are you?” We can sometimes pretend that it stinks to be busy, but the reality is, most of us enjoy going from one thing to the next… to the next.
So, when life throws us a bit of a curveball, and we are somewhat forced into an extended Sabbath, our brains can start to play funny tricks on all of us, for sure. If you are an avid workaholic, you might hear whispers of, “Everyone is going to move on without you,” and “You must not be that great at what you do anyways, since everything seems to be running just fine without your two cents.”
If you are like me, and much of your fast pace is due to an extreme passion for MOVEMENT (exercise, running my kids from here to there, cleaning my house obsessively, etc.), then when your BODY actually has to slow down (doctor’s orders), those whispers in your head get pretty dang loud.
You are going to totally lose all of your motivation for life and health and cleanliness.
Everyone else in the entire world is moving faster and better and stronger than you right now.
See ya later, skinny jeans and yoga pants (in public).
I wish I could tell you that I am able to take every thought captive during these periods of “forced” rest, but that is just not true. I struggle with rest; it’s just not natural for me. BUT, in my most recent season of recovering from a surgery, I have so enjoyed some extra hours of sleep, a longer lingering with my Bible and coffee before work, and some extra brain space to fill that is usually taken by tomorrow’s workout and house cleaning plan.
So, can I encourage you to lean into some rest for your weary souls and bodies, friends? I am not saying this will be easy; in fact, it may not even be fun for the first few days, but trust me. It’s likely you won’t miss out on much-- and the peace and joy you will gain in return will totally be worth it.
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”-- Jesus (Matthew 11:28)
***