Well Mike,
I posted my "story" in the new member's sub-forum, so I'll give you the concise answer.
I'm a professional firefighter here in western NY, and I have 1039 more days to go before I too can retire. I'm 50.

We visited friends in The Plantation about 20 months ago, and fell in love with the "55+ gated Central Florida" lifestyle. We bought the house across the street from our friends home. I had never heard of The Villages at the time. We will be back down there in October for the month.

We long to be down there, and this forum helps us cope with the wait.

Frank D.