You work all your life and, finally, the golden years are just ahead. Time to travel? Sell the family home? No matter what your retirement dreams are, it's good to have a plan before you leave a career and a way of life you've known for many decades.

Moving on to the next chapter is also not just about the money, says Jack Verdi, an Irving psychologist whose doctoral dissertation was on retirement satisfaction.

"People need to think about retirement years before it happens," he says. "What will retirement be like? How do you envision your retirement? It's not just about the money, but how will you fill up your time?"

Verdi notes that in many of the cases he sees, a wife has left the workforce first or has been a stay-at-home mom. In either case, she has established a structure and routine at the house. When a husband retires, Verdi says, "it can really shake things up" like other marriage milestones such as a first child or facing the empty nest.

"In a lot of situations where the husband has traveled two to three days a week, the wife learned to establish friendships and hobbies," he says. "Initially she may have been lonely but now has a good thing going. Both of them learned how to work around the traveling schedule. When both spouses are now home, dramatic changes can occur."

We talked to four area couples who are in various stages of navigating this chapter of their lives. The common threads: staying active with paid or volunteer work you love, taking care of your health and enjoying your family. Golden years, indeed!

Joint ventures

Dan and Bonnie Carlson of Fort Worth were high school sweethearts from the Hudson Valley area of New York. She was 19 and he was 21 when they married. Bonnie, now 72, stayed home with the three kids while Dan, who turns 74 on Nov. 16, became a city cop, then a state trooper and eventually a captain by the time he retired from the force in 1988.

They decided they were done with cold weather and moved to Arlington later that year for Dan's new job as manager for the Regional Policy Academy in Arlington. For the next two decades, Dan worked as a consultant and teacher before retiring from the industry in 2010.

Bonnie Carlson, (left) talks with her friend, Edith Crittenden during their weekly bingo game at Overture Ridgmar in Fort Worth on Weds., Oct. 10, 2018. (Daniel Carde / Staff Photographer)

Dan Carlson packs a "gap bag" for someone at WestAid, a food pantry, in Fort Worth on Oct. 10, 2018 where Dan and his wife Bonnie Connie volunteer. (Daniel Carde / Staff Photographer)

Never sitting still for long, Dan returned to a long-held dream of creating stained-glass art, and together the couple opened Vischer Ferry Stained Glass from their home studio in Valley Ranch. They began volunteering at a local food pantry. Another long-held dream: traveling to all 50 states to see as many minor league baseball games as they could. "In Rochester, we got to see [former Baltimore Orioles third baseman] Cal Ripken honored," says Dan.

In 2016, it was time to switch gears again. The stained-glass business was becoming tougher to manage and their second-floor studio harder to navigate. They closed the business and moved to a senior community in Fort Worth where they have discovered a new food pantry, a new Catholic church and an increasingly large group of friends. Dan hangs with the guys on Tuesday mornings for breakfast, and Bonnie likes to play bingo every Wednesday with her women friends. The couple's two daughters and their families live nearby, and their son's family lives in New Mexico.

Bonnie and Dan have assimilated easily into their new environment. Bonnie acknowledges that they are among the younger residents, saying, "We still feel young and can do everything."

And, says Dan, "We are closer than ever after 50-plus years of marriage. We are responsible for our own happiness."

Back to work

Sharyn and Glenn Holley of Irving became empty-nesters in 2007, when their daughter Alex graduated from high school. Sharyn, 63, had left her 28-year career at American Airlines in 2006 so she could spend Alex's last year of high school with her. "Glenn said to me, 'This should be your time to spend with her -- it's the last time you will have this chance.' " Sharyn had been managing director of human resources at the airline. Before that, she taught school for three years. Glenn, 62, was an in-house attorney for an insurance firm.

After Alex left for college, Sharyn found that the next six months of not working were difficult. She turned to community work, including Irving Teen Court, the Links Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and the 2010 census before she becoming a consultant and opening the Webster Alexander Co. She now counts her old employer as one of her clients.

"I was fortunate when I retired," she says. "I had a cushion. Glenn was still working, and this gave us more options. We have done this second chapter gradually."

Glenn worked until Alex graduated from the University of Missouri in 2011 and got her first job. (Currently, Alex is the co-host of Fox 29's morning talk show in Philadelphia.) "My main problem was I don't golf or fish; what was I going to do?" says Glenn. "Financially we were in good shape, but what were we going to do with our time?"

Glenn and Sharyn Holley have each started their own businesses. Glenn Holley has started the Law offices of Glenn Holley and his wife, Sharyn Holley, is a leadership development consultant and opened Webster Alexander Co. (Ben Torres / Special Contributor)

His retirement lasted three months before he formed the Law Offices of Glenn Holley. "I was getting calls to do other things in the legal profession. When I first became a lawyer, I just wanted to able to feed my family. I took the first job that came along. Now I'm doing what I always dreamed of. I am still a lawyer, but I represent people, not corporations. I represent the people I want; they are not assigned to me as before."

Glenn's advice: Do some looking before you retire. "Today I am much happier. I set my own hours. I take as much vacation as I want."

Glenn is also working with a personal trainer in the hopes of staying healthy as he grows older. "For those of us who would rather be eating a doughnut, working with a trainer keeps me accountable," he says.

The couple love their new life. They both have a home office, but their work schedules keep them out of each other's way.

"What has helped Glenn and me," says Sharyn, "is that we coordinate our schedules so we can travel together." She will hold off on a job so that their calendars mesh. Earlier this summer, the couple attended a mini family reunion in Philadelphia that included a guest appearance on their daughter's morning talk show.

"Once you figure out the retirement piece, this is a good chapter in a marriage," says Sharyn. "Our daughter Alex laughs because she says we are always in Philly." And why not? The Holleys now have the latitude to control their lives.

Appreciating the good life

George and Barbara Vittas of Bedford celebrated their 50-year anniversary last year.

George, 77, retired from full-time employment in the aviation industry in 2011 and became a consultant. Barbara's work included corporate and nonprofit jobs, being a stay-at-home mom, working in cottage industries and at Neiman Marcus Direct. They describe their retirement life as evolving.

George and Barbara Vittas of Bedford say they're enjoying their free time without stress. (Courtesy Vittas family)

Initially, Barbara, 69, says, "It was very different to have George home. He had traveled every week for so many years that I found it odd that I now had to report on my comings and goings. I tried to make myself scarce for the first few weeks. George would ask if I was making lunch or he'd ask what he could have for a snack. It almost felt like I had kids home again."

The couple had always volunteered at their church, St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Euless. It was here that Barbara became involved in the Philoptochos, the women's philanthropic group. In recent years, she's taken on responsibilities with the group at the regional and national level, which she says "has been one of the most fulfilling jobs I have ever had."

Meanwhile, George says he stays busy without the stress of full-time employment. "I think we've awakened to the alarm clock only a few times since I've retired in 2011, and then only to start a trip to somewhere." He says their four grandchildren, his consulting work and their church commitments make for a full calendar. Today, their son and his family live nearby in Bedford, and their daughter and her family are in Chicago.

Barbara agrees. "After a while, we settled into a new routine. I went about my day as usual. We never really did things together such as grocery shopping or walking, but we were in a unique situation where we could go out in the middle of the afternoon for lunch or even a movie. It's funny, we were married 10 years before having kids, but I'm enjoying our time together now more so than we did then as newlyweds. We understand each other's dynamics now, and I've gained a new respect for marriage. No stress, just enjoying life together."

Making the transition

Stanley Skinner, 64, of East Dallas retired in August 2017 from the U.S. Postal Service after 32 years. Linda, 65, worked at the Hyatt Hotels in maintenance and retired two years earlier.

The transition has been slow, and the couple is still searching for the best fit for their retiree years. "I didn't have a lot of friends, and on top of it I lost my phone and all my contacts," Stanley says. "But when folks heard I was going to retire, people reached out to me, so maybe it was a blessing that I lost my phone."

For the first three months, Stanley found it difficult to be in a routine. He wanted to spend time with his two brothers who live in the area, but that proved difficult. One is a firefighter whose schedule is erratic; his other brother had a stroke and now lives in a nursing home.

Stanley says he likes to go to the gym, garden and read. Linda isn't a gardener, so she's happy to defer to him on that project.

They've been married for 26 years and have four kids and six grandchildren. Three children live nearby, and their oldest just moved to Atlanta. They spend time with their grandkids and eat out now and then. Stanley says he made sure that dining out would be part of their retirement budget. They also plan some travel, and Stanley is interested in volunteering but hasn't yet found the organization he wants.

"I'm just now getting into the groove of retirement," he says.

Retirement and you

Psychologist Jack Verdi suggests these four ways to ensure a successful retirement.

Be social

"A social network is so important," Verdi says. "Women usually have a social network based around the home, with mom friendships and neighbor friends. Men are less likely to have that; their social networks are centered at work. When they retire, they miss their work friends."

Enjoy your family

After working all your life, you finally have time to know your kids as adults and enjoy their children.

Give back

Find a nonprofit, school or faith group. Whatever the organization, volunteers are always welcome.

Stay healthy

In addition to a social network, taking care of your health is a necessity -- before your retirement years. "Going to the gym, practicing yoga, walking -- all of these will help put you in the best frame of mind for this next chapter of life," Verdi says.