“I was so impressed by the people, they just come up to you and really seem to care that you’re having a good time in their country,” said Sally, “You part as best friends.”

Perhaps there is one place, however, that can match the welcoming Australian atmosphere for the Jones.’ Not only will their future home, The Woodlands, a continuing care retirement community opening in spring 2008 in Fairfax, Va. be accommodating, but it has just the right environment to form strong friendships.

But this is old news for the Jones.’ After researching their options, it was the smaller size of the planned community and the greater chance of establishing connections that appealed to the couple initially.

“We looked at other communities and they were very nice, but what bothered us was they were very big,” David said, “The Woodlands will have 102 or so families which I think will be very nice.”

The Jones’ heard about the community from David’s Naval Academy classmates and longtime friends, and in turn they passed the word on to another former classmate.

“There will be three Class of 1953 Naval Academy couples in here,” said David.

Although they will know a few of their future neighbors, the couple said moving into a new community will allow everyone a fresh start.

“At another community we would’ve been the new kids on the block, but here everybody will be the new kid on the block,” said Sally.

Keeping this fact in mind, the staff at The Woodlands has made arrangements offering their future residents opportunities to become acquainted. Every month, they hold a luncheon at Wegman’s, which has proven to be a very fun and beneficial experience for participants.

“We chat and compare notes to see how far each person has progressed towards the move and if there are any newsworthy tidbits we might need to know that The Woodlands is doing,” said Sally, “It’s very nice to be able to start getting to know some people before we actually get there.”

And forming long-standing relationships with others is important for the Jones,’ who have been married for 53 years. Their families met through a mutual friend from the Naval Academy which introduced David and Sally at the age of three. He grew up in Asia and Los Angeles while she was born in New York and was raised in New Jersey. They were reunited when in their early 20s and David, after his graduation, went into the U.S. Air force. He eventually retired from the Pentagon and his position as the Naval Academy Class of 1953 Secretary, through which he wrote a monthly class column in the academy’s alumni magazine titled Shipmate. For three years now, David has been the President of his Naval Academy class.

Over the years, their family grew with two children and two grandchildren. Their son and daughter are very grateful for the couple’s decision to move into a continuing care community.

“We are doing this on our own and it’s not something they have to worry about,” said Sally, “Over the years a lot of our contemporaries had problems with their parents who didn’t want to move into a retirement home.”

For the Jones,’ moving into a continuing care community means a great deal after visiting Sally’s mother in a similar home in Florida and seeing the supportive care she received for 20 years.

“We have to face the fact that we’re in our 70s and it’s not going to be too long until we’re going to need help and we’ll be right where we need to be,” said Sally.

With The Gardens at Fair Oaks Assisted Living right next door, the Jones said that if something were to happen to either of them, there is a sense of security in knowing the other would be able to walk over rather than have to get in the car and drive.

Among the many reasons why the couple finds The Woodlands so appealing is the fact that there is Fairfax Nursing Center nearby.

“A friend of ours is in Fairfax Nursing Center and we visit there frequently,” said Sally, “He’s receiving very good care there and it’s a very pleasant place.”

For now, after living on their farm in Gainesville for 37 years, the couple is ready for a maintenance-free lifestyle.

“We just figured this way we could be freer while we’re still able to travel and have more fun,” said Sally, “When we would leave the farm, we had to worry about who would keep an eye on it, now it’ll be much easier to close an apartment door and turn the key.”

“It’s going to be much easier to get on a touring bus and go on trips to tourist centers and the Washington area,” David added.

And traveling will in fact be easier for the couple as The Woodlands is a convenient distance from Dulles Airport, Interstate 66 and Fairfax County Parkway. Its ideal location is also near Fair Oaks Mall and the Patriot Center, as well as various medical centers and places of worship.

What greatly interests the couple about their future home are the different social programs that will be offered. With its beautiful, wooded grounds, residents can take walks on the trails surrounding the community. The various activities and amenities at The Woodlands will also include a health club and spa, theater with fresh popcorn, library, and game room as well as an activity and creative arts center.

Another aspect of The Woodlands the couple enjoys is the staff’s accommodating attitude when customizing their apartment.

We had choices on the countertops as well as appliances such as a side-by-side washer and dryer,” said Sally.

The staff, knowing how stressful a transition can be, has also been trying to ease the process for future residents.

“A year ago, in January, they had a moving fair with a big luncheon and had all of the various venders there,” said Sally.

With the help of individuals at the community, the Jones’ were able to find a moving service to help them when they leave their farm.

“The staff at The Woodlands has been very pleasant to deal with,” said Sally, “They always seem to be upbeat.”

With the positive and helpful attitudes of the staff, and the various amenities offered at The Woodlands, the couple has many years ahead of them filled with relaxation and a sense of security.

Once they make their move, it is anyone’s guess as to where the Jones’ will visit after having seen Russia, Europe and Hawaii. But one thing is for sure for the couple’s future at The Woodlands: there will be no place like their home at this community.

“It’s a hard decision and I can see where people struggle with it,” he said. “I’ve been working with this in my own mind to come to terms with it.”

Robert is poised to live the type of lifestyle he’s been creating for other retirees for years. He and his wife have chosen to move into The Woodlands Retirement Community in Fairfax, which is slated to be complete in 2008.

“For the past five years, I have been very active in buying the land, obtaining the zoning and having plans completed [for the facility]” said Robert recently. “I guess my excitement for the project influenced my wife to reserve one of the residential apartments in the Woodlands.”

Robert said his decision to live at the community he developed was an easy one.

“I believe in [the Woodlands],” he said. “I would choose this over any other because we put a lot into it and are trying to make it perfect.”

When asked how he will adjust, he said he thinks such a transition is harder on men than women, because of most men’s enthusiasm for outdoor projects.

“The men get a lot of exercise and pleasure working in the yard and the basement,” he said. “I have to go through this decision [to move] in stages and I think it will be the right one.”

Upon his graduation from college, Robert began a career in building and real estate, and later became interested in developing retirement living communities. In 1964, he and his brother founded Manor Care, a corporation overseeing nursing homes. With the help of his family, he guided the Fairfax Nursing Center for more than 30 years. Today, he is still actively involved in the management on his businesses, which are all family-owned and operated, on a daily basis.

A recurring theme in Robert’s lifestyle is mobility. He recently developed a program for those living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities called “You’ve Got Wheels,” which provides transportation within a certain number of miles for no charge. He is also mobile in his personal life, having visited 85 countries since he began his travels as a young man.

He and his wife enjoy spending time at their farmhouse in their spare time. She recently bought a kayak to use in the lake near their house.

“We are both active,” Robert said. He enjoys riding bicycles and owns the Traveling Bicycle Museum. He also plays golf and tennis.

During her childhood in Salt Lake City, Beverly was awed by stories of relatives who migrated across the country to become the founding members of the city. She recounts tales of her great-grandparents’ treacherous journeys across the prairies to reach the then-emerging town.

Her childhood was filled with song and dance. Beverly began to cultivate her talent at a young age in large part because of her musical parents. “My father sang, and my mother played the piano and organ. That’s how they met,” she says.

Beverly’s own love story started in an unlikely place: a biology lab at the University of Utah. She laughs as she recalls, “I was taking a lab, and he was the graduate student teaching the class. He was really not a great teacher. At first, I thought he was just a nerd.” Her “nerd,” Charles, may not have been particularly adept in the classroom, but he had a phenomenal understanding of science, and despite a rocky start, formed an easy connection with Beverly. The two were married in 1943.

After their marriage, Charles went back to school and received a Ph. D. in Parasotology from Stanford. Parasotology is the study of parasitic life forms and how they affect humans. It was Charles’ work as a scientist that took the couple all over the country. After a three year teaching career at San Jose State, Charles joined the Public Health Service. This job led to placements in Nebraska, Arizona, Georgia, and Puerto Rico.

Charles and Beverly had two sons and a daughter, and Beverly devoted her time to raising their children in a variety of locales. She recalls good times with her family throughout the country-from the perfect weather of Phoenix to the gastronomic pleasures of Puerto Rico.

When Charles was offered a position with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the family made the move to the D.C. metro area. Shortly thereafter, Beverly received her certification to teach elementary school. She taught first grade at Farmland Elementary School in Rockville for 13 years. Her students provided much inspiration. “I still think of this child who had really struggled. One day, I handed him a new book, and his face just lit up. He said, ‘I can read.’ That was like a million dollars!,” Beverly recalls.

Although her time in the classroom was rewarding, Beverly found the transition to life on the east coast to be difficult at first. She says, “There seems to be a lot more concern for money and status symbols here, which I didn’t experience growing up in the west. You just have to ignore those artificial standards.” Always the relaxed westerner, Beverly created a casual atmosphere in their Bethesda home.

When Charles developed dementia, Beverly cared for him in their home until he moved to a community that specialized in dementia care. It was at this time that Beverly began to consider a move herself. Her search for a retirement community was expedited by an unexpected fall.

She explains, “I was working out and slimming down for one of my granddaughter’s weddings, and I slipped and fell and broke my shoulder.” In the ensuing weeks, she was dependent on her daughter for care and transportation. She knew then that she wanted to move to a retirement community to maintain her independence.

Beverly started her search at Kensington Park Retirement Community. Her daughter lives in Kensington, MD, so she was already familiar with the charming community. “We just came over to look at Kensington Park one afternoon. The outside of the building was so architecturally attractive that we were impressed right away. And then we walked in. It was lovely! The staff was so caring and made us feel welcome from the start,” Beverly relates. She made the decision to move to Kensington Park almost immediately.

Kensington Park Retirement Community is made up of three distinctive residences, which together provide a supportive lifestyle specially catered to residents’ individual needs. The Highlands is an independent living residence and is comprised of 61 studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. Assisted living is provided at The Woodlands and The Groves. The two buildings house 140 companion suites, one-room suites, and two-room suites. Residents with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia receive specialized care in the 26 suites located in The Groves.

When an independent living apartment became available while she was selling her house, Beverly jumped at the chance to move right away. She quickly realized that the relaxed atmosphere she had been looking for had been right down the street all along. “I like Kensington so much! It is such a great community, and it really was refreshing to move here from Bethesda, which has really grown and changed. The houses just keep getting bigger and bigger; it’s just about display,” says Beverly.

At Kensington Park, she enjoys a pleasurable lifestyle. She says, “Dinner is served in the dining room every night, complete with tablecloths and napkins.” The well-appointed community is filled with easy-going and like-minded residents. “Everyone here is so nice. We are all so open, and everyone participates,” Beverly notes.

In her east coast residence, Beverly has found a sense of security. She spends her mornings walking on the nearby track and participates in exercise classes at the community. Trips organized by the community’s Activity Director are also a favorite pastime. Playing the piano in her apartment and volunteering at the nearby Audubon Naturalist Society fill out her day.

The absence of daily chores keeps Beverly’s schedule open. “It’s amazing,” she says. “Think about it! Living at Kensington Park means that I don’t have to worry about shopping unless I want to. I don’t have to prepare dinner unless I want to. I really don’t have to do anything I don’t want to. ”

Beverly’s experiences throughout life ultimately influenced her retirement living decision. Her life at Kensington Park includes an array of culture opportunities, the security of available care, and the company of good people.

Far from her west coast home town, Beverly found a retirement destination that melds the best of both coasts; her discovery has led to a well-balanced retirement.

Hart, a retired Navy Captain, had spent almost 30 years in the Navy after graduating from the Naval Academy. He was a surface warfare officer having commanded three ships during his career–a Mine Hunter, a Guided Missile Destroyer and a Guided Missile Cruiser. The Sebrings moved many times in response to Hart’s orders. As Martha used to say, “Two years are up-time to move.”

The couple enjoyed the many places they lived-including the south of France while Hart was assigned to the staff of the Commander of the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. Most of Hart’s shore tours were in the Washington, D.C. area, and they were living in Fairfax, VA when he retired from the Navy.

During one of his monthly Naval Academy Class luncheons, a classmate discussed his decision to put a deposit on a retirement community in Annapolis. The Sebrings realized it was time to get serious about selecting a retirement community for themselves.

Although they had been discussing retirement living options for some time, they had not made any serious plans. They now realized that the house they had purchased eight years earlier had become too large for just the two of them. They were ready to move.

After exploring several communities in the Fairfax area and Annapolis, the Sebrings found The Woodlands Retirement Community, a new independent living retirement community in Fairfax, which is scheduled to begin construction soon and is expected to open at the end of 2006 or the beginning of 2007. They were initially drawn to the community because of its excellent location.

“We are well established in this area-with lots of friends and an active membership in our country club, which is nearby. We knew we wanted to stay in this area, and that makes The Woodlands a perfect choice,” says Martha.

While researching the community, the Sebrings were impressed by the comprehensive care The Woodlands could offer. As part of the Bainum Healthcare Family, The Woodlands will provide independent living to its active residents, who will have priority admission to The Gardens at Fair Oaks, their assisted living community, or Fairfax Nursing Center should additional care become necessary.

The couple was impressed by their visit to The Gardens at Fair Oaks and even more excited about the new community plans. The Woodlands will only have 110 units, which appealed to them because it “gives more of a community feel.” The full range of amenities that will be offered was an immediate draw as well.

Hart points out, “The community will have a fitness center and a swimming pool, as well as underground parking; they also offer quite a few incentives to new residents.” One incentive is the 100% refundable entrance fee that the Woodlands offers.

Having made their decision, the Sebrings have encouraged their friends to follow suit. The fact that several of their friends will join them as initial residents at The Woodlands will certainly help them settle in quickly.

While having some old friends around will be great, the Sebrings are also looking forward to meeting other new residents. Being among the first residents of a new community will make the transition easier and the residents closer, the Sebrings believe. Hart says, “It’ll be new to everyone, so we’ll be in it together.”