by Sarah | May 5, 2020 | All About Family, All About Me, All of Us, Florida Dreaming, Redefining Perfect
Today is the one year anniversary of me crossing the state line into Florida.
It was such a giddy rush crossing the state line, knowing I was home. The moment didn’t come easily, and it wasn’t all the joy I put on social media. Something bad happened shortly after crossing into Florida that I still don’t talk about, but it marred the moment of joy for me and put me a little at an unease (I’m fine it didn’t happy to me) . The year since has lived up to that same initial roller coaster the first few of hours in Florida gave me.
Super high-highs, and crazy-intense lows.
I admit it. I’ve been all over the map. The blog suffered. I suffered. My family suffered. We were massively on the struggle bus for a while.
But now, here we are.
One year later.
And guess what?
Hey, life’s not perfect. We’re living in quarantine now everywhere. Weird shit is happening, pandemic panic, mother earth coming back to life.
However, I’m in a much better place than I’ve been for the past year.
I’ve finished a semester of nursing school, and done well (WHAT? I’m still in shock at this)
Things at my work are looking up, well they were before the pandemic, then that turned into a stress-bomb for a whole other reason. Overall, the worst of the situations is past, so I’m going better.
Financially, we have savings again. We’re still adjusting to hubbers only being paid once a month, but we’re getting there. It took a while to get soluble again, but we’re here and doing better.
Job-wise, hubby’s still in a better place than he was. Things are tough with the pandemic, but he’s coming home to movies and movies and movies…so he’s all good. (I’m reorganizing said movies now and the man has a problem. lol)
I’ve returned to hobbies like crochet and knitting. I’ve finally returned to writing (it’s slow, but it’s going).
I haven’t been to Disney since February, which sucks…but we will return again when it reopens.
I also haven’t been to the beach in ages…but again, we will soon as we can.
The winter was beautiful. The lack of snow even better.
My mood is in a much more tolerable place. Far less doom and gloom.
It’s good to be home…and feel at home…for real.
by Sarah | Jan 13, 2020 | All About Family, All About Me, All of Us, Florida Dreaming, Redefining Perfect
I’ve been in Florida now for just under 9 months. So what’s up with all of the dreams, goals, and everything involved in the move?
First and foremost: It has been HARD. I mean, really hard.
There’s been wonderful, great, amazing things–but it’s been HARD.
Moving across country, being separated from my family, the girls utter homesickness when they arrived (and some still lingering)…not to mention my job situation?
Hard.
Was it worth it?
Yes.
I truly love being here. I feel so at home. I am where I’m meant to be. I knew life would not be perfect (and said so many times), and I knew that life would encroach on the wonderful things I was looking forward to (and it has). I didn’t expect all of our problems to resolve the minute we crossed the state line. I mostly expected to be home, and some bonuses along the way.
I’ll get the bad out of the way super quick b/c I don’t want to focus on them. My job – it’s a nightmare, but a possible light at the end of the tunnel is coming. Finances – due to several situations (that nightmare job being one of them), it’s taken us longer to level out and get back on our feet than I’d hoped for. Homesickness – primary in the middle teen, she’s fighting tooth and nail.
The good? That’s better to focus on…
Our home: Though we’re paying more per month, it’s bigger, it’s sound, and though the yard needs a lot of work and we have to pay pest control monthly, I really love the house. The girls really love that they each have their own rooms.
Disney: Duh. Though I now haven’t been since November (I hope to rectify this quite soon) we went tons during food & wine, and even stayed on site. We’ve more than made up for the cost of passes, and it’s nice to know it’s right there. It’s a benefit we use often.
Nursing school: Not something I ever thought I’d do, I’m in it to win it. It’s right around the corner too. Considering we’re both putting many more miles on the vehicles, that’s a big benefit.
The Market: Big flea market about a quarter mile from our house. Way too much 45 shit on display, but if you avoid that and head straight for the fresh fruit & veggies on display all year long, it’s a huge benefit.
The school: While I’m not overly pleased w/ the middle school…the high school has been amazing and in a few months I won’t have to worry about any more kids in the middle. The education they’re getting is great, challenging, and the school has been amazing about the IEP. Biggest downsize is that we have to take them and pick them up every blasted day. Is it summer yet? Does Molly have her license yet? Please? Soon?
Erik’s job: Big positive over his last. BIG.
While Erik and I know we aren’t going to settle in this particular area permanently (I want to be closer to water and further south…north-central is meh)…it’s been a good place to land. We plan to stay until the kids are out of school and then cart ourselves further south & west. For now, we’re happy where we are despite the struggles.
It hasn’t been easy, not by a long shot. I feel like we are finally turning a bend, though. I’m trusting that this year is going to shake off some of those bad areas so we can focus even more on the good ones.
by Sarah | Jul 15, 2019 | All About Family, All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Florida Dreaming, Redefining Perfect
Oh, Florida. I’ve talked about it for years, dreamed about moving for as long, talked about moving for a year, and finally made the move in May…
and promptly all but disappeared off social media.
Because that first month?
SUCKED.
Holy crap. I mean, massive sucktitude of the highest magnitude.
Like the only thing keeping me from driving back to Indiana was the sunshine…because it was pretty much all that was working out for me.
How bad?
Well, one of the first things I saw in Florida as I pulled off to gas up, on my way back onto the highway was a cat that had been hit by a car, and had not yet passed on.
Talk about traumatic.
Then my AirBNB that I was so crazy excited for, had no wifi or internet because my host according to AirBNB had up and left the man she’d been living with for years…and then turned off the cable. My actual AirBNB host was a relatively pleasant Brit…that blissfully left town for 10 days (okay, so that went good for me, too)…but then expected me to chauffer him around…never mind the fact I was working nights. Um…
I could not find a house. Like legit, could not.
I couldn’t find a realtor to help me find a house. All they would say is “I don’t have anything like that” and that was it. No offers to help, nothing.
I would find something online, call the realtor only to have them tell me it wasn’t actually available yet and they weren’t showing yet (happened with where we are now…) and that was WEEKS out. Weeks! They all refused to show with tenants still inside.
If that wasn’t the case, the home was already rented…in one case I scheduled an appointment to show it in three days, which was when it was opening for showings…but then I got a call that it was already rented – before they were even showing!!
My job was good, but instead of training me on my regular schedule, they decided to do 5 day weeks the first two weeks – which totally messed with my plans to you know, look for a home!
Because of that job schedule, and the inconveniently timed vacation of the only person in HR that could confirm my employment, I almost missed the cutoff for the girls school admission.
I had no less than five panic attacks – most of which centered around finding a home.
I never made it to the beach. (Heck, I didn’t make it there until last week)
After the host made it back from the UK he finally managed to get wifi back about 4 days before I was due to checkout…but I couldn’t access it, the password wouldn’t work (but he could, so no worries for him).
Yeah, I may have suffered from some internet withdrawals.
I missed my family crazy-bad. They missed me as much.
Erik had so many struggles getting things ready. We had a simultaneous panic attack on a phone call when it came to finding a home.
I gotta say, I knew it would be tough separated from them, but not THAT tough. Oy.
But that’s enough complaining…because the month is over. It sucked. It was TOUGH…but it’s passed.
Here’s some nice things about the first month…
I did have beautiful sun, and pleasantly not-crazily-humid days for all but one day that first month, and that was one of the first days I was there. It was a crazy-storm. In the best way.
I got to spend some nice one-on-one time with my son where he didn’t annoy the crap out of me (he aspires for that).
I actually got a little tipsy on one of our day trips…we went to the Banana Cabana at the Caribbean and there was some delicious alcohol consumed.
We went on a nature walk and I got some great photos and saw some alligators.
I did, finally, find a couple of realtors that were eager to help and we got approved for our new home the day after hubby and the kids arrived.
All the driving around looking for places helped familiarize me with the general layout of the area.
I had my first ever Pub Sub – and it was all everyone said it would be.
I got into my new job and really felt welcomed and at home right away. I miss my old work-home, but my new work-home is equally as lovely and the hours are amazeballs.
I LOVE working nights.
I’m in Florida.
I am home.
*~*~*
You know, I know that nothing worth it is ever easy…and I didn’t expect smooth sailing when I got down here, but the first month almost broke me in turns. There were days that I would say “I just need ONE THING to go right. Just ONE.”
And then it would.
It was tough finding moments of joy some days…impossible on others…but they emerged eventually.
Once my family got here, things evened out. Not everything is fully settled as I’m writing this. We are still waiting on our couch (will be here tomorrow). Erik is still looking for a job (he has an interview tomorrow). The girls are BORED and totally freaking out about not being able to make friends when school starts in a month…
But we are together. We are home.
WE ARE HOME.
And that is the best feeling in the world. Even if I had to go through hell to get here..
by Sarah | Jun 20, 2019 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, Disney Mom, Florida Dreaming, Make-A-Wish, Redefining Perfect, Universal, Universal Studios Mom
Our road to Disney and Universal was not paved with flowers and sunshine. That goes without saying. I could go into logistics about Make A Wish’s former CF rules, refusals, and hope coming our way again, but that’s another story for another blog post. Suffice it to say, it was a bumpy, long road…until it wasn’t.
When the time came for us to approach the kids and say they were getting wishes, and to ask what they wanted, both of them thought pretty hard. I, myself, hoped for Disney, but didn’t push either of them in that direction. I did mention to the obsessed-with-Harry-Potter Kennedy that there was this magical place called Diagon Alley at Universal Studios, but we discussed other options. Things like trips in an RV, remodeling the bedroom were discussed among others.
When the day came, the wonderful Wish Granters asked the kids what they wanted.
Kennedy said, “I want to see Harry Potter World!” (It was only then that I learned when you wish for one FL theme park, you get both) I was not upset by this declaration.
From that moment everything flew by in an instant. Before any of us knew it, we were in the limo and on the plane for Florida.
Months of planning, talking, anticipation all came down to that one moment…
You know the one…
The one where we stepped through the brick passage and onto Diagon Alley.
Every moment after when Kennedy’s face looking like this —->>
Excitement. Spotting everything left and right, pointing out everything.
When Ollivander selected her and her sister (believing them twins, methinks) to get their own matching wands.
When she saw, and felt, the dragon breathe fire down on us.
When she sat in the sidecar (look how tiny, my goodness).
Every moment in Diagon Alley that day was so much magic we could have gone home right then and never complained a moment that it wasn’t worth it.
To see K become completely immersed into the world we both loved so much.
Every single second was one I wanted to bottle and hold onto.
That was the moment I knew magic was real.
And the look on her face made every struggle that led us up to and through the brick passage way was worth it.
So damn worth it.
by Sarah | Jun 17, 2019 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Home, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All About Ripley, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, Disney Mom, Florida Dreaming, Oola, Redefining Perfect, Universal, Universal Studios Mom
It’s been over a month since the last update and unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know where we are at.
WE ARE IN FLORIDA!!!
After my last post, things went very quick.
I moved ahead of the hubs and kids, and my first month here in Florida deserves (and will soon get) a post of its own. It was an adventure, I’ll give you that much. A good adventure, or a bad one, I still don’t even know.
Anyhow…the husband and kids have finally joined me.
We have a home.
We’re settled around The Villages area, which my self-adopted pops calls “Heavens Waiting Room”…and he’s not wrong. lol.
However, it’s beautiful here. Our new (rented) home is much bigger than our last, and though it needs a lot of work, we’re looking forward to making progress.
We’re still waiting on our main piece of furniture (another month, oy)…but otherwise we’re settling in.
Erik has a lead on a potential job in a surprising place (more when I know more. No jinxing it).
The girls have been granted placement in the charter school, I just need to get all of their paperwork together and get them in for physicals so we can make it officially official.
The girls have their own rooms, and I still have an office space of sorts.
I’ve been at my new job for a month, and it’s going well. I’m looking into some new possibilities in my plans for the future, and life is just opening all sorts of possibilities.
In short…life isn’t perfect (it wasn’t before and I didn’t expect it to magically right itself because of our location)…but we are excited to make it work.
So from now own, there will be no more countdowns, but plenty of updates.
by Sarah | Apr 29, 2019 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Home, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All About Ripley, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, Disney Mom, Florida Dreaming, Oola, Redefining Perfect, Universal, Universal Studios Mom
*disclaimer* I am writing this over a week before publication. All information is subject to change. I’ll try to update if that happens, but I’m packing and moving and all the things…sooo…
It’s been over a month since the last update and a LOT has happened.
I mean, a LOT.
Namely…
WE ARE MOVING!!!
After months of a lot of nothing and nowhere interviews…I had a great interview about two weeks ago that led to a job offer.
My notice has been turned in at work, I’ve worked my last day, Erik has turned in his notice.
I’m on a packing, cleaning, planning, freaking out, ecstatic, so much to do rampage…all while trying to spend time with hubby and kids before I go…
Yeah, before I go. The kids are still in school so Erik & the girls won’t be down for another month after I head down.
That means I get a month to explore, learn the ropes, and FIND A HOUSE.
Yeah, no house yet. No job for hubby yet either.
It’s gonna be a squeeze, but I know it’s going to pan out.
It’s time to move on, out of Indiana.
My target was June, 2019.
My entire family will be in Florida in June, 2019.
I love it when a plan comes together.
Today is the one year anniversary of me crossing the state line into Florida.
