With an April 1 move-in date, we were planning to travel down to FL in mid-February to look at homes. However, this trip got pushed up after finding one with great potential online. With Ryan on Mr. Mom duty for two days, I went by myself to Navarre.
Here are some things I learned on my trip:
1. The panhandle is on central time, unlike the rest of Florida.
2. I will still wake up in the night even without a baby to feed.
3. Learning my way around Navarre will probably be a breeze since there is one main road (which parallels the ocean) to go anywhere and everywhere.
4. I think I can get used to the warmer temperatures very quickly.
5. If I turn left out of our street and drive straight for 2 miles, my car will be submerged in the crystal waters of the Gulf. Yes, it is that close.
6. Looks aren't everything
7. If you are hungry enough, peanuts that spilled in your purse will taste great!
8. I will have to try and convert from a Target shopper to a Walmart shopper for convenience.
9. Southern hospitality definitely extends as far south as the Gulf coast.
10. It is amazing how much more you can accomplish without children in tow. I felt like I was moving at light speed.
Excluding travel time, I was really only in Navarre for just over 24 hours. I took advantage of every minute to learn/absorb as much as I could. When I bought a sub for lunch, I talked to the employees about preschools and neighborhoods. I took a walk through the nearest Publix to scope out my future grocery shopping experiences (which is lovely). I visited the preschool where Hayden is registered to complete the remainder of this school year (and will register Logan for next). I visited the elementary school where he will attend K next year. I learned about the bus route and that we are first on the stop (good for the afternoons, bad for the mornings). I woke up early and drove Ryan's commute from 'our' house, through the gate, to his office. I chatted with a local cop about the safety in our potential neighborhood. I made friends with the hotel staff, one of whom, lives in 'our' neighborhood. I knocked on the doors of three future neighbors to introduce myself. I visited the clubhouse, exercise room, swimming pool that is part of our community and talked with the ladies who would watch the boys while I workout.
I was trying to gather the 20/20 hindsight in advanced--hoping to prevent a phrase starting with, 'well, I wished we.....if we had known....' coming from my mouth in a year.
But, I started to second guess the house that brought me down there in the first place and had an agent show me another.
Which confused me.
So, I returned to the hotel to search online for other homes.
Which confused me further.
Does this all sound scrambled; that was how I felt. My thoughts racing with my emotions.
With all the above accomplished by Friday mid-afternoon, I drove 35 minutes away to visit a friend, Lou Ellen. She and I taught in the same school in Baumholder, Germany, lived 20 minutes apart in NJ and now will again, share an assignment in FL. She and her family have been in FL for a couple of years already. They are stationed at a base near Hurlburt and therefore, live more inland. I fell in love with their community which of course, confused me more. But boy, was it a blessing to see a familiar face amidst all the newness. She kindly let me talk, rant and debate all my decisions.
Truly, I felt drained and conflicted about where we would be happiest living. Then, before driving to the airport, I drove 5 minutes from our community and saw this:
Suddenly, the anxiety vanished and I was overwhelmed with all the wonderful memories will be create living so close to the shore. I had clarity. The vastness of the ocean seemed to engulf my worries. I knew which town, neighborhood and house we should choose.
After all is said and done, I came full circle and we are sticking with our gut; the house that brought me down to Florida in the first place (a huge sigh of relief to Ryan, who was a trooper as I shared this 'journey' with him via phone). The neighborhood has quite a wonderful reputation and many military do rent/buy within it. It is big (3 x 5 miles approx). To me, this lacks intimacy. There wasn't a charm (to me) about the neighborhood, but I think it will be a good fit.
After viewing this house online a couple of weeks prior, what excited us about it immediately is that it sits on a cul-de-sac. Then we saw this picture online and knew we had to see it in person: (excuse the captions--I got them off the website)
So, this will home as of April 1.
A few minutes drive:
A house is made with walls and beams. A home is made with love and dreams.
Of course, if I'm living with my four 'men' I suppose I will always be 'home.'
