New Adventure!

New year, new adventure!

Those of you who know me, know that I.do.not.like.Florida.  Like...really don't like Florida.  That's a tough thing because my husband and I both have family there.  When I say I don't like Florida, I don't mean I don't like the people (our family and friends), I mean that I literally don't like the state of Florida.  I don't like the sun.  Well, I like the sun and all it does, but I don't like it beating down on me all the time.  I don't like the headaches and sunburns it gives me.  I don't like wearing sunscreen.  I don't like sweating.  I don't like being hot.  I don't like getting in the ocean.  I don't like not seeing what is around me because the water is so dirty.  I don't like the sand.  I don't like the way it sticks to your sunscreen.  I don't like how it gets in your bathing suit and your car.  I don't like fire ants, I am convinced we are all deathly allergic to them.  I don't like alligators in my back yard that will eat my kids.  I don't like hurricanes.  I don't like sink holes.  I do not look at a palm tree and think 'oh, how pretty is that!'  I do not like the grass...can't believe that those sharp blades of straw are even considered grass.  I don't like driving in monsoons.

So why in the heck have I decided that we should move to Florida?!?!  And yes, it was me who decided that we should do it.  I've known my husband for 15 years, and I've known that he would move back to Florida in a heartbeat because he could easily type up a list like the one above, but it would be 'Reasons I don't like Ohio'.  (He is from Port Orange/Daytona Beach).  He has stayed up north for me.  For 15 years.  He has sacrificed so much for me and for our boys.  I have been a stay-at-home mom for almost 9 years.  He has worked his booty off supporting us.  He has worked 2 jobs for the past 2 years, working 7 days/week, up to 90 hours/week.  For us.  His happiness has suffered.  His health has suffered.  I want him to be happier and healthier, and I think a big of dose of Florida sunshine might do the trick for him.

The thought of moving to Florida permanently paralyzes me.  Makes me feel like I'm being suffocated.  Seriously.  (I really don't like Florida!)  However, I can do it temporarily.  I can leave the house I love, the neighborhood I love, the city we live in, our church, our friends...everything we know and love...temporarily, knowing we can return to our exact house, our exact neighborhood, in 1 year.  I can do it because I do love my husband dearly.

Our plan is:
1)  Do not sell our house here in Ohio.
2)  Do not buy a house in Florida.
3)  We will rent out our house in Ohio.
4)  We will rent a house in Florida.
5)  We will wait to move until June, end of school year.
6)  We will decide where we will live based on where my husband finds a job.
7)  If I end up hating it within that year and want to come back to Ohio, we will do so.

There are 2 major variables to this plan working.  1)  Will my husband be able to find a job in Florida??  2)  Will someone rent our house for the monthly rent we will be asking?
I'm handing it over to God.  We will go forward, making our plans to make this move happen.  If this is not the path we should be taking, I trust that God will make that apparent.

As I type this, I'm looking out the window to snow falling wildly.  The ground, including the road, is completely covered.  And I love it.