One year in Florida

Well, it's hard to believe, but as of today, Sunday, August 16th, we have been in Florida one year. We finished packing our house on a Friday and spent that night with my mom and Mike. My dad and Pam had the Penske truck packed and left on early Saturday morning. Keith and I left CT around 4am on Saturday morning. He had the dogs in his truck and I had the two kids and the cat in my car. We looked like the Clampetts, but we made it. We arrived on Sunday evening around 6pm. My car broke down minutes getting off of I-4, about 5 minutes from my dad's house. I was in a panic, but dad came to my rescue. When we finally arrived at the new house, alot of my family was already here and getting ready to help us unpack. We unloaded the heavy stuff (beds, piano, dressers, etc) and called in a night. Keith and I spent the next week trying to get everything in it's place. Of course we were a little sidetracked as Hurricane Faye came in and rained us out for a week straight. But, we managed to get everything unloaded and unpacked. Now, one year later, we are finally Floridians.

A lot changed in one year. I lost my sweet kitty, Elsie, a few weeks after we moved to Florida. He got lost in the woods behind our house, and although we frantically looked for him for months, we were never able to find him. I still want to believe in my heart that a nice sweet family found him and are giving him the great life he deserves.

Of course some of the good things that have come from being in Florida is spending great quality time with my family and friends. We have many outings and beach trips, and we are adjusting to the Florida heat.

I will always miss CT. I have some of my fondest memories there. Keith and I created our life there and had our babies there. We fixed our home to make it ours. We started our family traditions there. We had each other when times were tough, and together we learned that we could get through anything as long as we worked together. My job there introduced me to some of the best people I have ever met and taught me more about life in two years than I will ever learn in a lifetime. One of my best friends still lives there, and of course having my mom there and not here is tough too. I miss the weather. Believe it or not, I still miss the snow and the change of seasons. There will always be a twinge of nostalgia that hits me every fall when I know that the leaves are changing and the air is brisk- that means leaving windows open at night and going on hayrides and pumpkin patches and of course all the town fairs. I am learning to live life in Florida again. In my heart, I don't think I belong in Fl as CT showed me that I am small town person. BUT, I believe that God has us here for a reason, and if it is in HIS plans for us to be somewhere else in the future then we will cross that bridge when we get there. Until then, we are the Florida Caseys.