I'm happy that I'm talking to my best friend Julie Happinessisbliss again. We each have been going through some crazy stuff (me with family and other "unnamed" fucktoids), and our worlds collided in an unfavorable manor and we didn't speak a word to each other for 1.5 months. Now, that was very hard for me since she's my world, next to my own family. Unfortunately, I am packing my family up and we are moving to Florida on Aug. 15th. Airfare between here and there is just pocket change to us and I promise to keep to my word that if she wants to make a girls night out, give me a few days notice and I'll be here. Flying 2 hours is probably a lot safer than driving I-75 from Monroe to Riverview and back at night anyway, lol…. too many people die on that stretch. I haven't decided where in Florida we are living yet, we have no home there yet, and we are taking a really long vacation with my cats and dogs (wow — that's the challenge there) and we will house hunt down there. Matt's job is portable since he works from home so it makes life so much easier. If we hate it, we can come back or go elsewhere. He has a contract at his company with Ally Bank and they will need him to travel back here anyway from time to time so I'll have reason to come back and see everyone then too. My home and heart will always be downriver but I think my happiness requires some sunshine, no snow, Disney, the ocean, and a much bigger house. The problem with Florida is, the state just "makes" new cities overnight, schools in general are really bad, so the best schools are hard to find, and a lot of the cities have great areas, but if you aren't careful, a lot of cities have seedy areas as well. I know that's everywhere, but it seems especially so in Florida communities. We have always enjoyed Florida. For anyone that has never been there, when you drive there in the winter time, see the wonderful roads, the green trees, well kept homes it's so nice, and then when you drive back and hit the Michigan border, you find brown trees, brown grass, trash on the roads, pot holes, and blahhhness. I love northern Michigan and the U.P. but I could never live there with my health condition. Every doctor told me to move to Florida, so we'll see if the docs there and the weather can help improve me. I told Julie that things do not have to change, we can still talk every single day like we always have, the only difference is I'll have to hop on a plane (a great fear of mine to overcome) and visit. I'm pretty good with keeping my word so unless some unforeseen health situation happens, I will still come home enough! Anytime she wants, I will fly her down with her new family. A long weekend for the beach or a day at Disney. I'm hoping she takes me up on the offers as much as she wants too. What I am most looking forward too, and this may sound cheesy, is a whole new world of photographic opportunities and crazy lightning storms since I have a thing for photographing lightning. Happens almost daily there, so I can't wait. Plus, I've always wanted to be a behind-the-scenes meteorologist and they have Embry-Riddle University which has a good meteorology program. I can live out multiple dreams, as long as I can tolerate the heat and humidity. I hope I acclimatize quickly.
Originally posted on Facebook on July 28, 2013.
