…I’m now in Florida. And since I now have cable and internet, I’m writing this post from my very own apartment in Florida.

These last few days have been a blur. I had my last day at work at Georgia Gwinnett College on July 18, left work, ran some errands and said some last minute goodbyes, finished packing the apartment and UHaul, loaded Maddie the Mazda on the car tow, and left Athens, GA around midnight. After driving/sleeping/good overnight conversation, we (my best friend Ty and I) arrived at the apartment complex around Noon on Saturday, July 19. That then started the rush to get the truck unloaded and all the furniture put together before Ty flew back to NC to continue his regularly scheduled life.

So, what do I think? Well, I made it. I’m here. While I had a mini breakdown moment on Friday at work when they had a surprise going away party for me, I really had the breakdown moment on Saturday evening after Ty and I raced around Target trying to get a long list of apartment essentials. For some reason, it really hit me that I was starting a new chapter in my life at that point and all the tears that I hadn’t shed began to flow pretty freely. I also think that feeling exhausted to the next level (after getting about 4 hours of sleep in a moving truck) played a part in it, also. At any rate- the best solution I could come up with is to curl up on my new sofa with my long term partner in crime: my teddy bear Fuzzy (we’ve been rolling tight for 23 years). And it seems that some sleep, a hug from Ty, and some encouraging words helped a lot.

So now what? Well I’m still unpacking some stuff. I immediately realized that when my mom comes to visit in about a week or so, we’ll have to do some serious cleaning out of the closet, because I transferred all my clothes to a walk-in closet and it’s already close to full! I also realized that in the mean time, I’ll have to stop doing something that I love- BUYING BOOKS- because I have SO. MANY. BOOKS. Hopefully the bookshelf game will be upgraded in the next couple of days, but right now, the boxes of books are stored in the laundry room.

Do I like it? I like what I’ve seen thus far. It’s very picturesque, and being a mile from the beach doesn’t hurt. It IS expensive (a quarter pounder with cheese value meal from McDonald’s cost me almost $7), which is, of course, a draw back. Lots of people ride their bikes, which gives me incentive to save my money for one, especially considering how close Publix, Walgreens, and Walmart are. I’ve seen a mix of people, and it’s definitely not the “south” (people don’t say “Hi” or “Excuse me” or any of that stuff that I’m used to). It’s cool for what it is, and I’m sure I’ll like it more once I see more and get fully acquainted to where I am. I was also very excited to learn that one of my UGA classmates is down here working with Miami Teaching Fellows. At least I’ll have someone I know down here for 2 years.

Moving down here has been a huge leap of faith, and at each point where I thought I wanted to give up or change my mind, there have been people to encourage me and uplift me.  I’m grateful to God for the opportunity and the experience, and I look forward to all that’s to come (and that includes visits from you all).

Well well, I think that’s all for now. I’m off to do more unpacking.