We went somewhere without moving there! :)

Will and my vacation style has been a little unconventional as instead of visiting places, we just move to our destinations. So, for the short month we have been in FL we have been doing "normal" vacation things. We have been to 2 vacation places in the area and packed bags instead of boxes! We may have this figured out. This weekend we drove the hour and 45 minutes to the Key Largo area and experienced some differences in scenery and culture.

Will is definitely the adventurous type and has welcomed all this change with open arms and excitement, so his approach to the snorkeling we did this weekend was no surprise. He loved it and more of this kind of thing will be in his future. I approached the experience with every floatation device the crew had to offer strapped to me and arms length from the boat at all times. Once I relaxed it was pretty neat....until Will spotted 2 sharks and chose to tell me right when I was brave enough to venture out a little further. I could not get back to the boat fast enough and nothing is worse than having the urge to run as fast as you can but instead you are stuck with giant flippers that you don't know how to use, the fight against ocean waves, and YMCA swim lessons that you wish you would have tried a little harder at. The reassurance from the crew that they were the "nice" kind of sharks was no help and I called it quits. Maybe that was a ridiculous decision, but that's how much I value my limbs.

Fort Meyers

It was refreshing to see some Iowa down here yesterday as we made a quick trip to the west side of the state to see some friends from Waverly vacationing in Fort Meyers. It was fun to be tourists and experience more of the state and see a slightly different culture in Florida than Fort Lauderdale. It was a complete beach community and we enthralled ourselves in it for a short day as we rode bikes along the beach, enjoyed live music, had tropical drinks in pineapple "shells", and Will ate his weird raw seafood. :) I suppose you can do all these things in Fort Lauderdale, but it was nice to do these things and not have to work around the city. Either way...we are liking beach life!

The New ASI

So, I thought I should show what we came down here for. It wasn't just to enjoy the sunshine, although we have been doing that too. Will has been getting the new ASI (Alkali Scientific Inc.) all set up! Between office furniture, inventory (a lot of inventory), hook-ups, and continuous sales, his days have been busy. Everything has been amped up to the next notch in the business world and it has been great to watch. So far - so good!

The photos below are if the warehouse and part of the office space that makes up the home of ASI. One shipment has come so the shelves are starting to fill. Really, it looks like any other warehouse but it represents Will's hard work and hopefully the start of something great.

Our First Visitor!

This is a battle I have lost to Pia's fiancé...luring her to the dark side of football. With Mark being a die hard Notre Dame groupie and subjecting Pia to weekends and hours of football, she is now claiming to be a fan. It was the teams year at the National Championship and so Pia tagged along with Mark and his brothers to be a part of the excitement. Lucky for me, Miami is about forty minutes away! Pia made her way to Fort Lauderdale to sit though the painful crushing of her beloved leprechauns. I also painfully sat through it but was favoring no team :) Just kidding, my disinterest in football was forgotten with my best friend adding some familiarity and support to my new surroundings. I would sit through the Super Bowl if she was willing to come! Although we just got down here, with all the hustle, bustle, and newness it was the perfect time to have a girlfriend for a night.

Ready, Set, Go!

All in one weekend we went to a giant flea market, relaxed on the beach, walked through an art festival downtown, explored Lauderdale by the Sea, and continued to settle in our little apartment. Most of these things were sensory overload so when we got to the beach it was much needed to take a few deep breaths. Will has embraced everything with open arms and most of my pictures were turning out to be of the back of him walking as I have been one step behind! If this is an indication of how future vacations will be- I'm getting out my running shoes :). Today is a slower day at home with the Internet (yay!!) and some sunbathing by the intercostals. Will is getting everything set up with work and it is exciting to see the business grow from a garage gig.

Day 1: Home Sweet Home

A few years ago we chose to move to Arizona in July. I am so glad we lucked out with our moving date back to the heat and moved in January this time. Between the humidity and the two of us moving ourselves in, we looked like we just got hosed-and wish we had. I gotta give Will and I props for moving a lot of boxes and some heavy furniture in with just the two of us. I had to live up to the tough girl reputation my husband has been boasting about so there was some determination in my little muscles on the other side of the the giant furniture. My first reaction to our new little love nest was just that-it's little! I took this in with some giggles and relief that I already did some downsizing back home. Will's words were "I think WE might shrink in this place if we stay long enough." It's cozy, clean, and gated :). So I think we will be just fine.

It was sensory overload cruising through "town" but I'm glad to see some options. There will be more discovery posts to come as Will and I begin to settle ourselves. As will always be true, through all the excitement we are still thinking of our family and friends at home and missing them!

The pictures are a bit uneventful. Most of our day was spent unpacking and driving around to see what we are workin' with. :)

First impressions

Within the first few days of settling in to the south I have formed some first impressions, as common with any initial meetings. Of course some of my judgements may end up to be completely false much like assuming personalities based on shoe wear. We will see.

1. These people love their waffles and country fried steak. I should have kept a talley on how many Waffle Houses and Cracker Barrels we passed. I'm on board with Cracker Barrel but I will complete my time in FL without embracing Waffle House. I've been warned.

2. It was a beautiful drive but I'm glad FL was our destination.

3. One of the first purchases was a drying rack. I put it on the deck to speed up the drying process. 24 hours later the clothes were still wet. Welcome to humidity.

4. Speaking of humidity, I have not been completely dry for 4 days now and counting:). But, I haven't been freezing either, so it's a trade off.

5. In a world where everyone is a tourist or seasonal resident, I hope I can make some permanent friends.

6. The ocean is therapy. No wonder the sound is a part of every musical sleep aid.

7. A couple miles from our apt. there is a Marshall's, TJmaxx, Home Goods, and Target in one building. Enough said.

8. We have been out to eat more in the last week than 2 years. There are just so many delicious options. This could become a problem.

9. I went out on a short venture alone (my car is not here yet, so I'm usually just riding along with Will to wherever). A man got mad because I was being nice and let him in my lane. I was appalled. I think he was just confused at the niceness. I am hoping this attitude doesn't speak for the lot of FL.

10. We traded in the deer and cows for lizards and parrots.

Apart from minor and normal moving frustrations- so far, so good!

To 2013!

I brought in the new year with the love of my life, my best friend and her love, good Italian food and wine, new lip gloss in my pocket, and on the verge of an adventure. I hope this is an indication of how 2013 will go. :) Embarrassingly enough, I think the last couple years Will and I have peeked at the strike of midnight through our slumber, so spending it out with good friends was refreshing.
Today we started the trek down to our new home where exploration awaits. There were a couple kinks in packing as I tried to downsize to fit in a little one bedroom city apartment. This being done by a girl who likes her stuff was a little stressful. But aside from a few unorganized boxes because of last minute frenzy, everything got packed. It's always tough to say goodbye, but with some loved ones already planning vacations it was a little easier. Here's to 2013 and all it brings! May the Lord make me brave and ambitious when facing the unfamiliar and continue to encourage Will through all his hard work!