Much-Needed Spa Day

I am going to put the bad, crazy, and not so fun in the most concise form ever because I just don't want to talk about it and want to get it out of the way, but I know you all want an update.....  SO, after mega headaches we signed loan docs on the house Tuesday evening, the deed is officially recorded as of June 24th (so close!), the homeowner prior owner still feels entitlement and wants to vacate on her schedule (which we are currently being told is next week) and she continues to be unreachable, we are now juggling movers/setting up utilities/orchestrating locksmiths/etc, AND Todd is out of town (so much for not traveling in his new position...however, he was so grateful to be back in Orlando, and fit in visits with friends, beer with the guys, shopping at John Craig, and coffee at his favorite French bakery and sushi in Tampa)!

What is a lonely girl to do when she needs a little down time and is tired of sitting in hotel room by herself all day??  She gets out!!  Better yet, for a little (okay, maybe it was more like a LOT) of pampering!!!  If you know my Aunt who lives in San Diego, you completely understand why she was the perfect partner-in-crime for this mission!  When I text her to see if she wanted to meet me for a spa treatment, she replied to let me know she had booked an entire day of lunch, spa treatments, and pool time at the Rancho Bernardo Inn Country Club, Resort & Spa!  It was heaven served on a silver platter... I now understand why they are consistently voted San Diego's Best Outdoor Spa!  This is what we did ALL.  DAY.  L. O. N. G.....

Tomorrow I drive home "home" back to the hotel (and reality) so we can finish preparing for the move and wait for the call saying the home is officially ours!  ...and then wait for Mr. Hood to arrive home from his long day of cross-country travels!

Bidding Farewell - Part 3

We are preparing  to board our flight to make our departure from Orlando.  I feel like this is officially where we make the transition from being sad about what we are leaving behind to being excited about what awaits us!  So, this is my final "farewell" post, but I thought it was only appropriate to have one more reflection on something wonderful that we will miss - all of you!

Todd and I do not have family in Florida, and over the past year or so we have truly immersed ourselves in our church - these wonderful people along with other friends became our "Florida Family"!  We have enjoyed "doing life" with them.  To reflect on all of the things we have walked with each other through, it feels like we have been with them for years.  It is amazing how much can happen in such a short time:  new babies, big moves, loss, heartache, celebration, etc!  We will greatly miss you all, but know we have made some lifelong friends, so instead of goodbye we can really just say "See you Soon!"

Thank you to ALL of our friends, we have enjoyed these memories among many, many more:
(Doing this made me sad we don't have pictures with many of you, so come visit so we can take some!)

Freshly married, playing horse at the Hart's and Todd showed me what a
warrior of a husband he would be on his pink bike ;)

Carolyn, one of Todd's first friends in Orlando who later became
a mutual friend, fellow church member, and coworker!

The soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Wan, they are giving us a reason to visit in the Fall!
 Great friends, and good times :)

Miss Jaselene - we will miss her smiling face :)
...as well as her Mommy and Daddy's!

I can't say enough about these women -- thank you for your friendship!

The Martins (minus Eva) -- amazing friends who will be greatly missed!
We have known you for a short time, but you have made such a large
impact on our lives!

Playing in the sandbox! :o)

The Pighettis who made such an impression upon us, and taught us the
biggest lesson in faith and trust in God!  We are honored to be a part
of their story!



Miss MacKenzie loving her ice cream!
I will miss her big hugs on Sundays!



Bidding Farewell - Part 2

I am writing this from a hotel room bed by the airport.  Todd is on a conference call, and Breck is so excited to be out of his airplane crate and snuggled like a curled up cat next to me on the bed.  We were able to vacate our condo in the evening yesterday after a long day of packing, loading, and cleaning. We even had some friends and neighbors get some final goodbyes in throughout the day.  After the last thing was loaded on the truck, we steam mopped our way out of the condo, grabbed our pile of things in the entry way, and locked the door.    I think we were a little too tired and hungry to be sentimental.  However, I did manage to take a few pictures of the empty place!

So worried I'm going to be left --
so, I will just sit on top of my crate until it is time to go!

Last time....

Goodbye to our cute little condo that we have made so
many wonderful memories in!

After picking up our last convenient meal at Chick-fil-A (the nearest one to our new house is 25 miles away, and from what my Aunt tells me people outside of the South just don't "get" it, so it's not a big deal there...in fact they don't get why CFA isn't open on Sunday and probably don't order Sweet tea!), Todd and I made our way to the hotel.    We commented on how everything still felt very surreal and that it just felt like another day, just a busy one.

We also talked about what Orlando has meant to us....while neither of us wanted to move to Florida (Todd 4 years ago, and me about a year and a half ago), we were very pleasantly surprised by what a big role it has played in our story and how much it grew on us.  Foremost, Todd and I would have never met had he not moved to Florida; it was a mutual friend whom Todd met in Florida that introduced us!  Many memories of us dating bring me back to hot summer days in Orlando and date nights on Park Avenue.  When we returned as Mr. and Mrs. for the first time, the palm trees in Orlando welcomed us home!  Breck is our little piece of Florida...a true Floridian born in Tampa he hates snow (his namesake is a ski town?!?!), shivers in the least bit of cold, and loves to sunbathe!  We have met so many wonderful people along the way that we hope will make "cameos" in the remainder of our story :)  Finally, Todd and I just feel really sentimental when we think of Orlando because this is where we got our start together, made our nest, and learned how to be newlyweds!

Moving Pros & Cons

I know my last post about moving did not elaborate very much on our feelings about moving, so I thought I would take a minute to share some of what we are feeling (at this moment!!)

Lets start with the not so great:
- We will greatly miss all of the friends we have made in Orlando over the last several years
- We will be further away from our families, and will miss them being in a "driveable" distance from us!
- We will miss all of our friends coming in and out of town to go to conferences and spend a few days with Mickey!!
- Everyone in California will think my Southern accent is bad until they meet Todd - we will be aliens!
- Our church has been such a great support system here, and we will surely not be able to replace it!
- I will miss restaurants that have horrible names, but are so yummy like Hannibal's and The Ravenous Pig!!
- While I know we will have other wonderful things in California, I will miss shopping and eating on Park Avenue, mornings at the French Bakery, and Saturdays at the best farmer's market!
- Brick roads, oak trees canopying charming streets, lakes on every corner, and the charm of Florida will be long gone! (who knew I would ever love anything about Florida!!)
- We will greatly miss not having state income tax -- 9.3% in CA will HURT!
- Todd will have withdrawls from the Magic, and the new Amway Arena that is not even 3 miles away from our condo!
- The unknown!!

And the great:
- Todd's new position is a wonderful thing, and a much needed change we are looking forward to
- We can find a new church, and will meet new friends!
- We can then introduce said friends to the wonderful new Southern gem in the middle of their city that they don't even appreciate, I'm sure:  Chick-fil-A !!
- I can have In-N-Out burger whenever I want it...bunless for me of course!!  If you don't know what I am talking about, see here!!
- We will be missing the worst part of the year in Florida (hot, hot, hot), and enjoying perfect weather in California during the summer
- The beach will be practically in our back yard!
- Todd is excited to be in a city that actually has pro sports other than just basketball....however, he wants to make it clear he will NOT be a Lakers or Clippers fan (who likes the Clippers, anyway??), he is staying true to the Magic!
- As a child, we lived in San Diego for a few years (my little brother is a Californian by birth) and my Aunt and Uncle and one of my cousins still live about 2 hours from LA so we will be able to visit them!  In addition, my extended family is in Seattle so it will be easier to make a trip that way!
- We will have all new weekend getaway locations!
- I'm convinced living Celiac-induced gluten-free will be much easier in the land of skinny-minis on Fad Gluten Free Diets!

Well, that's it for now!  I'm sure I will have so many more thoughts on this, but will spare you from reading more until a later date!

Georgia / Florida Game in Jax!

Todd and I had decided to try to make it to the Georgia / Florida game this season in Jacksonville since we live only two hours away.  So, with my cousins in town from Seattle, we decided to give them a taste of SEC football.  Saturday morning, we headed out to Jacksonville to watch the game!  It was a great game, even though Georgia lost in overtime :o(  We stopped for dinner at OC White's in St. Augustine, Florida on the way home.  This turned out to be quite fun since it is an old pirate town on the coast, and it was the weekend of Halloween!  Here are the few pictures I managed to take!

Kaili and me!

...and on to overtime!



Dinner in St. Augustine!!



August in Orlando

Todd warned me that Orlando summers meant heat and storms!  Of course, the heat has already hit, but I had only had a taste of the storms.  Almost daily we have a hot, sunny day, and then suddenly during the afternoon, dark clouds roll in, open up into a downpour, and roll out just as quickly.  The sun comes back out and clears all evidence of rain in half an hour, and it is back to miserable heat for the rest of the day.  This week, is clearly not going to be that way!  From what I understand, some hurricanes have moved out, while lower pressure areas are moving in...which create storms now, and can evolve into hurricanes.  Because of the rain we woke up to today, I was looking forward to a day of candles lit in the house, getting some organization projects tackled, and comfy clothes!  However, I think I am going to get an entire week (plus some!!) of stay-inside-the-house days!  Lots of rain, and only a tiny bit of relief from the heat!  Looks like I need to plan on rain at least through the 18th!!

The Sunshine State

Ah, Florida the Sunshine State! They aren't kidding! As it heats up outside, Florida is getting more miserable by the day! Which means crisping at the pool, avoiding Disney during the day, and trying to find things to do inside to avoid going out! There are so many reasons not to love Florida! I told Todd when we were dating that Florida was the last state in the US I would ever choose to move to. haha I most certainly was proven wrong! In my mind, Florida was always a place to visit, and not a place to live - unless I was retired! I have complained to Todd from day one that Orlando is lacking in the cultural arts (less Disney), professional sports teams, the slow change of seasons, and great owner/operator restaurants. To enjoy a day on the lake, you have to be okay with alligators at the shore line, and if you like concerts...don't plan on any big ones coming through town!

However, all that being said, I have recently found a few things I do appreciate, and maybe even love about Florida! Todd, if you are reading this, please pick yourself up off the floor! So, here they are:

1)After two recent trips to Georgia to enjoy the spring weather, I realized that the horrible allergy season that I experience in Georgia is non-existent in Florida! The lack of itchy eyes, stuffy nose, and congested head is such a welcome change :)

2)All of the department stores have an extensive selection of sandals and flip flops...year round! What could be better than a comfy new pair of couture flip flops in the winter with a pair of jeans and a tank! Somehow, my shoe shopping has decreased since my move, and I am completely baffled as to how that happened! Seems like I need to go on a shoe shopping trip!

3)I do miss winter and wearing sweaters and overcoats, but Florida does have wonderful 70 degree winters, which make for awesome dinners on patios in January! Yes, it seems a little strange at first, but it is quite enjoyable!

4)Another product of the mild winters, is that the farmers market is year round! How awesome to be able to support local farmers, and enjoy fresh produce, flowers, cheese, fruit, and seafood all year long! A year round farmers market also makes for the best markets I have ever been to! Lots of selection, permanent facilities, great community involvement, and amazing foods!

5)Finally, I did not realize how spoiled we were until we took Breck to Atlanta and saw how few places we could take him. It is so great to live in such a dog-friendly area, in which Breck can eat on patios with us, go into boutiques, and stay in hotels when we are on the road! As a puppy, it is easy to worry about him at home in his crate - can he hold it until I get home, is he crying so loud the neighbors hear him, and the list goes on. It is so nice to throw him in the car when I need to run out somewhere real quick without having to feel guilty or go through the crate routine. It has made for such a socialized and happy puppy who does not have anxiety about being in the car or new places.

I think 5 things is enough, I certainly wouldn't want to overdo it! ;)

It's Official!

It's official! I have been a Floridian since yesterday! I now finally have an ID with my married name on it also! After a 4 hour wait, having to drive back home to get Todd to write a letter that verifies we are married and live in the same home (interesting government we have!), and a whopping $48 dollars it is finally done! This silly task that I had an inclination would take much longer than necessary is finally no longer on the back burner! Which only means several more errands such as bank account changes and things of that nature. I didn't realize how many things had my name on them! The scope of how much has to be taken care of is crazy! I am absolutely believing that the bride should get the big ring to compensate her for her time and sacrifice to change everything she owns to a new name, deal with government agencies, and wait in long lines -- only kidding! At least my ring gives me something pretty to look at in drab waiting rooms full of crazy people! Oh, and the other perk of being a Floridian...I can now get Florida resident rates at Disney! So, here it is, I knew I had to share so luckily it's not half bad!!