Winter in Florida

After the busy holiday season it was time to relax, or so I thought, we still had New Year’s to get through.  I assumed since we had mostly older people and couples around us that it would be quiet in the RV park, you know what they say when you assume anything.  My lil family decided to have a peaceful dinner and stay in on this night, there are always too many idiots driving drunk on the roads during the holiday season.  Just as we were getting ready to watch a movie, we started hearing people talking outside.  We got dressed and went to investigate; little did we know one of the adopted grandparents was having a golf cart party at her house.

      There were golf carts parked anywhere they could park around her fifth wheel, the carts were still decorated with Christmas lights and such.  They had a fire blazing to welcome anyone and everyone from all parts of the country that chose to spend their holidays in FL.  I was amazed at the energy and festiveness they had in them, I only wish I could keep up!  We went and chatted for a bit with the ones we knew before heading back in for our movie and bed, I’ve haven’t been able to be awake for New Year’s for many moons, at least not since the lil one was born.

      With New Year’s out of the way it was time to buckle down and finish our Kindergarten school year, before the spring months came and we didn’t feel like doing any work.  It dropped to freezing a few nights while there, nothing too bad or too hard to handle.   After the ice storms in Bama, the winters in Florida were very mild in comparison. Our two small heaters kept us very warm and toasty, not to mention the oven going frequently so I could bake some tasty treats.

      Daddy was at work a lot these last few months and we were hard at filling the lil one’s head with knowledge.  The days got into a good rhythm and we actually accomplished quite a bit on those dreary cold days.  Some days we did nothing but watch movie after movie while munching on popcorn and drinking hot cocoa and coffee, so much that I felt I had coffee running through my veins on occasion.

      Finally, we started seeing new life in the form of buds on the trees and a few buttercups.  Spring was upon us before we knew it.  We went to the beach a few final times, knowing we were heading up to the northwest, I had to see it again.  I didn’t know when we would be back around the ocean, it might be years before I see and hear those majestic waves crashing with the rhythm of Mother Earth.

      We had saved a good bit, but not enough to carry us as far and for as long as we would like, so we started checking jobs in the states we were planning on hitting.  It didn’t seem like it would be too hard to get work in some of the major cities close to where we were going.  The plan started coming together and I knew when I started the process of de-cluttering the rig that we were really going to leave the comfort of Jacksonville, FL.

      Finally I had everything weeded out and put in its place, knowing that we would be making a few short stops as tourist I had to put the necessities in the front; so as to not have to move a mountain to get to the things we really needed.  The lil one was spending as much time as she could with the friends we had made, collecting emails and such.  There are really no ‘goodbyes’ in the RV world, we say ‘until we meet again’, believe it or not but I know our paths will cross again with many of the friends we’ve made in this great country of ours.

      The final weeks and days were bittersweet. We were comfortable in Jax, we had been there for 6yrs previously and we knew the land well; to head into unknown territory can be frightening for some, but it is also exhilarating to many, us included.  We have come to live everyday to its fullest, never knowing what is around the corner and embracing every challenge that comes our way.  Our new phrase is that we are 'Living on Faith', without our faith that everything will work out as it should; well frankly I don't know if I could live this lifestyle with the smile on my face.

 

Untill next time.....

 

The course of life is unpredictable..... no one can write his autobiography in advance.  ~ Abraham Joshua Heschel