first couple weeks on the road
The toughest part about saying, "see you later" is knowing that our nieces and friends children will be older when we come back. I know we'll miss some major milestones, Harlee will ask for her cousins and we'll be able to FaceTime them, but they won't be able to stop by for a swim or a snack, Declan will be walking, and Harlee is already speaking in complete sentences like a little lady. On the other hand, this trip was laid on both my and my husband's hearts, and we felt this pull deep down to go... so here we are! We've been extremely blessed with places to stay, the people we've met, and have loved seeing friends and family along the way.
Our first stop was a little town in Orlando called Pine Castle - there are streets there named after my mom's ancestors, and my great aunt is {proudly} one of Pine Castle's oldest pioneers! Every year, the "old timers" put on a parade and a festival, and our departing weekend happened to coincide with the event... it felt like it was only fate to make it our first stop and bid farewell to our Orlando family. We stayed with my mom's cousins, who are amazing hosts, and celebrated Patrick's 30th birthday with an impromptu family gathering filled with cousins, aunts, uncles, fried chicken, and beer. We had to say goodbye to my mom and two of my sisters and their daughters while we were there, and I get emotional just thinking about it - I know it's never goodbye, but man I wish we had a camper big enough where they could come with us! Maybe one day my sisters and I will actually build that compound we've been talking about... #kindofkiddingbutnot
Leaving Orlando was tough, but the next destination was Island Grove Winery in Ocala. A couple of our friends from college own the farm and winery and they graciously invited us to stay there, so obviously we said yes! The farm there was gorgeous and Harlee was so excited to see a real farm. The oak trees were majestic, and we stayed in our camper in front of their iconic historic home built in the 1800's that they have on the property. Gypsy Lou was right at home running the property, and Declan and Harlee ate enough dirt that I had to bathe them several times a day (although that now seems to be the norm for them). Blueberry wine is pretty delicious... so if you're ever passing through Ocala, stopping at their tasting room is a must!
5 hours and a million potty breaks later, we made it to our house we still own in Lynn Haven, FL (just north of Panama City). I forgot how much I love this house, although it has been a major pain in the ass to rent it out and keep it up since we moved out 5 years ago. We're between renters, so we're here painting and doing general maintenance on it while enjoying the absolutely perfect spring break weather, visiting with old friends and my brother and his family, and staying fit at Mirror Image CrossFit. I was also thankful to find an amazing coffee shop in St. Andrew's called Amavida where I'm keeping up with my work from the road. They have a nitro cold brew that they serve in a pint glass - it's ridiculously awesome. We're not quite sure how much longer we'll be here, as we're both anxious to keep going, but for now, we're paying the mortgage here so it beats paying mortgage + a campground fee.... so we will see!
this photo: jessica bordner
Our first stop was a little town in Orlando called Pine Castle - there are streets there named after my mom's ancestors, and my great aunt is {proudly} one of Pine Castle's oldest pioneers! Every year, the "old timers" put on a parade and a festival, and our departing weekend happened to coincide with the event... it felt like it was only fate to make it our first stop and bid farewell to our Orlando family. We stayed with my mom's cousins, who are amazing hosts, and celebrated Patrick's 30th birthday with an impromptu family gathering filled with cousins, aunts, uncles, fried chicken, and beer. We had to say goodbye to my mom and two of my sisters and their daughters while we were there, and I get emotional just thinking about it - I know it's never goodbye, but man I wish we had a camper big enough where they could come with us! Maybe one day my sisters and I will actually build that compound we've been talking about... #kindofkiddingbutnot
Leaving Orlando was tough, but the next destination was Island Grove Winery in Ocala. A couple of our friends from college own the farm and winery and they graciously invited us to stay there, so obviously we said yes! The farm there was gorgeous and Harlee was so excited to see a real farm. The oak trees were majestic, and we stayed in our camper in front of their iconic historic home built in the 1800's that they have on the property. Gypsy Lou was right at home running the property, and Declan and Harlee ate enough dirt that I had to bathe them several times a day (although that now seems to be the norm for them). Blueberry wine is pretty delicious... so if you're ever passing through Ocala, stopping at their tasting room is a must!
5 hours and a million potty breaks later, we made it to our house we still own in Lynn Haven, FL (just north of Panama City). I forgot how much I love this house, although it has been a major pain in the ass to rent it out and keep it up since we moved out 5 years ago. We're between renters, so we're here painting and doing general maintenance on it while enjoying the absolutely perfect spring break weather, visiting with old friends and my brother and his family, and staying fit at Mirror Image CrossFit. I was also thankful to find an amazing coffee shop in St. Andrew's called Amavida where I'm keeping up with my work from the road. They have a nitro cold brew that they serve in a pint glass - it's ridiculously awesome. We're not quite sure how much longer we'll be here, as we're both anxious to keep going, but for now, we're paying the mortgage here so it beats paying mortgage + a campground fee.... so we will see!