Florida, We’ve Arrived!
We made it! We started this journey almost a month ago now with getting our house packed and loaded into a Mayflower freighter to be shipped across the country. It’s been quite a venture. We left San Diego at the end of April and headed to Las Vegas to spend some time with family before we headed out east. Matt had the pleasure (dreaded task really but hey, I’ve tagged along on the other four cross country jaunts) of driving my car (we shipped his), and that allowed the kiddo and I to fly out a little later.
Anyone with a toddler knows that a long car ride or plane ride is no small task. I was slightly terrified to take her on a four hour flight solo. Okay, really terrified. It ended up working out perfectly though with the help of some Frozen headphones and every cartoon known to man. I felt super accomplished after we landed when the gentleman seated across the aisle from us said to me, “She is the most well behaved child I’ve ever seen on a plane.” I thought to myself – don’t be fooled my friend, it’s the electronics.
Now that we are here, we are enjoying the finest accommodations the Navy has to offer. I mean real resort living… by resort living I mean two double bed and a kitchenette. It’s super fun for the kiddo to play musical beds for an hour or so each night, and cooking all of our meals from a hot plate has been a dream. Ha! For real though, I feel so positive about our current situation because we’re all together. It’s great having my family together in one place whether it’s in our home or in this little hotel room.
We are waiting a few more days before we get the base house we’ve been assigned. I can’t wait to get in there! It’s the cutest townhouse I’ve ever seen. It’s nearly double the size of our San Diego abode (it will be interesting to see how far our furniture goes) with a beautiful screened in porch, which I am quickly learning is a must here in Florida. You guys are going to love it!
Other excitement to speak of is the fact that I am back among the land of Cracker Barrel. We used to frequent Cracker Barrel when I was pregnant with P and living in San Antonio. Sweet tea is kind of my jam, and it’s not something you find on the regular in San Diego. I guess it’s sort of a trade off for the delicious tacos.
P is feeling right at home here already. My little nature bug is completely fascinated by the amount of creatures we see on a daily basis. I’m alarmed. Somehow, I pictured this place as a tropical oasis – it’s Florida after all and I’ve visited south Florida previously. I learned within the first few days of being here that Jacksonville is known as “Southern Georgia” as it’s landscape is less like the rest of the state of Florida and more like that of Georgia. Who knew! One of the first things I said to Matt when we arrived was, “it’s so green here!”
I just wanted to check in with you and let you know that we made it safely. We’re looking forward to getting settled. I’ll leave you with this picture of my baby and me from Mother’s Day. I have no idea how she got so big!
From the sunshine state…
I am so happy your move was a smooth one. I am starting to get nervous about out PCS this fall. We will be moving from Japan to Germany with our dogs and newborn. This is our first PCS as a family (I was command sponsored to Japan). Any tips or tricks should I know to get prepared for our biggest move ever?
Congrats on making it to Florida! We have a move coming up here and I’m not too excited for all the in between life, but you are encouraging me to just enjoy what I can and be flexible until we are settled!
You made it! Jacksonville is so beautiful. You’ll love it! I can’t wait to go there again!
We made it! Hooray!! It’s a whole new world down here but it’s really fun getting to know the area! Thanks for the well wishes!
Never been to Jacksonville, but I love Northern Florida!
I lived in Jacksonville (Jax) about 8 years ago and loved it. Still go back and visit some of the great people I met there. As a matter of fact, going down the 2nd week of July – beach rental – fun – sand – waves…..
Jacksonville is my hometown! We just moved away in January due to my husband’s job. It is definitely more South Georgia than Florida. A great city for families.
Welcome to Jacksonville! I love that it’s green here too!