moving to florida - HerPretty

Aug 2, 2012

Cocoa Beach Boys

Sand in my Toes

Despite the fact that Florida isn’t quite living up to my expectations so far, one of the great joys of being here is our proximity to the beach. An hour or so East or West will see us on hot sand as we anticipate the thrill of throwing our hot bodies into the cold water of the Atlantic.

Our first trip to the beach was a Sunday spent at St Pete, which was lovely, but marred only by the fact that Dexter wasn’t quite sure of the water yet. He spent most of the time helping the sand into his little pink bucket.

We have also been to a beach in Melbourne, but unfortunately, when we got there it was a Red Flag day, which meant we couldn’t swim due to the dangerous conditions. And since then, we hadn’t really made any effort to hit the beach.

But we’ve spent plenty of time in the pool, which has helped Dexter to really start ENJOYING the water, rather than just tolerate it.

So this past Sunday, we made the most of a sunny summer day and hit up Cocoa Beach.

Wading with Daddy

Dexter didn’t insist on being picked up and held the whole time. He was happy to hold our hands as he waded out into the surf, letting the waves crash into him and throw him backward, laughing uproariously the whole time.

He walked up and down the beach, catching admiring glances from scores of people, who all felt the need to comment on how beautiful his eyes are, how big he is (“He’s only 17 months?? My two year old is smaller than he is!”), and how shy he seems to be.

Splashing in the Waves

Each mouthful of sea water made him giggle, and while I was afraid the salt in his eyes might upset him, he took it all in his stride, simply enjoying himself.

He took great delight when daddy taught him that wet sand can be squeezed through his fingers and used to create giant ploppy sand sculptures.

Sand Sculptures

Everyone was covered in a thick skin of wet sand, but no one seemed to mind.

Little man and I ran into the surf, jumping waves, and I held him tightly to my chest, relishing the feeling of holding my boy while another life grows inside of me. I think to the future, and how it will feel when I have two children to watch over. I smile silently to myself, wondering if we’ll have a little girl for me to fuss over or another fearless little boy who refuses to listen when we tell him to be careful…

Waves

Back on the beach, we take our dollar store beach ball and throw it into the air, where the wind catches it and tries to make away with it. But it, too, is coated with wet sand, and the extra weight is enough to keep it on the ground, where Dexter chases after it like a lost puppy.

Beach Ball

We have to constantly reapply sun cream to our toe-headed little guy, and as he starts to look tired, I feed him snacks and give him a bottle of milk to keep him hydrated. He drinks it up like it is the nectar of life, and I admire his little form, covered in sparkly sand like some sort of Twilight-era vampire.

Baby Blue Eyes

Eventually, after hours spent in the glorious sunshine, I feel that it is time to leave, and so I ready our possessions and we head back to the parking lot for a quick shower.

Daddy and Dexter rinse themselves off in the spray, but we’ll eventually still bring half of the beach back home with us, and it’ll be days before our hoover collects all the gritty particles from our foyer.

Beach Shower

On the way home, daddy asks who wants Dairy Queen, and we stop at the nearest one. Dexter and I share hot dogs with ketchup, mustard and relish, and we sip our Orange Julius through a shared straw.

Kisses

We also share kisses in our tiny booth, and I know that it has been a great day at the beach.

Filed Under: Blog, HerFamily, HerPhotography · Tagged: beach, cocoa beach, family, family friendly, florida, moving to florida, photo posts

Jul 27, 2012

Photo Post – A Month of Fun

By Katie Vyktoriah · 1 Comment

As I said in my last post, we’ve been getting up to all sorts of mischief since we moved into our new place, but my pregnancy sickness and general exhaustion has kept me from updating regularly about all our fun. Still, I DID take photos along the way, so at least I can share the fun with you visually.

The Bloggess - Let's Pretend this Never Happened

Firstly, can I just say how EXCITED I was to have virtually attended one of The Bloggess’ book clubs online earlier this month, when OUT OF THE BLUE, she randomly chose me as a winner of a signed copy of her audio book?

Jenny Lawson Autograph

Check this out! I mean, I have been reading The Bloggess for a very very long time, and I had already pre-ordered the book on Kindle and had read it twice by the time the book club happened, and weirdly, watching her read bits from the book, I made the comment that it was making me wish I had the audio book. And Lo and Behold! Only a few minutes later, she gave it to me!

And she signed it with a heart, which I’m certain she does NOT do for everyone, and in fact it was meant specifically for me because she knows just how amazingly awesome I am and totally wants to be my best friend now and forever.

Ahem.

In other news, we are settling in well to our new abode, even though it is small and cramped and I am the only one without any personal space whatsoever. But hey ho. That’s the way the cookie crumbles or something.

Dexter is blossoming before our very eyes these days. While still shy around strangers, he is much more outgoing since we moved here, interacting with other kids at the swimming pool and the Mommy and Me group I joined.

Mommy and Me Group

Bella Vita

He was a little uncertain of the swimming pool when we got here, but now he’s actually getting in on his own (or sometimes falling in and having to be rescued), and it is a joy to see him so happy. Of course, Florida in July is ridiculously hot, so we are stuck indoors for much of the day, as we’ve already suffered sunburns and don’t want to repeat the whole healing process once again. But this kid wears himself OUT.

Seriously, he is perfectly happy in his room by himself now, even going so far as to fall asleep on his own once he’s exhausted all of his climbing options.

Climbing

Sleepy Boy

He’s also doing superbly well at feeding himself these days. At 17 months old, he’s never actually had a high chair to sit in, so I think he’s a bit late in the skills, but he’s definitely getting there now. Whether sitting in his chair in front of the TV slowly forking bits of ravioli into his mouth (he really prefers to use silverware rather than his hands), or at IHOP directing a grilled cheese sandwich in his gob, he has figured out his place in the eating world.

Toddler Feeding Himself

Though his ice cream skills are certainly lacking… Our patio doors are now coated in a thick layer of orange sherbert.

ice cream baby

Dexter is REALLY loving his daddy lately. This is proven more each day, but especially at night time, as Mark is the ONLY one who can get Dexter to go to sleep. He’s started a new routine for him (after stealing my copy of What to Expect: Year Two) and now Dex is bathed, snacked and in bed before 9 each night, and more amazingly, he SLEEPS! ALL NIGHT! This is an amazing step forward for us, and I am so proud of both of them. For most of the last month, I had been spending every night in bed with Dex, sleeping with him in his tiny twin bed, and now I get to actually use my OWN bed! AND sleep with JUST me and Mark together. It’s brilliant.

Daddy Love

And of course, the biggest change of the last month has probably been in Dexter, himself. After a really bad mommy haircut back in February, his hair was getting very long again, and I would find him constantly sweaty and dishevelled. So on a recent trip to WalMart, I saw they were doing children’s haircuts for only $8. So we gritted our teeth and offered him up to the gods of hairdressing.

To his credit, he did really well. When the stylist came at him with her electric razor, he just looked at me as if to say, “Well… if you’re SURE, mom…” I smiled encouragingly while daddy took photos. But after a few minutes the poor wee Wubba decided he’d had enough, and he began to cry. The stylist suggested I sit down and hold him, and so that’s what we did. Within a few minutes (and with a few tears in my eyes) I said goodbye to the sweet baby face and said hello to this new little boy who looked like Dexter but older.

Baby's First Haircut

Of course, as soon as we got home, the stress of the day caught up with him and the little men fell fast asleep in my arms, secure that his mommy kept him safe.

So you see, things happen, but I can’t always blog them right away. Lucky for me, I tuck these memories somewhere in the cockles of my heart and eventually I will find a way to share.

But it makes me wonder – what have YOU all been doing the last month? MY blog isn’t the only one I’ve been neglecting, and I long to know what exciting tidbits I’ve missed along the way.

Filed Under: Blog, HerFamily, HerPhotography · Tagged: family, florida, friends, home, mommy, moving to florida, photo posts

Jun 7, 2012

7 Suitcases, 2 Boxes, a Pillow and Me

By Katie Vyktoriah · 8 Comments

Today was hard. I ain’t gonna lie… since we moved to Florida, there have been a lot of hard days. It’s been two weeks today.

The first three days were pretty awesome. The weather was gorgeous, it was all new and exciting, and I really was feeling good. But so many stresses made themselves known in that first week that it pushed Mark’s and my relationship to the limits. A lot of it was put down to me being on my period (which thankfully came a couple days late this month, meaning I didn’t have to deal with it during the long transition from UK to US) and jet lag.

But…. BUT BUT BUT!

There was so much upset, I started to really worry. From finding and buying a car, sorting out our licenses, reclaiming our US residency, dealing with a cranky toddler, finding out our pre-approval for our mortgage was flawed and we’d have to RE-apply for it… The list goes on and on.

If you have spent even a few minutes with me at any point, you’ll know that I HATE waiting. I hate not knowing. I like to be in control, have a plan, know where I stand. I also HAVE to be able to create. I need to draw or paint or craft or cook or change things up. And I can’t do ANY of that right now. I can’t really do anything to this house as we are renting it (and only for a month!). I can’t draw or paint, as all of my supplies are in boxes being held hostage by our moving company (that’s a whole other story!). Same with my craft supplies. And as far as cooking, besides the fact that our kitchen is the size of a matchbox and has the WORST setup in history, we also have to be really careful with money right now, meaning I don’t want to go and buy loads of ingredients for fancy meals we can’t really afford.

Mark is working from home. He bought himself a desk and set up shop in one of the spare rooms. All day long, five days a week, he sits up, listening to internet radio and does his job. He takes calls, skypes with colleagues and comes down every so often to have a quick play with Dexter or get himself coffee or a snack. He starts work at 6 AM each day and is finished by 2 or 3 PM. He works hard and keeps a positive attitude. Once he’s done with his work, he spends most of his time making calls, searching online and trying to sort out the best move for us. Should we rent a place for six months while we find a house to buy? Should we just buy whatever we can get and move in? Should we go stay in Utah for a bit while we wait for the perfect house? Should we put things in storage? Do we fly or drive if we leave? Mark is the one doing all the research and figuring it all out while I…

Well, what do I do? On days like today, I survive on far too little sleep because even when Dexter doesn’t wake up and come in our bed during the night, I find myself in constant pain, waking up often to check the house for signs of break-in, checking that Dexter is warm enough/cool enough, constantly using the toilet, and generally just being unable to relax.

I can’t really keep Dexter to any sort of schedule during the day because often when I’m winding him down, Mark will wake him up by speaking too loudly or coming down for a break. A flushing toilet will be heard throughout the house. There’s just NO down time!

Later, when Dex has had a nap and is in a better mood, I might get a few minutes to sit on the most uncomfortable kitchen chair to read a blog or update my Facebook. My Klout score has plunged rapidly since we arrived here. Woe is me.

I’m grouchy. I’m stressy. I fantasize about running far away. I want to be in Pennsylvania with my family, but I can’t bear the thought of being without Mark. I’ve offered to give up the Florida dream and just move back to Utah, as then we’d at least be around HIS family and friends, and we could move into one of the houses he owns…

Late this afternoon, it all got to be too much. Mark DARED to offer to take us all out to dinner, and I blatantly refused. When he sweetly tried to persuade me, I stomped off barefoot into the incessant rain (yes, another let down of Florida – other than the first three days, it has been nothing but pouring rain!) and got drenched. When I came to my senses and returned home, I ran up the stairs, into the spare room, grabbed a pillow and locked myself into the closet.

I closed my eyes, huddled in a corner, surrounded by suitcases and boxes, and I CRIED. I RAGED. I SCREAMED (all silently, of course). And I PRAYED.

For the first time in a LONG time, I prayed. I begged for help. I truly wanted god to hear my heart and find a way to help me. Because right now, I feel incapable of helping myself.

After that, I don’t remember. I woke up a while later, and as I made my escape from the closet, I met Mark coming up the stairs. He asked where I’d been, and I admitted I’d been holed up in the closet.

A few minutes later, the three of us were in the car on our way out to dinner. And I felt a little bit lighter.

I know that tomorrow will be more of the same. I’ll find stress in every situation and I will keep all that rage inside until the next opportunity to let it out quietly. Maybe this time I can let it escape a little at a time, like a leaky balloon… Surely that would be better than the giant POP when the balloon can’t take any more?

I feel so lost right now, and all I can hope is that something comes along soon to help us make a decision one way or another. I just want to know…

Filed Under: Blog, HerFeelings · Tagged: advice, family, fear, florida, hiding, home, mommy, moving to florida, rage, stress, worry

Jun 4, 2012

Out and About

By Katie Vyktoriah · 2 Comments

This “living in America” lark seems to be getting somewhat easier, as we are now OFFICIAL residents of Florida – we got driver’s licenses sorted out! Wahey! It involved several hours over two long days, a ton of driving back and forth, and visiting several government facilities, not to mention our bank… but we got them. Of course, it would have taken just one day (I got mine on day 1, after all) but Mark forgot his glasses, and apparently his sight doesn’t meet the legal minimums! So we had to go back on day 2 for him to take the eye test again.

These things happen.

Of course, you can likely put two and two together and figure out that if we got licenses, we also got a car! In this case, a 2001 Buick Park Avenue. A so-called luxury car that we paid a whopping $3000 for on ebay. Much to my chagrin, when I drove it for the first time (as we went about returning the rental car to the airport), I noticed that there was something wrong. One trip to Pep Boys later, and we were told that there was $1000 worth of repairs needed! We ended up paying $600+ to get the most necessary repairs made, and we are hoping to get away with not fixing the final bit (the mechanic told us it could wait a while) until we’re more settled.

Of course, this meant we were stranded at the Pep Boys for about 5 hours with nothing to do but follow Dexter as he made friends with a mad Brazilian woman who told us how adorable he was and cried (literally – cried!) because she was so moved by his beauty. She said she was formerly a teacher and she could tell he was crazy smart, as he was SO aware of his surroundings and listens so well.

We then had the pleasure of a 90 minute chat with a man in a wheelchair who had recently lost his foot and ankle because of a spider bite! He’d been bitten last year by a brown recluse spider and hadn’t done anything about it, so he wound up with gangrene and lost his entire foot! Then his wife up and left him to move to Tennessee, leaving their 17 year old son behind with his dad. They regaled us with stories of the housing crisis down here, and they warned us against buying or renting a house at Bimini Bay…. Which is actually where we are renting a house currently! Ay!

Apparently, there is a lot of gang activity and really rowdy/violent neighbours (I figured this out already!). And last year, a disgruntled resident BURNT DOWN THE CLUB HOUSE! Seriously! One of the people who lived here apparently got pissed off, so he burned down the entire administrative building. I had wondered why there was a “temporary” housing office and a giant abandoned lot with a burnt out husk in it!

Dexter discovered how a drinking fountain works (hours of fun!)

Unfortunately, it was hard to keep him from getting bored

Today we decided to visit Celebration, Florida, the town that Disney built. I have heard about it for years, and I’d always wanted to visit. I admit I have had dreams about living there, but I never expected it to happen. But since we were so close, we decided to give it a go and have a look around.

It was pretty much my DREAM town. So quaint. Small, but full of color and vibrancy. It is idyllic. We walked through the market place full of street vendors, and we visited the lake in the middle of the town. I grabbed a Starbucks frappuccino to ward off the heat, and Dexter played in the fountain in the middle of town. It was a lovely way to spend an hour or so.

Getting my Frappuccino on

Playing with a stick in the fountain

Mommy and Dex play in the fountain

Dexter splashing in the fountain

Getting excited about the fountain

The day was a glorious 90 degrees, and Dex was soaked

Dex and Daddy walked hand in hand down the cute streets

Mommy and Dex were VERY hot

Celebration, FL has its own idyllic Wisteria Lane!

Once we’d done in Celebration, we weren’t sure what to do. I voted we go home, but Mark was set on getting some discount tickets to Disney. I had to (have to!) keep reminding him that it’s kind of pointless to go until Dexter is older. We can’t go on any rides, he is scared of most other people, and I doubt giant Mickeys and Minnies would make him happy considering cartoon chickens terrify him to the point of hysteria…

So to compromise, Mark suggested we go and have a look at one of the houses we were thinking about renting. He programmed it into his GPS, and off we went to have a look.

When we got there, there were already loads of people having a look at it, but pretty quickly, we were approached by a Portuguese man in denim shorts and a t-shirt. He said he was a realtor, and were we looking to buy or rent. Mark said we were interested in both, so the man said that the house next door was for sale, and would we like to see it?

Yes please!

Before we knew it, we were following him back to his office, where he logged on to show us several other properties. And then we were driving all over Kissimmee to see various houses! I think we saw five in all, and truth be told, there was only ONE that was of NO interest to me (it was horrible!). The rest of them were really awesome! And we could totally see ourselves living in two of them.

It was a great stroke of luck to meet this guy. He even took us to his OWN house to show us around, as he had three houses exactly the same as his house which he owned, and he wanted to sell one. The neighborhood was lovely, the house was grand, and I was over the moon. FINALLY a proactive realtor who wanted to help us find our new home!

It was especially welcome after the one lady we saw (childless, btw) referred to me as “mommy.” EXCUSE ME! Unless you are my child, you have NO business calling me MOMMY! Condescending cow.

Ahem.

Anyway, having seen several houses in the last week or so, we are pretty mindful about what we actually want and WHERE we want to live. Which is fabulous.

Hopefully tomorrow we can finally get sorted with our mortgage approval (we’ve been approved twice, but they’ve messed it up and it needs redone!) and actually put in an offer on somewhere we like. Here’s hoping!