Welcome to Florida!

Greetings from the sunshine state! (or should I say our new home!). A great deal of time has passed since I last wrote to you guys, so let me fill you in on what’s been happening for the past few months. My husband and I moved from California to Florida (somewhere in the middle of March) and we are still settling in. Why Florida you ask? I am originally born and raised here and it was such a wonderful place to grow up in; I want to give my twin boys the same experience I had as a kid. My husband is from LA, born and raised, and even he will concur that LA is just not the same city he grew up in. We will always have a special place in our hearts for California (and may even return one day) but for now we are acclimating nicely. Literally, as I write this article to you, I am watching a storm roll in off the Gulf of Mexico and oddly enough, it is very pacifying. Don’t get me wrong, there are nights here that are very lonely. I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you the number of times I had to shake myself out of an ugly cry because I missed my friends so much. I always know, however, that this was the hardest and best decision I will ever have to make. We moved from a city of more than 4 million people to a city of less than 60,000 so this has been quite the adjustment for us. I am learning to fish in small pond and relax. Our town is quiet but the one thing we do look forward to are the sunsets. I have seen more sunsets here in the past month than I ever have living near the Pacific Ocean. I can’t quite describe the skies at dusk here in Florida but they are gorgeous. It’s one of those notions “you have to see it to believe it”. Life walks at a much slower pace here. Uber Eats and Postmates is not always available due to lack of drivers (we used to order in a lot in LA) but we are here making the most of it. One notion that occurred to me the other day was when Easter arrived. For the past decade or so, I was so used to my friends making an appearance, I almost forgot what it’s like to celebrate holidays with your family. It was amazing to say the least. My parents live in Venice which is literally less than ten minutes away so that always helps when you need a babysitter (thanks Mom and Dad lol).

It is a funny thing to move back to the city you grew up in, with your own family now, raising your own children, and seeing my hometown with a fresh pair of eyes. When I was 18, I was thirsty and passionate to get out of Florida: I had youth on my side, some money in my pocket and was ready to see the world and live far away from my folks. It’s indescribable feeling to come back at 37 years old with tons of memories and travel behind me, twin boys and a husband in tow, and accepting that this is my new normal. I can’t wait to see what’s coming down the pipeline over the next year.

Let’s play catch up for a moment on the twins… this one goes to all my first year moms out there. Many of you know my boys turn ten months this week (where did the time go?). They are teething like crazy (does it ever end?) and learning to wave and say hello with their cute voices. They each have their own distinguished personalities. Gabriel is a spitfire; always craving attention, mentally a little more advanced, and loves to be held. Forrest is more of the wallflower; very independent, physically a little more advanced and loves to smile. I officially enrolled them in their first music learning class starting in a little over a week and I couldn’t be happier. I think it’s vital that they are around other kids at this point because I want them to learn to socialize as much as possible. Now that Covid has taken a backseat and people are getting vaccinated around the world (we did!) we feel more comfortable being around people with children.