Greetings from Florida!

A few days ago I got back from a visit to Panama City Beach and Destin, Florida. Being back in Florida reminded me of a lot of things I loved that I took for granted while we lived there:

-The beach. I really didn't think moving away from the gulf was going to be that big of a deal for me because I thought I'd be close enough to the ocean in San Jose. But we were lucky enough to see it daily while living in Florida and now it's about an hour and a half away. And the coast here couldn't be anymore different than from the Florida Panhandle. It was so nice to see that powdery white sand and turquoise blue water again.

-The food. I got my fill of oysters on the trip. I'm in love with the things. I don't care for the raw ones but I flip for them when they're baked or fried. I also had tuna dip, fish tacos, loads of shrimp, scallops, a grouper sandwich, hushpuppies, and Blue Bell ice cream. And now I'm struggling to button my shorts. Totally worth it!

-Family. It was so nice to have plenty of time with my parents. My mom and I did quite a bit of shopping and beaching. We would sit on their back porch most nights and talk. I had missed the comfort I feel being in their home, laughing and sharing stories.

-Friends. My friend, Jacqueline, and I spent some time in Destin at the beach, went for a couple dinners, and met our friend, Mary, for a lunch overlooking the water.

Meeting Mary for lunch.

Jacqueline's daughter. She loves the beach and has the cutest swim suits.

-Nature. I didn't realize how much the lack of nature in a big city affects me. There have been many times when Andy will ask what I want to do for the day and my response is something like, "I just want to go sit in a park on some grass with some trees around." I miss seeing green things. And animals.

My parents' backyard, where there are plenty of frogs, lizards, and even turtles.

The sound of chirping frogs that I love. This is actually pretty mild.

It sometimes gets so loud it's difficult to talk over them!

It was great to get my fill of these things before heading back to San Jose. Next time I'm hoping I can have Andrew and Hazel join me. Because even though it felt like I was back home with some of my favorite things in Florida, it just wasn't home without my most favorite person and pup!

Moving Day

The big day has arrived. Andy has been in meetings in San Jose/Cupertino for a few days and is flying back to drive with Hazel and me to our new home. This might not make total sense for him to fly across the country just to turn around and make the long drive back, but we decided we wanted to make the journey together (and driving 40 hours with just Hazel as my co-pilot seemed impossible). Speaking of the pup, here she is getting ready:

And I can’t leave Destin without sharing some pictures of the time we’ve spent here:

 Hazel's First Birthday 	Hazel's Second Birthday
Galati Girls (Marissa, Jacqueline, Lindsay, Mary)	30a Beach
Florida Wildlife	Our first flight together with Andrew as an official pilot
Andrew & Donald deep sea fishing

The Big Reveal

Andrew and I will be moving to California in just 11 days. He is taking a job where he will be traveling (much!) less and will be working in the hub of his field. While this means big pluses like him collaborating with lots of like-minded people in the Silicon Valley and us being able to spend more time together, it also is a little sad that we are leaving an area that has begun to feel like home to us. Fortunately, we are no strangers to the moving process and we’ve gotten pretty good at it.

Our journey since high school graduation:

So in the next couple weeks, we will be packing our belongings and making the trek across the country. Andrew, Hazel, and I will take three or four days to drive 40 hours to our new home just outside San Jose, California. The journey will be a long one but we’re excited for the California chapter in our lives. We know it probably won’t be forever, so we plan to see and do as much as possible during our time along the Pacific. And who knows? In a couple years maybe we’ll be renaming this blog to “The Georgia Chapter” or “The Texas Chapter” or even “The Tahiti Chapter” (What? A girl can dream, can’t she?!).

Original map found here.