Life in Venice thus far.

We've made it to FL, all of us and our possessions in one piece, pretty amazing, all things considered! Even the three turtles survived the drive and are happily grazing in the grass.

It took us 3 1/2 days to drive to FL. We had a bit of trouble on the way...one of the tires on the U-Haul blew out and had to be repaired (thankfully no injuries resulted but it set us back 3 hours) and then we got stuck for an hour in stop-and-go traffic outside of Biloxi due to construction. But other than that, the cross-country trip was bearable. The kids did FANTASTIC! They were troopers the entire time on the road. I was amazed!

We've been in Venice for 5 days now. Somehow it feels like longer. We miss our family and friends but we're beginning to get settled in here.

Our yellow house is about 90% unpacked, in large part due to the fact that my older sister flew in to help me unpack and get organized (thank you, thank you, thank you!). She's got the organizational gene that skipped right by me. She reminds me that I'm more creative.

I'm so sick of looking at boxes and opening boxes. There are more boxes to open and unpack and I'm sorely tempted just to set them by the curb on Friday and let the sanitation truck haul them away! I know G would be just fine with that.

Despite the unpacking efforts, we've still managed to sneak in some fun time. Since we're only about 2 minutes from the nearest beach, we've taken J and C to play in the ocean. They LOVE it! I can't say that I blame them.

The beaches are clean here and even over the Labor Day weekend they weren't very crowded. Tonight, for example, we ran into about 4 people on the large expanse of beach, besides us.

The kids are enjoying looking for fossilized shark teeth on Casperean Beach. They've found quite a few already. Don't be surprised if some arrive in your mailbox one day!

Here are a couple of videos and some pics of the kiddos enjoying the water.

It already feels rather surreal, living so close to the ocean. So far, we've only met and interacted with 2 types of people on the beach:

1) People that are really happy and excited because their vacation is just beginning and they're thrilled to be spending time on the beach.

2) People that are rather bummed because their vacation is at an end and they're leaving soon.

G and I are in awe of the fact that we don't have to leave to get home...this is our new home and we can go back to the beach tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day too!

Now, there is more to life than the beach, as hard as that is to believe.

Before we began our road trip across the country, J had a loose tooth. I told him he was NOT allowed to loose his tooth until we made it to FL. He must've listened because his tooth stayed in until 2 days after we arrived in Venice, then it fell out while he and C were wrestling around. He now officially considers himself a "big" kid because of his missing tooth.

J started Kindergarten on Tuesday and seems to really like it so far. He barely gave me a backwards glance once he was introduced to his new teachers and taken in to see his classroom that first day. I wanted to cry because it's hard to believe that my "baby" has started his academic career, but I held it together fairly well.

C, on the other hand, was a bit more clingy. Once she figured out that she would not be going to preschool in the same building as her big brother, she made it clear that she was not happy! There were no tears but she had to be pried off of me and lead inside by one of the teachers. Poor baby girl. Life has thrown a lot of changes her way lately.

By the time I arrived to pick them both up, it was clear to see that they'd had a great time! They were so full of energy afterwards that they were nearly bouncing off the walls at home.

So, first impressions of Venice? Well, please keep in mind that I have been locked up in my house unpacking boxes these past few days, but here's what I've noticed during the few times I've ventured out:

• Everything looks quite lush here...lots of thick green grass, towering trees, vines, and blooming flowers. It's quite tropical here and I like that!
• The humidity felt really oppressive the first couple of days, but already I'm getting used to it.
• The bugs, mosquitoes in particular, aren't nearly as bad as I expected them to be. We aren't using bug spray and so far we haven't gotten bitten up too badly.
• My dry and cracked skin is already healing up due to the humidity! I'm amazed at how much softer my skin already feels (heels, knees, elbows).
• My naturally wavy hair is curling and getting a bit frizzy in this humidity. I haven't decided if I like that or not.
• The time zone difference is taking some getting used to. Our sleep schedules have been out of whack but are getting better. I really dislike the fact that it doesn't get light out until at least 7 AM! As an early morning riser, I preferred to enjoy the sunrise at 5:30 AM.
• There are a lot of grey-haired people here (I'm not trying to be offensive, just making an observation)! Thank goodness I have a Kindergartener to help me meet other parents or I'd worry about who my kids would have to play with.
• We already have a tentative play-date scheduled for this Saturday with a mom from school that I started chatting with the first day. She has 2 boys the same age as J and C! I'm excited!
• Our yellow house is in a nice, quite neighborhood and our neighbors are friendly thus far. Hooray!
• Venice is quite small, compared to where I came from. Here, there seems to be just one of everything....1 Starbucks, 1 Enterprise car rental, 1 Perkins, 1 movie theater, etc. I take that back, there are a whole lot of Publix grocery stores! Practically one on every corner, it seems.
• Stores and restaurants seem to close rather early here...mostly by 9 PM. Thank goodness for Starbucks for a late-night cup of coffee on our date night.
• There is no cheap theater in Venice. I sure hope I can find one in Sarasota because $18 for 2 people to get into a movie is just too overpriced for my tastes!
• There's a lot of water around here, and I'm not just talking about the ocean. And there are a lot of bridges to go over those lakes, bays, inlets...whatever they're called. I'm really liking all the water!
• The ocean water is deliciously warm...almost like bath water. Not too hot, not too cold, just right! The ocean breeze is lovely too.
• The drive to Sarasota and to Tampa really aren't that bad. And you can't beat the scenery along the way (more ocean views in some parts of the drive).
• There's a cute downtown area of Venice. I must go poke through all the little shops there.
• The seafood tastes outstanding here! Toni and I had some grilled salmon yesterday that was mouth watering! Yum! Oh, and the lobster and spinach dip was tasty too.
• I think I'm becoming addicted to sweet tea, which is odd considering I was never much of a tea drinker before I moved here.
• The people are REALLY friendly here, except when they're driving...then they can be a bit rude with their honking or a bit blind with their lane changes.
• It rains here quite a bit this time of year, but it's usually a gentle, warm rain so we love it. The kids and I are fascinated with all the rain and we do a little happy dance when we see it.
• Speaking of rain, I need to keep an umbrella in my trunk, along with all the beach stuff, for those spontaneous torrential downpours that catch me unaware.

So, there you have it, a bit of insight to our life in Venice thus far. We miss everyone we left behind, but overall I'd say we're enjoying our new surroundings quite a bit.

I'll leave you with one last picture. The kids and I went to the library today to check it out. Imagine my surprise to find a pond full of lily pads right in front of the library. We parked the car, and then got out to take a closer look. This picture really doesn't do it justice (click on it for a larger view). It is quite a pretty sight with the pale yellow flowers opening up.