Making new friends & getting involved.

People in Venice, FL are proving to be rather friendly, especially when they learn that we've recently moved here from another state.

On the first day of school for J and C, a mom struck up a conversation with me as I was signing C out for the day. She offered me advice on where to catch a sale for school shirts and we exchanged emails so that she could send me that info.

Amelia promptly emailed me that day, not only about the sale information, but she also mentioned that there was a Literacy event happening over the weekend and she invited us to join her and one other school family to meet there and attend the event together.

Once there, we met up with Amelia and her 2 boys and with Nicole, her husband, and their 4 children. We all jumped right into the activities that were being offered.

The kids in our group gathered round a table together and painted fish prints onto wash clothes and t-shirts. In another area, both J and C had sat quite patiently to have their faces painted (J requested a green saber tooth tiger design and C requested a pink flower design).

There was a treasure hunt, a puppet show, a book swap, and many fun kid games to keep them occupied that day.

There was even a good band playing and a couple of belly dancers performing, which enthralled C.

What I wasn't expecting was swimming. Amelia and Nicole asked if I had brought swim suits for the kids, explaining that the park had a lake that the kids were allowed to swim in. I hadn't realized that, so the kids had no other clothing and no towels.

That didn't stop J and C, of course. Once they saw the other kids getting into the water, J striped down to just his shorts and C just took off all her clothes and hopped in (ah, to be 3 years old with no concept of modesty). They were happy to be in the water, showing off their swim moves to the other kids. It was so hot and sticky out that day, that I'm sure the water felt wonderfully refreshing!

All-in-all, it was a fun day and we appreciated being included by these two school families.

This week, I attended my first parent association meeting and learned about some of the projects the school is trying to raise money for. There's quite an ambitious list and I'm certain I'll be donating some time and talent with other parents to see that these worthy projects come to fruition.

I invited Amelia over for a visit yesterday morning, now that the house is mostly unpacked, and filled her in on the content of the parent association meeting that she was unable to attend. We learned a bit more about each other and our families. Amelia and I get on quite well thus far and I intend to continue to work on building a friendship with her.

This week I also discovered that each classroom has a "room mom" or "room dad" assigned to help out the two teachers in various small ways and to communicate with all the families in that classroom. When I learned that J's classroom had no one assigned yet, I volunteered to be the "room mom". What better way to get to know other parents, right?

Yesterday after school, while we waited for G to return home from work, the kids and I went to the little neighborhood park that's only 2 blocks from our house. It's shady and had enough toys to keep J and C entertained for quite a while.

Here are some pics and videos from that little jaunt.

9-16-10 J & C climbing. Notice that daredevil C is up on top! (click to enlarge photos)

9-16-10 J & C having a bit of a snack in the park.

Amelia has invited us to join her and her family tomorrow morning for the Nokomis Beach Youth Fishing Tournament, where the bait and prizes are supplied for a $1 per child entrance fee.

J is literally begging us to take him fishing, now that he's seen the fishing piers. G and I are really rather clueless when it comes to fishing, but Amelia has assured me that if we show up tomorrow morning with fishing poles, she'll make sure the kids get the hang of things.

Tomorrow evening we'll be joining the drum circle again on Nokomis beach. This time we'll come prepared with glow sticks and drums for the kids.

There certainly are a lot of outdoor activities to choose from here in Florida. Of course, most of them center around the outdoors and water. I like that.

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.

My Kindergartener didn't start Kindergarten today.

This morning as I drove J & C to their preschool, I saw the little neighbor girl from across the street being walked to her first day of school by her parents and older sisters. She and J would've gone to school together.

I saw several other small children walking with their backpacks so large it seemed as though the child would tip over. Some kids were dashing to get in the doors before the bell rang and big yellow buses were lumbering all around me on the streets.

Today should have been the day that J started Kindergarten and I must admit, I'm feeling a bit sad that he isn't...yet.

When we purchased our house 5 years ago, J was 8 1/2 months old. Already we were thinking about what elementary school he'd go to and we chose our house in large part because it was part of a school district that had an elementary school with consistent EXCEL ratings, as well as good middle and high schools close by. Many of our neighbors had sent their kids to the elementary school that was walking distance from our home and they raved about the school, the teachers, and the principal.

We've spent these past few years acquainting J with this elementary school with frequent walks to play in the playground. We talked it up a lot to build his excitement.

Not all that long ago, we attended Kindergarten round-up and enrolled J in the upcoming Kindergarten class, not knowing we'd be moving out of state. He was so excited to tour that elementary school and we were just as excited.

Given our current circumstances, I had to make the practical decision to wait on starting J in Kindergarten until we get to FL. He would only be in this elementary school 2 weeks before our move. It didn't make sense to put him in one school only to pull him out and start him in another.

So, my little Kindergartener didn't start Kindergarten today. Most likely, he'll start on Sept 7th, about 2 weeks after the FL schools begin. We will have missed any 'meet and greet' social events they have for Kindergarteners and their parents. We won't have the luxury of getting a tour in advance. We will miss out on the fanfare and excitement that comes with all the little Kindergarteners starting their first day of school together.

I'll have to make J's first day special for him in my own way. A special breakfast, new school supplies, being there to help him get settled in a new classroom, and taking lots of pictures. Same for C as well, as she'll be starting a new preschool too.

And when that's all taken care of, I'll get to go home to a house full of unpacked boxes. I suppose it'll be nice to have the distraction of unpacking that first day.

Exploring new surroundings!

G is spending some time exploring his new surroundings. He tells me that it doesn’t get dark there in FL until around 9 PM, unlike the 7-7:30 PM time frame here, so he has plenty of time after getting off work to go hang at the beaches.

He took an amazing picture of the Venice Fishing Pier yesterday that I want to share. Believe it or not, this great picture was taken with his iPhone camera, not his nice professional camera!

7-16-10 Venice Fishing Pier

And although G didn’t take this picture (I found it while scouring the internet for info on the new place we’ll be living), it still does a wonderful job showing how breathtaking FL sunsets can be!

Venice Beach sunset

G’s taken some videos of the ocean as well to share with the me and the kids (they love watching videos on my laptop). As you’ll see, it’s not always bright and sunny in FL, but it sure is beautiful, even during the rainy, stormy season!

7-14-10 Windy day on Venice Beach.

7-15-10 Venice Fishing Pier

He's just gone and we already miss him!

Our little family arose early this morning at 5:30 AM. G finished packing a few last items while I woke the kids up and got them ready to go. I reminded them that today was the day that we'd be taking Daddy to the airport so he can fly to FL.

J's response was, "So he can find us a house to live in, right?" C's response was, "Can I go back to sleep after we take Daddy to the airport?"

The entire ride to the airport and the entire time at the airport, J bombarded us with questions.

"When are we moving to FL?"

"Will Daddy find a house with a window in my bedroom?"

"When can we adopt C?"

"When is her lawyer coming so we can adopt her?"

"Why can't we go to FL now?"

"How do we get to FL?"

"Are we going to fly to FL like Daddy?"

"When can I play on the beach?"

"Will Erin give us swim lessons in FL?"

"What will my Kindergarten school in FL look like?"

"What's a job?"

The kids did pretty good in the airport, overall. They were distracted by the novelty of riding the elevator up to the ticket counter, helping G carry his bags, watching as he checked in at the counter, peering into the nearby gift shop, and scoping out the airplanes visible from windows.

When it came time to hug Daddy goodbye and watch him walk through security, it became clearer to them that Daddy was really leaving us.

On the ride back to the house, J relentlessly launched questions at me, many of the same questions as earlier.

My heart is aching today as I see the look of worry and sadness on J's face. He seems much more aware of what's going on than C, which is to be expected since he's 2 years older.

When the three of us were all snuggled up together reading books in my bed, J looked up and said, "There are two girls and only one boy. That makes me sad."

When I laid him down to nap, I struggled to keep the tears from my eyes as J told me, with a quiver in his voice, "I want my Daddy. I want to go to FL now."

This temporary separation is obviously going to be hard on the kids, especially J. He understands what's going on but he doesn't yet grasp the concept of time so when I tell him we can't move to FL until probably the end of August, it means nothing to him.

He asks me, "How many minutes to get to August?"

"When can we pick Daddy up?"

Before naptime, I got out a calendar and showed both kids July and August. I told them we would cross off each day that passes until C's adoption is finalized and we get to join Daddy in FL.

J asked me, "Can we Skype with Daddy tonight when he gets to his hotel?"

I assured him we could indeed Skype.

It's obvious that I need to keep the kids as busy as possible, in an attempt to keep their minds off of worrying and to help the time pass quickly.

As for myself, G has just gone away and I'm surprised at how much I already miss him, probably because I know this isn't just a quick weekend trip.

The house is too quiet. Things of G's are out of place or missing, which makes me feel a bit out of place. I feel disjointed somehow.

I have to keep my emotions in check and maintain a positive attitude to help the kids.

This is going to be a long 6- 8+ weeks.

It's a go!

So, G is in FL right now, doing that in-person interview. He flew out Thursday morning and arrives back here tomorrow afternoon.

The in-person interview has gone well! He spent the day at the office yesterday. His future boss and a couple of co-workers took him out for lunch (seafood, of course) and then he was invited over to the boss' house for dinner last night. I was happy to hear that this boss was making the effort to try to get to know G on somewhat of a personal level.

G's mind is already made up. He's accepting the job. Between the boss and the job seeming cool and this particular area of FL being beautiful, he has no doubts that this move will be a good one! He sent me a text yesterday saying, I'm happy enough to stay...so pack your bags! He also told me to consider myself lucky that he purchased a round-trip ticket or he would've been tempted to start his new job on Monday, rather than 2 weeks from now!

G told me he's being a beach bum today, and scoping out the area for a room to rent. He's promised me he'll take a lot of pictures with his nice camera, to bring back and show me. I'm glad he has some time to relax and get comfortable with these new surroundings.

He tells me he's going to call his parents tonight and break the news that he's accepting this job offer in FL. Once our families are told, we'll start telling our friends. Breaking the news to everyone will be one of the harder parts of this process.

G's sent me some pictures that he's taken with his iPhone.

6-24-10 Driving across Tampa Bay Bridge.

6-25-10 Office of G's new job.

6-25-10 Back yard of future boss.

6-26-10 G's lunch ~ oysters, of course.

6-26-10 Nokomis beach.

6-26-10 Nokomis beach sunset- 1

6-26-10 Nokomis beach sunset- 2

Gathering of good friends

Tonight we celebrated the visit of dear friends, Matt & Janice, with more of our local friends. Matt & Janice moved away to The Netherlands about 6 months ago for a new job for Matt and we've missed them. It was lovely to see them tonight and to just be able to hang out!

On the way over to the party, G and I talked about whether or not we should break the news to our friends that we might be moving to FL. We really feel that we should tell them but in the end G wants to wait until he knows for certain that he's taking the Director of Engineer position. He won't know that for certain until he goes out next week for an in-person interview with his potential boss. Besides, it's only right that we share this news with our family first, and then our friends.

G is flying out to Venice, FL next Thursday and will stay through Sunday. If it goes well and he feels confident enough about working for the company, we'll share the news with family and friends shortly after he returns from FL.

Tonight was bittersweet, hanging out with dear friends that we've known for over 10 years, but wondering if we won't have this luxury for much longer. We love these people and the thought of leaving them behind and not seeing them often after we leave fills both G and I with sorrow.

These friends are unique and quite special to us. Sure, we'll remain friends even if we move out of state (thanks to modern technology we'll share pictures on Facebook and blogs, and chat on Skype or iChat), but it won't be the same. We won't be able to call and arrange play dates for the kids and for us adults. We won't be able to go camping with them, or have them over for an informal BBQ/pool party. We won't be able to watch our kids grow up together as we once thought we would.

So many of our dear friends have already left this city to pursue better job opportunities. Those of us remaining have felt the loss and I suspect our friends that have gone are feeling it too.

Sure, we'll possibly be moving on to a new and exciting challenge and living near the ocean will be very nice. But we'll have to leave so many good people and good things behind here and that's not going to be easy. In fact, it will be quite difficult.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that G might be moving out of state in 3 weeks and that the kids and I will join him about 2 months later, depending on how long C's adoption takes to finalize!

An offer has been extended!

Amazingly, G already has an offer on the table! And it’s not just an offer, but a good offer!

He’d been corresponding via email with an employer in Venice, FL for a Director of Engineering position and the owner of this company asked for him to sell him on what G could bring to the table to benefit the company. G’s email impressed him, so he asked for samples of G’s work. Those samples impressed him too. A phone interview was scheduled for yesterday afternoon and that went so well that the owner said he’d be extending G a formal written offer this week. G received the offer via email this morning!

If G is seriously considering the offer, which he is, the owner wants to fly him out this month for an in-person interview to show him the company and the city. If that all goes well and G accepts, he’ll be required to start 12 July!

The offer is really quite good! The base salary is in the middle range of G’s requested salary range. He’ll be eligible for annual bonuses. He’ll have the title of Director of Engineering, reporting directly to the President/Owner.

Truthfully, this is all happening so quickly that it’s making our heads spin! I think we both agree that this is too good of an opportunity to pass up and we’ll make it work one way or another, even with the awful timing of it all.

By awful timing I mean that we still have to finalize C’s adoption and that means that if G is starting a new job in another state, I’ll have to stay here with the kids until everything is finalized (I suspect that it’ll take at least 3 months to get a court date). I’ll have to put the house on the market and get it ready for showing.

And I can’t help but think of how we’re going to break the news to our family and friends. There’s not really any time to “prepare” anyone for this sudden change, even if we wanted to. I want to get the word out while G is still here so that I’m not the only one left to deal with it all while he’s gone.

It’s not going to be easy….G will be starting a new job and living in a new city and state, all by himself for a while. He’ll be lonely. He’ll miss the kids and I and we will miss him. Sure, he’ll have spare time to hang out on the beach and explore, which will help offset that loneliness a bit, but it’s not as ideal as all of us moving out together.

As for me, I’ll get to be a single, working mom in essence. I’ll get to pack and clean an entire house and deal with the realtor. I’ll be responsible for the kids and keeping the house clean, all while working full-time. I sure will have a greater respect for all the single, working moms out there when this is all said and done!

And I know it’s going to be hard on the kids, having their Daddy gone for several months. Sure, we’ll do iChat or Skype and G will fly back for a weekend visit on occasion, but it’s going to be an adjustment for them.

G and I are telling ourselves that military families go through this all the time. A 6 month separation (or more in their case) is all part of the job to them. Those families rely on their support system and they find the strength to do what they have to do until their spouse or loved one returns back home from deployment. If they can do it, so can we.

In the meantime, G and I are scouring the internet trying to learn as much as possible about the city and state we very well may be moving to. The internet is a lovely thing. It has so much information to disclose to us!

I told G that if he flys out for an in-person interview soon, he’s required to take his nice camera and come back with LOTS of pictures of the city…not just the beach and the ocean, but the actual city so I can see where we might live.

FYI, temp in Venice is 90 degrees right now (86 degrees in here) and Heaven only knows what the humidity level is! If we move, I think I’m going to miss the “dry” heat here!

Changes are brewing!

Our little family may be experiencing quite a few changes soon. We're not quite ready to share these potential upcoming changes as we wait to see if they'll even pan out, but I need an outlet to release this information, so I'm starting this family blog now to document our family changes as they happen. Eventually this blog will be shared with family and close friends.

Some time ago, G received a call from a head hunter about a job in Venice, FL. The head hunter asked if he'd like to be considered for a Director of Engineering position and, after talking it over with me, he said he would.

He's been in communication with the business owner for some time now. They've been emailing back and forth about this position and his qualifications. The owner has scheduled a phone interview with him later today.

We'll see if anything comes of it.

I can't believe we're considering moving out of state! But for the right job offer in the right location (anywhere near the ocean would be considered the right location for G and the kids) we'll give it serious consideration.

Time will tell!