Light by Morning: Dear Orlando: Our First Month Update

Dear Orlando,

uum.. you rock.

Holy guacamole... have we really been here a whole month? WHERE has the time gone? No, but really, I feel like I've been half asleep, dreaming about cardboard boxes and bubble wrap filling my new tiny home.

I'm not sure where to start, so I guess I'll fill you in on the beginning. We left our Houston home on a Friday evening, not without grabbing a bag of our favorite coffee house beans for a keepsake (which was not actually the most brilliant idea, considering we didn't get our coffee grinder + maker for another week). We drove - with two cats and a dog - to our new home in Winter Park, FL, stopping in Baton Rouge on the first night. The next full day and night of driving was pretty uneventful, and we finally made it to our lovely little town at midnight on Saturday night. To our unfortunate demise, our landlord forgot to leave a key, so we frantically searched for a hotel for the night that would take two cats and a dog on such late notice. I'm sure it was quite a funny sight to see - a sleepy, zombie girl with matted hair standing with two cat carriers half her size and a wide-eyed, eager puppy with pent up energy while her husband sought out a suitable room.

Oh yes, I'm sure it was a sight to see.

The next morning we got the key situation worked out and we scoped out our new place. It was (and is!) a lovely (CLEAN!) home, which is more than we can say about our last place. Needless to say, we were happy - with or without our things, which would not arrive until the following week. Ha, that's right; you heard me! We waited a week before getting all of our belongings, included our beds, towels, etc. We bought the essentials on an Ikea run and pretty much told ourselves we would be camping.

Zoey is ready to welcome new friends!

Our kitties settled in nicely. :)

Since I work from home, I did not take off for this major move. I worked at a folding table for the week and tried my best to muster up the energy to sort through boxes, once we got them, after work. In between work and settling in, we did get to enjoy a few moments of grace. Walking around the neighborhood, delighting in a few guilt-free nights out at delicious restaurants (Especially for our two year anniversary dinner, which we both almost forgot about because things have been so crazy) were all just a few perks to give us hope that this trip is all worth it. Even though we didn't have a lot of time to explore, we both had a great feeling that this was going to be home; that it's okay to endure a few sleepless nights - because this was home! We somehow remained positive, even though I was exhausted from working.

Before we could catch our breath (fully) we were on our way to North Carolina for a week. My parents live in Oak Island, where I stayed and worked while Aaron enjoyed vacation. Luckily, working out of my parents' home is pretty great. Ocean fun on lunch breaks and I was even able to steal my dad's downstairs office for the week, locking myself up so I wouldn't have to feel jealous of my husband, who was on vacation and drinking yummy beach beer throughout the day. We were so blessed to be able to see Aaron's family for a short time as well. The whole clan was there, including baby Ezra, who is still in mommy's tummy. I got to feel my nephew kick and it was amazing - definitely a highlight.

Zoey and my sister's dog, Sierra. Cousins were sleepy after a week of fun!

On Thursday night, we made our way over to Raleigh to get ready for one of my best friend's weddings. We stayed at another best friend's house and filled our time with late night conversations, fun rehearsal dinners and a fantastic wedding celebration. We headed back home on Sunday morning, a leisurely eight hour drive that is normally not so bad (unless you get a sinus infection, which, surprise surprise! This gal got!). We came home to two dramatic kitties who were meowing up a storm when they saw us and a house that is starting to feel like home. My mom came this weekend so the three of us could visit a relative in the hospital about an hour away from where we live. She is insanely organized and helped us whip this house into shape (and take care of a sick daughter and son-in-law, hello chicken noodle soup!).

Bedford girls; four college roommates who love each other.

We're excited to get a chance to explore; to meet people and find our church home. We feel about a million steps behind, but we're so blessed to be able to have the August that we have had and to embark on so many rich adventures.

Since we've been here, we've roamed the neighborhood, gotten a membership at the community center fitness room (which is awesome!), enjoyed the farmer's market we can walk to and all of the other amazing shops on Park Ave. Pray with us, won't you, that we will continue to slowly chip away at this new transition of life? We are ready to jump into community and fully put down these roots.