There's always two sides of a coin, right?
While there's things to be missed here in Florida, there are just as many things to look forward to in my home town. Here are just a few...
1. Family. I will get to see my mom and dad all the time. When we first move, we'll be living at their house while we get settled. I'll get to see my mama anytime I want. I suppose eventually I'll move on from that fact and will want to have time with just me and the boys, but MAN. Right now I miss her so much that the idea of spending time with her on a daily basis makes me so joyful I get teary. Dad too. And watching my parents with Monkey is just indescribable. I want him to be my dad's little buddy, my mom's little helper. I want Sunday dinners and holidays together and Saturday morning breakfast...everyone will be REAL sick of me REAL soon. :)
2. Childhood friends. I was born and raised in the same town, in the same house my entire childhood. I only switched schools when I went on to middle and then high school. Until I moved, I knew the same people since kindergarten. One guy I have been friends with since preschool- since we were 3 years old! That is how old Monkey is now. That's wild to me. While I do have some nerves about going back (will everyone expect me to be the same person? Will people even want to bother with the girl that left almost 5 years ago? Will people be the same as I remember?), I cannot WAIT to go back to a townful of friends.
3. Food. Okay, so you would think that by living in Orlando, I would be in some sort of foodie mecca. And I am, I totally am. We have some of the greatest restaurants here, and I will definitely miss them. And while Helena isn't widely known for its culinary cuisine, there are a few damn good places to eat in town. My top three I'm excited for? Benny's (soup, salad, and sandwich place...everything is fresh and amazing. And the best iced tea ever!), Staggering Ox (recognized by Maxim as one of the best sandwich shops in America. It's also a fun and funky atmosphere), and the Sud's Hut (a tacky little bar with the best fried chicken and jo jos on the planet). Yummmm...
4. Summer. While I am NOT looking forward to the winter one bit (I'm working on a plan where I can just hibernate...), I am looking forward to their near perfect summers. Summers in Florida are brutal. They are so hot and humid that I feel entirely worthless from May until mid-September. Sure, the rest of the year is great, but I'm really excited about pretty, pleasant summers.
5. Fall. It's my favorite season. The leaves changing and falling, that first day that has that crisp feeling in the air...we don't get that here in FL. We don't really get season changes in general. I suppose that is what I am looking forward to. It will be nice that Christmas will look like Christmas (I mean, I had to go to Disney-Hollywood Studios to watch their fake snow fall in order to realize it WAS Christmas), that Easter will actually feel like renewal with Spring coming along, and with the kids wearing their snowsuits under their Halloween costumes. The way God meant for it to be! :)
6. No sales tax. Okay, so they make up for it with income tax (boo), BUT it will be nice to look at a menu and see a price and know THAT IS WHAT YOUR BILL WILL BE.
7. Jobs. The job I've had here for the last 3ish years has been...interesting. We don't get breaks (and then also get glared at if we take two minutes to chat amongst ourselves...), we only get a half hour for lunch, and while we clock out for it, we aren't allowed to leave property. There are a lot of little things like that to make it feel like military school instead of just work. They stalk your every move. I never had a job that did that before I moved here. It will be nice to be back in a place where they knew you are responsible enough to take lunch on your own. And if you aren't, they fire you. Simple as that.
8. A safe place for Monkey. So he's only three and he has a little time before he starts going to school, but that is one of my hopes, is that we do like it there enough to stay, and give him a safe place to grow up. While it is a little sheltered from the world, I know that it will be good for him in so many other ways. And just because he grows up in a small place doesn't mean he has to stay there forever. Look at his mama, who left to see what was out here. :) My motto has always been, MT will always be there. If I want, I can always go back. But I won't always have the chance to get out and see things for myself. I hope the same for him.
It is a wise mother that gives her child roots and wings. ~Chinese Proverb
While moving is a grand adventure, and in my heart I do think it is the right thing for my little family, that doesn't make it entirely easy. There are things I will miss from Orlando, FL. Here are a few:
1. The Orlando Magic. They have been the only team to ever get me into basketball. As I type right now, I'm watching them on TV. I will forever consider them my hometown team, and I will forever BE MAGIC.
2. Walt Disney World. The reason I ever came to this crazy town to begin with. If I look at it that way, I owe Disney World everything. But simply, they provided me with a job, with meeting incredible and crazy people, with more memories than I could ever scrapbook. I will miss using my annual pass to walk in anytime I like as if I own the place. :)
3. The balmy winter weather. Okay, so really, it has been pretty chilly the past two winters. I mean, it even got down to like 29 last year. Ew! But compared to where we're going- Helena, MT- it is definitely balmy. And I will miss that very very much.
4. The beach. So it is still a drive from where I am right now, but only about a half an hour. Soon it will be a two day drive away. And even then it won't be a warm beach!! I am hoping to squeeze in one last beach trip before the move.
5. The little lizards. If you've ever been to FL, you know we have little lizards all over the darn place. My first few visits to FL I thought it really strange, but now I'm used to them. I think they are so cute. Just don't try to catch one by their tail- I tried that with one in my bedroom once and...well...it didn't end well. The lizard kept going and the tail stayed behind. :(
6. The gorgeous, beautiful, lush landscaping. Everywhere. I love the palm trees, I love the flowers, I love the bushes. It's all so pretty.
7. The smell of orange blossoms. They deserve their own number because they smell THAT good. Even though the scent only lasts a week or two, it is the most amazing smell that I will forever hold in my heart. And I don't care how silly that sounds!
8. The year-round Farmer's Markets. Not only do they have them year around, but there are multiple ones, with amazing produce. Helena has one, in the summer, and it's hit or miss.
9. The lack of ice on the roads. I mean, really. I hate driving in the snow/ice. I'm not sure how I'm going to go back to it. I think I'm kind of hoping that it will either never be icy on the roads ever again, OR I will be able to hibernate and not have to drive between November and March. :) A girl can hope, right???
First, can I just say that bittersweet is one of my favorite words? When I was a kid I thought it was a type of food. (I know...ridiculous. That's me!)
Anyway, today I started taking apart and picking up my office. The lady who is replacing me will start on Wednesday, so I need to get things organized for her. It was a little sad taking all my pictures off my bulletin board and packing up all my little knick-knacks off my desk (I did not realize how much crap I have!!!). Until my last day of work, the 25th, I will work in a different office.
It is almost as though I no longer have a place, you know? While I know its just business, and of course they need to replace me, it's as if I never existed. It's that simple. I leave, someone else comes in, that's that. Soon no one will remember me- soon they'll be chatting and say,"Oh, yeah, who was in that office then? What was her name? Samantha? Stacey? Something like that."
Many of the people I work with have been there for five, ten, fifteen PLUS years. One lady has been there since the resort opened in 1984. She's worked there as long as I have been alive. So to them, my measely four years there isn't much. But to me? It's been four years of my life. Nearly the entire time that I've lived in Florida I've worked there. It was where I met my husband. It was where I waved at Chevy Chase and took Dave Matthews' breakfast order over the phone and made Tiger's bagel. It was where I tasted raspberry rose water sorbet and learned what wine glass goes with which wine. It was where I made my car payment in tips in one rainy night after everyone else called in. I did a lot of growing up there.
And now...it's time to move on. You need to know when that time is, and you need to bow out gracefully.
Today, the boys and I ventured over to Disney's Hollywood Studios for ESPN the Weekend. It goes unsaid that Hubby is a sports guru. I like sports, and I probably know a bit more than some girls, but my knowledge is not impressive by any means. :) Still, it was fun.
They had opened a gate to back stage, where they had set up tons of games and sports stations. Professional athletes were there shooting hoops, tossing footballs, swinging golf clubs, signing autographs.
Monkey is madly in love with basketball, so that was his favorite. It warmed my heart watching my boys- my two kids, haha- running from station to station.
Mama, in the meantime, took pictures and ended up with a sunburn. :( The clouds tricked me!!!
Monkey really liked Tigger! (I really liked his catalog pose...what a goof)
This was in America. Very cute- it was an actual garden w/ lettuce, corn, and other veggies growing. :)
I haven't seen Tangled yet, but I thought this little tower was adorable.
This is probably my favorite part. I just stare at all the bright colors. I'm like a child, I know. :)
So cute! One of my top favorite Disney classics.
The flowers in England. I just loved all the little gardens throughout the park. Again, pretty colors!
