(Pic from one brief moment of relaxation on the Fourth of July!)
My brain feels like it has a million different tabs open at once and I suppose that’s to be expected during a move but rather than ramble on and on I wanted to give today’s blog post some sense of organization. I figured a “Currently” style blog post was a great way to share a lot and let you know what’s going on over here right now without everything feeling totally jumbled. Let’s dive right in!
Currently: July 2022
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Currently Feeling: Relief and Happy Heartache
I had one person on Instagram send me a message saying moving with kids is like taking one step forward and two steps back. Well if that isn’t the truth! Moving with three boys underfoot was a new level of intense and stressful and there is absolutely no way we would’ve been able to pack everything and move everything but our furniture ourselves without help from friends and family. (We did this to hopefully help things feel less stressful on the backend but phewww it was a lot.) Bless my mom for coming in town for a few days to be the ringleader of our boys so we could hunker down and pack, pack, pack. Bless our friends for taking a kid or two for us when we really needed to be able to pack and organize without little hands grabbing the things we just packed back out of the boxes and undoing all of our packing progress. Knowing the big move out of our home is done has me feeling a strong sense of relief.
The happy heartache I’ve been feeling comes into play when I think about the fact that our brown brick home of eight years is no longer ours. I already shared all of the emotions I’ve felt swirling around my chest on the blog last week but to say I was a mess on Friday as I shut our front door for the last time would be an understatement. I walked through our home and said goodbye to every single room and took time to really let memories and emotions wash over me and it was all so happy and sad and final.
Right before we left, Chase turned to me and said, “Mom, I think I’m going to cry,” and the tears rolled down his cheeks as he realized the finality of what was happening. It’s the first time I’ve seen him process sadness over something “grown up” since Sadie passed and it just squeezed my heart a little more. He sat at his bedroom window and said, “I’m going to miss this window.” I will, too.
Before we pulled out of the driveway, we did a big outstretched family hug with all of us at the bottom of the front steps with the two stair railings at the bottom of the steps serving as our anchors. It was one of those moments I know will be seared into my heart and brain forever. This house has been so good to us and we will miss it deeply.
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Currently Living: In Florida!
So where are we now? Florida!
After we sold our house when we were away over spring break, our plans for our big move were up in the air in a BIG way. It’s felt like a hot mess at times and I admittedly struggle in limbo phases of life without a real home base. Thankfully we came up with a plan that had all of us a little more excited to embrace the time we have between our old home and the house we’re building.
We’re currently staying in a VRBO in Florida — an older home located within two miles of my parents and my sister and her family — and we are so, so psyched and grateful for the month we’ll be spending in Jacksonville Beach so close to family! (And yes, we could’ve stayed with family but we are a LOT and it felt like a lot to ask anyone to host us for 30+ days. We would’ve had kids sleeping in closets and bathrooms and knew renting our own house would make everything smoother for everyone!) We’ll be returning to North Carolina and renting in the area until our house is ready… hopefully by November.
The boys have been counting down the days until we arrived in Florida since we first told them our plans a month ago. We’re convinced they think Florida is heaven on earth. Between family fun, millions of anole lizards, pool days, tide pools and beach fun, it’s heaven for our crew and we’re planning to make the most of it! I am well aware that 30+ days near my family is a gift and I am thrilled for the time we’ll have with my very favorite people.
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Currently Reading: Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez
Thank you guys for encouraging me to read this novel by Abby Jimenez after I said I liked but wasn’t completely wowed by The Friend Zone, the first novel I read by this beloved author. I am LOVING Life’s Too Short and am a little more than three quarters of the way through it. I’ll share a full review soon but suffice it to say this book is a gem I highly recommend without even knowing how it ends!
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Currently Cruising with the Kids In: A Consignment Double Stroller Find
Talk about an awesome find! In the midst of moving mayhem we forgot to pack our double stroller for our time in Florida and with some big adventures planned with the boys we knew we’d need one for our youngest two dudes. Thankfully a few calls to consignment shops in the area proved successful! Say hello to our new-to-us Joovy!
We bought this bad boy for less than half its retail value and it’s in great condition! (It’s definitely in way better shape than our current double stroller. Our double BOB has been through the ringer!) We’ll actually be leaving the Joovy in Florida with my parents since they wanted one to use with my nieces anyway and it will be nice not have to pack ours for future visits. Silver lining to our forgetfulness!
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Currently Discussing: Plans for a Dog
Longtime readers know our family’s love for Sadie, our beloved vizsla of 13.5 years, was intense. Sadie was truly a member of our family and, despite it being more than a year since she passed, she still comes up in conversation with our kids on an almost-daily basis. We miss having a dog in our family but mostly we still just miss having Sadie.
Being in such a limbo phase of life — knowing we’d be selling our home and moving — has only played into our lack of a desire to get another dog for quite some time. Slowly but surely Ryan and I are feeling increasingly ready to bring another dog home to make a new furry friend a part of our family. It’s not something that will happen until we’re in our new home (and possibly for even a year!) but discussions have started to become increasingly real versus just hypothetical. You know I’ll keep you guys in the loop!
Note: Before we add a dog to our crew, we promised the boys we would adopt a lizard soooo get excited for THAT. Haha!
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Currently Monitoring: A Sea Turtle Nest
My mom has our whole family thoroughly invested in a sea turtle nest on the beach close to their home. She’s been tracking the nest, taking pictures, researching sea turtle nesting patterns and we know the following: It’s a loggerhead nest and babies should be hatching within the next couple of days! We’re closely monitoring the nest and hope the baby turtles emerge and make it into the ocean safely very soon. Apparently sea turtle patrol groups excavate the nests once they’ve hatched and we’re hoping to bring the boys to the beach to watch this process, too, because it seems incredibly cool! In the past, they’ve had to help some of the baby sea turtles stuck in their nests make it to the sea and also count the number of eggs that hatched from each nest during the excavation. Sea turtles are officially the coolest.
On that note, I’m off to dive back into mom duty and sweat my face off in the Florida sun. I hope you all have a great week and thanks so much for taking a moment to stop by the blog today!
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Ahhhh keep us updated on the baby sea turtles – so so cool! Florida is probably a nice distraction from the sadness of leaving your home. We are in the midst of puppy life – we have a 13 week Vizsla we brought home at 8 weeks and let me tell you … 😵💫😵💫😵💫. It has been 14 years since we had a puppy and we now have young kids and new(ish) house so it is a whole new ball game. We don’t regret our decision for a second because we know he is going to a wonderful dog once we power through the puppy phase and he is completely trained but for now we are exhausted chasing around what is basically a toddler that nips and tries to chew everything in sight (he’s especially attracted to my 4 yo’s long hair 🤪). Despite the craziness it is so nice having a dog in our home again. My 7 yo told us he makes our family way more fun haha.
This is what I’ve heard from my friend Brittany (ahealthysliceoflife.com) who recently got a vizsla puppy as well!! Definitely makes me nervous for puppy phases — I’m actually very interested in adopting an older dog so who knows where we will end up!!
How nice you can be in Florida for an entire month, like an extended vacay for the kids! My parents live in New Smyrna Beach and we’re driving from NC to visit this weekend. My kids think it is the best place as well! Why did you sell your house so early vs waiting until the fall when your house was ready to avoid this limbo phase?
We were just feeling anxious! We were nervous about rising interest rates and wanted to sell our house when we knew we’d likely have no trouble selling it versus feeling nervous and unsettled. And yesss feeling grateful for this extra time in FL for sure!
I was wondering this to but that totally makes sense!! The market is definitely shifting in some areas and houses are taking much longer to sell! I’m so glad you get a month in Florida with your family!! Do you already know where you are renting after your trip?
Yes, we do thankfully!!
We sold our home last August and I remember and could still cry thinking of our last walk out the door. It was such a safe haven for all of us. I understand your emotion. You’re doing great, Julie!
Sounds silly but I’m proud of you and Ryan for getting your own place. This reflects the maturity you have about boundaries and what is best. Your marriage will thank you for it as well. One of the many reasons I love following your journey in life.
Ooooohhh snap! This is how adopting a dog goes:
– I think maybe I want a dog. But probably not yet. Maybe in a year.
– Week later: I mean it couldn’t hurt to just look online to see what dogs are out there…..
– Week +one day later: I have found the love of my life and they come home tomorrow!!!
I maaaaay speak from experience lol. Don’t even open a dog website until you are ready to pull the trigger! Those eye will suck you in every time!
Awesome about the lizard!
Please say you’re getting another Vizsla!! Our girl is 5.5 and such a great fit for our family – my husband is always talking about getting another. Seeing how amazing your Sadie was (and still is) entwined in your family is what convinced me a Vizsla would be perfect for us. Congratulations on your beautiful new house!
We looove vizslas and have talked most about another vizsla but we’re open to other breeds as well. At the moment, I’m actually very interested in adopting an older dog but we’ll see how things unfold!
And I love that you have a sweet vizsla! They truly are the best, most special dogs! <3
I was wondering the same thing. I started following this blog because of Sadie as I had a vizsla and then fell in love with you and your family. I lost my beloved first heart dog and now have an 8 month old vizsla who has saved my heart. He is actually calmer than my first vizsla and he knows his role was to save us. They truly are the best breed!
This is so sweet — what a wonderful dog it sounds like you have! ❤️
I am so happy you are finally moved as I know how stressful the entire process is and how EMOTIONAL! I have followed you through ALL OF IT IN YOUR NC HOME so I could absolutely understand all the feels you had about everything you experienced there. I just moved to Florida 1.5 years ago from California and it is STILL an adjustment. Enjoy this special time with your family July. I know it will be amazing for all of you. Then you will have your new beautiful home to look forward to moving in to shortly after you return to NC. So happy for you! Also, Sadie will be with you in the new home as well as she now lives inside of your heart and soul so there is NO WHERE you can be that she is not always with you. I know it is not the same….but it is some comfort for sure I hope.
Curious if you guys ever considered building your new home in Fla? Or buying there? Every time you visit I wonder why you aren’t living there instead. I guess there is the *little* aspect of your husband’s job, haha. Kinda important. 😏
That’s so incredibly sweet about Chase’s reaction 😢 I read it and it got me emotional! Change is so bittersweet. My son is just a few weeks behind Chase and I think that’s so neat that he was able to express his emotions in the moment like that ❤️ Best of luck as you all adjust and inevitably miss your home of so many years.
Thank you, Correen! There were quite a few tears between all of us as we left. We will miss that home a lot, even if we are looking forward to the future.
I lovce the currently blog posts…keep em’ in the loop. And please keep us posted on the sea turtles 🙂
Good luck with everything Julie! Despite the chaos a month near the beach sounds amazing. Since you mentioned your new double stroller I had a question about the Doona you used with Rhett. I was curious how long you were able to use it before transitioning to a different car seat model? Also, did you take the Doona for walks around the neighborhood or did you use a different stroller for that purpose? Thanks!
I have the perfect book recommendation for you! If you have access to a library, I would check out “Follow the Moon Home.” It’s about a class who is monitoring the nests of baby sea turtles and trying to get the houses on the beach to turn off lights/shut their curtains so the babies follow the light of the moon into the water when they born and don’t follow the light of the homes. It’s a really sweet story about activism + baby turtles!!
Oh wow! That sounds so cool!! I’ll look for this one! The sea turtles just hatched LAST night (yayy!) and we’re hoping to see the excavation of the nest on Friday morning.
The thought of chase crying made me almost cry. 😩
Oh my goodness, how has it been over a year since Sadie passed?? Time truly does fly. It’s so sweet that she still plays a role in your daily lives. I’m excited to see what pets you bring into your family next!
You and I are alike that being in limbo is challenging. I feel soooo anxious when I don’t have my home base, some structure, and some time alone. Sending you good vibes that you can find your daily moment of peace and truly be present as you spend time with family <3