How’s Florida?!

Hello blogging world! I’ve missed you! What have you been up to?

Me? Oh, you know…just moving over 1000 miles away from my place of residence for the past 5 years.

In one of my last posts I announced that my husband and I would be moving to Florida (you can read about it here). It’s been two months and I can safely say the transition thus far has been…smooth.

A little too smooth if you ask me.

Have you ever had things go so well that it made you suspicious? Like, “What’s the catch?” type of suspicious. Pretty much every plan we made was executed flawlessly. From driving two separate cars from Ohio to Florida with nothing but clothes and kitchen supplies, to ordering new furniture and scheduling the delivery for only a couple days after we moved in. Everything was perfect.

Within weeks of our relocation, Hurricane Michael came to devastate Florida, but this time the storm hit on the opposite side of the state so we did not feel the impact (please continue to pray for those in the storm’s path as they rebuild).

I also got a job! After a couple interviews and offers, I accepted a position as a Clinical Social Worker at a level 2 trauma hospital. It’s been a wild ride already…

As far as our social life goes, it is almost nonexistent right now. We at least have each other and have been enjoying time spent together exploring the city (we’re within minutes of several beaches), going to the movies, and visiting churches (we think we’ve found a new church home 12 mins away from our apartment). Most of my side of the family lives 1.5 away, so we travel about once a month to visit them.

We thoroughly enjoyed having cousins over for dinner and games and are looking forward to a visit from friends from Ohio in a couple of weeks! Other than that, I can’t really say we’ve made friends here. I exchanged numbers with a woman while waiting in line to vote so hopefully we’ll link up soon. How do you make friends as an adult?

Overall, life in Florida has been great. To God be the glory! I’ve settled my anxiety about the smoothness of this transition by telling myself that it’s God’s grace and mercy that has allowed everything to go so well. Can you believe I actually had to talk myself out of feeling guilty about being happy? What is it about this life that makes me think, “if it’s not suffering or difficult it’s not God”? I mean, the Christian life is composed of trials and tribulations, but there’s also His protection, peace, and provision. I’m not one for prosperity gospel, but I needed this time to learn that things CAN go well without first getting worse. Thank you for the reminder, Father.

Do you have any tips for adjusting to a new city? I’d love to read your suggestions and recommendations. Thank you in advance!