Monday, July 15, 2013

Independence Day and Our New City Revealed

Here is the next clue in our big move reveal:

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I actually had a correct guess (and loved all of your other guesses!) by: Candyce! She guessed...Tampa! So Candyce is the winner! (Do you live here? If you see this post, I'd love to know!) Yup, we have moved to Florida, fulfilling Ryan's lifelong dream of living near the ocean. The kids love the new activities to choose from, and we have had a lot of fun, so far. But, like I think I wrote before, it has been a lot of work - with a lot more work in the near future.

part of our breakfast

We had a nice 4th, making it a priority to celebrate and to take the day off from household pursuits.

We spent the day on the beach, taking the ferry to Caladesi Island. We made it back in time to feast upon veggie burgers, corn on the cob, tater tots, and watermelon.

supper

Why, yes, there is an extra person seated next to Ryan. As if we didn't have enough to do already, we are currently hosting a young teen from Eastern Europe. He is actually a social orphan, living in what is called an internat, an orphanage/boarding school. He's great; we adore him! If you are interested in knowing more about this, you are welcome to read about this program on my family blog.

You can also get a glimpse of the piles of boxes in the background that I need to address.

He tried as hard as he could.

This explains a lot of what
my life is like right now.

And this makes it worth it.

24 comments:

  1. Tampa! How fantastic! I bet the kids love the beach as much as Ryan.
    It's so good of you all to host a social orphan. I haven't heard the term. Looks like he's learning what American independence tastes like in very proper manner :)

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    1. They do love it as much as Ryan - especially middle two. My oldest and I like the beach a lot - but I wouldn't say we LOVE it.
      Social orphan refers to a child with at least one living parent - but for whatever reason has been placed in an orphanage to live...I can hardly wrap my head around it. I think he enjoyed the food in America a lot!

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  2. You moved South East?! Who does that???? The day I get to cut loose, I'm going WEST!

    Oh well, congrats on your new digs. The family looks very attractive as usual.

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    1. There are many people who move southeast. They may be 30 years older than us, but we're just getting a head start! I would totally move west. Or even northeast. But unfortunately we have to stay in the south for Ryan's job.
      Thanks!

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  3. Yay, congrats on the move!! Tampa, never would have guessed! It's my dream to live on the beach :) I live pretty close but I think it would be so amazing to hear the waves crashing from my house ;)

    How great of you to host a social orphan. Everyone looks great! Sounds like a great Independence Day celebration and the watermelon stars are too cute!

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    1. Our hosted child let out an excited "Ohh!!!" when he saw the stars. We can't hear the waves from our house, but it is cool to live amongst palm trees!
      Thanks!

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  4. :) what a nice post. I've never been to Tampa, but my husband's family lives on the Atlantic coast of FLA and I"ve become quite a fan of Florida. I hope it treats your family well!

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    1. Florida has been a happy place, so far. I am homesick for my roots, but there is much to do here! Thanks!

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  5. Um.... JEALOUS! Congrats girl. So so happy for you guys,.

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    1. If you ever make it east of Perdido, come see us! :)

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  6. As usual, your family looks happy and organized, even in the midst of disorganization. I was only in Tampa once and it was a long time ago. It was 45 degrees and I'd expected it to be hot so I was unprepared and freezing. It's so nice that you'll be living near the ocean and breathing the fresh salt air. Have fun!

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    1. When we were here in March to look at houses, it was chilly. That did surprise us. But it was a nice chilly, and I am looking forward to learning about the winter weather here. Thank you!

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  7. How lovely to live by the sea! Congrats on the move, I bet it's a lot of hard work, especially trying to get organized with all the kids about! You all look so happy and settled :)

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    1. Thank you for your sweet comment! I appreciate it.

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  8. Congrats on your move!! The family looks happy hanging out on the beach.

    As usual you impress me with your holiday festivities -- love the flag and stars!

    Little guy is super cute, especially gnawing on that corn. He'll have it mastered in no time!

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    1. Thanks, Sara! Hope your family has been having fun, too!

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  9. Oh! I'm just now seeing this post--I don't live in Tampa, but I do make a point to visit Whole Foods stores in the cities we visit. It's kind of a weird thing, I guess, but whenever we visit someplace new, we find the libraries, bookstores, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. We also check out co-ops or things like that, but we make a point to do WF, TJ and libraries. :) Candyce

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    1. I am the same way! It's my hobby to visit health food stores, I think. :) I miss my comfy, homey Little Rock store, but the ones in Tampa are definitely bigger and more vegan-friendly. Thanks again for stopping by.

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  10. YAY! Welcome to Tampa! I hope you love it here! Be sure to check out the Veg Tampa Bay Facebook page (and forthcoming blog) to keep up with all the vegan-friendly happenings.

    https://www.facebook.com/VegTampaBay

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    1. I have been keeping up with it, Amanda! Are you in charge of it? I can't wait for Veg Fest! We have found lots of fun things to do, so far.

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  11. Enjoy it down there! So happy for you!

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  12. Looks like you're having so much fun! Are those children available for adoption? I'm going to your family page to try and find out. Happy Labor Day weekend. :-)

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    1. Hey! Many of them are. I meant to tell the whole story on my other blog, and I haven't gotten past the first post. I will, one of these days.

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