Six months in Florida

We are officially six-month old Floridians. 

My kids miss their friends so much, and I asked them if they were going to move back to California to be with their friends again, and all three answered, "NOOOO," then added that their friends were going to move to Florida. Not really sure if they actually had that conversation, but it sounded affirmative. 

I had not taken many pictures this last month; there is not much to share. 😞

I feel like I can make lists now about some of what I like, dislike, and miss. 

First, what I dislike about Florida:

• the smell of mold 
• giant roaches / too many bugs (I had to live with roaches in CA too 🙄)
• can't go outside in the summer (same in CA) 
• lightning that wants to kill me 
• driving in the rain 
• aggressive drivers (Californians speed, but Floridians cut you off, which I think is the New Yorker in them)
• can't air dry laundry in under two hours 
• can't open my windows in the morning / evenings 
• can't compost without hosting hundreds of bugs 
• mysterious bug bites
• the humidity

What I miss about California:

• my church family 
• my granddaughter
• family
• cool mornings / evenings and opening my windows to let in the breeze
• drying the laundry in an instant in the wind and sun
• composting
• my greenhouse

Now, what I like about this part of Florida:

• it's NOT California
• the rain / thundershowers
• rainbows
• the beach
• the birds
• it's green
• the trees
• the lizards
• the clouds
• no wind
• I can grow food (it may get eaten by bugs, but at least I can start something)
• most people are cordial and friendly
• well-maintained infrastructure, roads, buildings, etc.
• well-organized / thorough elections
• not having a neurotic governor 
• rarely seeing panhandlers, homeless, mentally ill on the street
• freedom

I'm sure my lists will grow and change overtime, but this is what I have come up with now. 

Voting in Florida

I never did work the polls on Election Day. I had already been assigned to work, but since my dad went to the hospital in July, I didn't want to commit to work and then have to cancel on that day in case I had another emergency again. So I cancelled back in July. 

But we did get to vote in our first Florida election. You must show a picture ID with address and signature. They check your photo and your signature to make sure it matches their records. I know...the horror! 

Homeschooling in Florida

Next week my two youngest will begin another year of homeschool. I've always said that California is very liberal about homeschooling. All that was required was to file a PSA once a year. Homeschoolers do not need to test and parents do not need to be certified teachers. They do not hound homeschoolers about vaccinations either. 

In Florida, it is very similar. I registered with an umbrella school, which will file my paperwork. The kids won't need to do state testing, and all I have to do is turn in attendance. I also waived vaccinations. Simple enough.

Dancing in Florida

My girls have started dancing at a new dance studio. Two weeks ago they auditioned for Nutcracker, and my 17-yo was cast as Snow Queen and a soloist in Waltz, and my 14-yo was also cast in Snow. 

I'll be honest with you: it was by God's grace because my 17-yo had been unfairly treated at her last studio; it got political toward the end, which wasn't fair to her. But she kept her chin up and excelled in the roles she was cast. She reached out to the owner with questions why (what she did wrong and could improve next time) she was not cast in senior roles (as she was a senior and ones less senior were given those roles), but the owner never responded. It is just as well that we left when we did because I couldn't stand it anymore. 

I told my daughter that her heart attitude was more important than her roles; and God saw all that she had to endure. This to me was God's grace. This new dance studio had only seen her dance en pointe on two separate occasions, and yet they cast her for a main and soloist. I told her to be grateful for God's timing and grace. This is why we should maintain a good heart attitude and be patient when we sense we have been unjustly treated; God sees everything and knows what we are going through. We never know how or when He is going to work things out for us.

Gardening in Florida

Finally, as for my gardening situation: 

I re-planted onions. My one carrot is still growing. And my pepper plant grew fruit.

Then a family of hornworms ate all the leaves, and I don't know if the fruit will survive.

Some months ago I threw down several morning glory seeds under my bedroom window to see what would happen. Out of the seeds I threw down, only one seedling came up. And then someone ate it. I thought it was gone for good; however, a few weeks ago, a couple of heart-shaped leaves came back up again. 

And so maybe, maybe I'll have some morning glories under my window. 

I won't hold my breath.

* * *

P.S. Our Florida vehicle registrations are due for all three of our vehicles, and I didn't get that same stomach ache I used to get when our California vehicle registrations arrived in the mail. Instead, I want to laugh because even all three registrations fall short of the exorbitant cost of one registration in California. Add this to the "What I like about Florida" list.