A Place to Call Home

It's official.  We have a place to call home (for a year at least).  We have signed a lease on a house in Port Charlotte, FL.  For those of you not intimately familiar with Florida, Port Charlotte is located on the Gulf of Mexico about an hour South of Tampa.

I know we had mentioned that we were thinking of moving to Texas and that is still an option.  We decided that we don't want to buy for at least another year.  We don't have furniture, and we don't want to buy any till we buy a house so we need to find something furnished.  We found that furnished rentals in the part of Texas we wanted were 2 - 3 times as much as in Florida (if you can find them at all). 

I have been trying to convince Jon to move to Florida rather than Texas for a while so this is a step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned.  I like the fact that the temperatures don't vary as much (the lows aren't as low and the highs aren't as high) as they do in Texas.  I realize that Florida has the potential for hurricanes, but there is a warning system that makes it so you can get out of the way.  Not only that, we have a 38 ft travel trailer so we can grab it on the way out of the state and we don't need to worry about a hotel.  In Texas, they have tornadoes which are much harder to predict and plan for.

Unfortunately, it's not my abilities of persuasion that convinced Jon to rent the house in Port Charlotte.  It's the fact that it is on a canal and has a boat dock (complete with lift). 

 (View of the second dock from the back yard)

One of the first dates he and I had was a trip out on Lake Pleasant in a small sail boat.  Jon's grandparents used to own a sailboat so it's in his blood.  In order to get to the Gulf, we will have to go under a bridge and it may be too short for a sail, but if anyone can figure out how to make it work, Jon can.  The house also has a workshop at the back of the garage that he is already claiming (and we don't move in till Sept).

The kids are most excited about a pool in the backyard and the possibility of a pet.  I am excited about that, but also the fact that I have been given permission to plant a garden in a portion of the back yard (and the growing season is such that I will be able to start as soon as we move it)! 

I'm also looking forward to having access to a library as well as being near a lot of things.  There are stores within a few miles of the house that I'm used to having to drive 30 min or more to get to.  I'm also hopeful I can sign the kids up for some sort of sport or group activity.  I also just found out that in many ways homeschooling in Florida is going to be easier than it was in Virginia.  I've already started some research and it looks like we will be able to join a homeschooling group (or 2) in the area which will give us access to some wonderful group activities.  

A part of me is sad that the house will be furnished because I will not be able to add my own style.  The good news is, that I won't have to unpack a lot of boxes (pretty much just our clothes and school supplies). 

 (So much bigger than the camper's kitchen.  I can't wait!)

At this point, I just want to stay in one place for a while.  I have family as well as some long-time family friends in Florida (most of whom will be within a 2 hour drive of the house), so that's a bonus too.