The Sunshine Chapter

Major life update: I moved from New Hampshire to Florida just north of Miami and Fort Lauderdale! I am now just a few minutes from the beach, which is breathtaking and is picture below! The beauty of having a remote job is that I can work from wherever. I am not a fan of the harsh winter months, so having the opportunity to move to the sunshine state and enjoy the year-round summer weather was a no brainer. Pictured below is me in my driveway in New Hampshire as I was packing up my car before the move. I cut my hair shorter for the warmer weather, and I have traded in pine trees for palm trees! So many spontaneous changes have occurred. I am excited to be living with two of my best friends, Abby and Carol and their dog Brandi, who have all lived in Florida for the past year. I am also going to be in the same state as my cousin Alex, who is truly a sister to me, so I am ecstatic to be able to be closer to her and see her more often.

New Hampshire has been my home for my entire life, so leaving my childhood home, family, friends, coworkers, and familiar surroundings is far from easy. I am getting emotional just writing this because I am not just a car ride away from my loved ones, but instead a plane ride away. With bittersweet feelings comes so much joy because I am so excited for the journey ahead! Seasons of change bring tons of growth, so as my New Hampshire chapter closes out, my Florida chapter begins, and I cannot wait for what is in store! Who knows what the future holds. Down the road, life could bring me back to New Hampshire, or allow me to plant my roots elsewhere, but New Hampshire will always be called home.

The journey to relocate down to Florida was one for the books! My dad took the leap and joined me for my drive down. Kudos to him for being as tall as he is and sitting and driving in my fully packed and tiny car. We took shifts driving and drove straight from New Hampshire to Jacksonville, Florida in 23 straight hours where we finally called it a night and slept for a handful of hours. Along the way, my dad and I were able to meet up with one of my best friends, Christina, as she is now living in North Carolina. It has been over a year since I have seen her, so it was such a blessing to be able to spend some quality time with her and catch up.

My dad and I picked up the next morning and drove another 5 hours to my final destination in south Florida. On your next road trip, I highly recommend stopping at a Buc-ee’s location, which is a state-of-the-art gas station, country home store, and convenience store with multiple food and drink stations wrapped all into one. It is hard to miss it from the highway because there is a giant picture of Bucc-ee the Beaver as the logo. My dad and I were beyond impressed with the Daytona Beach, FL location. If there is something you are looking for or craving, odds are Buc-ee’s will have it. The options are endless! We also stopped at a gas station in Virginia, where the two gas station attendants were beyond cheerful and kind, which made my entire day. The impressions made at gas stations were quite memorable!

Upon arriving to our final destination and unloading everything from my car, my mom was set to fly into town that evening. She flew to Orlando, FL and had a connecting flight from Orlando to south Florida. As she landed in Florida, her final flight got cancelled and all airlines cancelled any flight within the state for weather reasonings. My dad, Abby, Carol, and I hopped immediately back into the car where Abby graciously offered to drive the 6-hour trip to give us a break. Travelling can lead to such unexpected happenings, so always be prepared to pivot your plans! We picked up my mom and travelled safely back home.

The rest of the weekend was busy spent unpacking, setting my space up, and going back and forth to stores to furnish my bedroom and bathroom. I cannot thank my parents, Abby, and Carol enough for all of their help this weekend in making sure everything went smoothly with the move-in process. It was such a team effort, and I am blessed to have such incredible family and friends in my life.

As I was driving around and getting a feel for the new area on the first day, the song “Funky Town” by Lipps Inc. came on the radio and the following lyric stood out to me: “Gotta make a move to a town that’s right for me.” It resonated so much as I am in a new town and state, and I have such a great feeling that the Florida lifestyle is going to be such a perfect fit for me.

Throughout the weekend, I stumbled across pennies in the most unexpected places, which is comforting validation that my cousin James is watching over me during this transition. Flamingos are also native to and associated with Florida. My Grammy’s favorite animal was a flamingo, so that is an additional sign of validation that she is watching over me too. Additionally, my parents, Abby, Carol and I had a celebratory nighttime picnic on the beach after the first full day of moving in, which was so fun as we were one of the few people on the beach as the sun was setting. The route that the beach is on is A1A, which from a distance looks like “Aia,” which is what I call my grandma, who I cannot wait to reunite with along with my grandpa (Tata) upon their return from South America next time I visit New Hampshire.

As emotional as it was saying bye to my parents as I dropped them off on their final night in Florida (and saying goodbye to my brother, and all close family and friends before I left New Hampshire), I realized that although I won’t be seeing them every day as I normally would, I am thrilled for what this new adventure has in store for me. Life is all about getting out of your comfort zone, trying new things, and making new memories. Florida has always held such a special piece of my heart as I have vacationed here more times than I can count over the years. I know God has such incredible plans in place for me in Florida and has guided me to this very spot for a reason.

To my New Hampshire clan, this is not goodbye but merely “see you later” because I will visit New Hampshire as often as I can. If you ever find yourself travelling to south Florida, please let me know, as I would absolutely love to welcome you and show you around town! Stay tuned for updates in my new journey that is already filled with smiles and sunshine.

Remember to stay humble and kind, always!

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xo –Jess