Every person has their dream place, somewhere they would love to live. For some people, it’s busy places or places with a lot or people like New York or California. For others, it’s in the country, far away from all the hustle and bustle of life. Some people like cooler weather and snow, they move north to places like Michigan or Wisconsin. For me, it’s Florida. One day, I want to move to Florida. I’m already thinking about and trying to plan this move, even though I know it’s likely to be 3 to 5 years (or more) down the road, but I’ve wanted to live in Florida for years now.  When I was a child, I would sometimes dream about or pretend I was in Florida.  These days I spend a lot of time looking at jobs in certain areas I’m considering moving and homes for sale and rent. It’s turned into quite an obsession for me actually. You may be asking yourself, why Florida?  I can sum it up with 3 words, ocean, sun and heat.

I want to be somewhere that’s warm, without all the cold and snow that we get here in Kentucky.  I’ve never liked cold much and as I’ve gotten older, it’s become even worse for me.  Once the temperature gets below 70 degrees, my body hurts.  The lower the temperature gets, the more I hurt.  Some days I have to force myself out of bed, because I hurt so bad I don’t want to move.  On really cold days when I don’t have to get out of bed, I don’t.  I will wait until I have it at least 68 to 70 in the house, we turn the furnace down to 65 every night because we can’t afford to have it much higher.  In the winter when it’s below freezing, it’s 62 at night and 65 through the day.  I feel like an ice cube every day and can’t get warm no matter what I do.  My body constantly burns and throbs in the winter.  Yes, I know Florida gets down below 70 degrees some of the time, but not for 6 to 8 months of the year.  The only time I don’t hurt from the cold is the end of May through August or the beginning of September.  Even in the summer I’m having to keep a jacket or sweater on me at times.  If the wind is blowing or I walk into somewhere where they have the AC running cold, I freeze, even when it’s 90 outside.  In the winter time, I’m actually constantly comparing the temps between here and Florida and trying to pretend that the temperature here is actually what it says it is in Florida.  It doesn’t work well, but hey, I try.  Sean asks why I’m always torturing myself, looking at the temperature in Florida, but I can’t help it, when it’s in the teens and single digits here, I have to make sure that it’s still warm elsewhere.  It also serves as a reminder to me that one day it will be warm here again.

A few years ago, Sean really started feeling the cold too and agreed that if I can come up with the money, a job for him and a place to live (it has to have AC), he would be willing to move to Florida.  And after visiting Florida, 2 summers ago, both Hailie and Leslie can’t wait for the day that we can move there. (You can read about that trip here.)  Actually the only person in our family who doesn’t want to move is Lorianna.  She has both cold and heat sensitivities and is more likely to have seizures when she gets overheated.  There are, however, precautions that we can take for her, cooling vests and keeping her inside when it’s too hot, for example.  And for the first time ever, Hailie said she was ready to move as soon as it started getting colder outside this year.  Leslie has wanted to move to Florida since she was 5 and discovered Winter the dolphin.  She would be happy to live anywhere that she can see dolphins frequently, but has her heart set on the Clearwater area, so she can see Winter more, or in her words “all the time.”

What about hurricanes though?  I look at it this way, no matter where you live, a disaster could happen.  If something is going to happen, it will happen.  I have a desire to live close to the ocean.  It could be any location by the ocean truthfully, but I really want to move to Florida.  Ultimately, God is in control of all our lives, and I trust him to keep us safe, no matter where we live.

Another reason is the sun!  Yes it does rain in Florida too, but the sun makes me feel so much better.  When it’s constantly dreary, rainy or the ground is snow covered, I feel so depressed.  The time I spent in Florida 2 years ago, I was more happy than I have been in years.  I think the mixture of ocean, sun and real warmth played a part in that.  I want to feel that way all the time, rather than having to fight depression half the year.  I don’t want to have to be cooped up inside on Thanksgiving and Christmas because it’s too cold, when we could be outside really enjoying the day.  I feel so depressed on Thanksgiving and Christmas because of the pain I feel from the cold and having to be inside.  I would prefer to be enjoying those family days outside in the sun.  I’ve talked to others who say being cooped up inside is part of what makes those days so special.  It’s not for me though, it’s about being with family that makes the day special.

I really can’t wait for the day that we can move to Florida.  I look forward to warm days, days spent on the beach enjoying the ocean with the family.  I look forward to days without snow and cold temperatures making my body hurt and being able to enjoy the sun year around.