Gretchen posted on November 19, 2014
On October 1, the three of us boarded a plane in Cancun with five suitcases, one stroller, one car seat, toys, laptop, iPad, and a myriad of other accoutrements. In 90 minutes we touched down in Fort Lauderdale, picked up a gigantic rental car (Chevy Tahoe), and drove to our apartment in Hallandale, about ten miles south of the airport. We had 30 days in this beautiful, furnished apartment while we looked for a more permanent living situation. The apartment also happened to be on the beach.
Over the course of October, we got familiar with the area, found a temporary daycare for Isaac, and bought a car, a brand new 2014 Honda CRV! It was the very first new car that either Adam or I have ever owned. We did a lot of research and found that this was the most reliable and safe small SUV, and keeps its value very well over the years. Adam is excited about having a reliable car, after bearing the brunt of the problems with the Ford Explorer, and I'm happy to have a smaller car to drive around instead of a tank (although I did like the Explorer).
At what seemed like the very last minute, we found the right house to rent, in Hollywood, about five miles from my office and one and a half miles from the beach. It is a 3-bedroom house built in 1959 with a nice patio and fenced-in backyard. West Lake Park is right next door, with plenty of kiddie play areas, a lake with fish to feed, and an area to rent kayaks and paddle around. The area is very quiet and safe, and just down the road is a brand new shopping center with a grocery store, Starbucks, and other stores and restaurants. The city of Hollywood puts on a lot of activities, like a "Boo Bash" for Halloween, a Christmas tree lighting, food trucks on Mondays and free movies at the park on Fridays. We really like it so far.
Margie and Sam drove from Oklahoma to the Florida Keys in their RV, and on the way back stopped by for about two weeks. They made it just in time for Halloween! They were a huge help setting up the house and getting things organized the way we wanted. Sam and Adam installed a ceiling fan, Margie organized the whole kitchen and did a lot of cleaning, and Sam rewired a lamp or two. They also watched Isaac for a whole week. Isaac loved checking out "papaw big truck," Sam's Ford F-350 which hauled the RV down from Oklahoma. Margie helped me spend a lot of money at Target, and we fixed up Isaac's room slash guest room as a pirate room - yar! Also got some Thomas the Tank Engine decals for the walls.
VIDEO: Pirate Room
We also got a slipcover for the couch and new pillows, which gives it a whole new look.
Last but certainly not least, Adam was a groomsman in his childhood friend Charles' wedding in Miami. It was a beautiful wedding and we all had a great time. The food was awesome and the music was really fun. We closed the place down! I have a lot more pictures from the wedding but will have to include them in a later post.
On November 11 was Adam's and my fourth wedding anniversary. We got each other flowers and relaxed at home.