I've been avoiding posting a blog because I haven't been able to organize my thoughts. I realized it's been way too long and so I decided to just post an update, no matter how scattered it may seem. Hopefully you can follow along.
I finally got down to Florida full time on Friday, May 15th, which just so happened to also be the closing date of our house in Maryland. Because we are a corporate relocation we didn't have to be at the closing. The relocation company signed papers on our behalf.
The animals (2 dogs, 3 cats) were picked up by a pet transporter (who knew there was such a thing) on Tuesday the 12th from me in Maryland and delivered to Alisa in Florida on Wednesday the 13th. Everybody seemed to arrive without any troubles. The dogs were confused but excited to see Alisa, and the cats went off on their sniffing tour and weren't seen for about 2 days. But, I'm here now so all is right in their worlds again.
I've been told that car insurance is insanely expensive in Florida, so I finally agreed to become a 1 vehicle household. Alisa has her work truck so I guess we're still a 2 vehicle household, but we are only paying for 1. On Tuesday I sold my Monte Carlo. I have 'an unhealthy attachment to inanimate objects' as I've been told, so I'm not ashamed to say I shed a couple tears as my Monte was driving off. But I'm happy to report it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I think the Silverado is helping to alleviate my pain.
We hope to close on our house on June 5th. Until then, we are all staying in the small temporary apartment. Fortunately we are allowed to stay in the apartment until the end of June, so we can have plenty of time to clean, paint, or do whatever we need before we actually stay in the new house.
It has rained everyday since I got here, and it's been almost 2 weeks. Alisa has been telling everybody that I brought the rain from Maryland. Nevermind the fact that this is Florida's rainy month before hurricane season hits. Thank goodness I didn't get here in June or else I'd be blamed for the hurricanes.
Back in Maryland I was selling stuff off, and just on a whim I posted Alisa's grill for sale. Who knew that sucker would sell? Thank goodness Alisa was excited to buy a new grill. I picked it up today actually, and the part she likes the best is the beer ice bucket and can opener. I'm so proud :)
I'll post more unorganized thoughts later. But for now, I'm in florida, and it's freakin HOT.
Who knew the day would come when I don't think about smoking on a daily basis anymore. Well, I'm here to say, the day does actually come! I had to stop and think of how long it has been since I became a non-smoker. 7 months!! And a big fat WooHoo for me! I don't normally pat myself on the back for stuff, but throwing out the smokes, is worthy of a major pat on the back. I have found that when I spend time in some bars that still allow smoking, I almost can't stand the smell on my clothes when I get home. I actually put all of my clothes in a separate area so they don't stink up the closet. How Alisa tolerated that smell for so long, I have no idea. How did I tolerate that smell? It's amazing how things change. I feel like I should wear an air freshener around my neck just to make it up to Alisa. She sure wins the tolerance award for the last 5+ years. I finally rounded the corner and realized how bad it smells, so I won't go back to smoking. I am very confident of that. We have been mostly living separately since the end of January, so if I haven't picked up smoking again because of that, then I won't pick it up again. And you know what? I never even wanted to. And that is AWESOME for me. If you never had to go through the stop smoking process, then you won't understand why this is such a big achievement for me. Although Alisa never smoked, I know for a fact she knows how hard it was for me, and she appreciates what I've gone through. She saw me slap on patch after patch for the first 8 weeks, and if we left the house and I forgot a patch? She turned that car around so I could get my patch. She was as dedicated as I was. Thank goodness for her support, she really helped me to become a non-smoker. And now she finally gets to reap the rewards. We now have a smoke-free home. Don't get me wrong, I still have my ashtrays here, but they are outside. Smokers are welcome in my home, but they just need to step outside to light up.
I won't lie. I did have to avoid smokers for a while. But I'm finally able to be around them again. I can smell the sweet goodness of a cigarette, and just enjoy it without wanting to smoke one. I liken it to enjoying the sweet goodness of coffee brewing, but I don't want to drink the coffee. It took a while to get to that point, but I'm finally there, and I am so proud of myself I can't stand it. I pass my old stores where I used to buy my smokes and I see the prices. No thanks.
7 months!! I am awesome! Usually Alisa would roll her eyes when I say something silly, but she will agree with my awesomeness about becoming a non-smoker. She's the main reason I was able to do it :)
Stay tuned for updates during the move :)
So Alisa had to work today, which means I was left to do my own thing. Not a difficult thing to do when it's sunny and 75 degrees. I decided to take the GPS, hop in my car (I haven't seen it in a month), and hit the road. Surely with a GPS I won't get lost. Of course, that's only if you turn on the GPS. I start off figuring I know where I need to go first, and I do get there very easily. Then I get back out on the road and I see Macy's. That was one of the stops I wanted to make, and I found it without the help of the GPS. Bonus! I wheel into the parking lot and head into the store, proud as a peacock. As I'm perusing the store, I see 'mall entrance'. Mall entrance? I'm at a mall? Holy crap. What mall am I at? I actually start to go into a mild panic because I know I've only driven a few short miles, and I definitely didn't take a mall entrance. I froze in Macy's, and called Alisa. She asked how I was making out and I said 'uh, I'm sorta at a mall, but I don't know what mall I'm at'. She giggled, then asked me to describe my surroundings. I said Macy's and she informed me I was at the Pembroke Pines Mall. WHEW! I've been to this mall before, but apparently I took a different route. If I had taken a few minutes and actually walked the mall before calling Alisa in a panic, I would have recognized it. But anyway, I manage to make it back to the apartment without the GPS. I'm pretty proud of myself. The fact that I traveled a total of about 10 miles today is not important. It just means we have a lot of amenities near us, which we're totally excited about. Back in Maryland, nothing was within 10 miles of our house. Alisa has already admitted she's spoiled by the convenience of stores down here.
So I get back to the apartment this afternoon, and I start laundry and start prepping for dinner. I'm in Florida, shouldn't I be lying by a pool or on a beach? I should not be watching soaps on a bright sunny Florida day! But, I digress.
I went on an adventure today, just to try to get a little more familiar with the area. I didn't venture far, but I did manage to remember my surroundings, which is a biggie around here. I may be from Cincinnati, but we didn't have intersections that were 6 lanes wide, 4 ways, with U-turns allowed. This is a whole new ballgame. And when the light turns green? If you hesitate for even a millisecond, you'll get honked at. You don't mess with the traffic down here. Even Alisa, little Miss Smalltown, let out with a 'the gas is on the RIGHT'. I was in the passenger seat and I did the only thing I could. I held onto the 'oh shit' handle above the door. I wasn't sure who this person was who was driving, but she sure got my attention! I also had a tear of pride in my eye. My little country bumpkin is becoming citified. And she's lovin it.
I need to get down to Florida soon because she is talking way too much about selling my car and getting a Jeep.
I'll update soon!
Once upon a time, when I was a little children about the age of 14, I wanted to get my ears pierced. But I was scared, so my Mom agreed to get her ears pierced again so I wouldn't be so scared. So there we were, having a mother and daughter moment. Mom getting her ears pierced for the second time, and me for the first time. A few years later, I wanted to get my ears pierced again, for the second time. I went to the ear piercing place but they said I had to have a parent present. I was only 17 so I had to go home and drag my Dad back to the mall. He told the lady it was ok and I got my ears pierced again.
Fast forward a few years, when I'm in my mid-twenties and want to get my ears pierced for the 3rd time. I talk to my Mom about it and she very quickly informs me that 3 piercings is trashy. I consider her thoughts, and I get my ears pierced for the 3rd time.
Fast forward again, about 15 years, to present time. My Mom hit 60 and she has started a 'phase' all her own. 
So, this is tattoo #5. I asked her if she remembered telling me that 3 earrings was trashy. She does remember it, and she actually says it's still a little trashy! I asked her how many tattoos she has and she told me to shut up.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against tattoos. I want one myself, but I can't decide what I want to live with forever. Maybe I should wait until I hit 60, when my skin has mostly settled into where it's going to be. I don't really need to get a rose or something on my shoulder and have it slide down as I get older. Yikes.
Or what if I were to get Alisa's name on me somewhere? It would be just my luck that in 30 years her name would become stretched out and look all goofy.
Maybe my Mom is onto something after all. We all think she's lost her ever lovin mind, but in fact maybe she is showing how smart she really is. Mom's really do know all.
My Mom still wants us to bond over a tattoo. Maybe we will. Someday.
But only when Alisa won't have a coronary.
Well, we're in the process of moving to Florida. And I say 'we're' in the process, when actually Alisa has already moved to Florida at the end of January. I'm still here in Maryland, trying to sell our house like a 2 dollar whore. We are technically living apart, seeing each other every 2 weeks. I have very quickly learned, if any more than 2 weeks apart is OK with a couple, then they aren't very close anymore. We are dealing with the 2 week separations as well as we can. Knowing it's only temporary helps. We use webcams, IM's, and of course that ancient thing called a phone. I still have all the animals with me, so Alisa is missing all of us. She is living the life in south Florida, hence the reason I call her every day. She needs to remember she has responsibilities she left behind in Maryland. HA!
I made a trip to Florida a few weeks ago. It was the first time we saw each other for a few weeks, and I didn't hold back. Of COURSE I hugged her like I hadn't seen her for a long time, and I even snuck a kiss on her cheek. I didn't want to be obvious but I also wasn't going to hold back just because someone might find it 'awkward'. Alisa didn't flinch at all, and I thought she might. South Florida is working its wiles on her. She's getting more comfortable in her skin, and finding that people don't really blink an eye about sexuality. This is a huge eye opener for both of us, and I'm really anxious to get down to Florida so we can experience this completely together. My next trip down to Florida just happens to be planned the weekend for Ft. Lauderdale Pride. I think we may actually make the 15 minute drive up to see the parade. I've been to one several years ago but Alisa has never been. Won't she be surprised at what she sees!
So, there it is. We're selling our house in Maryland and moving to Miami, Florida. I thought Alisa would have a more difficult time than I would. I grew up in the big city and she grew up in the country. Turns out she hit the big city running, and I'm the one who is playing catch up.
We'll keep you posted.
