...first week in FL

Things have been going very smoothly and we're still getting used to Florida. The humidity is pretty bad and it feels like NJ in Aug but it's still June. Oy. At least our A/C works just fine. :)

Ever since we've unpacked our last boxes (and we've even freecycled our boxes!), we've been on vacation mode pretty much. We've explored different beaches and even stopped along causeways to play in the water. :) The first 2 things that hit us was that the water is so warm and so clear! We've been able to wade in and find live hermit crabs scurrying around (Jana likes to pick them up and eat them) and sometimes tiny school of fish! And where there is sand, it's been very fine and soft (Jana tries to eat this, too). So now we've learned to always keep a spare bathing suit/swim trunks and swim diapers and all that beach stuff in a bag in the trunk for when we spot good patches of beach. We're hoping to make a trip to Honeymoon Isalnd, Fort DeSoto Park and Caladesi Island soon. Rated top beaches in this region! :)

We really love the location of our condo. It's very convenient to a lot of things (esp. Target and Costco!) and it's right next to Ruth Eckerd Hall, a performing arts center! We can literally walk there! There are also a ton of churches in this area. We are still looking into them, trying to figure out which ones to visit. We're thinking an American church that has small groups and is open to the Spirit. :) If anyone has any suggestions, please let us know! We are also very close to Kev's work and to a nearby strip of beach. Yay!

Some fun things about FL: You make an appointment to go to the DMV. We had to get FL licenses to start the process of getting insurance and all that, so we call the DMV and find out we can make an appointment. What a novel idea! Yesterday, we show up at the appointed time and then leave with 2 license in hand within 45 minutes! That's with 2 kiddies in tow. I do have to say that the DMV by the Quakerbridge Mall has gotten really efficient, too! Anyways, there's also a supermarket chain called Publix down here. At the checkout line, they ask you if you've found everything, they bag your stuff (even the manager has bagged my stuff) and they can help you load your stuff into the car, if you'd like! I think I'll take them up on this service when Kev is working. How fun!

Since it's been so warm out, we've been grilled a lot. By, we, I mean Kev. :) We've been getting lots of juicy Kev-burgers and succulent chicken. He's going to try his hand at pork chops and sausages next. He swears by the Cooks Illustrated method and our trusty meat thermometer for good eats. My taste buds are happy. :)

Anyways, we also go thte kids at wooden play kitchen for their summer birthdays. We got a special deal on it and it looks something like this. We'll hafta take pics of the kids playing with it soon. It's been so cute to watch them play with this - Jana just likes to open and close the doors and put stuff into the cabinets and take them out. Aidan really gets into it and we get all sorts of 'gourmet meals' out of it. Haha! Maybe he can make dinner for the family when he gets old enough to see over the stove? :) Anyways, might have to look into some play food for them, though we had just pared down their toy stash for the move and also they don't play with it all. We don't want them to take things for granted from having too many toys, you know? When we saw our they were still jsut as happy play with a few things when we had to put a majority of their toys away from showing the house, we realized that more toys doesn't really make them happier. I mean, we knew that but didn't really believe it. Haha! Anyways, off my soapbox and into bed. It's getting late. One more thing, we hope to have the house ready for pics soon - so you all will get to see what it looks like. Plus, we're having guests over Friday - a major motivation for us to get things organized. Alrighty, g'night!