Good Bye Florida

We are flying to Texas tomorrow morning to see Dave's dad and step-mom for two weeks before we leave for New Zealand. We have had a great time in Florida. Since our last post we went to Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia with Dave's mom where we saw quite a bit of alligators. We also went to Jacksonville and stayed with Jill's sister Jenn's family. We had a great time with them and their 3 boys. Dave got to golf at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra with Ben which he thoroughly enjoyed. We tied up some loose ends and ran some errands today. Then it was packing time. We are going to be expert packers by the time this is all over. Making everything fit and stay within weight restrictions is a hard thing to do.  

Fun with the Family

 We are still in north Florida at Jill's parents' house. On Friday night 8/19 we went to a one of a kind restaurant on the river in Jacksonville, Clarks Fish Camp. They have an interesting menu and a great decorated dining area with loads of stuffed wildlife. For dinner we all got things a little different then normal, including gator tail, fried kangaroo, frog legs and oysters We also had the normal, fish, shrimp, and calamari. Great food, Great place!

On Saturday 8/20 we drove up to Jekyll Island in Georgia. We met Jenn, Ben, Mason, Cole, and Bryce there. We had a fun time on the slides and in the lazy river and kiddie area. After leaving the water park, we stopped by the turtle rescue center on the island with our moms. We have a love for sea turtles, so it was cool to see several of them and hear their stories.

 Sunday 8/21 brought a day of sunshine at Fort Clinch in Fernandina Beach. We grilled out for lunch near the fort, then went swimming and collecting shells on the beach. Dave's mom found plenty of shells to take back with her. Not a bad day!!

The Beginning of Hilliard

We made it to Jill's parents house in Hilliard on Wednesday after stopping to unload the moving truck. It was a long two days of traveling, but we sure did appreciate stopping in West Palm for a night to visit Jill's family. Once in Hilliard we got all settled in and crashed after visiting with Jill's parents. Dave's mom arrived in Hilliard Thursday evening. We had an enjoyable evening drinking some wine and watching the local wildlife.  We saw a huge bald eagle and a few deer from the porch! The bald eagle was definitely something to be excited about!

Last Day In Key West

We have begun the journey of a lifetime. Our bags are packed and we are ready to go...

To take you back to the source of this trip: Almost a year ago, as a couple, we decided that we needed a change for a bit. We love Key West, but there is a lot more to see in the world. We are young and not tied down to anything here, so we want to take advantage of that while we can. We knew we wanted to move, but it was quite a process to pick a place. Basically it came down to three important points. 

1) A country with English as the main language

2) A safe place so our parents wouldn't have heart attacks

3) Somewhere that we would enjoy more than Key West ( After all, we don't want to go somewhere thinking Key West is better)

With these three requirements in mind, it really narrowed down our list of options. We planned, researched, and saved for 9 months... Now here we are!!!

This is our last night in Key West. We are headed to north Florida to stay with Jill's parents for two weeks, where Dave's mom will come visit us from Atlanta for a week. Then it's off to Texas to see Dave's dad and step-mom for two weeks. After a month of visiting family, we will be off to the Southern Hemisphere. Check back with us here frequently to read our story. We will keep this blog as up to date as possible.