My Single Mom Life

This weeks topic is, "What I love about living in the south."

I moved here to Florida from Maine 10 years ago this coming June.
Maine is a cold, frosty state, even in the summer.
The hottest I ever recall it getting was the year I was pregnant with Mark in 1991.
It stayed near 100 every single day that whole summer and here I was, gestating until August.
I was miserable that whole time.

But in 1997, the year I decided to move here, was a horrible winter.
Long freezing days, too much snow and ice on the ground to take 2 small toddlers anywhere. In order to just go to the grocery store, it required bundling up those 2 toddlers in layers upon layers of clothing, heavy socks, boots, mittens, snow suits.
I spent most of that winter trapped indoors, and I was also in a not very satisfying relationship.
When that relationship ended painfully in late May, I called my sister who had been living down here, and asked her if there was work. She said yes, and then we talked for hours about why I needed/wanted to move down here.

I needed a drastic change in my life. It had fallen apart at the seams. My relationship ended, my sons' father lived 8 blocks away and never saw them, didn't care too.
I packed up what we would need, their toys and clothes, favorite blankets and books, their collection of Disney movies, and my needed/wanted items.
I shipped all that stuff down here by UPS, and then had a yard sale to get rid of everything else so I had some money to start over with.
From phone call to move date, was less than 5 days.

Stepping off the plane was complete culture shock. The first 5 months, was culture shock. I was so out of place here. The kids just fit right in with their new daycare and friends, I had the hard time but I was determined to make it work.
I was determined to love it here.
And I do.
Almost 10 year later, I don't regret the move.
I love the weather even if paying FPL is like being robbed every single month.
It rains for 20 minutes and the sun comes back out. It doesn't snow. It doesn't get cold.
Some would argue with me that it does, but after living in Maine for 27 years, this is still t-shirt and shorts weather, even in the dead of "winter" and the weatherman tells us to bundle up because it's going to be a cold day out there.

I love the people here for the most part. The employees at my local Publix kick much butt, always smiling and happy to help.
I've ridden with the same cab company since I moved here and they all know our house and names by heart.

It took awhile for me to fit in here, but I do now, at least I think I do.
The boys have best friends they've known since we moved here, and they come spend the weekends with us.
We can go outside whenever we want without layering on clothes, we can play outdoors any day of the year.
I love living here in the south because it's mostly laid back and relaxed, kinda like Maine.
Just hotter.
That's ok with me.