Home Sweet Home (almost)

Well, my friends, I have made it to Indiana! There were a couple hiccups at the beginning, but overall the trip was surprisingly uneventful, for which we were all grateful. My parents flew back to Florida this morning so all of the goodbyes are done...thank goodness! 

When we got to Gainesville on Friday afternoon, it was raining (shocker) but we didn't waste anytime getting started. My roommate, Emily, generously brought a dolly up with her to help us move the heavy stuff. My dad and I shimmied the family room chairs out the front door and onto the dolly and with the first push down the steps...the wheels broke off. Not just cracked. Literally broke and fell off. Both of them. So, we were forced to actually put some labor into it and use our muscles. Let's just say, I definitely got my arm workout in for the day. After a quick trip to Home Depot to buy replacement wheels, we headed off to Swamp (my absolute favorite Gainesville restaurant) for a quick bite to eat. 

I have two favorite meals at Swamp. The Buffalo Chicken Wrap with sweet potato fries and the Hawaiian Pork Quesadilla. I got one and my mom got the other so we could share, obviously. So yummy! Until next time, Swamp...

Friday night and Saturday morning were dedicated to packing as quickly and efficiently as possible. Emily came up to help and we couldn't have done it without her! By the time Nick landed at 10:30, the truck was all packed up! Of course, one of the back tires was low so my parents had to stop at a gas station to fill it up with air on our way out of town. We stuck close to my parents on the road pretty much the whole trip and passed each other several times. Nick drove the whole way with the exception of about 3 hours right before we got to Atlanta. We hit some traffic going into Atlanta (again, shocker) so we took the bypass to avoid going through the heart of downtown. We pulled over to switch drivers to which I quickly learned might have been a mistake. Nick sometimes thinks that he's a race car driver.  He also think it's ok to multitask while driving. Doing 80 mph through Atlanta while trying to drink and balance hot coffee between his lap AND trying find the hockey game on the radio through the iPhone makes for a very panicked Caroline. I also think he was eating pretzels in the midst of this. The Blackhawks won that night (and the Stanley Cup!!) so the drive ended on a very pleasant note. We all made it Louisville around 1:30 in the morning, safe and sound.

All smiles as we left Gainesville!

Sunday was spent visiting with family and we got to see quite a few people! Lunch with Baba, afternoon at Dodie's, and dinner at Jody's before winding down for the night at Tom and Jenni's. Monday morning we went and saw my Grandma before starting the final leg of the trip...Ft. Wayne! This drive was also uneventful and we all enjoyed a delicious meal at my Aunt Kitty's house that night before watching the Hawks win the Cup (Nick had to eat and run in order to make it home in time to get in his jersey and sit with his hockey stick in his special chair...but hey, I totally understand superstitions when it comes to sports.) 

Tuesday morning was spent unloading the moving truck and luckily Nick's very generous friend, Jace, let us use his garage to store all of my belongings. Thank you again, Jace!! We would have been fresh outta luck without you! After that, the rest of my parents' visit was very relaxed and laid back. We spent time with Nick's mom, but mostly just hung out at my aunt's lovely home! 

Speaking of homes...we aren't in one quite yet, but we are close. Once everything is finalized and good to go I will share details :) For the time being, we are staying with Nick's mom which is working out just fine!

Perfect summer drink for a perfect summer day!

The week went by quickly which is a blessing in disguise. Saying goodbye to my parents this morning at the airport was not pretty, but I am happy that it is all said and done. I will miss them so much but, as Nick made sure to remind me, it's not good-bye, just a see you later.

Speaking of Nick, he has been so wonderful and supportive through this big change. He left work this morning to meet me at the airport so I wouldn't be alone when I said goodbye and he just holds me and lets me cry, if that's what I need at the moment. He ALWAYS has a way to make me laugh and smile and it really does make such a difference. As we were walking out of the airport back to our cars, he told me that he had a surprise for me that would cheer me up. In his words this was "an anniversary/graduation/stop crying and be happy present" ....and I will say it worked! He knew giving it to me today would keep me occupied and happy when I needed it most...again, so thoughtful. I've wanted one of these for so long too.... :-D

My beautiful, new Canon Rebel XTi. It's the perfect starter camera for me and I cannot wait to start snapping pictures!

Finally, I have to say thank you to everyone who has called or texted me during this week to see how I am doing. It means so much to me and it always puts a smile on my face!

Until next time!

Farewell, Naples

Tonight is my last night in Naples and I wouldn't have spent it any other way.  In fact, this whole week in Naples has been absolutely perfect. It was filled with a handful of tearful goodbyes but great times were had before those goodbyes had to happen. Let's recap.

Having grown up in Naples my entire life, I will admit that I did not take nearly enough advantage of the fact that I was a 10 minute drive to the beach. The cool, breezy days laying in the sand that I always envision are never the reality. Instead, I'm sweating before I even get of of my car and my body seems to be coated in sticky, mugginess that is impossible to wipe off. The water is either too cold or it feels like a bathtub. In other words, I'm more of a lay around the pool kinda gal.

But, Monday night was the perfect beach experience and the best way to bid the Gulf of Mexico farewell. My sister Jessica came down with the kids and we piled into the van with our mom and headed to Lowdermilk Beach. Along the way, we stopped and picked up sandwiches (and a bottle of wine, naturally) so we could have our own little picnic. The kids immediately wanted to jump in the water and we were in and out of it all evening. An ominous looking cloud and distant thunder attempted to ruin our fun, but the storm passed right over us without a single drop of rain, phew! We stayed and watched the beautiful sunset before attempting to wipe off that sticky, mugginess. But, kids just don't seem to mind that and the amount of sand the two of them managed to accumulate in every crevice of their body was comical!

Calm, relaxing waters

The two greatest kids out there. I will miss them more than I can put into words. So I won't even try. 

Sandcastles and sunsets

A little panoramic action


Tuesday was a relaxing day spent poolside with the kiddos up at Jessica's house. Nothing fancy but it was perfect. I knew it would be my last time up at the house so I tried to savor every moment and fit in as many kisses and hugs as I could.  

Lounging around with a catalog. Just like her mommy and aunt!


Wednesday was another poolside day spent with my oldest and dearest friend, Andrea. We grew up down the street from each other and were inseparable as kids. We've always remained friends and even if we don't get to see each other as often as we used to, we always pick up right where we left off...which are the best kinds of friends! We lounged around and talked for well over 4 hours before saying a sad goodbye. Great last time hangin' at the Crown Pointe clubhouse!

Later that night we did happy hour with Jessica, our good friend Courtney, and my mom and some of her friends. Good conversation + white peach sangria = a great time. We topped the night off with Prosecco and creme brulee!

Thursday, today, was spent packing up and lunching with Becca, another one of my closest and oldest friends! It was great to catch up and I'm so glad we got to see each other. 




Tonight was the hardest. I had been dreading this moment for months. I knew it was coming, but I cried every time I thought about it. Saying goodbye to Bridget and Ross. The Johnston clan came down for dinner tonight and we had a quiet but perfect night eating pizza, playing ring toss, and looking at old pictures. But I knew the night was winding down as we gave the kids baths and put on their PJs. B knows that I am moving to Indiana but both of them are still too young to understand what's really happening. I know they were looking at me like I was crazy as I went in to hug them with tears rolling down my face, but I tried to keep it under control as best I could. Bridget came back for a total of five hugs, I think, and I savored every one of them. Jessica, mom, and me all cried, but it was a pretty short farewell, which I was thankful for. And even though I've been shedding tears on and off all night, I already can't wait to start a countdown to see them all again! 

We hit the road to Gainesville tomorrow, but I already miss Naples. It will always be home, but it's time I go and find myself a second home.  

Here Goes Nothing!

Since I am an active member of every other social networking site, I figured I might as well join the blogging world, too! I have actually thought about blogging in the past, but was always left with the same dilemma...what would I blog about and who would read it?! Well, I think I finally have something worthwhile to share...you know, that little 1,274 mile move across the country I am about to make. The time has finally come to make the move to Ft. Wayne and put an end to a 3 year long-distance relationship (4, really, if you count the first year when we were just friends). I know there have been some skeptics along the way questioning whether I would seriously move to Ft. Wayne, but I can honestly say that I never had a doubt about it. I have gotten probably every reaction, comment, facial expression, and question in the book at some point or another when I tell someone that I am moving to Ft. Wayne. Some of my favorites...

• But it's SO cold there! That first winter is going to be rough for you! (duh. trust me, I know.)
• Why doesn't Nick just move to Florida??? (because he has a great job that he has worked very hard to get. Before we started dating, we talked about it and decided that I would be the one to move when the time came. If we hadn't agreed to it...we wouldn't have started dating!)
• Where are you going to live? Do you have a house yet?? (working on it. almost.)
• Do you have a job yet? (no job, but I have been doing everything that I possible can at this point to get my certifications in order and get my name and resume out there. When I do finally get a job...I will be sure to let every last person know!)

I do know, as does Nick, that this is going to be an adjustment. Not everything will seem like it is working out all of the time and things won't always be perfect. We are going to need some time to adjust to living in the same city and state, let alone the same house! And while I do have some concerns about making these adjustments and transitions smoothly, I know that in the end everything will work out as it is supposed to. So when I am having "a moment" in the future, someone please be ever so kind and remind me of this :)

I have a handful of days left in Naples and I know that each one is going to be more difficult than the last. But, I plan to enjoy them as I try to not think about the tearful goodbyes that are fast approaching. We are heading to Gainesville (not bougainvillea as auto-correct just tried to suggest) on Friday to pack up the last of my cozy little apartment before hitting the road. Nick arrives first thing Saturday morning and we (and by 'we' I really mean him) will be driving my car as my parents follow along in the moving truck. We are driving to Louisville first and spending a day visiting with my family before we reach our final destination on Monday!

So, in a nutshell, the purpose of this blog is to keep everyone updated as I make this exciting and scary and BIG change in my life. I also think that being able to document all my thoughts will help make this transition easier. I'll post general updates about us and how we are adjusting, recipes we are trying, an occasional outfit or two, and everything in between. I hope you will follow along on my journey of becoming a Hoosier!  

Just a throwback of one of ma' faves!