We got to Daytona Beach and drove around a good bit looking at neighborhoods and some of the houses that we were already scheduled to see. I will have to say that as beautiful as this area is, there are some not so beautiful sections of it. Matt and I got to our hotel feeling a little let down and worried that we would never find a decent house. There are several towns around the Daytona Beach area and we were looking at houses in all of them. We started in the Port Orange and Daytona Beach Shores area which is really nice, but I just didn't get that "this feels like home to me" feeling. Friday morning we woke up and looked at a few houses in Ormond Beach which is just a couple miles north of Daytona Beach. And sure enough before lunch, we were pretty sure we had found the house. We kept looking throughout the day, but called at dinner to seal the deal with our soon-to-be landlord. I thought going from a home owner to a renter would be weird, but it really wasn't. It was sort of nice knowing the responsibility was mostly in someone else's hands.
And now to the house. There are pros and cons, but mostly pros! It's not walking distance to the beach, but it's only a 5 minute drive. It is walking distance to the YMCA with a great pool and childcare for mamas who may want to get their zumba on every now and then. They have swimming lessons so Johnboy can get going in that soon too! Just around the corner is a nice little shopping area with our bank, a grocery store, shops, restaurants, and an Ann Taylor Loft. Anyone who knows me knows that is all the shopping I need. (They sell petites in the store. Nuff said.) The house is only 15 minutes or so from the hospital. This is a little bit of a con, but the closer you get to the hospital the less desirable the housing situations are so we'll take the 15 minutes! And most importantly, this house is pretty dern affordable! And huge! I'm pretty sure that we'll have to buy some more furniture at some point!
Here's a sneak peak...
So Florida-y.
Our current house is small. It's super cute (to me at least), but it's still really small. Our new house house has two of some things.
First living room/den area.
Second living room/den area.
First dining area.
Second dining area.
This is the closet! I'm pretty sure this is big enough to be John's room.
And this is the back porch (Floridians call this a lanai). What you can't see is there is a hot tub to the left.
So after signing the lease on this badboy, we had the rest of the day to relax. RELAX?!?! This is not something I've done in awhile and it was as if once I stopped I couldn't get myself up again. Matt kept asking me if I wanted to walk along the beach and I kept telling him "in just a little bit." I felt like I had melted into my beach chair.
You can drive on the beach in Daytona Beach. It is nice for being able to have all of your stuff right there, but still a little weird. Another pro for Ormond Beach...no driving! Toddlers can run free on the beach!
Saturday night we had dinner with Leslie and Jonathan (Jonathan is an intern this year). They were beyond welcoming and it made me feel so good to know that there are people who are willing to hang out with us occassionally so we don't get too bored with each other! I'm thinking we'll all be making a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter very soon! We HP fans have to stick together. ;)
Sunday was filled with traveling, and I felt like our plane couldn't move fast enough. I was desperate to get home to John. I'm not going to lie. I enjoyed my day on the beach without having to build sand castles or splash in the water, but I woke up Sunday desperate for a snuggle with my little man. Matt and I were able to take our moms to lunch before they had to go back to the coast so we soaked up some time with them on Mother's Day. We're beyond lucky to have mothers who are willing to spend the weekend at our house taking care of John so that we can take care of business and have a little fun in the process. They are both so supportive and couldn't be more comforting to have around during this whole transition (and in general!). Kudos to you Nana and Nina! We love you mucho!!! And as John learned to say while they were here, "luyou dahlin. Mmmmwah."