Dreaming Together

One of our favorite things to do right now is dream.

Not the big, complicated kind of dreaming. Just the simple kind that happens around the dinner table, during car rides, or while scrolling Instagram together at night.

As we get closer to our move to Florida, we've found ourselves constantly talking about all the things our new life might hold.

I've realized that dreaming together has become part of the journey especially since the girls are getting older. 

Instagram has been a surprisingly fun place to discover all the amazing things that St. Johns County and beyond have to offer. Every time one of us finds something new, it immediately gets added to the family bucket list.

Our list is growing quickly.

Some of the dreams are big. Some are wonderfully ordinary. But each one reminds us that we're getting closer.

We can't wait to paddleboard with manatees.

We can't wait to spend Christmas morning on the beach.

We want to visit every flea market and farmers market we can find.

We want to drive the Jeep on the beach.

We want family to be able to visit more often and for us to be able to visit them more often, too.

We can't wait to explore the Jacksonville Zoo, catch baseball games in Miami, Tampa Bay, or even Atlanta, and run all the races.

The girls are already talking about visiting the Fluffy Cow Café and seeing the mermaids at Weeki Wachee.

We want to visit the Alligator Farm, collect seashells, learn to boogie board, explore the area's rich history, and spend as much time as possible with sand between our toes.

We want to eat our first meal in town at Osprey Tacos.

We want to visit Rainbow Springs.

And that's just the beginning.

If I had to dream up our perfect first night in our new town, it would look something like this:

Dinner at Osprey Tacos.

A sunset on the beach.

Tucking a bunch of sun-kissed, sleepy kids into bed.

Nothing extravagant.

Nothing life changing.

Just tacos, ocean air, and the quiet realization that we finally made it.

Simple.

Peaceful.

Home.

Now, if my kids were planning our first weekend, it would probably include Disney, the beach, Weeki Wachee, the Fluffy Cow Café, late nights, sleeping in, and somehow fitting it all into forty eight hours.

Not exactly realistic.

But then again, kids are supposed to dream big.

My perfect first weekend would be much slower.

I'd find a great local coffee shop, wander through a farmers market or flea market, and then spend the rest of the weekend sitting on the beach.

No agenda.

No rushing.

Just deep breaths and grateful hearts.

Just soaking in the fact that after months of planning, praying, packing, and preparing...we finally made it.

Josh's perfect first weekend would be pretty simple, too.

Eat at Osprey Tacos.

Find all the best breakfast spots.

Take the Jeep onto the beach.

And start exploring.

He loves discovering a place by simply experiencing it, and I have a feeling he'll have a list of favorite breakfast spots before we've even unpacked the last box.

The funny thing is that none of us have exactly the same vision of what this new chapter will look like.

But that's what makes dreaming together so much fun.

Each of us is carrying a different piece of the adventure.

And while none of us know exactly what life in Florida will hold, these conversations have reminded me that sometimes the dreaming is just as important as the arriving.

The move is still ahead of us.

The beaches, the sunsets, the tacos, and the adventures are still waiting.

But right now, we're building something beautiful together.

We're building anticipation.

We're building excitement.

We're building memories before we've even packed the last box.

And because we're all dreaming about different things…..

The girls dreaming about mermaids and Disney….

Josh dreaming about beach drives and breakfast spots….

Me dreaming about coffee shops, farmers markets, and watching my family fall in love with a place that will soon become home…..

The beautiful thing isn't that we're dreaming the same dream.

It's that we're sharing the same journey.

Before the boxes are unpacked...

Before we learn the roads...

Before Florida officially becomes home...

We're already building a life together through conversations around the dinner table, Instagram Reels we send each other, and "What if we..." moments.

I've realized that sometimes the journey begins long before you arrive.

Sometimes it begins the moment you start dreaming together.