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This summer marks two years since we moved from North Carolina to Florida! It has had its ups and downs since we have been here but overall it has been, well, magical! We have run races, gone to special events, rode all the new rides, watched friends get engaged in the park and had lots of Annual Passholder fun! I thought I would share a little of how things have gone over the last two years and where they are headed from here this week. I hope if you are reading this and wishing you were living down the street from Mickey Mouse it helps you feel like you are here! Friends & Family This year has brought more friendships with amazing people, some visits from old friends who are also amazing and finally getting more family to come down and see us! Through the blog, work and just Disney in general we have met some incredible people that we are so happy to call friends. One thing that has been so different for us here is that we actually go and do things with friends. Whether that's because there is just more to do here or people are more apt to go out, I'm not sure but we are really enjoying it! This past year we also had a handful of friends from NC come to see us while they were in town and we got to show them why we love it here so much. My baby sister and her sweet family also came to visit for a whole week and we got to do Disney, water parks, Universal and our downtown with them. It was so great to have family here and enjoy all the things we love with them! Next up is by bestie coming to visit in February to do the Princess Race weekend with me, I cannot wait! From last summer to this one has been a big difference as far as friends for the boys as well. Sawyer really found his tribe in high school and has started thriving here after a very tough transition year to start with. Thatcher started playing football last summer and we did switch teams this summer but he has really found a nice group of boys here as well. One of the things I worried about with this move was how it would affect the kids socially but thankfully they have really found themselves. I wish Thatchers football buddies went to his school but this team is pretty intense so he sees them a lot! Hahaha! Dancey Things I have continues to teach dance as well. I made the decision to take a step back and just substitute teach instead of teaching every week this past year and that has been really good for me. I enjoy having a little more time freedom and getting to be home every night with my family. I still travel a lot with dance which makes me my gypsy heart happy. There have also been a handful of dance kids I have watched grow up who are now working at Disney and it has been such a joy to be able to be here to support them in all that they are doing. Being there cheerleader and their families keeping me posted on what they have coming up has been so fun and I can't wait to see them do more! The Disney Parks We still love the Disney Parks of course! The Annual Passes have been renewed and we still try to go once a week in some capacity. That may be all of us going, just me and Jay or me going solo. People always ask if the parks get less magical when you live here and can go all the time. The answer is not simply a yes or a no because it's different. For me personally, they still have the same magical and healing effects. If I am having a rough week or feeling overwhelmed or down about something, a trip to a park will always make me feel better. I think for Jay it's different, he still enjoys going but doesn't have to go as often as I do and likes having a break. Sawyer is like me and wants to see and experience all the things so when he sees something new has started or come out (especially food items) he wants to go and do! Thatcher is at the age where it's all about a thrill ride, so as long as you're planning to take him on a coaster he is down to go. It's going to be an exciting time to be a local when all this new stuff starts to open! What I have found interesting is that even though we live here now, I still have that sense of urgency to experience things like I did when we lived so far away. Food and Wine festival started today and I am so excited to go tomorrow! Logically I know I can literally go any time before it ends but if I cold have been there first thing this morning, I would have! I thought that would have changed a little for me but being so close just makes me want to be there on opening day even more. We got to go to Disneyland for the first time this year as well! This is something we probably never would have done if we weren't living here. We don't have the luxury of multiple big vacations every year, some years we don't do any big vacations. When we lived in NC those were reserved for our Disney World trips and while I am sure at some point we would have branched out, it's nice to be able to plan other things now since we can go here on the regular. We are thinking about doing a Disney Cruise next year which is also easier since we are so close to the port. Exploring Florida This is the part I am hoping changes in the years to come. We really have not had the time to explore all that this beautiful state has to offer. Whether it's the other parks, Kennedy Space Center, the beaches and state parks, we really want to explore so many things here! Thatcher got to go to Sea World with school this year, Sawyer visited Kennedy Space Center and we made some trips to Universal as well but definitely need to do more. Sawyer is going to Halloween Horror Nights for the first time this year, not something the rest of us are really in to but he is super excited! Conclusion So the short version is, we still love it here but still have so much we want to do and see! One thing about living here is that you literally can't run out of things to do. It would take a lifetime to do and see it all and new things are opening all the time. It's not all go and do here though. We love our little downtown Winter Garden too! The Saturday farmers market is the best and all the local restaurants and shops down there are the best. So when we don't want the hustle and bustle of the parks and "doing" something, it's nice to just go downtown to shop, eat and get a good beer! It has been a great two years so far and I can't wait to see what's to come! Thank you for reading along on my little life update. When we were waiting to move I used to scour the internet looking for blogs to read about peoples moves to Disney World/Florida. There were not a lot but the ones I found got me through some tough times so I hope if you are where I was, this gave you a little joy today and I hope you are one day closer to living in the magic! Have a magical day!