We just found out that we are moving to Key West, Florida next summer. From the northwest corner of the U.S. to the southernmost point in the country. Mommy wanted sunshine and what mommy wants, mommy gets. However, it does not come without a price: hurricanes, ridiculous cancer causing UV rays, and no Target, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc. that I have become accustomed to.

But I’m not here to complain. With the Army life comes the PCS (Permanent Change of Station) move and my job is to make the best of it. How hard can that be when the sun will be shining, the ocean water warm and inviting, and the palm trees swaying in the breeze.

Now this is a beach. Give me a chair and a bucket of sunscreen and I'm good.

Cannon Beach, Oregon. Beautiful, but not exactly white sand and palm trees.

To be fair, the sun does come out here in Washington. However this picture was taken in July and we are in long sleeves. Jay needs to wear a full wetsuit with a hood to surf in the middle of summer.

Now for the details I need to think about. First of all there is housing. We need to find a renter for our house in Washington, but that’s a ball of stress for a different post. We also will need to find a place to live in Key West. Since Key West is basically a vacation destination for most people, the most economical option will be for us to live on the Navy base there. They just built a new housing development that I am intent on being assigned. How am I going to make that happen, you ask? No idea. But I will not rest until I have played every card in the deck.

This needs to be where I live next. According to my two year old daughter, the line between want and need is a thin one. I'm taking a page out of her book when I say I need this house.

No, thank you.

The next issue is my wardrobe. As I stood in my closet yesterday picking out a sweater to wear to the pumpkin patch, I thought to myself, “this just won’t do when the average high in January is 75 degrees.” While shopping for a new wardrobe is not exactly a chore, it’s also not free.

I see a lot less of these:

and a lot more of these in my future. Also not really a bad thing, but I do love my Uggs.

Speaking of the pumpkin patch, I don’t think those abound in Key West. I did a little google search and there is a place to buy pumpkins, but not the fall festival that we’ve gotten used to here. I’m pretty sure we won’t be cutting down our own Christmas tree while we live there, unless we plan on stringing lights on a palm tree.  So, while we won’t be strolling pumpkin patches or snowboarding in our next home, there are some new hobbies we can pursue:

Something that you can do here in Washington, but without the same view and with a lot more skin covered.

Also something that can be done in Washington, if you don't mind being cold. I prefer water sports in warm weather.

And now for the big one: sunscreen. I might as well buy stock in Coppertone right now because that stuff is getting sprayed on my kids until it forms an impenetrable armor on their skin. If someone can recommend a great all natural sunscreen that doesn’t cost twice as much as the other kinds (considering I’ll probably be using a bottle a day between the three of us), I’d appreciate the heads up.  My children and I are about one shade away from being invisible we are so pale. We went to San Diego in May and I was a maniac. Madeline got a little sunburn on her nose and I felt so guilty about it. The sun is at full strength so infrequently around here and we are so far north that after the middle of the day your risk of a burn is minimal. Did I mention Key West is as far south as you can get?

So far those are my thoughts on this move. I hesitate to even post this because I am talking about the Army. The past few months I have heard that we could possibly be moving to North Carolina, Hawaii, Korea, the Philipines, etc. When it comes to the military definitely means maybe, maybe means no, no means no…you get the idea. Your husband is definitely deploying in June. No wait, maybe it will be September. Nope, it’s going to be June and he’ll be back in February.  Just kidding, he’ll be back in April. Oh, you want your husband to be able to come home when you give birth to your son? Absolutely. Without a doubt. No soldier will miss that important event. Oh wait, we’re not doing that anymore. No, we’re not sending him home.

As of right now we are going to Florida. I have been told this is a sure thing, but until I see orders I will be a little wary. But I will start to mentally prepare, because that’s what I do. And I will try to get that house.