When I first read a book by Charles Martin (recommended to me here when I made dished about hokey Christian fiction), it caught me as strange when he mentioned the St. John’s River in his book. Charles Martin, the author, is a Florida resident and his books are set in Floridian climates. I thought to myself, “Well, I’ve seen the St. John’s, and it surely ain’t like that! You can barely keep your eyes open to see it, as the mosquitoes will eat your eyeballs.” Yes, we were looking at the same thing.

One time I read a post by someone I didn’t know who was talking about me. She wrote something like, “How come all the funny things happen to Amy Scott?” I realized that we were living much of the same life but something was different, as my life was much more exciting: bunch of kids, husband, homeschooling, keeping track of the dumb dog…

When it is all over, you will remember the days at the steakhouse with fondness: its familiarity, the fact that you didn’t need a menu, and how you always knew the check price before the server brought it to you. Perhaps you will notice the old couple who always went there on Thursdays too.

I really do love Alabama and I really did want to leave Florida and come home. But, I always reconsider come January and February… and March has been known to be brutal from time to time! Maybe I need a winter home in Florida… hmmm, I’ll have to see if my husband will go for that! Ha!

We’d like to have more land. Local land prices (and our budget, I suppose) forbid more than 1/3 acre lot. Land can still be purchased for less than $2k an acre in some places. Wow!

It is part of a forward thinking plan to launch our children into their adult lives debt-free. Ambitious? Yes, but not impossible with a radical lifestyle change.

How sweet. I feel/have felt the same way.”

Sounds like your evening out to celebrate was nice as well.

(I’m not coveting… really I’m not. At least that’s what I’m telling myself!)