familyroadtrip – Midlife Creative

Our daughter Tabby arrived in Florida at midnight on the 22nd of December. We were so, so excited to see her for the first time in 4 months.

We stayed with our friend Greg Blake in Key Largo for the 9 days between Christmas and New Years.

Packing and unpacking are some of the hardest days of life on the road. Adding a 5th person in the car with Tabby’s arrival was a challenge, but we managed to squeeze in for the 2 hour drive from Naples to Key Largo.
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The first few days in the Keys were cold and rainy. We didn’t have internet access and the kids were sad about being away from family at Christmas. It was one of the harder transitions of the trip so far. Thankfully, by the 27th of December, it warmed up and the tropical climate of the Keys returned.
We started our days with coffee on the porch and a slow wake up for the kids while Mark went to the local Starbucks to work. Then in the late morning or afternoon we swam in the neighborhood pool, played tennis, and explored the area.
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One of the interesting things about the Florida Keys is that even though it is surrounded by water, there are very few swimming beaches. Most people enjoy the water on boats.
One sunny day, Greg treated us to lunch at The Pilot House, and we got an up close look at some of the gorgeous boats docked in the harbor.

Another new experience was being near the Everglades and seeing so many water birds, alligators, and iguanas. We stopped along Hwy 42 at The Oasis Visitor Center where we saw about a dozen alligators taking a nap in the swamp.

We also visited the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary for injured birds in Key Largo. Many of these birds had been hit by cars or shot with pellet guns. They were brought to this bird sanctuary to be rehabilitated and returned to the wild when possible.

The Florida Keys is home to dozens of State Parks. We went to several. My favorite was the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. They had a visitor center with an aquarium where we saw some beautiful fish and coral.

The park also had kayak rentals, snorkeling, and glass bottom boat rides for an extra fee. We rented two double kayaks for an hour. I am not proud of my kayaking skills or teamwork skills. I was partnered up with Malia and we argued with each other the entire hour. Tabby said we could have been a model of how NOT to kayak.

One of my favorite days was when we visited the Theater of the Sea. We saw giant turtles, sea lions, parrots, and our favorite – the dolphin show!

On New Years Eve we made the long drive (2+ hours) to Key West. There are 42 bridges connecting all the Florida Key islands. The longest bridge, Seven Mile Bridge, connects the mainland of Florida to the Florida Keys. Driving over this bridge was a highlight for me. We hesitated to make the drive because of all the complaints we had heard about the traffic and crowds, but I’m glad we did.
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Key West is a charming place. There are walkable streets with cute little shops, art galleries, coffee houses, and unique restaurants. Popular buildings include the home of Ernest Hemingway and Harry S. Truman’s Little Whitehouse.
We were only in Key West for a few hours – long enough to walk around the downtown and see the sunset along with a huge crowd of New Years Eve partiers at Mallory Square. I would have loved to have a few days there. Maybe another time.

As far as how we celebrated Christmas itself, the 24th and 25th were kind of like any other day and it felt strange seeing photos of a snowstorm and record below zero temps back home. We opened gifts and called family back in Minnesota and Elliot in Boston. Grandma Karen sent a box of cookies and other goodies in the mail, so we enjoyed those. My Aunt Lea from North Carolina surprised us with an Instacart delivery of food which included lasagne, bread, salad, and a beautiful cake.
We had gifts for the kids to open and I made a ham and mashed potatoes on Christmas Day. We also went to church and worked on a jigsaw puzzle.

Looking back, we really had so many great experiences in the Keys in such a short time. It was different than the rest of Florida and I’m glad I got to experience it. I’m grateful to Greg for giving us a place to stay and also so thankful that Tabby could join us for the week. She spiced things up and made it more fun for Malia and Ivy.

We may never experience a Christmas break quite like this one. I will remember this Christmas as the year we broke the mold and escaped the cold.

In a little over one week we will be moving out of our house of 10 years. How can I sum up a decade of memories in a few short paragraphs?

Here’s a fuzzy photo from our move in day on September 1st, 10 years ago. Finding this house to rent was nothing short of miraculous We knew the moment we walked in the door that this was what we had been waiting for. It was after a summer of the kids and I living in Marshall with my parents while Mark worked to make enough money for us to move to St Paul. Fast forward 10 years and so much has changed.

We had a 4th child who is now 8. – Ivy!

We got to see our oldest two graduate from highschool at St Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists.

After several job changes, Mark re-branded his business as Mark Haugen DJs
and is finding great success in officiating and DJing weddings and other events.

I, Anna, have continued to teach piano lessons all these years. It is something I love and will probably never stop doing.

We are fairly certain we will be coming back to the Twin Cities at the end of our trip, but it may not be to the same neighborhood, so we are saying goodbye as if we may not come back to West 7th.

Here are a few things I will miss

The Parks and Trails we have grown to know like the back of our hand
West 7th Community Center, Adams, Palace, Edgecumbe, Mattocks, Wabun, Crosby Farms, Hidden Falls, and Victoria Park. I walk the neighborhood streets everyday and go on a longer nature walk at least 1-2 times a week.

School

We will miss the schools my kids have grown to love and the teachers that invest in them. We will miss the playdates, and parkdates, and birthday parties that come with staying in one place.

Neighbors, neighbors, neighbors!

We have gotten to know many neighbors through the years. I never knew a city could feel so much like a small town in how friendly everyone is. Art House (a renovated church that hosts concerts and plays and is the home to Humble Walk Church) is just down the street. Businesses like Tavial, Mojo monkey, Colossal Cafe, and Cadenza music are regular weekly stops.

We have hosted a few neighborhood bonfires which gave us a reputation as ”the bonfire people.” Halloween and National Night Out as well as the neighborhood square dance at Art House are anticipated gatherings.

Hard days

No, not everyday was smooth sailing. There was the year of the mice, the head lice, the traumatic dental visits for teeth extractions and root canals. There were seasons of anxiety and depression, online school and teaching during Covid, two surgeries, marriage challenges, questions over faith, politics, and wrestling with the changing times.

This was the burning of our couch which finally did get rid of our mice.

A lot can change in 10 years. My biggest change personally has been learning to love myself. I have always put my family and church family’s needs before my own. Because of this, I was living with a lot of bitterness. My need to please people began to come in the way of my ability to enjoy life. I was constantly worrying about whether I was DOING enough instead of asking myself who I wanted to BE. It has been a long and slow process of unlearning some beliefs that were hindering instead of helping me. I am now in a much more joyful place with boundaries set that help me ask myself some good “why” questions before saying yes to things. I know the world won’t fall apart if I step away for a few days or weeks. Speaking of stepping away, we are about to take a giant leap with this roadtrip around the U.S. We will be homeschooling and staying with a combination of family, friends, and airbnbs from November-May. Our travels will take us across the Southern coast from Georgia to Florida to Texas and then West to California. It is going to be a great season for our little family of 4, now that Elliot and Tabby are at colleges on the East Coast.

This quote from one of my favorite authors seems fitting for the start of our next season.
It is scary to take a leap like this, but those who have done similar crazy things have all said things like “Its the best decision we have ever made” or ”you won’t regret it”

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Here are a few more of my favorite photos from our Juno Ave house in the form of a photo slideshow. Enjoy!

Midlife Creative

Christmas in the Keys

Saying Goodbye to Juno Avenue