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Hi everyone...

lisaloebmalone avatar
Beach Lover
1,295 views
So... I am somewhat embarassed to admit it, but I am one of those stereotypical 'need to make a change in my life' girls. Only I'm not really a girl... maybe it's more of a mid-life crisis?

All I know is, the first time I drove down 30A I fell in love. I've visited many times since that first time; this year, I've been several times in the winter and, oddly, love it even more than the summer.

My children love it too. They sense, I think, the need to make a change and this past week while we were soaking up a few stingy rays on Santa Rosa Beach, my eldest daughter (almost 13) said to me 'Mom, I really think we should move here'. This is NOT something I had discussed with her, but I've found that she possesses a disconcerting ability to read my heart...

I currently live in the city where I grew up and where my father still resides (my mother now lives south of Tampa). I have a job I love, with the college I graduated from and have worked at for almost 15 years. And yet... every day that passes brings an increased sense of being in the wrong place. When I explore this feeling, I always end up at 30A.

So I'm wondering -- how crazy am I to be thinking about this? There is so much I need to learn. What are the middle/high schools like and where are they? What is the best way to find a job? A home?

Thanks for listening to my rambles. Any advice or suggestions are appreciated.

With many thanks,
Lisa

:wave:

Edited

Replies

36
jodiFL avatar
Beach Fanatic
#2
You have come to the right place! The employment section has tons of positions available right now and since this is the beginning of our "season", it a good idea to get it now, do a really good job and hopefully it will last thru the winter. (Although in certain industries that doesnt really matter) The rental section usually has some good places but sometimes they go fast so you just have to keep looking. My 2 teens go to South Walton High school, (no longer than 15 minute drive from just about anywhere in SOWAL, except during the summer) Good luck and come on down. Just look around/read on the board, you can pretty much get a feel for how things/people are here. (hint:if FL is good enough for your mom.....;-))

Edited

Allifunn avatar
FunnChef - AlisonCooks.com
#3
WOW.....:welcome:sister! As a recent divorcee I have felt for the last 2 1/4 years, since discovering SoWal, that my heart and soul are in SoWal. As soon as I stepped foot out of SoWal (actually it was a tire...:biggrin:) I knew that I would live there. It owns your heart and soul. It has taken me that long to take the leap of faith, but I am here to telll you that it can be done! My house is on the market, I have resigned my job (one which anyone on this board will tell you I LOVE) and plan on moving there late spring. It is VERY scary, but I know it is what I am meant to do!
Take some time to search your options, but ultimately, if you are meant to be in SoWal, that is exactly where you will be!
By the way, I had to do a double take when you said you were not a girl....LOL It took a while for me to realize what you were saying....:funn:
lisaloebmalone avatar
Beach LoverAuthor
#4
:funn:"Not a girl..." OH, I see what you mean!! :blush:

Thanks for the posts... it IS a scary thing to contemplate... but it would be much less scary if it was only my leap. Throwing my girls into a mix makes it much more so.

JodiFL or others... do you like the schools there? My girls will be in sixth/eighth grades next school year, so I don't need to worry about elementary, only middle/high school (assuming that sixth grade IS middle school in SoWal schools...).

Allifunn... you are my HERO!!! Good for you! One of the driving forces in my own thinking about relocation is that, while you cannot necessarily control the personal relationships in your life, you can put yourself in a geographical location that you know will bring you joy. And that one might offset the other to a certain degree.
Allifunn avatar
FunnChef - AlisonCooks.com
#5
:funn:"Not a girl..." OH, I see what you mean!! :blush:

Thanks for the posts... it IS a scary thing to contemplate... but it would be much less scary if it was only my leap. Throwing my girls into a mix makes it much more so.

JodiFL or others... do you like the schools there? My girls will be in sixth/eighth grades next school year, so I don't need to worry about elementary, only middle/high school (assuming that sixth grade IS middle school in SoWal schools...).

Allifunn... you are my HERO!!! Good for you! One of the driving forces in my own thinking about relocation is that, while you cannot necessarily control the personal relationships in your life, you can put yourself in a geographical location that you know will bring you joy. And that one might offset the other to a certain degree.
Exactly!!
Yes, moving your daughters does make it complicated, but I am sure they will love it there. It is a wonderful enviornment! My daughter, while she is not planning on moving with me, will live the summer in SoWal. My bets are on her deciding to stay ;-). She is 16 1/2 and will make her own decision on this one. Time will tell. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
Beachbummette avatar
SoWal Insider
#6
:welcome: lisaloebmalone!

You are not the first that this has happened to, SoWal (both of them) is a special place. We are just here part time, but every Sunday when we get ready to leave it gets harder to do. We are planning on living here full time in about two more years. So....look around.....ask around....make good plans....and follow your heart. Best of luck to you.
Beach Bimmer avatar
Beach Fanatic
#7
:welcome: Lisa Loeb Malone. "Stay (i missed you)" is still one of my favorite songs of yours!

View attachment 8300

Oh, wait, you're not that Lisa Loeb? Well, welcome anyway, and come join us often! :biggrin:
DD avatar
SoWal Expert
#8
:funn:"Not a girl..." OH, I see what you mean!! :blush:

Thanks for the posts... it IS a scary thing to contemplate... but it would be much less scary if it was only my leap. Throwing my girls into a mix makes it much more so.

JodiFL or others... do you like the schools there? My girls will be in sixth/eighth grades next school year, so I don't need to worry about elementary, only middle/high school (assuming that sixth grade IS middle school in SoWal schools...).

Allifunn... you are my HERO!!! Good for you! One of the driving forces in my own thinking about relocation is that, while you cannot necessarily control the personal relationships in your life, you can put yourself in a geographical location that you know will bring you joy. And that one might offset the other to a certain degree.

She's my hero too. :wub:
:welcome:Lisa! I hope this works out for you in the most wonderful way. In retrospect, I should have done it with my kids...waaaay back in the day.
lisaloebmalone avatar
Beach LoverAuthor
#9
Oh, wait, you're not that Lisa Loeb?

Hmm...


As you can see, there are some superficial similarities.... :roll:
Ocean Lover avatar
bean
#10
Hmm...


As you can see, there are some superficial similarities.... :roll:


:clap:

:welcome:LLM! Take your time and search around. You will find all the answers you need.
SoWal Insider
#11
:welcome: God luck to you and your children in your search. :wave:
You're on the right track.
sunspotbaby avatar
SoWal Insider
#12
"Always be up for a road trip"
Great advice someone gave me when I got married. And it's because of a road trip, we ended up here.:clap:

My husband was afraid I wouldn't want to move here. What did I care?? I said as long as we're together..that's all that really matters. Love it here and would never dream of going back to Houston. (Unless he asks me too:wub:)
lisaloebmalone avatar
Beach LoverAuthor
#13
You are all wonderful. Thanks for the words of welcome, encouragement and support! :D

I've got a lot to think about. Have started floating some resume's around. Since I'll most likely be changing fields, I hope people will be open to seeing the value in a hard worker with a lot of diverse talents! On the other hand... I may get away from high-stress business altogether and look for something that pays less but that I can walk away from at the end of the day... I was on vacation this past week and still worked at least two hours a day most days -- I worked over six hours one day! :shock: It might be nice to have a job that leaves me alone when I'm off.

A lot to think about....
hnooe avatar
Beach Fanatic
#14
Just do it. Close a few doors and watch a few more open up here for you!
bluemtnrunner avatar
Beach Fanatic
#15
I moved my kids here last summer. For me it was coming back to Florida but for them it is all new. Emerald Coast Middle School has been great. You can try the lottery for the Seaside Community School as well. Emerald Coast does have uniforms (khakis and school tshirt)which my son abhors. He is sometimes not happy to have moved here but I think that has more to do with the friends he left than where he moved to.
I was lucky enough to keep my job and begin working remotely.
I was also lucky to find SOWAL, I have learned a lot about the area and my new neighbors.
Rita avatar
margarita brocolia
#16
I moved my kids here last summer. For me it was coming back to Florida but for them it is all new. Emerald Coast Middle School has been great. .........................

I just had a thought .... :scratch:... I wonder if the area becomes THE Beach, will Emerald Coast Middle School become THE Beach School?? :blink:

sorry - that was off subject.

.

Edited

SGB avatar
Beach Fanatic
#17
:
JodiFL or others... do you like the schools there? My girls will be in sixth/eighth grades next school year, so I don't need to worry about elementary, only middle/high school (assuming that sixth grade IS middle school in SoWal schools...).

There are always new families moving into the area so the kids at school are used to meeting newbies and taking them in as new friends. I have 2 in middle school at Seaside (public charter school) and it's a great small school with wonderful teachers. Emerald Coast is also an awesome option, so you can't go wrong. Our kids love it here and wouldn't hear of moving anywhere else.
supermom262 avatar
Beach Fanatic
#18
Ditto what SGB said!

I have a 13 year old girl at Seaside, and an 8 year old boy at Bay. I had the same conversation that you are having 5 years ago and took a leap of faith to move down here. It has not always been a bed of roses but at the end of the day, I can't think of any other place I would like to be than at the beach and on 30A. I have made more friends here than I had back in Michigan (to be fair, I worked crazy hours back in Michigan and that was a part of the reason to make the move - to spend more time with my family) and I'm trying to not have the same thing happen here.

The biggest adjustment is more driving to get from point A to point B, especially during tourist time, and higher prices at the grocery stores.

There are a lot of great parents here who are committed to making sure their children receive a great education! I think it is something we (the parents who post on here) all agree on!

Best wishes to you!
organicmama avatar
Beach Fanatic
#19
:wave:Jumping on board to say, "Just do it!"

We moved down a year and a half ago with a 1 month old, 3 year old & 5 year old. We made the decision quickly (literally days before baby was born) when we had the opportunity and just did it within a month. :shock: The move was nuts in that short a period of time, but the faster was better than dragging it out for us.

It's a different life down here and totally worth it. I can't imagine being anywhere else.:wub:
Matt J avatar
SWGB
#20
:welcome:

If you have the urge, give in!
mrs.rocket avatar
Beach Lover
#21
Lisa, Walton County has been a balm for my aching soul. There is something so spiritual and wonderful about this area. Do consider it. We've been here for almost seven years and we're never leaving. This is our forever-home now.

Edited

SHELLY avatar
SoWal Insider
#22
Have you crunched the numbers?

.
Cork On the Ocean avatar
directionally challenged
#23
Hi Lisa,
You won't be sorry. It wasn't the spirit of Sowal that brought me to it because I didn't know the community before I moved here but it was the spirit of the people that saved me. I had moved there for my boyfriend. We broke up 2 weeks later and I cried for nearly 2 years because I didn't know a soul and I was soooo lonely. Then I got onto the Sowal board and met so many wonderful people. My life elevated far above what it was before I moved here. I've never known such great people and my heart is here forever.

My sister (Outtathebox) made the brave move a couple of weeks ago. She visited me over the holidays (first time to sowal), went home, sold her house and moved to sowal. Email her and she will tell you all about the move - Finding a school for her son, finding a place to stay etc.

You'll love it and sowal will love you. :wub: Happy Easter
lisaloebmalone avatar
Beach LoverAuthor
#24
Have you crunched the numbers?

Well, we're working on that now. I don't expect to move down there and live in luxury. Fact is, our present house is already on the market; we have a contingency contract on it and are waiting for a) the contingency people to sell their house, or b) for someone else to come along and make a firm offer. We were going to be moving anyway... and going into something siginificantly smaller than we are presently in.

So, if we're moving anyway, the little beach bum on my shoulder keeps whispering, why not just move to 30A?

Trying to get a grasp on the cost of a decent 3BR 2BA home (not anything fancy, not right on the beach, something that I could move into and fix up and make mine) and the associated costs, especially insurance.

Also trying to figure out what my salary requirements would be to make the move.

It's exciting and scary thinking along these lines!

My sister (Outtathebox) made the brave move a couple of weeks ago. She visited me over the holidays (first time to sowal), went home, sold her house and moved to sowal. Email her and she will tell you all about the move - Finding a school for her son, finding a place to stay etc.

Ooh, thanks! I will!
scooterbug44 avatar
SoWal Expert
#25
It sounds like you've already made the decision, but are trying to justify it. ;-)

You love it here, your kids love it here (and have suggested the move), your house is already for sale, you're posting on Sowal - the fat lady done sung!

I don't know Huntsville that well, but I know Sowal, so I say MOVE HERE NOW!!! :wub:
Beach Fanatic
#26
So... I am somewhat embarassed to admit it, but I am one of those stereotypical 'need to make a change in my life' girls. Only I'm not really a girl... maybe it's more of a mid-life crisis?

All I know is, the first time I drove down 30A I fell in love. I've visited many times since that first time; this year, I've been several times in the winter and, oddly, love it even more than the summer.

My children love it too. They sense, I think, the need to make a change and this past week while we were soaking up a few stingy rays on Santa Rosa Beach, my eldest daughter (almost 13) said to me 'Mom, I really think we should move here'. This is NOT something I had discussed with her, but I've found that she possesses a disconcerting ability to read my heart...

I currently live in the city where I grew up and where my father still resides (my mother now lives south of Tampa). I have a job I love, with the college I graduated from and have worked at for almost 15 years. And yet... every day that passes brings an increased sense of being in the wrong place. When I explore this feeling, I always end up at 30A.

So I'm wondering -- how crazy am I to be thinking about this? There is so much I need to learn. What are the middle/high schools like and where are they? What is the best way to find a job? A home?

Thanks for listening to my rambles. Any advice or suggestions are appreciated.

With many thanks,
Lisa

:wave:
I am SO jealous! I have always wanted to live at the beach!!!! We have a house in Seacrest and visit part time and it kills every time that I have to leave! Last year, I had convinced my husband to just try it for 2 years....I was so excited, then we got home and his son announced they were expecting their first child........now, it's too hard for Grandaddy to leave! Maybe oneday-

Good luck to you!

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