We’re almost there. We’re moved in and the boxes are all unpacked or in storage. We’ve planted some wildflowers and replanted rose bushes into the patio garden areas. A birdfeeder is up and all of our wind chimes are out. The umbrella is all set up to shade us on the patio but something is still missing. Could it be a couch? Here’s our life since our move to Bradenton.

Yes, the boxes are all unpacked or in storage. There’s still a lot in storage. Things we don’t want to give up, like the depression-era glass dessert plates and sherbet cups that used to be my mother’s. Plus all of our Christmas stuff, there is no place to store in the apartment.

Although our newest apartment is the same square footage as the last, it’s poorly designed for space. There’s a lot of lost square footage being used by a hallway that takes you to the bedroom and bathroom. But look at that view.

The design layout also means we couldn’t fit our last full-size couch in here, so we’re waiting for our new love seat to come in. I’m sure we could have fit it if I didn’t want to have a distinct dining area that was separate from my office area. For the last three years, the dining area was also where I worked. Now I’m across the room and my office area has that wonderful view where I can see the water while I’m working.

The best part of the move is how close we are to the beach. We’re there at least once a week doing an early morning walk on the beach. And this past Mother’s Day weekend, Jess and the girls came down and we spent 2 days at 2 different beaches.

Right now Chris is still working too many hours at work. He’s currently working 5 days on and one day off. So that doesn’t always mean his day off matches up with mine. But at least we have days that are matching up…sometimes. Looking forward to when they get that third Sous Chef hired.

One of the best parts about our move? The food. I’ve written before about how many of the restaurants in Orlando served bland food. I’m guessing it’s to appeal to the largest amount of tourists as possible. We had to go out of town to find the best fried chicken at a soul food restaurant in Sanford. And we had to go to Disney Springs to find the best Mexican.

But in Bradenton, we haven’t found a bad restaurant yet. I’m sure we will at some point but we’ve been to Indian, Chinese, and Japanese restaurants, a brewery, and even a dive bar that served the best sandwiches. None have disappointed. And the fruits and vegetables? Fantastic. We can even get Florida oranges in Bradenton. In Orlando, it was California oranges. How odd.

And that’s our life since our move to Bradenton.