M is for Moving in the A to Z challenge. You may remember that in 2019 we moved to Orlando from Connecticut. In 2022, we then moved to Bradenton. Next month, we’re moving again, but this time the move will still be within Bradenton.

Last year, we moved in a short time frame. In fact, from a job offer to living in a new apartment, we turned it around in less than two weeks. We’re hoping we won’t need to move again for a few years.

Last year, when we moved, we needed to pick out an apartment really quickly. We didn’t know anything about Bradenton or where best to live, but we found an apartment that was just off the main road and turned out to be a straight shot to the job Chris would eventually get two months later.

Confusing right? We moved because Chris got a Sous Chef job in Sarasota. Turned out the work environment was toxic, not because of the people he worked with but because of the management company that ran the kitchen. Luckily, he didn’t burn bridges at his last job, and his old GM reached out to him a month after we got here and asked if he wanted to apply to the Executive Chef position at a senior living facility they had in Bradenton.

Once we got here, we knew we wouldn’t stay in this complex. It’s old and shows its age, and there is no in-apartment laundry. We were originally thinking of moving into a house. We started checking out a 55+ community that was near us. Then Hurricane Ian took a swing by the Gulf Coast. Originally, it was supposed to hit Tampa. They were calling for flooding of the Manatee River.

Guess who lives in a complex that is at the junction of the Braden and Manatee rivers? We’re just 15 feet from the bank, and the water is only 2 feet below that bank. If the hurricane hit Tampa like they originally predicted, our apartment would have been flooded. The houses we were looking at were also close to the same rivers. Below is the view from our patio.

After Ian and seeing all the devastation in Ft. Myers and Naples, we decided that while we like living on the coast, we needed to be above the ground floor. So we started looking for apartments and condos that had more than three floors. Why? Because having less than three floors doesn’t require an elevator. That’s why most apartment complexes here don’t go above that level.

We were thinking of an apartment building name River Song on the Manatee River. Who can resist a name like that if you’re a Dr. Who fan? But after reading the reviews, we decided, we could resist. But then we found a brand new complex that’s next to Sarasota Bay (so we’re even closer to the beach) and has four floors. Hallelujah, an elevator! And we managed to get an apartment on the top floor, so no more people walking over our heads.

Sure, are we closer to the danger zone when it comes to hurricanes? Yes. Will we get flooded? No. Will there be damage? Yes. Will I stay for the next hurricane? Absolutely not!

We move next month!