1 Year Since MOVING TO FLORIDA! RECAP
It’s officially been a year since we made our big move from Washington State to South Florida! In some ways it feels like forever ago and in others I feel like I blinked.. makes me feel so emotional about how time is moving so quickly. One of the main reasons we moved was because Charlotte was pregnant with baby boy (who is now almost 9 months) - nothing like watching a baby grow up that makes you so aware of the passage of time (sobbing). Anyways let’s get into our year-in recap! How we’re feeling, what we’ve learned, and what we’re excited about in the next year!
Starting with summer ‘25 - major summer moments:
cross country roadtrip (main things I remember - the lovely vibes in Missoula, MT, how much larger Mt Rushmore was than I thought it was going to be, the snacks we had that will always remind me of the drive - chomps sticks, chopped carrots & bell peps, Alani nu energy drinks)
adopting Henry!! the love of my life, I’m obsessed with my baby. makes me so sad how little/malnourished he was when we got him but I’m so happy and proud of the healthy and happy boy he’s evolved into
birthday staycation by the beach!
getting a beach cruiser off facebook marketplace + lots of secondhand furniture + developing my new sense of home style that was heavily inspired by living in an older home/historic neighborhood & prioritizing antiques
teaching at a new studio that’s all female instructors & majority female clientele - vibes are swirly and fresh!
Looking back at last summer makes me feel super nostalgic just because of how significant/monumental it was. I can hear Morgan Wallen’s “I’m The Problem” playing on repeat and looking through photos makes reminiscent on how warm & unexpected everything was - literally hot in the florida summer heat but also so full with family time and re-discovering ourselves in this new location. Now being a year in and settled in to our home and work responsibilities, I’m reminded that everything works out exactly how it’s meant to <3 hindsight gives so much clarity - it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and like you have no idea what’s going on, but having faith that everything comes together for a reason creates a sense of peace that’s unmatched. It’s in moments of discomfort/change that the magic of growth shines the most!
Late summer/early fall brought a lot of change as well... my angel nephew, Charlie, joined us earthside late august, around the same time we found out we’d be moving (again) come october. We were renting a place for the summer so we knew it was temporary but weren’t sure how long we’d be there.. after settling in for several months, getting news we were moving again did feel heavy. I’m pretty type A especially with cleaning/organization so I usually end up packing the majority of our belongings since I like the comfort of knowing where everything is (a fair tradeoff since he does most of the physical labor of moving, praise). We spent the summer casually touring homes but didn’t find anything that felt right. I also started my youtube channel in September which I’d been wanting to do for so long! It’s a side gig that takes up a lot of my time but feels so fulfilling & is a creative outlet for me, so I’m proud of myself for organizing my time & maintaining 2 posts per week for these last 8 months!
The week that we were moving out of our old house, we toured a house that we fell in love with and ended up putting in an offer around Halloween. Everything moved quickly and the offer ended up being accepted immediately with a closing date at the end of the year. We pivoted our plans of renting an apartment and moved in with my parents for 2 months since we were traveling a lot around the holidays & their house is so comfortable and close to our spots we frequent! We put all our furniture & belongings in a storage unit and said goodbye to them until mid-Jan.. we were pleasantly surprised with how well/normally were were able to live with less and tried to lean into minimalism during that transition period. I’ll never take for granted the extra time we got to spend with my parents too.
Travels to the west coast for Thanksgiving and Christmas filled our cup! Just before the new year we got access to our house & immediately started working on the home!
As for the last few months… 2026 has brought so much already! So crazy to think we’re already almost halfway through the year. We spent most of January renovating the bathroom in our new house + painting the entire inside ourselves! By the time we moved in we were so excited and proud of ourselves. I’ve really enjoyed the process of acquiring second hand/antique pieces and curating the house, the home is my sanctuary and pouring into it is a love language. Henry is obsessed with the backyard - we have some mature trees & landscaping so he loveeees chasing the lizards, squirrels, bugs, listening for neighbors etc it has really brought out his wild side LOL. Makes me so happy as a dog mom to see him so joyous.
Other big moments from this spring:
Char & I hosting a girly galentine’s pilates sculpt class with a local coffee pop up (WhiteCap Coffee) at the studio we teach at!
In-laws visiting WPB/the island for the first proper time and getting to show them our house, the nice winter weather and all our fav spots!
Getting back in the groove of cooking lots of homemade meals - find recipe inspo on our IG/wellwithlilly IG weekly!
& that brings us up to date! Looking back through all the photos from the past year makes me realize how much I’ve grown in different ways: Career wise- I started teaching at one studio mainly when I first moved, and slowly acquired classes at two other studios. Teaching different modalities/styles of classes to different bodies makes me feel inspired to help people connect to their bodies in creative & intentional ways. SO grateful to have the freedom to class plan + make playlists that align with styles of movement I love! Moving to FL has also been so impactful on my relationships - being close to my family again after living 3000 miles away for a couple years really makes me hold these moments close and not take any time for granted. Seeing my nephew grow into a little boy with a vibrant personality makes me so excited for the future and more babies to come! Wyatt & I love to dream about the future and have so many ideas for house projects & travels in the coming years. Can’t wait to look back at this blog a year from now and reflect on all the more magic to come <3 xx, Lilly