During this time last year we had a very happy 8 month old. We were both so ecstatic with how much joy she has brought to our lives that we wanted to share that with our closest family and friends. Therefore, on a whim, we decided to pack up everything we owned in our Sugar Land home (in Texas) and head North, back to Michigan, to be by family. To make an incredibly heartbreaking, heart wrenching long story short, it just didn’t work out for us. We got there and it wasn’t what we expected or what we had hoped for (for Josie). We had this silly idea that Josie would change lives like she did ours. Bottom line: people don’t change…family or not family. They just don’t. And to expect that was stupid. It was silly.
I remember hearing my mom’s voice on the other end of the phone in November (before we moved), I was sitting in the Whole Foods parking lot and it was icing outside as I glanced at the palm trees next to the building and I told her “we’re moving home”. She told me not to. She told me how it would be. But I chose not to listen. And Bobby did it for me. Whatever I wanted, he said. And at the time, I thought that was what I wanted. I thought it would be good for Josie. Lesson learned: at least I know how it would have been had we never did it. Of course we love our families, but it just wasn’t what we wanted for Josie.
So that brings me to this post. The Most Magical Place on Earth…Walt Disney World! It truly is. And we are so lucky to live so close and be able to be passholders to this wonderful place. It has been a blast, time after time that we have gone so far. I can’t express it in words…to see the magic in her eyes and the joy when we ride the rides. To see her in awe as the fireworks go off and the castle lights up. To those that want to be jealous or envious of our lives that we live, need to seriously re-think your own lives. Just because you’re unhappy in your own life, doesn’t mean you need to bring others down with you. If you can’t be happy for us and where we are at and the choices we make, then you can take your negativity and shaming somewhere else and to someone else who feeds off that crap. We don’t need it. Nor do we care to listen to it. That is why we left Michigan when we did in July. Because that type of behavior is toxic. It’s awful that some family really think they deserve a handout from us. Or that since “we make this amount of money, we should pay them…” What a joke. What ever happened to unconditional love? What ever happened to family being happy for one another? What ever happened to family encouraging one another? What happened to family loving one another through thick and thin and forgiving you for hard words said? What ever happened to the “I’m sorry that I hurt your feelings?” Why does PRIDE rise so high above all else? It’s sickening. It has made us realize a lot. We should have listened to Bobby’s sister Angela when she often encouraged us that we made the right choice by getting out of Michigan. And that the choice to go back was just “stupid!” I was so upset that she would say that (at the time). But in all honesty, she was RIGHT. She has always been right when she gave us advice or told us what we didn’t want to hear. She was always happy for us and congratulated us. And in the end she supported our decision to move back to Michigan. But she knew it was not the right choice.
When we left Michigan last July, we left all the negative bullshit behind us. No more. I literally drove around Tampa with tears in my eyes with the JOY and happiness I felt just being here and away from all that toxic crap up there. And now, 5 months after being here, I am also ready to go back to Texas. I am. I will be content this time if that is where we end up. And I really know it will be. The best part about it is that I know where we’re going. It’s not new. It’s something I am comfortable with and can adjust to. Because I’ve done it. And if that is where we belong, so be it. But for now, we’re taking complete and full advantage of being here in Florida. By becoming Disney passholders and taking our daughter there to give her memories of a lifetime. She may not remember these moments… who knows? But we will. And we will be able to show her pictures and tell her stories. Life is all about memorable experiences. We love Josie. And if we want to buy her a Mercedes for her first car, we will. And anyone who wants to run their mouth about it and bash us for such decisions can just go screw themselves.
We have been several times since becoming annual pass holders. So this post has a combination of our first time and several times thereafter. We had a blast. Josie loved it and enjoyed all the rides and even toughed out the long days spent there.
A Pair of Socks 