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Pacifist Patriot

(25,109 posts)
Wed Jul 30, 2025, 03:21 PM Jul 30

I made it!

There have been many instances when I thought this would never be accomplished, but after 31 years in Florida I made it out.

I met my husband in college here in Virginia. We always said we would move back when we retired. After the youngest graduated from college in May, a shared light bulb went off. We both work fully remote jobs at virtual-first companies that will never force us into an office and don't care which state we live in. Our children are spread out from Boston to Tallahassee with the baby leaving for two years of grad school in China two weeks from today.

In a 10-week time span, we pulled off a move I thought would take at least a year to coordinate.

We closed yesterday, and I am sitting in my home office with beautiful trees outside my window and a definite sense of a lighter load. Florida has felt oppressive for many years, but I had no sense of the weight of it until today.

I'm home again.

38 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
I made it! (Original Post) Pacifist Patriot Jul 30 OP
Welcome home! nt spooky3 Jul 30 #1
Congratulations, Virginia is a beautiful state. A lot of my family is living there and from there. Walleye Jul 30 #2
Thanks turning Virginia even bluer! Staph Jul 30 #3
In a weird coincidence, the couple who bought our homes in FL... Pacifist Patriot Jul 30 #8
Congrats! 2naSalit Jul 30 #4
Welcome Keepthesoulalive Jul 30 #5
Dreams do come true..... democrank Jul 30 #6
So glad you made it. PoindexterOglethorpe Jul 30 #7
Good for you! highplainsdem Jul 30 #9
It is especially rewarding... GiqueCee Jul 30 #10
Felicitations! Glad that you made it out of Florida. GoneOffShore Jul 30 #11
Pacifist Patriot......... Upthevibe Jul 30 #12
Beautiful Virginia ❤️ live love laugh Jul 30 #13
Welcome home Picaro Jul 30 #14
Applause. byronius Jul 30 #15
Native Californian here kimbutgar Jul 31 #34
What a wonderful outcome, seamless, it seems. ☺️ 1WorldHope Jul 30 #16
Congratulations! nt SunSeeker Jul 30 #17
💐💐💐 blm Jul 30 #18
Congrats Duncanpup Jul 30 #19
Congratulations! I am very happy for you. LoisB Jul 30 #20
Congratulations! nt Trueblue Texan Jul 30 #21
I was born there Warpy Jul 30 #22
Nicely done! Navy vet here.. Permanut Jul 30 #23
Virginia is for Lovers! Dave in VA Jul 30 #24
Congratulations! Buddyzbuddy Jul 31 #25
Congrats! SheltieLover Jul 31 #26
Whoop, get registered to vote IbogaProject Jul 31 #27
I do! Pacifist Patriot Jul 31 #29
10 weeks!!!! Nittersing Jul 31 #28
Made it out of Floridistan safely! Congratulations 🎉 Clouds Passing Jul 31 #30
Bravo! UpInArms Jul 31 #31
As a fellow Virginian, I welcome you back with open arms! Where are you located? I'm just outside of Charlottesville. Martin68 Jul 31 #32
I'm in Lexington. Pacifist Patriot Jul 31 #35
Nice town. We spent a Fourth of July there one year. Martin68 Jul 31 #38
Congratulations!!! You made it! liberalla Jul 31 #33
Happy for you😊 Figarosmom Jul 31 #36
Congratulations! Enjoy every minute. n/t livetohike Jul 31 #37

Walleye

(42,112 posts)
2. Congratulations, Virginia is a beautiful state. A lot of my family is living there and from there.
Wed Jul 30, 2025, 03:30 PM
Jul 30

Not an easy thing to do, pick up and move

Pacifist Patriot

(25,109 posts)
8. In a weird coincidence, the couple who bought our homes in FL...
Wed Jul 30, 2025, 05:03 PM
Jul 30

moved from VA. From what I've been told about them, we may net 4 blue votes out of this! 😄

Home singular. On my phone can't edit the subject line easily.

PoindexterOglethorpe

(28,049 posts)
7. So glad you made it.
Wed Jul 30, 2025, 05:01 PM
Jul 30

Rarely do people get to live in the place they really want to be. Mostly jobs leave us stuck somewhere.

I have the remarkable good fortune to live in Santa Fe. I moved here 15 years ago when my marriage of 25 years ended -- he met someone else he decided he wanted to be with, and I said, "Goodbye, Kansas." I actually checked out several other parts of the country, but Santa Fe kept calling my name.

highplainsdem

(57,892 posts)
9. Good for you!
Wed Jul 30, 2025, 05:04 PM
Jul 30

The GOP seems determined to turn Florida into a humid red circle of Hell. And if you no longer have most of your family there...

Upthevibe

(9,716 posts)
12. Pacifist Patriot.........
Wed Jul 30, 2025, 05:40 PM
Jul 30

AWESOME!

I am SO happy for you. I lived in Virginia in the late 70's when my ex-husband was in the Navy. We enjoyed it very much.

I left my home state of TX in 1988 and moved to California. It's the best decision I've ever made. From 2016 - 2024 I worked for/with a friend (who has a small business) in Dallas. It was AWFUL! The weather was absolutely unbearable and because TX has their own power grid we lost electricity on a regular basis.

No offense to Texans but it's not at all for me. In fact, my high school reunion is coming up at the end of October and I don't even know if I want to go. There are some real right-wing trumpsters who'll be there, (I've kept up with various people on FB) and I don't know if I can enjoy myself....

byronius

(7,808 posts)
15. Applause.
Wed Jul 30, 2025, 05:50 PM
Jul 30

I’ve lived in a few red states so far, including Texas (where I was born) — but California is my forever home now. Not perfect, but it’s not Alabama either.

These days I get mild panic attacks anytime I go to a red state.

Good for you.

kimbutgar

(25,879 posts)
34. Native Californian here
Thu Jul 31, 2025, 12:35 PM
Jul 31

I could never leave the state. My in laws moved from California to Arizona and my mother in law says all the time she misses California.

Warpy

(113,863 posts)
22. I was born there
Wed Jul 30, 2025, 06:20 PM
Jul 30

and have always been grateful to my parents for moving soon afterward, although I don't think it was their idea at the time. It was a very different place nearly 80 years ago, mosly interior swamp and palmetto forest and coasts of unspoiled beaches.

Well, it's almost all spoiled now, thanks to rampant development along with reckless destruction of wetlands and draining of aquifers.

My parents retired there and while my dad thought it was where good people went when they died, my mother said she loved to see the big condo high rises being built because they'd make Florida sink faster.

Now thayt they're gone, I have no reason to return to that state. That makes me happy.

Permanut

(7,505 posts)
23. Nicely done! Navy vet here..
Wed Jul 30, 2025, 06:27 PM
Jul 30

I spent several years in Norfolk - based on a tin can, so we were gone a lot. Odd thing is, when I arrived from boot camp in January 1967 the bay was frozen over.

Anyway, Oregon native, enjoyed seeing things on the other coast. Took a bus to New York City a couple times, Good memories.

Nittersing

(7,543 posts)
28. 10 weeks!!!!
Thu Jul 31, 2025, 09:42 AM
Jul 31

That is impressive!! I suspect you're a pretty organized sort to begin with.

I just took a nice, long reinvigorating deep breath to enjoy the moment with you!!

Martin68

(26,351 posts)
32. As a fellow Virginian, I welcome you back with open arms! Where are you located? I'm just outside of Charlottesville.
Thu Jul 31, 2025, 11:38 AM
Jul 31

liberalla

(10,649 posts)
33. Congratulations!!! You made it!
Thu Jul 31, 2025, 12:00 PM
Jul 31

10 weeks? After 31 years? Yes that is a real accomplishment!
I'm very happy for you!
Welcome home!

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