March | 2019 | The Minority Millennial

As I sit in Illinois writing my last blog about my favorite Florida places, I couldn’t help but think of how perfect the title of “Welcome Home” would be. Not because I’m back in my home state of IL, but because my final FL favorite place post is about my FL home.

Tiny, tucked away, and perfect.

Jericho (my husband) and I found this place at random when I was visiting him once during our engagement. We made an appointment to see it although the woman that resided there was still there. (Her son turned out to be our landlord.) We walked into that fish smelling tiny apartment and fell in love. Don’t panic, she was making fish for dinner. It was small, simple, right on Main, hidden from the street, and just the right price for our first home. We put our deposit down that day and the wait began. Our landlord wasn’t moving his mom out until March and it was only the beginning of January.

Fast forward to May… Jericho had moved in at the end of March and cleaned and fixed up the things that needed fixing. I moved in with his parents for the three weeks leading up to the wedding and in those three weeks managed to turn this tiny place into what would pass as home. At least temporarily. (Or so we thought…) On our wedding night I moved in and so began our 3 years of living cramped up in that less than 500 square feet abode. Many a times we would pull into our parking spot and sigh whilst saying, “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like this…” But deep down we both loved it – just hated to admit it sometimes.

Despite it’s flaws, this apartment holds so much. Our wedding night for starters, and don’t worry I’ll spare you the details! Our first fights, our first tears, our first pets… The list could go on and on forever. We made two beautiful babies here, and we lost those same two babies within these walls. The amount of tears that were shed and prayers that were prayed is far too many to count. This apartment held many different atmospheres. Some that were quiet. Some that were loud. Some that held such pain. And the best that held utter JOY. When I think of home, I think of this little place. Granted, I know I lived in another apartment in FL, but that one holds memories of it’s own. This little one, though? HOME.

Home is a crazy concept for some. For me, I know that my Home is in Heaven with my Creator. But I also know that I have a great desire in me to build home here on earth while I wait to occupy my heavenly home. Proverbs 14:1 says, “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.” I have built a home alongside my husband. I have also been the fool that has torn it down. After it was torn down, I had to help rebuild. Coming from someone who has been both of these women, it is so much more rewarding to be the wise woman that builds. Building a home is not easy, but the reward is great. Being able to create this tiny home in FL alongside my husband, to see it stripped down foolishly, and to see the rebuild be even better than before is why I love this tiny home so much. No matter who lived there before me, no matter how many people live there after me, 468 Main is my home. It is where I learned how to build and not tear down. It is where I made new and buried the old. It is where life was made and life was lost. It is where Jericho and my story began and I will forever be grateful to that simple, tiny, tucked away HOME.

It always amazes me how fast the month of February passes by. Obviously it’s the shortest month in the year, but it always surprises me just how fast it goes. This February was no different only it felt even faster considering my time in Florida is coming to a close, and it went by even speedier than normal because of all the things to do and people to see. February has been chock-full of memories and moments that I will cherish in my heart forever.

Memories are a funny thing quite honestly. All month as I have driven or walked around town, they appear out of nowhere and things I have forgotten come back to me. Planning get togethers with people I haven’t gotten together with in awhile sprung memories to the surface that I clearly had tucked away in my memory but not close enough to the surface to think of that often. Driving past certain places brought me feelings and emotions that I have suppressed, and not all bad. The month of February has been one that has surfaced sooo many memories of my time here in Florida. That is why my “re” word for the month of February is REMEMBER.

Florida is the only place I have lived outside of my hometown and my home state of Illinois. When I first moved here, I hated it. I just remember wanting to go “home.” My poor (newly married) husband had to remind me quite often that Florida was my home. I was in denial for almost a year. Once I finally accepted Florida as my home, I REALLY embraced it. The girl that never in a million years would have been caught wearing a tank top without a cardigan was wearing them on the regular and shorts and flip flops to boot. My wardrobe shifted, but so did my personality. I went from being quite the stuck up, type A, planner Alia to someone much more laid back and easy go-with-the-flow. And to be completely honest, that’s who I always wanted to be anyways. It’s like the atmosphere of vacation and “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere” surrounding me really put me in a place I always wanted to be but never knew how to achieve. I embraced Florida and all that comes with it (except sand…still hate sand).

Florida has brought me some of the best friendships and moments with people that I will never forget. This state is full of every person and personality imaginable. My husband and I have befriended some of the most unlikely people for our personality types and it really is a beautiful thing. Being able to take mini vacations in your own backyard has been such a treat. Taking walks down your own sidewalk and being able to people watch has thrilled me. Going out to eat and being able to pinpoint tourists or snow birds has been a hoot. There is a culture about Florida like no other. My {almost} four years of living here has given me a greater appreciation for mankind and God’s creation. To say that I am brokenhearted over this move would be an understatement only because of all the memories here that have been made. But despite the sorrow of leaving the only place my husband and I have lived together, I am looking forward to all the NEW memories to come. By next February I’m sure I will be able to write another post dedicated to new memories made and new paths that have been walked. For that I am excited.

So no matter where your journey is taking you, please don’t forget to stop long enough to turn and look back at all the places you have been. All the memories you will remember. All the snapshots taken in your mind of all of your favorite places. Stop and breathe in the change. Embrace it. See yourself for who you were and who you ARE. You are a beautiful creation and God’s not done with you yet dear friend. Keep being the beautiful you you were meant to be.