One Year Cohabitation Recap

365 days ago I went from being a Michigan transplant in Florida to being a Florida transplant in Michigan. How on earth did a year slip by already?!?!

The last time I did a cohabitation recap it was just three short months after I had moved and was still in the adjusting period. With an entire year behind me I thought I'd recap what it's been like to relocate up North and endure not only my first winter but life in general after having been an 11 year Florida resident.

I will start by telling you that I still very much miss all of these things about my old life, especially the amazing people highlighted at the end. There is not a day that goes by that I don't miss every single one of them or the times we shared but, as Beaker Luv reminded me the other day, for all that I had my friends and awesome weather in Florida I was still very much lonely for Spike. You can't always have your cake and eat it too it seems and my life is a perfect example of that. *le sigh*

Now on to the topic at hand: Michigan vs Florida... I gotta be honest, I moved as far from Michigan as I could back in the day and vowed never to return. A lot of good that did me huh? Stupid Michigan boy making fall in love with him! *Shakes fist in Spike's general direction* Moving back was a huge adjustment, granted it was totally worth it and I don't regret the decision one bit, but I'd still trade the weather any day. While the summer actually rivaled Orlando at times and the Fall was absolutely breathtaking, the novelty of my first winter wore off quickly and there was still MONTHS before it was even close to ending. I was so thankful my work allowed me to run during the work day so I could soak up the very little bit of daylight granted to us because it was very hard getting used to the relentless darkness of a Michigan winter.

I can definitely handle me some Michigan summer sun,
especially at a Buffett concert with my love!

Fall = My Favorite season in Michigan

First snowfall of Winter, pretty much the only time I loved it.

Thankfully the temps eventually started to raise above freezing and one day, practically overnight it seemed, the grass was a vibrate green and the trees were starting to bud. I had long forgotten what a Spring looked like and marveled at the beauty of the turn of another season... which lasted all of like 5 days before we started this flip-flopping of relentless rain and wind and/or heat and humidity to rival a summer day. Michigan weather is so ridiculous, I much prefer the predictable (and mostly sunny if not way too hot) weather of Florida.

Moving on, life with Spike is... er... interesting. I kid, I kid, life with Spike is great! We have way too much fun together and he has definitely done his best to make things easier for me during this first year of transition. He taught me the in's and out's of winter running, reassured me countless times over that the winter would in fact end, and has been my partner in adventure since I arrived. Our lives are an endless whirlwind of activity and there's no one I'd rather share it with. We've spent hours upon hours in the car together on various road trips, have ran relays in both relentless heat and icy snow, cross country traveled at least 3x, spent many an hour curled up next to each other reading books, cheered each other on during countless races, and then there's the never ending battle of the covers war that rages on even still today. Life is good for all that the weather sucks. :)

Love is... having someone that will run through the rain with you to get cupcakes.