Lightning Storm

Saturday night Matthew and I decided we wanted to go to the beach (even though it was about 8:00 pm already. When we got there the sky was almost black but the white sand was so bright that it looked like snow. It was a fun remembrance of when we lived in colder weather...but without the cold. :) Just after we got there a giant lightning bolt flashed across the sky out over the ocean. It lit up the clouds and sand in pinks, oranges and purples, it was absolutely beautiful. So we decided to stay and watch until it started raining. The lightning strikes kept lighting up the sky, and we could see how far the ocean stretched; in the darkness it hadn't seemed quite so far. We could see the white tips of the waves crashing against the beach, they were much bigger than normal on Siesta Key. We even ran out to the water once, when we got there Matthew fell straight down because he didn't want to get hit by lightning (but mostly he was just being funny) :) We knew we were pretty safe because the rain hadn't hit us yet, but we didn't want to take too big of a chance, so we only stayed for a minute. The huge gusts of wind coming off the ocean were exhilarating. Being on that huge beach with just the two of us, and the smell, sounds and beauty...it just made me thankful for the opportunity we've had to move here.

There are always beautiful opportunities out in nature, you just have to GO OUTSIDE and enjoy them. Matthew and I both think we are totally Florida people, and have decided this is where we are meant to be. I will always love Missouri, but something about the way everything dies in the winter made me unhappy. It reflected too much on my mood, and it lasted like for months! It may not snow here, and the it may be a couple degrees hotter in the summer...but right now, January 17th it is 70 degrees during the day and there are beautiful palm trees everywhere. This is truly where both of us feel the joy of nature reflecting on our moods and lives all the time. I know without a doubt that right now at least, this is where we are meant to be.

Full Moon Rising over Bay

This is a minute long, it's the full moon rising over the bay in Sarasota with a boat going by. Slow...but serene :)

Blue Heron

Lido Key Beach

This was the 1st day that it felt like Fall in Florida. We went swimming and when we got out it was cold! So we took videos and pictures of the sunset. We also went to a pier by Matthew's work in the bay where we watched boats going by. Hope you enjoy!

Sarah at the beach

Please ignore my double chin...I was sitting funny. :)

Sarah got a job!!!

Thanks for all your prayers, they worked! I got a job as a flute technician for the Marching Band at Braden River High School. It's exactly what I was hoping to get a job doing when we moved to Florida, and Matthew and I are so excited that our plan is ACTUALLY working! It's job with definite "advancement" possibilities. Marching band is only the fall semester of school, but he was already talking to me about teaching lessons during class time, whether it be vocal, piano or flute. And if I help out with the Colorguard, (which he said the other guard instructors will probably try to recruit me) then there is winterguard during the spring season, so I would also have a job there.

I'm just so excited that I'm finally doing something I've always wanted to do. This job is going to be exactly what I love, but it's also a great opportunity for me to try to get some of the band kids to take private lessons from me. And I'll have a place to teach the lessons! There are lots of private studio rooms in the band room. It's all working out so well, I'm so excite! My first day is tomorrow morning so I'm trying to get prepared tonight. I love you all!!! ~Sarah

Our move to Florida

Hello friends and family! If you click on each photo it will make it bigger. Hope you enjoy!

We visited family before we moved to Florida. We stayed with mom and dad for a week. Here we're visiting and playing aggravation with the family and Nana Dyson.

Visiting with Nana and Papa VanHoorebeke and Aunt Gail and Uncle Tim in Illinois.
Hugging mom and dad goodbye before we drive away on July 1!
We drove separate cars which were packed to the brim with all our things! Shiloh rode in Sarah's car because of the air conditioning, poor Matthew had to sweat the whole way there. :(
Shiloh had fun in her little spot on the way there.
We made it! This is in Cocoa Beach on the east coast our first morning in Florida.

We got to see some truly gorgeous views.
This was Shiloh's first time swimming in the ocean. She was apprehensive at first, but when she realized it was fun she took off all the way down the beach splashing in the waves as she went, it was so cute!
We went to the Fourth of July fireworks in Palm Beach, which is a gorgeous town. The fireworks were shot over the bay. We started out on the left there with tons of people, but decided to sit on the bridge to watch the fireworks. It was a much better view, we got to see the reflection of the fireworks off the water.
It was a great fireworks display, Matthew said the finale was the best he's ever seen.
We found a temporary place! We're staying in Sarasota, on the west side of Florida for a month while we look for a more permanent place. It is fully furnished, with a king size bed woohoo!
The furniture came from a condo here so it's fun that the whole place has a beachy theme.
We love the huge shower.
These lizards are so cute! They run around everywhere and eat the bugs, go lizards!
This palm tree is right outside our patio door, we really love it.
Siesta Key! This is the 3rd best voted beach in Florida. The water is crystal clear so we often search for shells under the water. The sand is like baby powder, we love it.
There are so many beautiful birds here.
These are weird seagulls that we haven't seen since then. We like all the different kinds of birds.
That parasailing company is out there everyday. It looks like fun! That little area near the beach is what we call the kiddie pool. It is about 6 inches of water where lots of people have their kids play, then as the water goes out there is another bank so the kids can't get pulled out to sea. There is also another bank even farther out so Matthew and I swim out to it and enjoy the waves.
We love that there are areas that are just full of people, but if you walk down not too far you can also be almost completely by yourself. It's a very fun atmosphere.
I was excited I got this picture of a seagull! :)
We found this awesome shell, but it turned out there was a snail in it! We brought it home and planned on keeping it as a pet and getting a fish tank, but then decided he would probably be happier in the ocean so we let him go. I named him Shelldon. :)
We have lots of fun here looking for shells, enjoying wildlife and watching sunsets over the ocean. We absolutely love living in Florida and hope we will be able to stay here for at least a little while longer!