[rshoffer]

This week, exactly 1 year ago, we came down for our "lifestyle tour" after watching The Villages commercials on the The Golf Channel for many years. My wife came back in November and bought a house and on Dec 23'd our house in Pa sold! We had to be out by March 23'd but couldn't move to Florida because of other committments until June. The period from Dec 23'd to Mar 23'd was so stressful I never thought we'd pull it off. We were both working more than 40 hrs a week each and used every spare second to beging the painful and difficult process of downsizing. That means going through boxes of photos, memories, decades of our lives. Even though you know what's waiting at the end, it's a painful and bittersweet process. Then comes the good-byes... saying good-bye to friends and family, co-workers, gym buddies etc. When you finally arrive you are drained and exhausted but excited and relieved. I have been surprised about how little I've read about how hard a move like this really is. Was it worth it? As I type this the earliest peaks of sunrise are just starting to shine outside the window on one of the most beautiful and fun places i have ever been. Yes, it was.