Nova has adopted a funny habit of wearing swimming goggles even when out of the water… she feels powerful in them, I think, as they have contributed to building her swimming confidence over the last month. She also asked for a haircut this week, after getting so tired of tangled swimming hair, so we ‘trimmed’ possibly 6-8 inches of hair.
I saw her starring, rather smitten with herself, into the mirror at one point today – freshly cut bob, dripping bathing suit, and foggy goggles – feeling pretty satisfied with her new vibe.
It’s been so refreshing to get daily doses of morning sunshine every day at the pool and we have all the books we could possibly need now, with our new library card. We do a couple of outings a week as a family, and Ben and I have enjoyed taking the kids out for individual dates to help them replenish their wardrobes and enjoy a treat together.
The older children have online Spanish tutors and the younger ones continue to learn with books and CD’s…. I am hoping my subconscious is doing a lot of learning for me, as my conscious mind is quite busy with all the usual stuff of life. Art and baking continue to be big themes right now for a number of the children, as is laundry (that part hasn’t changed at all!).
We are doing lots of daily walks around the pretty lakes in the neighbourhood, and enjoying the bright skies and quick bursts of rain that visit regularly. The rainy season is actually quite lovely.
In some even more exciting news, we have an accepted offer on a property in Nicaragua!
We have been interested in Nicaragua for a couple of years now, and have been in contact with a number of Canadians who live there, and it has been an enjoyable discovery process. In fact, our real estate agent is a Canadian from Alberta who has lived in Nica for ten years, the selling agent moved down 12 years ago from Victoria, BC, and our financing agent came from Whitby to build a home in Nica. There is a really exciting expat community there, not to mention the nationals who exude so much warmth and friendliness.
A couple of years back, Ben and I were “dreaming big”, thinking about how we’d like to snowbird (live part of the year in some warm, exotic place). Nothing seemed possible about the idea then (before online work), but it did prompt me into research mode.
After diving in to YouTube videos by “The Nomad Capitalist” we were even more inspired by the many people who live with multiple “footprints” (homes) around the world – enjoying the best of multiple places… and I got excited to imagine where we could land another footprint.
Nicaragua emerged with shining colours as a safe, family friendly, nature-vibrant, adventure-solid setting with un-inflated real estate prices. It is very straightforward to “invest” in a property there and gain residency privileges, which was exciting to us as well. We watched listings for a year, before finding something that ticks every box on our “dream list”. Our agent has been an incredible resource and it feels exciting to be moving to an area where we are already connected with other unschooling, adventurous families through the internet.
***We’ll tell you more about our new home soon, though we are waiting for some final pieces to come together before sharing specifics.***
This happy opportunity is launching us out of Florida sooner than we had anticipated, as the owners were eager for as short a closing as possible. We will be leaving Kissimmee end of October and flying to Nicaragua just in time for the beautiful Tropical November surfing season when the rains stop.
It has been a fun whirlwind season to stretch into the next leg of our adventure. There is still much to sort out and lots of big pieces that need to get lined up, but we are feeling energized and wanted to share with you what is moving forward.
What is perhaps most exciting to us is that our new property has the capacity to host others outside of just our family, so we are absolutely counting on visitors! [We’ll be sending pictures soon, once we can tell you more about the place!].
…Lots to get excited about as we watch God clear obstacles and solve problems in such remarkable ways… everything is happening so smoothly and in such beautiful order, we just feel so thankful for this opportunity that has been set before us, and we look forward to being a blessing in a “new” (to us) land where we all can see more of God’s incredible world and experience a greater connection to the simpler rhythms of life for a time.
We look forward to updating you soon… with pictures!
