christmas in fort desoto florida

What is your word for the New Year?

A new year.  If there was one word that best describes the year 2015 for us, it would be “change”.  It was definitely a year of change.   We have seen so many beautiful things this year, made lots of great new friends, and are both so much healthier now than we have been in years.

christmas in fort desoto florida

A year of change.

Christmas didn’t involve the normal family get togethers this year. It was a little strange celebrating the holidays in 90 degree weather.

Yes, record highs!  Florida was supposed to be temperate this time of year.  Dave calls it Tropical.  I call it False Advertising.

But with new lives and new places come new traditions.  We celebrated with a beach picnic with our friends from Bar Harbor, Rick and Judy.

new year resolutions

New Year resolutions?  Well, let’s just say that my main resolution this year is to continue to live freely.  To take some advice from my dog Ralph who insists that New Years resolutions need to be simple.

Be nice to nice people.

Enjoy life, travel, go on an adventure.

Rather than focus on resolutions, I am focusing on one word this year.  From the website, One Word 365,

One word you can focus on every day, all year long… One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live.

It will take intentionality and commitment, but if you let it, your one word will shape not only your year, but also you. It will become the compass that directs your decisions and guides your steps.

christmas in fort desoto florida

So let’s consider that word while I tell you about our holiday.

How do you celebrate Christmas when you are miles from your relatives and currently living in neverending sauna?

christmas in fort desoto florida

You snag your good friends and head to the beach for a picnic!  Fort De Soto, to be exact.

Fort De Soto Park is one of my favorite places in the St. Pete area. It is located on five offshore keys, or islands just south of the city.  Historically, the islands were used for military fortifications.  There are two piers, beaches, picnic areas, hiking trails, bicycling trails, kayak trail, and even a ferry to Egmont Key State Park!

christmas in fort desoto florida

This is Rick and Judy!  We met them while working in Bar Harbor, Maine.  Winter jobs are hard to get in the camping industry.  You see, Florida is in pretty high demand in the winter because much of the campgrounds in cooler areas are closed for the winter.

This means that you might very well run across folks that you worked with in other areas of the country if you are wintering in Florida.  Rick and Judy, and one other couple that we worked with in Maine, are working with us here in St. Petersburg.

christmas in fort desoto florida

It’s very nice to have friends in the area to celebrate with.

christmas in fort desoto florida

And do a bit of beach combing with.

Rick and Judy will be heading to the northwest in the spring, and we will be headed to Arizona.  We will definitely miss them.  The camping world is a small place, so we just may end up working together again in the future.

Change is becoming a regular occurrence.

christmas in fort desoto florida

Oh, and speaking of change, guess who stayed up past midnight for the first time in 30 years?

We have some plans for 2016.  We will be here until March, and then will be moving onto Arizona for the summer.  The fall is still a mystery.  But that is half the fun.

That word for 2016?  Let’s go with “Adventure”.  And we will see where that takes us.

Happy New Year!

7 thoughts on “What is your word for the New Year?”

    1. Hi Liz!

      Hope everything is going well for you! And hope your holiday was fabulous! We do miss our wonderful neighbors from Georgia. Tell Mary Ann and Jay that we said “hi”!

      Love,

      suzy

    1. Hi Neil and Yoly!
      Thankfully I think the tide has turned. This week has actually been jacket weather! Hopefully the sauna days are over for a bit.

      suzy

    1. Hi Lynda!
      The definition of Gumption is “courage and confidence”. That sounds like a great word to center the year around! You should have it put on your coffee mug and start the day out with it!

      suzy

  1. Loved Ralph’s New Years resolutions! That pup really has it all together. Best wishes for a wonderful and adventurous 2016!

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