The first time I made this drive to Florida

Scout and I were on our way to move in with Sean. I was 22.

Growing up in Wisconsin, I thought snowbirds were weak. I also thought Florida was one of the last places I’d live—when Sean started applying for jobs and asked how I felt about various parts of the country, I said something about being flexible but “not seeing myself in, like, Florida”.

Today? We don’t want to live anywhere full time (this is, after all, the greatest van life allure) but I’ve come around to spending winter near the beach. After a lovely month visiting friends and family, we’re headed to the state where we first lived as a little family—the place that (politics aside) claims a huge slice of my heart and offers a deep well of nostalgia—to slow down again.