Florida: Our New Home

Well, today marks one week since we've been in our new home.

I love it.  The house is better than I expected it to be.  We're still trying to set things up and make it more homey.  There's a lot of wall space so we're trying to figure out what all we're going to do with it.  On one wall, (the hallway wall), we're going to do a wall gallery of various framed things.
We also have a giant plant ledge and I'm not sure if we'll put anything up there.  I'm not a huge plant person so although it's made for plants, I don't think we'll put those up there.
If you all have some suggestions for things that would take up a lot of wall space, send them my way!
The other issue is money.  We aren't the richest people so we don't want to go out and buy a lot of new things (especially because we've had to buy various new things we NEEDED for the house).

Here are my current thoughts on the house:

It's great having a separate room for an office.  And even better having two extra bedrooms.....just because of the two extra closets ;)  (Nick and I both have a lot of clothes and shoes)

Yadi loves her yard.  The first two days, she wouldn't go more than 10 feet away from the patio.  But now she roams all over the thing.  The only bad thing about the yard, which is apparently just a Florida thing, is we don't have dirt. There is sand with grass growing in it.  Which really sucks because it's tracked into the house SO easily.  And our entire house is hardwood and tile.  So it constantly feels like there's a light layer of dirt/dust on the floors.  I'm going to be sweeping almost every night it appears.  BUT I'd rather be sweeping every night than vacuuming.  We're more than likely going to buy a vac & steamer in one appliance.
The sand also stinks because Yadi has discovered her love for digging.  And sand makes it so much easier for her to dig =/  So word to the wise....or really just anyone who might walk around our yard, watch out for holes.  I'm warning you, so don't blame me for broken ankles.

We've met a few neighbors.  The couple across the street from us are really cool, but unfortunately are moving to Japan in 3 weeks =(  The guy is a Marine recruiter and he was nice enough to help Nick carry in the furniture that was just too heavy for me.  He also gave us great advice on things and places.
We also met the old man next door.  Our first evening in our home, he came over with a tupperware full of dinner, some dessert bread, and things to eat it all with. How incredibly nice!

The neighborhood is perfect.  It's very quiet and all families living here.  There are about 40 houses in the neighborhood, and easily 7 cops or Sheriffs living here.  Which is reassuring for the days/nights when Nick will be away from home.  One of the Sherifs actually lives DIRECTLY behind us...we share the back fence.  He is really nice and has a wife and two small children.  When standing on our front porch looking out, another Sheriff lives directly to our left AND diagonally across to our left =)  I like that!

I've only had three complaints with the house thus far (well 4 if you count the sand issue).

• One being, we were told this place had a washer and dryer.  And it does.  But they look as if they were the first washer and dryer ever made.  We haven't used them yet.  I'm scared.  The washing machine doesn't close properly and it has a lot of rust at the top on the inside.  I'm nervous to wash our clothes and have it ruin them!  We're thinking about purchasing our neighbors when they move in 3 weeks.  They're MUCH better and they're selling them for $150 (together, not each piece.)  This will also help when we move and don't have to search for places that have a washer/dryer.  Now we'd have our own.  But what do we do for these next 3 weeks??
• Two being,  we don't have a garbage disposal.  Not a HUGE deal but it's hard to break the habit of rinsing food down the sink, to then remember and have to fish it all out.  Gross!
• Three being the tile.  We only have tile in the kitchen and bathrooms.  But the look of it, it's like a beige with splotches of gray in it.  It looks dirty all the time!  Anyone who enters our house, I promise you that our kitchen floor isn't dirty, it's just the dumb coloring/pattern.

Now the review of our town:

We live in Milton, which is a little ways away from Pensacola.  We chose to live here because Nick will spend much more time at the base close to our house as opposed to the shorter amount of time at the base in Pensacola.  

Pensacola and all the surrounding areas, such as Milton, are very country.  It's definitely more of an Alabama feel than a "Florida" feel.  But I like it.  It reminds me of a home a little bit.  It's redneck but not white trash redneck.  It's a good down home southern country feel.  There's really not a lot to do in the area.  There aren't many bars or things of that nature, but at the same time, even if there were, I don't see Nick and I doing that a lot.  We're almost 27 and a little out of that party stage.  Yes, every one in a while would be fun, but we're totally over the going out every weekend and partying.  We're more of the go out with friends and have some drinks as opposed to partying.  And there's plenty of bars/restaurants to enjoy a great with friends =)

And obviously there's the beach....of which we've yet to visit and I am HIGHLY upset by this.

Milton actually doesn't have much.  There are a LOT of dollar stores, pawn shops, and coin shops.  There is also an insane amount of churches.  Seriously.  There is easily 3 churches on EVERY single corner.  And most of them are Baptists, Church of Christ, or Assembly of God.  I havet yet to see a single Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Protestant, or non denomination Christian churches.  However, there are two Catholic churches near me, and one was highly recommended by two friends so that's where I plan to go.
My county (Santa Rosa) does not sell alcohol on Sundays.  LAME!  Nick had to run to the store tonight and when he came back, he said he tried to get us some wine to drink tonight for our first week in our house (surprised he thought of that) but wasn't able to buy it.  (But the county over, just like 10 minutes away sells it.).

Overall, I love it here.  The people are ridiculously friendly!  In our 9 weeks in Annapolis, we met 3 people in our apartment complex...who we lived so close to.  We met two neighbors in a matter of 5 hours of being here.  And we've met more since.  The cashiers are so friendly and strike up a conversation with you.  Strangers smile and say hi.  THIS is what I'm used to and what I like.  

I think I will enjoy my time here, but I know after about 2 years, I will be ready to leave this small town and experience something new.  Like I said, I like it here, but couldn't do it for more than a few years.

Stay tuned as I will eventually take you on a tour of our home =)