The Stillness Before the Storm (the Good Kind)
Today was a really chill day — the kind of day that feels like a deep breath before everything truly begins.
I started it at Iron Religion with a workout, and then ended up staying there most of the day working on the Trident website. It felt grounding to be in a space built for strength and discipline while also building something digital and long-term in the background. I was aware all day that this was my last true “off” day before life here officially starts, and I really let myself enjoy that.
The evening was simple and quiet. I sat outside on the pool deck with a fire (because apparently 60 degrees is considered cold here — yuck 😅), laptop open, still working on my website, researching where to get Charlie’s food locally, and making an appointment at Daly Chiropractic. That turned into some social time with Calla, which I’m realizing is something I need just as much as movement or productivity.
Tomorrow it all starts.
I begin at J. Bauman Salon. I start actively looking for a house to rent. I start making deeper connections in the community to grow Trident here. I start planting roots instead of just passing through.
I didn’t even realize tomorrow is New Year’s Eve until my new boss casually said I could probably leave early because it would be dead due to the holiday. That’s when it hit me — oh yeah… it’s the end of the year and the beginning of a whole new chapter.
One of the coolest moments today was when someone at Iron Religion walked up to me and said, “Where have you been? We were wondering what happened to you.” I explained I finally moved, and he asked how the peptide business was going and said he was glad to see me back at the gym. It’s wild how even a short amount of time in a place can build real relationships. That moment reminded me that I’m not invisible here — I’m already part of something.
Yesterday at Kissimmee Muscle, the owner looked at my license, saw Minnesota, laughed, and immediately started teasing me about everything going on there. “Good thing you left and moved here — that place is a mess.”
Yeah… I know. I’m hopeful it all gets cleaned up with time. But it did feel affirming in a strange way — like this move isn’t just emotional or intuitive, it’s also practical. This really is the right place for the next phase of my life and business.
I love it here. I feel it in my body.
And… I also feel the grief. I miss my daughter. I miss my friends. I miss my clients. I miss the familiarity of people who know my face, my voice, my rhythms. But I also know — deeply — that I’m exactly where I need to be.
I am so profoundly grateful that I’m staying with Calla and Ed. I truly cannot imagine making a move like this and being alone. I already feel lonely sometimes while living in a house with people I really like — I can’t imagine doing this completely solo. I’m only four days in and I already crave hugs and long conversations with people who know me.
Everyone said that would be the hardest part. They were right.
Thankfully, we have voice messages. I get to hear people’s voices. We probably send 20 a day, and it has been such a bridge for my heart while my life rearranges itself.
This season feels like a delicate mix of courage and vulnerability, ambition and tenderness, expansion and homesickness. I’m building something new while grieving what I left — and I think that’s exactly what growth feels like.
Tomorrow, the work begins.
The roots go in.
The next chapter opens.
And I’m ready 🤍
It was so cold - I had a fire, a blanket, and layers, and I was still cold!
Charlie is loving this big backyard. He was so tired from running all day that he cried to go inside at like 6:30 and jumped into bed and passed out ( he’s still passed out)
