Friday, January 21, 2011
We have been planning our move to Florida since 2007, when it was more of a dream. A plan to do “someday”. In 2008 we became more serious about our long-term goal and in Fall 2008 we set our moving date as September 15, 2012. It still seemed so far away.
We discovered The Relocated Tourist blog www.relocatedtourist.com, looked at each other and thought, “What are the odds?” Here was a family in Wisconsin who was planning to do exactly what we wanted to do. In June of 2010 we set up our own blog to document the moving process. We initially had some discussion on what to call it, but decided on “Wishes and Pixie Dust”, because we felt we would need a great helping of each to achieve our dream of moving our family to Florida! We chose When You Wish Upon A Star as our theme song because the words fit perfectly, and we have clung to those words over the past several months.
Last fall Jen picked up her dream of becoming an elementary school teacher and attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh part time. This meant pushing back the move to June 2013, after graduation. While it was for a worthwhile reason, it was also very disheartening to have to wait even longer.
A couple of weeks ago we had the distinct pleasure of meeting Amy and Craig Petermann, www.relocatedtourist.com, and over dinner their enthusiasm in their move to Florida made us re-evaluate our plans. Afterwards, Mark and I had a long discussion, and asked ourselves, “Can we do this in a few months?”, and the answer was a resounding “yes”! We have waited to share who we are with the Facebook community until we were sure details were worked out with Mark’s workplace. It is definitely in place, and we decided to use the Petermann’s blog as a way to reveal who we are.
So, we are the Vitek family: Mark, Jen, Catie and Ben. (Nick is our oldest son, but is not choosing to move with us).
We will keep our Wishes and Pixie Dust presence on Facebook, and this is where we will share all our moving updates. Some of our friends on Wishes and Pixie Dust are also our friends on our personal Facebook pages. If you are not, please feel free to add either Mark or myself as a friend. We will keep our website up and running, but the Facebook friend Wishes and Pixie Dust will disappear after we make our move, and we’d love to stay in contact with everyone.
We so appreciate all your support and love all the new friendships we’ve made.
Jen and Mark
Wishes And Pixie Dust 
March 2, 2011 at 11:46 PM
luvlifeinfl said…
Mark/Jen,
Wow where do I start… I have been friends w/ Mark for a while on FB but it has been more of Farmville connection, we have chatted a little bit here and there, but never really started a true friendship. I will say though that with Amy & Craig being that connection between us I would like to get to know you all more:)
I read Relocated tourist Friday Friends and it was so amazing to read your story and how you guys connected with Amy & Craig. I wish my DH (Matt) & I could find that friendship like you guys have here in Va.
Our 1st visit to WDW was in 2005, after that visit I was so over whelmed with what I experianced I started planning another trip as soon as we returned home.In 2006 we went again and that was it for me, I realized that my heart was there and I felt like that this was where I belonged. My hubby did not share the same thoughts at the time, so instead of nagging him I just prayed and held on to using the interent to comfort my need to be in FL. After my 2006 trip we became DVC members and we started planning our 2007 trip. During that time my DH started making comments about home much he missed being in FL and I saw HOPE that he heart was starting to warm up over the idea and we started to discuss it but yes it was that “dream” and some day, since my oldest was a JR in HS and it had been discussed to not make any plans till she graduated from HS until 2008 and then make plans to move. We continued to make annual trips to FL but I was finding that leaving was getting harder on me emotionally and my youngest also, she is like me a warm weather bird.
Well in 2008 my oldest graduated, the economy was in bad shape, the housing market crashed and we saw our dream go up like a puff of smoke. We still though made yearly trips to FL and then in 2010 I had seen my job going away and I wanted to be in FL even more but how were we going to do it with having no jobs so I found that to help my desire I did something I had never done, I planned a quick w/end to FL just to see friends that are already located there and attend monthly meets. Well here it is 2011 and I have been given my layoff notice so I have been looking into companies that would allow telecommutng and getting both my hubbies & I’s resumes updated and doing job searchs for both of us.
I would hope that by this time next we will be where you guys are now, making that move, my oldest will be graduating from college and I feel at almost 23 she can handle herself here in Va. My youngest will be in middle school and then I can visit the parks at a whim. Also my hubby & I have looked at houses online to get an idea of what we would be interested in.
Well thank you for allowing my to share my wishes and pixie dust.
Shelley
January 21, 2011 9:46 AM
March 2, 2011 at 11:47 PM
Marilyn said…
When we moved to Florida from Chicago in 2003, we moved from a 13-1/2 room 4 story house (including basement and attic), where we had lived for 33 years to an 8 room no basement, no attic house (which we love). But the point is, we had to go through a ton of stuff and decide what was really important and what did we want/really need to move. It was difficult to let go of and leave stuff, but after being down here for 8 years, did we/do we miss anything we didn’t move? NOPE!!!
Can’t wait for you to be down here. You will absolutely love it!!!
January 21, 2011 9:54 AM