Florida Is One Hell of a Drug

Taylor was right. Florida really is one hell of a drug.

When you grow up in it, it never really leaves your system...

It’s in your bones.

Your memories.

Your nervous system.

Your soul.

I lived in Florida my whole life...minus a few years in Dallas, Texas when I was little.

Adrian and moved away together in 2022… and this trip was just Christmas vacation… but the second the car doors shut, the road stretched south, and the air changed… my body remembered...

The sunsets.

The salt.

The memories.

The way home feels even when you’re only visiting...

Road trip day one started with early showers, celebrating Babe's birthday, boarding Nova, loading the car, and hitting the road.

Gas stop.

Fuel (For us and the car ⛽️☕️

S’mores Iced lattes.

And that quiet excitement that builds the closer you get to where you’re from...

That night we made it to our halfway point and checked into a hotel to rest before finishing the drive the next day.

A shower, a bed, and a deep exhale... The kind of stop that makes a long trip feel possible.

Road trip day two looked like hotel checkout, a Dunkin run...Seasonal cookie butter iced lattes, and a free bag of munchkin donuts like a tiny little road trip blessing 🙌

Adrian drove the rest of the way while I rested… and then we arrived to Christmas magic!

A hotel set up with love...

The best part was when my mom unpacked everything for us in our hotel. The true gift!

Snacks, Drinks, Warmth.

Shower, Settle in, Sleep.

Christmas Eve morning we woke up to Starbucks delivered right to our hotel door from my mom ❤️

Iced gingerbread lattes while we got ready...then candlelight Christmas Eve service at church and after that we headed to my parent's for our Christmas Eve party surrounded by family and good food!

One of my favorite traditions is the one gift we open on Christmas Eve every single year....The matching family Christmas pajamas.

We do it annually, and I’ve kept it going in my marriage too...

Even the last three years away, we still did it.

One gift. Matching pajamas. Same tradition.

Every time. Because it’s not just pajamas… it’s a feeling.

It’s the moment Christmas becomes real.

And then Christmas morning came… the kind that makes your heart feel like a kid again.

We woke up at the hotel, took fresh showers, and got in our matching pajamas.

Pure Christmas magic… My husband, My parent's and brothers...all of us in matching family PJs, opening gifts together, exchanging presents, laughing, eating breakfast, and just being together. and it was one of those moments that reminds you that even though life changes… love stays the same.

And then Christmas night was Meemaw and Poppie’s house full of family, a big dinner, more gifts, and so much laughter...

Meemaw surprised Adrian with a much better walker… complete with a seat and storage… and it was perfect. Something about that moment felt like love in action. Not just gifts… care ☺️

The day after Christmas stayed slow at the hotel. Cozy pajamas. Nowhere to be. Later that night we went back to my mom and Mike’s house for a quiet movie night...Christmas movies, laughter, long talks, and that deep comfort that only family brings.

And then there were the moments that memories played live in slow motion...

Watching my mom soaking in all her babies at once...

dancing one by one with each of us...Noah, Then Ethan...Then me...

Matching pajamas. Laughing. Dancing. Hugging.

That feeling of time slowing down just long enough for you to realize you’ll remember it forever.

later that week...Had a girls night with my mom...

Dinner at Taco Dirty.

Buffalo broccoli chicken rice bowls.

long talks, no rush, just us.

Walking through Marshall’s smelling candles, taking pictures, and laughing together.

These nights used to be once a month... Now they’re only a few times a year… just for now… until I move back.

Treasure them all the same ♡

Then Girls day with my bestfriend Megan… five years of friendship… and somehow these days that are now so few and far between still feel like when we were roommates laughing over nothing and making memories out of ordinary moments.

My little cousin Ava’s Sweet 16… fireworks, dancing, and her walking out to Enchanted… By Taylor Swift...

It felt like a Florida night you never forget. The kind of night that stays with you long after you leave.

A night in St. Pete Where Adrian lived 10 years before me..and Where we both lived together for a year before moving to North Carolina...

Visiting familiar places...

Golden hour to moonlight…

Dirty Monkeys on the balcony overlooking the sunset…

Ocean air…

City lights coming alive…

and the moon rising slow.

Back in our city…

And then New Year’s Eve came… slowing down again after the Christmas rush.

Hibachi at our favorite spot, then our last night in the hotel in Florida just us…

before heading back on the road to Virginia the next day.

Movies on. Lights low. Snacks nearby. Nowhere else to be.

Just choosing each other.

Starting the year exactly like that.

And then… we left.

But Florida doesn’t leave you.

It stays in you.

We’ll be back.

Florida always knows.

“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.” Ruth 1:16

Kristen, Unfiltered Xo 💋