I spent the first 46 years of my life in Cleveland, Ohio. I like to say, “I escaped, and you can’t make me go back!” The consistently cold, gray and snowy weather there begins as early as October and sometimes lasts through April. This video about the worst winter storm in Cleveland history has footage in it from one of the neighborhoods where I lived at the time.
Because of health issues my husband, a firefighter/paramedic, needed to take an early retirement and leave Cleveland to avoid those long cold winters. We had no idea what climate would be best for his health or where we might like to finish raising our children (3 of 4 still at home at the time) so we sold, gave away, or threw away almost everything we had accumulated in the home that we had lived in for over 15 years, bought a truck and an RV and went out on the road full time. I created a blog to document our adventure, but only maintained it for about a year (2011/2012).
We ended up settling in the Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral area of east central Florida. Shortly afterward, I began volunteering at the local Brevard Library and, after about a year, became a part time Circulation Aid. Fast forward six years and several positions later, and I am now the Head of Reference at the Cape Canaveral Public Library and pursuing my MSI. I hope to gain skills in this course that I can use in the creation and marketing of library programs and for creating library staff training.
I love being outdoors walking (especially the beach at sunrise), running, hiking, biking or kayaking. As I have progressed through my 50’s, I have become more and more interested in maintaining quality of life as I age and have made a hobby of learning about what I can do to keep myself healthy and strong for as long as possible. This is one of my favorite helpful and informative health related websites. After making many small changes in my lifestyle over the last two years, I feel better now than I did in my 30’s!
Hello Tina, nice to meet you! That video that you linked was crazy to see the worst winter storm in Cleveland; I am happy that you are in Florida and hope your husband’s health is doing better here! That is awesome that you grew your career with Brevard Library; what about the organization you felt helped you grow your career there? Also, beautiful photos of the sunrise, indeed a gorgeous view! What would you recommend to start little habits to improve the quality of life? I am in my late 20’s and beginning to feel bogged down. I would love to know more about small ways to improve health and mindset!
Hey Tina, great to meet you. I am not a fan of the cold, so I don’t blame you when you said you “escaped” from the North. How were you able to afford to be on the road for a year? To me, I can’t imagine how all these influencers nowadays are able to travel full time with, what seems to be, no job. Cape Canaveral is such a beautiful place, do you ever watch the rocket launches? That is awesome that you are such an outdoorsy person. I love doing that kind of stuff. Maybe I will have to visit your health site more.