Not quite yet....

I should clear something up first...

it was not my birthday, so no one missed it!!

My birthday is at the end of September...

we just celebrated with my family before they left because we are never together in September, nor October, which is when my Son and my Mom's birthday happen!

So please don't fret, there will be plenty of time for proper birthday wishes ;)

The house in Tampa...

no go. I am not that upset really.

Here's the long story (the only way that I seem to be able to tell a story!)

I got into Tampa, which has a very nice airport.

Rented the car, followed the GPS, which actually led me well this time!

As soon as I got my bags into the room, I went out and met with the real estate agent. She was very nice, which is good because it is always a bit uncomfortable to spend an afternoon with someone that you do not know. Of course, that is her job, but she seemed genuinely down to earth. So we went to the house.

It looked as it did on the internet...kinda.

The outside was the same, as well as the inside. The problem that I had was that it felt really small. Now, we do not need a lot of space, especially for this expat princess that has help with keeping the house clean! I know, it sounds awful to say....but after living 7 years overseas, where household help is cheap, I don't want to clean a 3,000 sq. ft. home anymore!

This house was too small. The master bedroom was a wonderful size, but the other two were small. The third barely fit in a single bed!

The downstairs, though well done with walls of windows, would not have accommodated much.

Where would all of our guests stay? I know (ok, hope), we will have a lot of visitors, so I do have to think about that! Really, though, that wasn't the only issue I had...

The view of the water and the "small" private beach was just not what I had expected.

The view was pretty, though quite obstructed with houses and boat docks...

the "beach" was muddy earth, a lot of sea grass and mucky...just not something that I would wade into!

So, instead of prolonging my stay in Tampa, I woke up early the next day and drove to Key West.

I have to say, even though we do not own a home here, yet, I felt like I was driving home!

I like the island, isolated feeling. I like the water here...clear, blue and beautiful.

I just like it here and know this is where I want to be!

I am going to see about 5-6 houses today, Thursday. I feel good about the choices this time, even better than the last time I was here. I like my agent, very upfront, straight forward and truthful.

I am hoping that today I find "it"!

More to come....