☕️ Coffee Catchup: An Unexpected Joyful Leap Into Our New Life in Florida
Our story of moving continents, downsizing square footage, and upgrading joy. Finally.
Hello, fabulous!
It’s officially time for another Coffee Catchup, and OMG so much has changed since our last latte date. We moved continents, became a cozy house of two, and somehow manifested the lifelong dream of living near our parents in a pool home. I still can’t believe it. For the first time in a very long time, everything feels aligned…like my real life is finally catching up with my dream life.
In this issue, you’ll get a peek into our new life and what I’ve been loving: book recs, TV binges, Substacks, all the things. So grab your coffee, settle in, and let’s catch up! ☕🌴
P.S. Sometimes, your email provider likes to play hide and seek with my newsletters by cutting them off. To catch all the juicy bits, read it in the browser or in the app! 🌟
Coffee Moment ☕📸
Life Lately 🌟
Life is AMAZING. Like, “wait, is this really our life?” amazing. We moved from Germany to Florida in July, so here’s the full tea on how we got from Hawai‘i → Germany → Palm Beach County.
Back in 2020, our little family of three took a last minute leap of faith and moved to Germany from Hawai’i after living in the islands for 10 fantastic years. I know, I know… who leaves Hawai’i willingly?! But hear me out…we had several extremely convincing reasons to swap beaches for lederhosen:
Speed (my husband) landed a too-good-to-pass-up military opportunity right when I was retiring from the Air Force.
Max (my son) is an insanely talented soccer player and Germany has one of the best youth development systems in the world.
We’d always dreamed of living in Europe, but after two decades of service, we somehow never got stationed there.
And financially, the move put us in the rare position where I didn’t have to work unless I wanted to since overseas civilian jobs are notoriously impossible to snag (zero complaints from me).
It was honestly the PERFECT scenario: we got our European chapter, Max got world-class football development, and I got to lean all the way into my “European Housewives” era. And it was everything we’d hoped it’d be.
But after graduating high school and playing one more season in Germany, Max got injured, which slammed the brakes on his path to Bundesliga. So he did what any determined, future-pro would do: he pivoted. Set his sights on D1 college soccer in the U.S., landed in California, and kept chasing his dream like the resilient king he is.
Once his next chapter was locked in, Speed and I like, “Sooo… what do we do now that our only child is thousands of miles away and we have no minors to supervise?” For the first time in 15 years, we had no one to drive to soccer practice. What were we going to do with all this free time!?
The answer came instantly: move back to Florida and plant ourselves right in the middle of our huge, loud, beautiful families. I’m the oldest of four; Speed is the oldest of six. Family ties run deep with us. Being closer to our lifelong friends, scattered across the states, was also a huge plus. And finally, as much as I live for jetting around Europe, the US does have some pretty dope destinations sitting on our bucket list too.
So we decided to put down roots in Palm Beach County, where I grew up, and bought a house in July. We traded our 5 bed/3 bath German house for the cutest little 3 bed/2 bath with a backyard that feels like a permanent vacation - pool, palm trees, the full Florida starter pack. We wanted a home made for laughing and gathering that feels equal parts cozy and low-key resort, and but mostly I didn’t want to spend all my free time cleaning, know what I mean?
We also decided to take a break from the grind. With some creative finances (and an ungodly number of spreadsheets), we bought ourselves a little breathing room to figure out our next moves without having to work for The Man for a while. For now, life looks a lot like:
Speed getting braids (he looks so hot I call him my boyfriend) and pursuing a Masters degree at a local college
Me launching a Poshmark shop and getting back into the Sandrapop groove
Pool days, house projects, and slowly unpacking the last six years of our lives
We pinch ourselves every single day. It genuinely feels surreal, like we cheated the matrix, to finally live in a way that aligns with who we are, what we value, and the people we adore… with actual time freedom to enjoy it instead of fantasizing about it in between Zoom meetings.
In a nutshell, after 28 years of military service and living overseas…we finally made it home.
AND WE LOVE IT. 💖
Snapshots 📸
We spent the last bit of July and all of August in the dreamiest Lafayette, CA vacation rental “getting Max settled in”, and I’m still not over it. Our hosts, John & Ying, were absolute angels for welcoming not just us, but our two cute fur balls who love to bark at everything. The best part was the view! We woke up to this gorgeousness for 37 days straight. Here’s the AirBnB link with all the pretty photos in case you need a place to stay in the Walnut Creek, CA area.
During October, we spent our 22nd anniversary in St. Augustine, FL, learning all about how Henry Flagler became the kind of rich I will personally never be. 🤣 The town is gorgeous, we stumbled into one of the best meals of our entire lives, went on a purposely low-risk ghost tour, found some adorable local boutiques, and just soaked up being together. We absolutely fell in love with this place…should I do a full St. Augustine post with photos, recs, and all the little gems we found? Let me know!
We’ve had an entire critter parade in our yard since we moved in…raccoon, possum, and one extremely confident iguana who has made himself very known. We even bought an iguana trap and it’s the only animal that refuses to get caught, which feels personal. At this point, I’ve accepted that unsolicited wildlife is just part of Florida life. Sigh.
My sister hosted Friendsmas, my mom claimed all the birthdays and Thanksgiving, so Speed and I took Halloween duty. We handed out candy and jello shots, which instantly made us the new neighborhood favorites. It was my sister’s genius idea, but we happily took all the credit. By unanimous decision, we decided it our new yearly tradition because avoiding a neighborhood revolt feels…wise.
We went to the Van Gogh Immersive Experience in Tampa for my sister-in-law’s birthday, and it was so much cooler than I expected. I had no idea he created that much art, was colorblind, and low-key obsessed with Japanese painting styles. We did a 10-minute virtual reality add-on at the end, which was definitely the highlight. The AI recreations of me as a Van Gogh painting, however? Absolutely not.
I opened a Poshmark shop to resell my old clothes then quickly realized it’s way more time-consuming, and a lot harder, than it looks. I went down a full Reddit rabbit hole debating whether to buy a dress form. Half the internet swears clothes look better on one, the other half thinks they’re creepy as hell. Naturally, I ordered one off eBay and named her Maile the Mannequin (yes, she’s technically a dress form, but what rhymes with that?!). So tell me: genius move or nightmare roommate?
Current Crushes 💘
One of my favorite things lately is discovering that my friend, Marcus, makes these gorgeous candles inspired by wine, beer, and liquor bottles. He hand makes these out of his home in Hawai’i and they are fabulous! Though mostly a hobby, he’s selling a limited release very casually via Facebook, so if you want to get in touch with him, let me know. They do make great Christmas presents!
We love our home. LOVE it. She’s a needy little biatch, but we are fully obsessed. So far we’ve redone the floors, windows, irrigation, paint, doors, and even fixed a pool leak…and there’s still more on the to-do list. But honestly, none of that really matters, because she’s already hosted friends from Singapore and Hawai‘i plus family on both sides like a champ. We’re just so happy here. Let me know if you want a house tour once she’s all done.
On My Bookshelf 📚
⤞ Currently reading:
If you like moody: I finally caving to BookTok peer pressure and started Gothikana by RuNyx. So far, it’s worth it. Totally giving moody, foggy-cliffside boarding school with “do I trust you or do I run from you?” energy, and that’s exactly the dark academia brain candy I’m in the mood for right now.
If you like like money: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel sat on my TBR for years, so I finally grabbed it at Barnes & Noble and, wow, it’s packed with so many gems! My biggest takeaway so far is that most things WILL go wrong and only a tiny handful of decisions do all the heavy lifting. So far, so good.
⤞ Finished reading:
If you like heartwarming stories: Honestly, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt was better than I expected. I actually finished this book earlier in the year, but it’s too good not to mention. It’s a story about second chances told through the inner dialogue of a very opinionated octopus. I loved it (the octopus and the book).
If you like cliffhangers: Pick up Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. I have, in fact, survived this book… barely. Xaden did what he had to do, but damn, I wish he hadn’t. IYKYK. I picked it up fully prepared for emotional damage and it absolutely delivered. Two more books to go in the series… CANNOT WAIT.
What’s the last book that absolutely wrecked you but, like, in the BEST way?
Tunes on Repeat 🎶
We are probably all listening to Christmas music this month - fair - but I’m still indulging my obsession with the K-Pop Demon Hunters album. Here’s the playlist I’ve had on repeat. I finally learned all the words, so of course now I’m performing solo concerts in my car at the top of my lungs (Max was not a fan). “Golden”, “Free”, and “What It Sounds Like” are my faves. Did you watch the movie? What did you think?
TV Binge Report 🍿
Christmas movies… tis the season and every year I play them nonstop. My favorite so far has been “A Merry Little X-Mas” with Alicia Silverstone. Melissa Joan Hart of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” plays her BFF and Pierson Fode, an up-and-coming hottie of “Paris in Texas” fame, is in this too (you’ll see why his character is my fave 😍). What’s one Christmas movie you’ll rewatch every single year, no questions asked?
We’ve fallen hard for “Stranger Things”. I know, I know - we’re embarrassingly late to the party. But the boys insisted it was SO GOOD over Thanksgiving, and now we’ve been binge-watching like it’s our second job. Just started Season 4 and I need answers about the Russian doll immediately. But also…no spoilers!
Um… did anyone else watch “The Age of Disclosure”? Because the government basically confirmed aliens exist, multiple species are here, and we have their tech… and the entire world just shrugged?? They said it… ALIENS. OUT LOUD. ON CAMERA. And everyone is acting like this is a normal Tuesday. Hello?? Someone scream with me???
We’ve officially hit the end of Netflix. Send your best show or movie recs, we’re desperate.
Gratitude Corner 🌺
Max is thriving. With a new car and adult independence, Max is out there living his best life! Even with limited minutes this season while recovering from his back injury, he came home for Thanksgiving in impressively great shape. He’s got a NIL shop where people can buy his jersey and a few other goodies (he gets a portion of every sale), so he’s been making some nice pocket change. It’s been pretty incredible seeing people who knew him at five years old in oversized shin guards still cheering him on as he chases his dream of going pro. If you’d like to follow his journey, check out his Instagram.
Mornings with my man. Last week, we started a new morning routine based off of Ben Greenfield’s Strike-Stroll-Shiver technique to burn fat. We drank yummy coffee, took a long walk, then jumped into our cold ass pool. Which was all followed by the most glorious breakfast of steak, eggs and fruit THAT HE MADE. Did I burn fat? Who knows?? But I can definitely get used to this time with Speed - it was fun, informative and gave us a million new things to talk about. Grateful that after 28 years, we still find new things to try, new things to chat about, and new ways to make each other laugh.
Instacart and grocery delivery. I’ve been in the US since July and I’ve yet to do a full grocery shopping trip in person. Yes, we do pop in for snacks and emergency refills, but now I do our regular grocery trips online via Instacart and it is GLORIOUS, friends. I cannot recommend it enough. It saves me so much time because I can just add things I’ve purchased before, no more impulse buys, and I can comparison shop. In this economy, every penny saved is worth it. Use this referral link for $10 off in case you want to try it out.
“Gratitude is my toxic trait. I still complain, I just do it with self-awareness.”
Community Spotlight 🏡
⤞ Substack Faves:
I’ve been obsessed with the photography on Jeanine Kitchel’s Mexico Soul substack. She writes about Mexico, the Maya and the Yucatán but I can’t stop hearting her Notes - they’re gorgeous, colorful, and very educational.
Ashley Alt from Ask Ashley is hilariously fun! In her latest post, she got me at “Because Frosty The Snow B*tch is coming for us” and “And I’m not getting up at 5 am. Ever.” If you like Sandrapop, you’ll love Ask Ashley.
Brittany's Notebook is so creatively cool. The “30+ Thriftmas Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your List” was a great take on gift giving, but the unique format of Brittany’s “Lovin’ Lately” series is what got me to hit the subscribe button.
Lately, I’ve been looking for ways to slow down, so when I came across Fog Chaser, I knew I hit gold. It’s like a monthly spa day for your brain - gentle instrumental music and nature visuals that tell your stress to take a hike.
⤞ Substack to Watch:
My Air Force sister Valerie Rivera writes Delightfully Disoriented about her wine-drinking, French-learning, empty nest life in small-town France. Even better, she’s hosting a weeklong intimate retreat in southwest France this spring called Clarity Uncorked. If you’ve ever wanted a luxe, authentic experience in Bordeaux with tailored coaching on the side by someone who actually cares, you’ll want to check it out. She’s the real deal.
In Case You Missed It
If you made it this far, consider yourself hugged and caffeinated from sunny Florida. Thanks for letting me spill the tea on our midlife detour and all the things making life feel really, really good right now. It’s like free therapy, I love it.
Before you go…
Tap the heart ♥️ if you’re into it, drop a comment if you’ve got thoughts, and if you’re feeling extra generous, hit that little recycle symbol to Restack. That’s how this post finds fresh eyes and new friends.
💬 LET’S DISCUSS: What section of this Coffee Catchup did you like best? What do you want more of next time?
Yes to the house tour!!! So glad you’re stateside. 😊