A little over a year and a half ago, my family moved to beautiful Amelia Island. It was a place we had vacationed at for many years, but not a place I ever thought I’d call home. Shortly after moving, I wrote a blog post titled “What is home?”. The following passage ended that post.

Not long after my student career, my family moved to Florida. So here I am, in a place I used to consider a vacation spot, trying to figure out where home is. Or if home is even a place. Is it people?

All I know is this: I have learned to consider different places home and being with different people home. I appreciate each and every one of them and realize home will be forever changing, at least for a while. The comforting part is knowing no matter where I go, these people and places will welcome me back with open arms.”

I never in a million years thought I would become so attached to the little town of Fernandina Beach. But like the title of this post, things change. I have met some wonderful people through work, church, and the gym. It’s truly a tight-knit community of people from all over the country.

I love the historic downtown, the cute shops and eclectic mix of restaurants. I have witnessed breathtaking sunsets, enjoyed long walks on the beach, splashed my toes in the ocean, and learned so much about this place.

But things change, and it’s my time to move on in this world. This weekend I’ll get married. I’ll say goodbye to this villa by the beach. I’ll leave the ray-catching and bike riding, plantation walks and ice cream stops, and downtown festival-going to my parents. They better still live it up, that’s all I have to say.

I know I won’t be gone forever, and I’ll be able to visit soon enough, but as the sun faded into the horizon on my drive this afternoon, I couldn’t help but reflect on the sun setting on this phase of my life. Then today the sun rose, just as the next phase of my life began.

No, change isn’t easy. And no one ever said it had to be. But I’m going to choose to face this new year head on with my family, friends, new husband, and new home.

Until we meet again, island life.