Due in large part to Hurricane Wilma, and the last two hurricane seasons which have been harrowing to say the least, BBOS is leaving Florida and will be based out of Chicago.  I will not be moving to Chicago, so my immediate plans are to help complete the transition - which at this point is at least another week - and then just wait until next year to think about what I want to do next.  The week following Wilma we sent all the bags we had in our Hollywood warehouse up to Chicago.  The transition has not been smooth thus far and is the reason why I have been to busy to blog/stitch or do much of anything else lately.

We are seriously contemplating leaving Florida.  We are considering Raleigh and Charlotte in North Carolina and it may happen as early as June '06.  We are planning to go up there and visit to decide.  We are hurricane weary.  This season has been unbelievable - it is mid November and there will be yet ANOTHER hurricane in a few days. There were 16 storms last year, and that almost sent us packing, but 27 storms in the past 6 months is just plain ridiculous.  There is just NO WAY we are going to keep going through this year after year.  Call it "global warming" or an "active hurricane cycle", it doesn't matter, the end result is that we can expect this "cycle" to last 10 years.  Let the young and foolish stay around, the old and wise are leaving.

A lot of my friends will be moving.  Of my closest friends, Lynn is going to Nashville, Jean is in El Paso and Anita will soon follow, Altamise will be moving to Delaware, Tilly to Georgia, Ruth is thinking of San Diego, but isn't sure yet.  Several ladies at my LNS's  weekly SAL have houses elsewhere, or are looking.  This season the writing was clearly on the wall.  While I will only be 44 next month, most of us have finished raising our kids and are preparing for retirement.  The cost to live in paradise is getting higher and higher as insurance companies keep asking - and getting - rate hikes.  Right now we have more going to escrow to pay insurance and property taxes than we do towards the mortgage.  Is that insane, or what? 

Also, just last week, the local utility, FPL, asked for a 16% increase and the commission that oversees this gave them 18% instead!  So much for negotiating for the good of the citizens!  Can you imagine? EVERYONE'S light bill is going up 20% in January!!!  For me that means that the $250 winter bill I expected will be $300 instead - a lot like the $350 summer bill I usually pay.  It's crazy - I'm not paying $425 for electricity next year, even if I can afford it!