Amarillo's Where I'll Be

As many of you know, the Tortoreo's - Coconut Creek Division - recently relocated to Amarillo, Texas. Some may consider this a step backward (we only moved away four years ago), but I suppose it really just depends on individual priorities.

There are reasons to dislike Amarillo (there are reasons to dislike any locale, frankly), but I choose not to address / focus on / think about these, because my happiness really only relies on my decision to be happy. And I choose to be happy.

* My parents are here, and we're close. They are ecstatic that two of their grandchildren will be close by, and Marcello has already begun bonding. Cassandra, in Tallahassee for the summer, will get her chance when she gets here. (Kelsey, we miss you terribly!)
* I met and married my husband here, so there are many good memories, many places that touch me because of him. First lunch date - Johnny Carino's Italian Restaurant, where he fell madly in love with me. The little Baptist church outside of the city limits where we married in a small ceremony, with only my parents, the girls, and the two photographers in attendance. No reception, just a quick dinner in our wedding garb at Olive Garden. We were a little afraid our heads would explode, as we are both Catholic, but the little Baptist church served us well.
* I became a mom to two beautiful girls here. Ages 12 and 8 when we married, they were funny and silly, and happy, and so very clever. They immediately fit into my Holdgrafer Family, and my parents just fell in love with them, too.
* My son was born here. You can read his story on Baby Home Pages, "The Miracle of Marcello." He aspirated on meconium, and his delivery began a 19 day oddessy in the NICU of the hospital, and an emotional roller coaster that is still quite clear in my memory. He had a rough start, but I just always knew he would be okay. He had been "promised" to me, so I wasn't worried (Kristi knows what I'm talking about!!).

So the decision to move back was not the difficult part of our most recent story. I suppose the most difficult part is putting into perspective a human piece of ourselves and trying not to see this as a "failure." It just is what it is. I loved South Florida, and would definitely consider moving back, should the opportunity present itself.
What do I miss already?
* The Cove Restaurant, in Deerfield Beach, just off Hillsboro on the intercoastal. Great food, lovely ambiance, and great food. Never had a bad meal there.
* Anne's Beach in Islamorada, in the Keys, not quite halfway to Key West. Tom talked about driving to the Keys shortly after moving to Florida, describing the vast beaches, open space, and his plan to drive the car onto the sand and just hang out all day there. He was born in South Florida and spent time in the Keys as a kid. We drove down through the Keys, and saw NO public beaches. We drove for at least an hour, and finally stopped at a convenience store to - YES - ask for directions. The cashier directed us to Anne's Beach, a little public beach with about 12 parking spaces and dock-like picnic areas on the beach surrounded by trees and plant life. Fun day, interesting area. I was breast feeding six-month-old Marcello at the time, so the privacy was appreciated. We had a great time, and still tease Tom about assuming that 40 years later, the beaches wouldn't have changed a bit.
* We only ventured to Miami Beach twice, to do a little sight-seeing and soak up the atmosphere. Such a charming area, with all the sidewalk restaurants and hotels, stylistically throw-backs to an era of art-deco. We oogled at Madonna's Hotel, the Delano, and other pricy attractions, and drove by looking at all the beautiful people. It's quite the show down there.
* We lived in Coconut Creek, and on Sundays I'd get up early to try to beat the heat, and Rollerblade until I was exhausted - I had a specific 17 mile trip I used to take. One day (okay, it happened a few times) I was unable to beat the heat, and had to call Tom to pick me up. I took the Blades off and sat on the sidewalk, and a Parkland Police Officer asked me if I was alright. I NEVER dressed to look as if I could afford to live in Parkland, but I like to think the officer was just being concerned for my health, not concerned I was casing the joint.
* Pizza Time Restaurant, an amazing Italian food place. Tom always raved about the lobster pizza, but I don't know if he ever had any during our four year stay. The food was wonderful - the Chicken Franchaise just melts in your mouth, and was the only thing I could ever bring myself to order.

So our move commenced on Saturday, June 6th, the first day of a three day drive from South Florida to Amarillo. We stopped the first night in Tallahassee, and were greeted by Tom's sister, Debbie and the scent of lasagne and chicken pasta alfredo. She snuck in a Key Lime Pie also. Debbie is the consumate hostess, always concerned with feeding you and making sure you are comfortable. She should own a Bed and Breakfast!!
Sunday, we traveled 700+ miles to Shreveport, LA, only to be greeted in the last two miles by a brake problem on the front passenger tire. We stayed with a good friend, Joseph, who we hadn't seen in maybe over five years. So the visit was unfortunately short, but very nice. Monday morning, three hours behind schedule and $68.00 later to replace a brake bolt that mysteriously disappeared, we were back on the road, headed for Texas. We arrived in Amarillo about 8:30 p.m., tired, but glad to be finished with the driving.

All day Tuesday, we unloaded our possessions into a storage facility, and cleaned up the mess we made at mom and dad's house. They're hosting our stay until we get jobs (pronounced "money"), and we hope to do our best not to wear out our welcome. Having Marcello charm them will go a long way to preventing them from getting sick of us.

So here we are. Happy, with family, and no worse for the wear.

Come for a visit soon. We'd love to see ya'll. (Nooooo, I did not just say "ya'll"!!)