Rounds Inspirational Journeys

This morning I am sitting in the Tampa airport reminiscing on my adult “Make a Wish” week that has just ended. I made a wish and said several prayers that we would be able to find a winter retreat in Florida. A place I can be healthy during my hardest months of the year, a place where my continued lung infections will stay at bay. My wish and prayers came true in March… Stay tuned for the whole story!!

  Chapter 3: I thought it would be fun to drag this out for all of you and make it into more of an exciting story, but I guess it’s time to reveal the happy ending. Our offer was not accepted… But that same day, the house next-door came on the market and we fell in love! We scheduled a tour, made an offer, and settled on a price all on that day! On April 20, we became official homeowners of a Florida property in Lecanto, a beautiful little community between Crystal River and Homosassa, right on the nature coast. We wanted to share our little piece of heaven with anyone who wanted to travel there, so I went there for a week and a half and established everything, it is available on Airbnb and will be our new winter Haven! Welcome to the Rounds Sunnyside Retreat! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1676249834489983839?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=2690180e-3122-49f7-b7ed-ec1e0aa3c638

House hunting is an emotional journey. I don’t think we always realize how much of ourselves we invest in our home. Home is the place that we feel safest, most relaxed, most able to be our ourselves. Though it’s just a building, it encompasses our well-being. Searching for a home that is going to provide a health retreat from the stresses of winter, was especially emotional. We wanted to find the perfect place for peace, healing, and activity outdoors! After a two day whirlwind of house hunting activities, we made an offer on a house. This one needed some work, but we felt we could make it our own. We had some must haves, as most house hunter do: 1. Ideally, we want three beds and two baths so our family could join us in Florida as they were able. 2. Our pets are our family, so we needed a place that could accommodate them (ideally a decent yard with fencing), we will not be leaving them behind in the winters! 3.  We needed to find a place that would give me the opportunity to get o...

  Now that I officially scared you all, let me tell you the first chapter of the house story. As many of you know, the doctors have been encouraging me to get a place in the south for the winters. It just didn’t seem doable, but with how ill I was this past winter, dealing with the flu and then Covid, I knew we had to make it work! In March, when I was finally well enough to travel, my parents, Don and I traveled to a a small town called Nobleton in Central Florida. We thought we were going to be spending the week testing out our new winter home, unfortunately, some unforeseen circumstances arose that made the sale we hoped for fall through. I will admit, I felt pretty crushed, I really thought that house was meant to be! With 4 days left, we had to jump in, feet first, to our HGTV fantasies with an episode of House Hunters starring our phenomenal realtor, Naya Henry Austin …(more to come)

  What do you do when you drag your family to Florida to purchase a winter retreat house, then discover it isn’t going to work for you… (don’t worry, this is the beginning, not the end of the story!)

Close your eyes and imagine this… It is the pitch black of night; you are lost and alone. You are outside in winter, and the snow falls hard and thick. Your clothes and entire body are wet and cold from the storm. You are frozen to the bone. You slip and fall. You have grown too weary to even get up… Now, imagine crying out one last plea to the Lord, “Save Me!” A candle flickers on in the distance and as it approaches, the light expands.  A hand reaches down and pulls you back to your feet, wraps you in a warm blanket, and a soft voice whispers, “Take my hand and I will lead you to the Son!”