There & Back Again

It's been days now since I've come back from my research venture, and I sit here over and over staring at a blank screen. How can I possibly sum up such a jam-packed mission in a few simple paragraphs? Impossible! I figured I'd better start typing something, as I'm sure my fingers will eventually be lost in a race to keep up with my whirling swirling brain.

First of all, I can not begin to thank Ally enough for allowing me to drag her around Key West following a very specific checklist of places to visit, people to see, and things to notice. Seriously, it was tough duty - boot camp, really - and I had to twist her arm hourly as we shuffled around through miserable paradise. I'm still not sure she'll forgive me for catching our breath just long enough at The Green Parrot or keeping her out 'til 3am for a terribly dull evening at Schooner's Wharf and Finnegan's Wake Pub. Not to mention that we were completely forced, kicking and screaming, to meet up with a group of new-found friends who insisted in making us laugh for hours on end without so much as a cocktail in our hands. Exhausting! The nerve! Awful!

So ... when can we move??

Ok, so it took me three days to recover from lack of sleep, but let me say this right off the bat: if the majority of the locals are as welcoming, good-hearted, and absolutely dedicated to preserving the foundations that make Key West so special as the many folks we met during our brief stay, then I think Chop and I will be in good hands from the very start. We certainly have a lot of work to do as we map out our priorities, but one thing is for certain ... Key West is calling us. To be considered a local seems a privilege, something that is earned through the moxie required to make a two-by-four mile island one's home, almost as if one is required to take an oath of allegiance promising to honor its integrity. Let's face it, with the nearest Wal-Mart a 'mere' three hours away, I think they're actually onto something!

Grand illusions aside, reality still requires some forethought, and our priorities this round required three areas of focus: teaching opportunities, housing options, and childcare. I should also add that Chop is aggressively researching job prospects, as well. Of course! However, as a teacher, I have a specific interest in a very special project going on with one of the schools right now, and that particular undertaking is something I wanted to see in person.

Sigsbee Charter School is a K-5 elementary school located on NAS Key West which traditionally services the Navy and Coast Guard families stationed in the area. However, after years of neglect, financial woes and extensive damage from Hurricane Wilma in 2005, Sigsbee Elementary nearly closed its doors for good. With no intention of losing the familiar territory that 240-plus children called home, the local community - both military and civilian - came together to save the school. Next month, the school officially leaves the Monroe School District to become a private charter school that will tie marine and environmental education with Florida Sunshine State Standards in math, science, reading, social studies and other core subjects. If there was ever a project that I so desperately wanted to be involved with, this certainly is something very unique.

Ally and I had the opportunity to meet the new principal, albeit very briefly. We toured the school and walked away with the incredible sense that amazing things were going to be happening over the next very busy couple of months. It's too early for me to submit my resume quite yet, but my heart is set on teaching at Sigsbee. No amount of online research could have possibly given me the same sense of excitement expressed by this staff. To be a part of that team is a heady goal in an of itself.

The next item on my must-do list included visits with two separate housing affiliates, both representing base housing on NAS Key West. Several weeks ago I learned that retired military members are eligible to live in certain areas with rent and utilities at the fair market rate. Granted, Chop and I would love to live in an adorable Key West conch house on a fragrant tree-lined street in Old Town, but let's be real. If we were moving for the grand real estate, we'd be fools to do anything more than dream. Between wind insurance, hurricane insurance, flood insurance, and all of those little pesky insurance supplements, who can really afford to buy? Not only that, but we feel more secure testing the waters for a year or two first while we take our time to explore the local neighborhoods. Additionally, Chop expects to deploy next year for at least 12 months, and it's comforting to know that we'll be living in a military community that embraces its dependents like family. Maybe by then ... who knows, maybe that little conch house we love will be waiting just for us! In the meantime, I'm more than pleased with the base housing options available. No frills, mind you! But ... we'll happily trade the bells and whistles if it means we can sit out on our back porch and watch the sunset. Cha-ching!

Finally, our last round of errands included day care and/or preschool options for our little freshwater conch-in-training. I must say, I've been thoroughly appreciative of the time I've had as a sort-of stay-at-home-mom, but I'm also itching to provide a more structured environment for him to excel. Besides, with both Chop and I planning to work full-time in the Keys, it's a necessity if nothing else. The base has a fantastic day care center we could utilize only if one of us is affiliated with the base in one form or another. Unfortunately, teaching at Sigsbee Charter would not qualify us, but Chop is still actively exploring some positions with the Department of Defense. Crossing our fingers! A couple of the alternates are also appealing. Key West has a Preschool Co-Op that comes highly recommended, as well as a Montessori Preschool program that commands great respect in town. The latter two options were closed during my visit - summer break is upon us, mind you - but the information I've obtained otherwise will allow us to make the best decisions in time. At the very least, I've been able to see the campuses from the outsides, and both are worthy of the side-door thumbs up!

All in all, the trip surpassed all of our expectations, and it's only given us a more defined sense of purpose while churning out our timetables. Even if we planned a relocation to Anywhere Else, U.S.A., Chop's professional frustrations have reached full capacity.  Corporate American is eating at his soul. At the very least, I tell him to close his eyes for just long enough to remember that we share a natural gusto for life far more adventurous than probably the norm, and ... with conch blessings and good luck ... and one way or another ... we will be in Key West before we know it.