We lived in Tampa for a year. Right before our lease was up on our apartment Pastor Dan ( our pastor and friend from C.C.F.) told Jacob about a job opening at C.F.A.N. in Orlando. So we set our sights on Orlando. We packed all but the necessities in a storage unit and headed to Haines City where we found a condo to rent. We called it the Treehouse. It was way out in the boonies on Lake Marion. This was one of my favorite places. These weren't popular vacation homes so when we moved in there was not a lot of people there. I'd say there was probably 3 of the 10 to 15 houses occupied.
Our
life at the Treehouse was short, different, fun, remote, interesting,
peaceful..... It was definitely an experience we will never forget. We
went from living 45 minutes away from family to an hour and a half. We
had to get a P.O. Box address because the mailman did not deliver to our
condo. So when we wanted to check the mail we had to drive 10 minutes.
We had nothing around us except a little gas station. We had no Internet
excess except when we could steal a signal from a neighbor which was
few and far between. I had no job so I was home all day. Normally I
could find a ton of stuff to do but with a fully furnished condo that
took all of 30 minutes to clean and the nearest town (which consist of a
Publix, Pizza Hut, a gas station, a library I wasn't allowed to borrow
from because my license didn't say Haines City, and a few no named
stores) 10 minutes away I had to be creative. I spent my weeks tanning
on our porch, going to the chiropractor all the way in Tampa, watching
t.v., shopping at Publix and doing exercise videos. When Jacob got home
around 6:30 or 7 we would eat dinner, clean up and head down to the
lake. The dock had been completely destroyed by a hurricane aside from a
few boards here and there that we would climb on to look for
alligators. I must say the place was a little creepy. Which is what made
it fun. It looked like an abandon resort with the dock in pieces and
the clubhouse and it's deck falling down and covered in plants. We loved
to explore the ruins of what once seemed like a happening place.
I
can honestly say the Treehouse was the coolest place we lived at. It
was lifted up of the ground and completely round inside and out. It had
bright green and blue walls with 2 bathrooms and 1 bedroom and one giant
living room that could be divided down the middle with what looked like
the dividers from an office or church building. The ceiling looked like
something you would see in a tiki hut minus the grass. It was Trixie's
(our cat) favorite place to climb. At night we would lock her out of our
bedroom because she would keep us awake, but she figured out how to
climb up to the beems and from there jump right on our heads. Crazy cat!
The bathroom was my favorite part it had a perfectly rounded tub that
when filled the water would come up to your chest.
Our
weekends were almost always spent at Downtown Disney seeing a movie and
grabbing some Ghirardelli ice cream ( my favorite). It was a 45 minute
drive, but we didn't mind. And of course Sundays were spent at C.C.F.
and lunch family and friends.
Our time at the Treehouse was a short but sweet 2 months. Even though we didn't have all the amenities we had a blast living there it was something new and different for us and we enjoyed every minute of it.
