Tropical Paradise

IMG_7222
Photos by Ryan

Hello friends and family!  We made it to Florida safe and sound, praise God!  It has been an adventurous, challenging, and blessed week, and we are very glad to be living here!  What a beautiful tropical paradise!  Thank You Jesus!

A lot has happened since we left Colorado on July 19th.  It took us 32 hours in 3 days to get down here, but we made it.  We actually arrived on my birthday, which was fun.  I turned 42 the day we made it to Florida.  Very memorable birthday!

I have a bit of a story to tell you about the very next day, which was our first full day here.  We were shopping at the local Walmart that morning and we were in the electronics section.  I set my wallet and phone down to pick up a TV and put it in the cart, but I forgot to pick my wallet and phone back up afterwards.  Some guy ended up stealing both and he went on a $2,800 shopping spree with my credit card.  Thankfully, I was able to cancel the card and I am not responsible for the fraudulent charges.  I worked with the police and they already have a photo of him and his vehicle from a pawn shop, where he bought a $420 gold watch.  Please pray for that man.  I forgive him.  He caused a lot of panic and trouble, but I forgive him and I pray for him to see the error of his ways and come to Jesus.

I also had my debit card and Colorado driver’s license in my wallet.  He wasn’t able to charge anything to the debit.  I actually got my phone back because the guy threw it in a Lowe’s parking lot.  A Lowe’s employee’s wife found my phone and they helped us when my wife called my phone.  That is where we also met the police to file a report.  It was awesome getting my phone back, praise God!

It was quite a day and very frustrating.  I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to get my Florida driver’s license because my Colorado one was stolen, but God wasn’t going to let the evil one get away with that hit on me and my family.  The very next day we went to the DMV and they were so nice!  The people here are incredibly friendly and we love it.  The lady was able to look me up in the system and after showing her the requested personal documents, she issued me a Florida driver’s license!  We also got our license plate the same day (Florida only has a rear plate).  It was amazing after all we had been through the day before.  We are officially residents of Florida as of July 23rd, 2020!  Praise God!!!

God is truly amazing!  It has been a whirlwind of change, but through it all, He has guided us and been with us every step of the way.  Thank You Lord for your faithfulness, goodness, and love!  You truly are a God who works miracles and parts seas for your people!  You alone are God!!!

We absolutely love it here!  I love it more than I could have imagined!  The humidity isn’t bad at all.  It’s more of a temperate tropical moist air, and we get cool breezes from the Gulf of Mexico.  We are only 10 minutes from Venice beach!  It’s much different watching the weather channel now.  I have more in common weather wise with my brothers and sisters down in the Islands and South America, than I do with the majority of people in my country.  I’ve been listening to news this morning about Tropical Cyclone Nine in the Virgin Islands, and how it might hit Florida in a few days.  Praying for everyone in the path and that God would ease the storm.

We love the sunshine and rain, and the bugs aren’t too bad.  I had to do some damage control when we first moved in because it hadn’t been rented since April.  A bit of bug spray and a vacuum took care of it.  We did see our first palmetto bug, which was funny.  They are kind of cute and they sure are fast.  Our agent said they have wolf spiders the size of your hand here, so we hope to never see one of those.

The house and pool are beautiful.  We back right up to the edge of a canal right next to thick woods, so the privacy is great.  We have lizards and frogs everywhere, and the neighbors said they have seen alligators in the canal many times.  We won’t be spending too much time out there, but it sure is cool.  As most of you know, we are used to living with apex predators like mountain lions and bears, so gators are no big deal.

IMG_7246

IMG_7235

IMG_7236

IMG_7241

IMG_7242

When we first got here, it was like landing on a different planet.  All the new sounds of bugs and animals and the wet tropical environment are fascinating.  Huge contrast from the dry mountainous region of Colorado.  We all love it and it’s great to see how happy my wife and kids are down here.  It truly shows me just how stressed out and over taxed we were in the Denver metro area.

20200724_072807

20200723_100233
We call this little guy Mr. Sticky Fingers. He likes to come see what’s going on in the morning.

20200727_082334

20200727_082316

20200727_082327

We visited Venice beach a couple days ago and it was gorgeous.  The Gulf is so warm and calm and the people are friendly and chill.  The beaches are clean too.  It is such an amazing blessing to be so close to the ocean and beaches.  We are amazed that this is our home now and we are feeling more and more at home every day.

20200726_105810

20200726_111314

The Lord has already opened up doors to preach His Name, and we found out our neighbors are Christians too.  Nice older couple with grown kids and lots of grand kids.  We love how laid back everyone is here and we love the slower pace.  This place is very healing for our whole family.

We had some mover guys help us unload the pod yesterday, and the Lord opened a door to preach about the mark of the beast and how it all relates to what is going on in our time with mandatory vaccines leading to implantable microchips.  We also talked about guns and the great laws that support gun rights here.  It was an awesome conversation and after listening to me preach a bit, the one guy who knew the Word told me, “You are in the right place, man!”  I agree, perfect fit!  My heart is overjoyed to be here, praise God!

I am among people who love God, America, and freedom, and I love it!  There are still plenty of people here who don’t know the Lord and need to hear the Gospel (like the guy who robbed me), but it is very refreshing being in a community with a lot more believers.  Colorado will always be in my heart and it hurts to think about what the liberals have done to the state I love, grew up in, and spent 34 years of my life in, but it’s time to move forward into the new life God has for us and never look back.

I feel more free down here than I have in years, and the Lord’s plans for us are more than we could have asked or imagined.  We have our eyes fixed on Him as He leads us and we trust Him and His love for us.  God is good and His love endures forever, and don’t ever forget it!

Grace and peace to you all from sunny Florida!

IMG_7223

“You are my God, and I will give you

thanks;

you are my God, and I will exalt you.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.”

Psalm 118:28-29

Author: Ryan Callahan

Hello, and welcome to my site! I am an independent Christian author (One Man's Very Strange Supernatural Life), blogger, and evangelist for Jesus. My main goal with this blog is to help people come to know Jesus, help people understand the Bible, and to minister to a lost and hurting world. This site is about hope, new beginnings, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love! I'm glad you are here, God bless you! Copyright © 2024 Ryan Callahan. All rights reserved.

84 thoughts on “Tropical Paradise”

  1. Great great news there! I’m happy for you and your family, Ryan. I prayed for your relocation about a week ago. As I read this post, the picture of an angel moving with your family came to me. Such glorious time to have with the Lord. I pray everything works out perfectly well for you. Blessings

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  3. That looks very nice and tropical like!
    So glad y’all are enjoying it down there!
    Sounds like a long trip there. Wow!
    That’s so very Christ-like of you to forgive that man.
    I hope you keep on loving it in your paradise!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  4. Hi Ryan. Welcome to Florida. I’ve been here since 2001 and love it. (Also moved here from the Mountain Time Zone, New Mexico.) I’m glad after some trial everything worked itself out for you and your family!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. Funny you mention it. When I got here, I actually did NOT like Eastern time zone. Back then, I watched a lot of sports. However, a game which began at 6 p.m. in the Mountain Time Zone began at 8 p.m. in the Eastern Time Zone. Bottom line: A lot of going to sleep way later than I was accustomed to. Solution: I stopped watching sports!!

        Liked by 2 people

      2. 😂 I can see how that would be rough with sports. I don’t watch many games anymore either. Though I do catch a game every now and then. I fell asleep last night watching the St. Louis Blues play my old Chicago Blackhawks. They were in a stadium with no fans. Strange times.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Wow Ryan! I do think the new environment will really help you feel better. Love the pictures too! Boo, wolf spiders. No thank you. 😲😂👌
    We prayed lots for your trip and so glad all is well now. 🙏😊

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks Vivian! We needed those prayers! Yeah, feeling much better physically. Low altitude is easier on my gut for sure. We had big wolfies in CO too. Not that big though. Have only seen a couple small ones outside here. Really not too bad. The lizards take care of the bugs too. Never thought I’d live here, but Florida is a pretty cool place. God bless!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Sounds cool (about being like Australia in many ways) 🙂
        I remember a few years ago when my entire state’s power grid was knocked out for a few hours by a storm. And my state (South Australia) is slightly smaller than California.

        Liked by 1 person

  10. 🙂 🙂 It is always the times that are the most trying that the biggest blessing are waiting for you! The old evil one doesn’t work that hard unless you are getting ready to be blessed beyond measure. Praise the LORD Brother. This is a blessing to read this morning in itself. I needed this Ryan. 🙂 LORD, thank You for getting Ryan and HIs family to where You want them to be, and for continuing to bless them. LORD for the man who stole from Your child, help him see You and become the child You want Him to be also.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Amen! Thank you, Margaret! The Lord is so very faithful! I echo your prayer for the man. Actually got a call from the detective this morning. They found out who he is and they will be arresting him soon. Praying for him that this will wake him up and the Lord will give him a great desire to know Him. God bless you!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. I’m happy for you and your family, Ryan! I trust the Lord give you plenty of opportunities there to surround yourself with a good community. It seems he is also blessing you with relief. Hope you had a good birthday and may the Lord continue to pour his grace on you and strengthen your reliance on him everyday.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  13. I am so glad you made it, and am glad for God’s provisions in your extra “adventures!” The pictures are so different that Colorado, but I’m glad you still had the picture for your blog as it was. Keep us posted! I love your new “neighbors”, the frog and lizard. No more deer in you back yard I think!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      2. Yeah, here we go!😂 The mover guys said to not worry about hurricanes unless it hits a category 4. This storm is supposed to hit the East Coast way far away from us. We are just supposed to get some rain here in the southwest Gulf coast.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. P.S. I updated the main picture to one of our beach photos.😊 Can’t have Daniel’s Park on there any more. I really hate what Polis and the liberals have done to Denver and the whole state. Such a shame. Becoming just like Los Angeles. I really love it down here and DeSantis is a great Governor. I can buy 30 round mags for my AR again too! Shoot, I could buy a 100 round drum mag if I wanted to!😂🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

        Like

  15. My heart is jumping for joy for you all, Ryan. I do believe God has brought you to Florida for healing and happiness!
    Truly wonderful. Love you! Mom I love the pictures, too. Mr. Sticky Fingers…ha!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    2. Thanks Dee! FL is such a special place! We love being so close to the beaches. We will be in this rental house for 9 months to a year, then we will move into our new home. The builder takes about 8 months to build a house. We will be even closer to the beach at the new house, about 5 minutes. Looking forward to meeting in person someday! God bless!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thank you, all glory to God! I truly pray he gets saved. The detective called me recently and he said they know who he is now. They will be arresting him soon. I pray the Lord touches his heart and this discipline he is about to receive will set him straight. God bless!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  21. Thank you for the wonderful update! Praise God they discovered who robbed you, and that the hurricaine will most likely not hurt you, and your new Governor supports Americans and patriotism and the constitutional republic under God, indivisible from God, with God-given inalienable rights and freedom and God’s pure, rigtheous Justice! It almost makes me want to move from California to Florida! I don’t know if I could deal with the big critters though? Have you found a bible-based, Spirit-filled Church yet? That would sway my decision! God bless you and your family and new city and new state and new home! Thank you for your strong Faith, and Stand for America, President Trump and most of all, first and foremost, God our Father and his Christ!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you! God is so good! He has done so much in such a short time, it is truly amazing! You would love Florida. I would definitely leave Cali. So beautiful here and clean and the people are so friendly. Cops are respected and there is law and order too. We haven’t had time to look for a church yet, but there are plenty to choose from down here. There’s even a little church just a couple houses down from us across the street. This really is a special place. Praising God for all He has done and I am in awe of Him! God bless!

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thanks Sheila! Amen to that! A wolf spider kind of looks like a little tarantula or huntsman. Most of the time they’re small, but I guess down here they can get real big. I have only seen a couple small ones outside and they were dying from the bug spray. We had a bunch of them in Colorado. I fought them all the time in the garage. Some of them were as big as a silver dollar. So far here it’s just been the little blonde looking spiders that kind of resemble daddy long legs. Had a couple palmetto bugs too. Wolf spiders are not poisonous and they don’t make webs in homes. They are lone hunters and they’re usually just moving through. We have a lot of lizards and they do a great job of keeping the bugs down.😊🦎 We love Florida! God bless!

      Like

      Reply

  23. Glad to hear you are settled in and loving your new home. That is quite the move from Colorado, but love hearing how you feel about it! I’m glad the Lord directed you there. Sorry to hear about your experience with having your wallet and phone stolen, but glad it all worked out! Blessings to you and your family!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Michelle! Never thought I’d like this type of humidity so much, but it’s great down here.😊 The tropical vibe is cool. Thanks for the birthday blessing! It was definitely a very unique birthday. God bless!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  25. What a joy to read your post Ryan. God is Faithful and He has shown you and your family His love and care as well as His protection. Prayers for the person that robbed you.
    Happy belated birthday Ryan.
    Blessings to you and your family. 🙏😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Crissy! God is so good and moving here has been a huge blessing! Thanks for the birthday blessing, and for praying for that guy. I pray He comes to Jesus. The detective will be arresting him soon. God bless!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  26. I am truly pleased that you live in Florid. East or West Coast. I live 25 minutes from Miami in a town also near Ft Lauderdale, kindin the middle. I love the winter’s here but after 223 years 2 on West coast, the heat in the summer gets tome but, I do have a pool so… it’s ok I guess. My iguana run around or in the pool when I am out with my little fst dog Tiny and they are big!! Welcome to Florida to you and your family and may the peace of God be with you all.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you, we appreciate the welcome! We haven’t seen any iguanas yet, but plenty of lizards running around. It is definitely nice to have the pool. Florida and Colorado have the heat and afternoon lightning storms in common. We usually got a bunch of hail too with the storms in Denver. We like the nice tropical rains here. Florida is definitely a cool place to live and we really like it here! God bless!

      Like

      Reply

  30. Hi Ryan, just me popping in. I was thinking about the photos you posted of the little lizards in your garden and I wanted another look, as we don’t get lizards in our gardens here in the u.k. Is there much wildlife to be seen locally during these summer months – animal wildlife that is. 😀 What kind of birds do you see there?
    I hope your spirits are being lifted. 🙌

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Lesley. We don’t see any lizards at our new house, but there are a lot at the neighborhood pool. We have also seen several alligators in the neighborhood. Gators are very active in June because it’s mating season. There are all kinds of tropical birds. We mainly see cranes, herons, and egrets. We also have hawks, vultures, and seagulls. We see quite a few wild pigs along the main road outside our neighborhood too. Sometimes there are snakes too. There is a lot of wildlife here in Florida. Thank you for the encouragement. I have not been doing well lately. I’ve been dealing with a lot of physical pain and a broken heart from deep homesickness and hopelessness due to the disease. I appreciate your prayers. God bless you.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Hi Ryan. Thank you for telling me about the wildlife in your area. It sounds fantastic. I can’t imagine what it would be like to walk out and come face-to-face with an alligator or a snake! It would be great if, at any time you feel up to it, to post photographs of the wildlife.
        I know you and your family have been through, and still going through, a traumatic time. I just wanted to let you know that I’m still thinking of you all and, of course, I will be praying for you all. From personal experience, whenever we’ve come up against hard times, working in the garden and/or walking in the countryside has helped a great deal. It blots out the noises of all the intruding voices and allows you to feel the peaceful and authentic presence of God.
        Look after yourself, Ryan. 🙌

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a reply to Kirt D Tisdale Cancel reply