BenandTina are leaving us for Florida. Just after the 10th anniversary events they will be gone.

I am happy they are moving on to bigger and better things in their lives. I am saddened to see friends go as I'm sure we all are.

Let me tell you a story or two...

First met this couple at (oddly enough) Gobblers good by event. I like to talk to everybody and I spotted these two youngsters sitting alone, kind of off to one side. I trotted over and introduced myself. We talked a little and they were real nice and had some interesting questions about how to do things. I really enjoyed talking to them and since then they have become a part of our community. Two people that are nicer than than most anywhere. Met up with them a few times on the trails and at events and always enjoyed the poking fun back and forth. They can hold their own.

Really going to miss you two. Good fortunes and grand adventures I wish for you.

Aw shucks, thanks Mike! The FB comments from my caching friends made me thiiiiiis close to tears... and now your post sent me over the edge. We love you all and will miss our caching family immensely.

We will miss you too. Lee has had great fun scrapping and crafting with Tina, And it's been fun watching Ben whimper when he loses at Hand and Foot. Best of luck to you both, and if you come back, you know where we are!

....I thought you meant Biddeford....or the deep south, Kittery :D.

At any rate, as posted on FB, I am happy for you that things are going in the direction you both want. Good luck and safe travels. I just know at some point that y'all will show up for one of Mainiac1957's events or In Eustis.

Good Luck & Happy Trails folks........if you ever need to relocate from Florida I hear Maine is a nice place to consider living...;)

A sad goodbye and good luck to two amazing people. Beware of Geosnakes in Florida.

JustPJ66 and I haven't met you so we feel cheated after reading some of the things said here. Good luck in your new ventures. Try not to pick up too deep a southern accent.

Happy for you as I know you were seeking a move. Sad to know you are going. Confident we will meet again. I consider my life to be richer from our acquintence. Couldn't believe you loved coins (other than the Geotype) to the depth my Dad enjoyed them. Helped me relive a lot of memories. Best wishes!

Gee Ben and Tina, that is great news for you, but we will miss seeing you both at the events. Loved your wedding attire at the Aloha event and we enjoyed seeing your coins in Winslow. Have a great time in the sunny south. Keep dropping us a line on this site!

Great news! You certainly have the right wardrobe! I hope you get to find some great caches. Watch out for alligators! :)

Good luck in all your endeavors. We're going to miss you around here.

I saw you at 3 different events but never learned your names, only your caching handles. My names not Darter by the way, it's Stephen. Have fun in Florida and watch those holes in trees. I found that out the hard way a few weeks back. My snake wasn't poisonous but the next one might be.

Many of you don't know, but they are from central Florida. They really have been visiting us here and are now going home. Ben, Tina have a great life down there. I enjoyed my 10 years in Orlando with all there is to do. Keep in touch.

Thank you everyone. Your comments mean so much to us. I can't even describe how much we will miss our friends here. We don't have family here, but I feel like since we began caching we've formed relationships that are just as good. Cachers, in general, are the kindest people we have met and all of you have made this year incredible. This was our best year in Maine and I know cachers/caching greatly contributed to that. You all have shown us Maine beauty, kindness and fun that we may have overlooked before.

When we left Florida to move to Maine in 2006 we were excited about the adventures and opportunities ahead of us, but we were terribly saddened about how much we'd be missing our families (our parents, siblings and grandparents are all in Central Florida). We basically feel the same thing right now... we are so excited about Ben's new job opportunity and I am COMPLETELY looking forward to being only an hour away from my parents (I can go home to "visit" and come back with 3 weeks of leftovers! We're never buying groceries again!). But, we're leaving behind another family.

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments. We love you all. With FaceBook, this forum and e-mail I am sure we'll be able to continue harassing everyone... but we'll miss the events and Maine caching. See you all in a couple weeks at the 10th anniversary events :) I will be the one sobbing, Ben will be the one making a last attempt to discover every trackable in Maine, lol.

I have enjoyed meeting you! And enjoyed your salad at the Eustis event.. and the cheesecake at Aloha... and it was just nice to meet and know you. Happy (and safe) caching in Florida!

Hey...just remember that NC is only a few states away. :)

And Georgia is only a hop ,skip and a jump!!!! Good luck and we just might run into one another at some point.

To Ben and Tina...

We've met a few times and I have enjoyed you being part of the geo community in Maine. Having lived a few years away from Maine, let me offer this. While you are in Florida, please remember these things:

- Isn't it a joy to experience four distinct seasons?
- Isn't it a joy to experience Chrismas with snow on the ground? and
sleighs? and Christmas carolers? Like you see in the movies? 'It's a
wonderful life' really does exist.
- Any mountains in Florida? Any rivers, lakes and streams with trout?
- If your car breaks down, will someone come along and offer you a ride
home....and let you stay at their house for the night?
- If you can't find a cache, will the cache owner show up and help you
find it?
- Do you really like termites eating your foundation, snakes in the caches
that you reach into, or worrying about alligators in the ditches and
ponds that have caches?

I wish you everything positive in life. But if you ever find yourself wondering where to move to next.....please consider Maine as a great place to move to.

No takebacks.