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NOVEMBER 2026

Hosting for the Holidays

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NOVEMBER 2026 Hello Harmony, The holiday season is upon us, and it’s hard to believe how quickly this year has gone by. As we head into November, I want to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving and hope you’re able to enjoy some time with family and friends. We also want to take a moment to recognize and thank all the veterans in our community and across our country who have served and sacrificed for our freedom. Happy Veterans Day! And if you’re already panicking about hosting Thanksgiving, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Our cover story this month, written by Jenni Lash, is filled with tips for hosting a successful Thanksgiving and hopefully taking some of the stress out of the holiday. We all have so much to be thankful for. No matter what you may be facing or how your year has unfolded, I think it’s important to continue looking for the good around us. Every day, our community gives us examples of people doing extraordinary things. Neighbors helping neighbors, looking out for one another, and simply doing the right thing when no one is watching. We have some incredible neighbors right here in Harmony. This month, we have a special resident spotlight on Stephanie Wilson, whose journey and career in STEM is a story I think many of you will find inspiring. Our Day Trip Worth the Drive returns with my family’s trip to the Citrus Tower in Clermont. And be sure to check out our feature family this month, the Caraballo family. Good luck to our CDD candidates and don’t forget to get out and vote. This is an important election for Harmony. Thank you for continuing to read Harmony Life, support our advertisers, and share the magazine with others. Have a story idea or know a neighbor who deserves to be highlighted? Feel free to reach out to me at flharmonylife@gmail.com. Happy Thanksgiving Harmony, Brady Evans

Making Sense of Open Enrollment — And Why Your Out-of-Pocket Costs Deserve a Closer Look

Every fall, a window opens. For a few weeks, you have the chance to review your health insurance, make changes, and step into the new year with coverage that actually reflects where you are in life. It’s a quiet season on the calendar, but for anyone paying attention to rising healthcare costs, it’s worth pausing to take stock. That window is called Open Enrollment — and understanding what it offers can make a meaningful difference in how protected you feel when something unexpected happens. What Is Open Enrollment? Open Enrollment is the designated time each year when individuals can enroll in, switch, or drop a health insurance plan. Outside of this period, making changes to your ACA plan typically requires a qualifying life event — things like getting married, having a baby, or losing existing coverage. The private market does not have those restrictions.

Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs October 15 through December 7. Employer-based plans have their own windows, usually in the fall.

Over the past decade, these figures have climbed significantly. The average individual deductible for marketplace plans now often falls in the $1,500– $5,000 range or higher.

If your circumstances have changed since you last looked at your coverage — or if it’s simply been a while — this is a natural time to revisit the details.

For 2027, the out of pocket maximum is $12,000 for an Obamacare plan. For families, those numbers can be considerably more. A hospitalization, a serious diagnosis, or an unexpected accident can result in substantial bills — even for people who believed they were well covered.

The Part of Your Bill That Premiums Don’t Cover Here’s something worth understanding: your monthly premium is only part of the picture. Even with solid health insurance, you’re still responsible for a range of costs when you actually use your coverage. These include: • • • •

For most people with ACA marketplace plans, Open Enrollment runs from November 1 through January 15.

Deductibles — the amount you pay before your insurance kicks in Copays — fixed fees for office visits, urgent care, and prescriptions Coinsurance — your percentage share of costs after the deductible is met Out-of-pocket maximum — the ceiling on what you pay in a given year before insurance covers 100%

This is the part of the healthcare cost conversation that tends to get overlooked. It’s also the part that catches people off guard when they need their coverage most. Where Supplemental Coverage Fits In Supplemental insurance plans exist specifically to address this gap. They sit alongside your primary health coverage — not in place of it — to help with the costs your main plan doesn’t absorb.

There are several types of supplemental plans worth exploring during Open Enrollment, depending on your situation and risk tolerance. Some are structured around specific diagnoses like cancer or heart disease. Others are tied to hospitalization or accidents. One example is what’s sometimes called a Plan Enhancer — a type of supplemental policy that covers deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums when certain qualifying events occur, such as accidents, cancer, heart attack, stroke, or a hospitalization lasting more than 24 hours. When one of those events happens, the policyholder submits a claim form and receives a tax-free check up to the policy’s face value, which can be used however makes sense for their situation. Plans like this are often more affordable than people expect. Whether one makes sense for you depends on your existing coverage, your health history, and your overall financial picture — all things worth thinking through before the enrollment window closes. A Good Time to Ask Questions Open Enrollment creates a natural opportunity to look at your full coverage picture — not just your premium, but your deductible exposure, your prescription coverage, and whether your doctors are still in-network. It’s also worth asking: has anything changed this year? A new health concern, a change in income, a child aging off your plan, a move to a new state — life shifts, and the coverage that made sense a couple of years ago may need to be revisited.

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If you’re uncertain where to start, or just want to talk through your options with someone who isn’t tied to a single insurance company, that’s something we’re glad to help with. At HST (Healthcare Solutions Team - Kim Kirsch), we work with multiple carriers and can look at your current plan alongside available alternatives — including supplemental options if they seem relevant to your situation. There’s no cost for a conversation, and no obligation to make any changes. Sometimes just knowing what’s available is enough. If you’d like to talk before the enrollment window closes, you’re welcome to schedule time at calendly.com/ kkirsch-2 or reach us by phone at 407-870-3462. Kim Kirsch-Healthcare Solutions Team

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Gather,

Give Thanks, & Make It Yours

Simple Thanksgiving Hosting Tips for Gatherings Big and Small By Jenni Lash

Thanksgiving has a wonderful way of bringing us back to what matters most: family, friends, good food, shared memories, and gratitude. Whether you’re setting the table for four or opening your home to twenty-four, hosting Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be elaborate— or expensive—to be beautiful. The secret is simple: use what you have, add your own personal flair, and focus on making people feel welcome.

Hosting a Small Gathering A smaller Thanksgiving can feel especially warm and intimate. Instead of trying to fill the table with decorations, keep things simple and meaningful. Pull out dishes you already own—even if everything doesn’t match. Your grandmother’s serving bowl, a favorite platter, everyday white dishes, or pretty glasses tucked away in a cabinet can make the table feel special. Mixing old and new often creates more character than buying an entirely new tablescape. For a centerpiece, look around your home and yard before heading to the store. A wooden bowl filled with apples, pears, mini pumpkins, or pinecones can be beautiful. Clip a few branches or pieces of greenery from the yard and tuck them into small vases. Candles in different heights instantly add warmth and make even an everyday table feel festive. With a small group, you can also make each place setting personal. Add a handwritten name card or a little note telling each guest why you’re thankful for them. It’s a tiny detail that costs almost nothing but may be remembered long after the meal is over.

When You’re Feeding a Crowd For a large Thanksgiving, the goal changes from perfection to flow, comfort, and fun. Don’t feel that everyone needs to sit at one perfectly decorated table. Create several gathering areas and let each have its own personality. Use your dining table, kitchen table, folding tables, or even a comfortable outdoor space if the weather cooperates. A buffet is often the easiest way to serve a crowd. Put plates at the beginning, food in the middle, and silverware and napkins at the end so guests aren’t trying to juggle everything at once. Consider placing drinks and desserts in a separate area to prevent everyone from gathering in one spot. And don’t be afraid to ask for help! Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be a one-person production. Invite guests to bring a favorite side dish, appetizer, dessert, or family recipe. Some of the best Thanksgiving tables are filled with dishes from several different kitchens.

PHOTOS BY ABBEY EVANS

Shop Your House Before You Shop the Store Beautiful decorating doesn’t require a cart full of new Thanksgiving décor. Look around your home with fresh eyes. A plaid throw can become a table covering. A cutting board can become a serving tray. Mason jars, pitchers, baskets, cake stands, lanterns, wooden bowls, candlesticks, and even wine glasses can be repurposed for your Thanksgiving table. Bring nature indoors with leaves, branches, pinecones, acorns, herbs, pumpkins, or seasonal fruit. Layering different textures and heights makes a table interesting without making it expensive. Most importantly, don’t worry about matching everything. A collected table often feels warmer and more inviting than one that looks as though it came straight from a catalog. Add Your Personal Flair. Your Thanksgiving should look and feel like you. If you love traditional Thanksgiving colors, embrace the oranges, browns, golds, and deep reds. If your home is softer and more neutral, use creams, greenery, natural wood, and candlelight. Love a little sparkle? Bring out the gold-rimmed china or metallic accents. Prefer something casual? Use simple dishes, cloth napkins, and a big family-style centerpiece. Family photographs, heirloom dishes, handwritten recipes, or decorations made by children can become part of the décor. These personal touches tell a story—and that’s something you can’t buy at a store. Don’t save your “good things” for someday, either. Thanksgiving is a wonderful day to use the china, serving pieces, linens, or glasses you’ve been keeping for a special occasion. This is the special occasion.

Give Yourself Permission to Keep It Simple Your turkey doesn’t have to look like a magazine cover. Every dish doesn’t need to be homemade. The napkins don’t have to be perfectly folded, and nobody will remember whether every chair matched. What people will remember is how they felt in your home. They’ll remember laughing in the kitchen, sneaking a taste before dinner, sharing an old family story, watching the kids play, lingering over dessert, and perhaps taking home a plate of leftovers. So set the table, light the candles, turn on some music, and welcome people through the door. And before the turkey is carved and the plates begin making their way around the table, take a moment to stop. Look around at the people gathered with you. Give thanks. Because the most beautiful part of a Thanksgiving table isn’t the centerpiece, the china, or even the food. It’s the people sitting around it. Happy Thanksgiving!

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You may have created an estate plan, signed the documents and stored them safely away. But have you shared the plan with your family? The events that put an estate plan into action, such as an accident, serious illness or hospitalization, rarely come with a warning. If you can't make medical or financial decisions, loved ones may need to step in quickly. Powers of attorney and advance directives can help, but they work best when the people you've chosen know they exist, understand your wishes and know where to find them. Without access to these documents, family members may face delays, confusion and even court involvement. A family conversation doesn't have to cover everything at once. Start by sharing your values, key decisions and who has important roles. If you need support, a financial advisor can serve as a helpful third-party to assist or facilitate the conversation.

Most pests hitch a ride right through your front door in packages. This season, stop the roaches and silverfish before they settle in.

A little preparation today can provide clarity and confidence when your family may need it most. This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC

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4 Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy for the Long Haul Your brain is your body’s command center. Everything from your mood, memory, focus, and decision making is all influenced by your brain. But many people don’t consider how to protect and promote the health of their brain. The good news is, you don’t have to wait until you start having symptoms to start prioritizing brain health. Here are 4 evidence based habits that help keep your brain healthy for the long haul 1. Feed Your Brain Healthy Fats Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA, play very important roles in your brain’s cell structure and function. Focus on incorporating foods with essential fatty acids, such as: salmon, mackerel or sardines, walnuts, chia seeds and flax seeds. You could also supplement with a high-quality Omega-3 supplement. 2. Keep Your Blood Sugar Balanced Metabolic health and brain health are very closely linked. Insulin resistance and prolonged elevated blood sugar are associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline. Prioritizing a balanced diet with increased protein and fiber, while prioritizing low glycemic carbohydrates and post meal movement are simple ways to help balance your blood sugar naturally. 3. Prioritize Restorative Sleep Sleep is our body’s primary healing and detox mechanism. Consistent, high quality sleep is essential for long term brain health. Aim for 7-9 hours of high quality sleep per night. Avoid caffeine after 2pm, blue light 1 hour before bed, and eating 2-3 hours before bed. Sleep in a cool, dark room and be consistent with sleep and wake times for the best quality of sleep. 4. Challenge Your Brain Your brain thrives on novelty and learning. Activities that challenge you help strengthen neural connections and support cognitive reserve. Learn a new language, play an instrument, read something challenging, or develop a new skill. The key is to keep learning rather than simply repeating familiar routines. Protecting your brain isn’t about one miracle supplement or complicated routine. It’s about consistently nourishing your body, protecting your sleep, staying mentally engaged, and investing in meaningful relationships. Small habits today can help preserve your cognitive health for tomorrow.

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GUIDED BYGrace

Run your own race

BY BRADY EVANS Theodore Roosevelt is often credited with the saying, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” In today’s culture, I think this may be one of the biggest traps we can fall into. Comparison can easily lead to another trap: jealousy. We have all found ourselves there at some point. Maybe we are scrolling through social media and see someone we know purchased a new car, moved into a beautiful home, or taken an amazing vacation. We see the highlight reel of someone else’s life and, without even realizing it, begin comparing it to our own. As parents, we can fall into this trap for our children, too. Maybe we see another child excelling academically or seemingly having an easier path. Maybe our child works hard, improves tremendously, and still doesn't make the sports team. It can be difficult not to look around and wonder, “Why them and not us?” We must remind ourselves that someone else’s success does not make our own progress less meaningful. Our culture can make us feel as though our improvement is never enough.

We are constantly encouraged to have more, achieve more, buy more, and keep up with everyone around us. But this is a fallacy. Our identity was never meant to be found in what we acquire, how much money we make, what kind of car we drive, how big our house is, or how many places we visit. God did not put us on someone else’s path. We each have our own race to run, our own gifts to develop, our own challenges to overcome, and our own journey with God. Instead of constantly looking to the side to see how we measure up to everyone else, perhaps we should spend more time looking forward and asking, “Am I becoming a better version of the person God created me to be?”

We can be genuinely happy for someone else's new home, new job, new car, successful child, athletic accomplishment, or answered prayer without believing that we somehow have less because they have more. Paul reminds us in Galatians 1:10: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Perhaps that is the heart of the issue. When we live in constant comparison, we can become more concerned with how our lives look to other people than with how we are living before God. So, this month, try running your own race. Celebrate your progress. Celebrate the progress of others. Stop measuring your worth against someone else's accomplishments. And remember that God isn't asking you to be someone else.

A phrase I have been reminding myself of lately is: “Improvement, not perfection.” Give yourself credit for the progress you have made. Give yourself permission to have setbacks. Give yourself a break. We are often far harder on ourselves than God ever intended us to be. And when someone else succeeds, celebrate with them.

He simply asks you to faithfully become the person He created you to be.

Their success does not anything away from yours.

Improvement, not perfection. Grace, not comparison.

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Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, delicious food, and counting our blessings. And let’s be honest—our pets are usually right there celebrating with us, especially when they smell that turkey roasting! But before you slip your furry friend a little something under the table, remember that not everything on our Thanksgiving menu is safe for them.

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Let’s start with the do’s! A little plain, fully cooked turkey without skin or bones can be a special treat. Plain pumpkin (not pie filling), cooked sweet potatoes, and green beans are also dog-friendly options when served without butter, sugar, salt, or seasonings. Remember, moderation is key! Now for the don’ts! Keep turkey bones, fatty skin, gravy, stuffing, and heavily seasoned dishes away from curious noses. Onions, garlic, grapes, raisins, chocolate, and foods containing xylitol can be especially dangerous. Even rich foods that aren’t toxic can cause digestive upset or pancreatitis.

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And don’t forget about the trash! Turkey carcasses, food scraps, and discarded packaging can be irresistible to pets. Keep garbage securely covered and out of reach. One more thing: Remember their routine!

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Between visitors, cooking, and holiday excitement, pets can become overwhelmed. Make time for their usual walks, meals, and potty breaks. A quiet room with their favorite bed or toys can provide a welcome escape from the festivities. As a professional pet sitter, I’ve learned that sometimes the best gift we can give our animals is a little extra attention and a familiar routine.

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This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for the unconditional love our pets bring into our lives—and for the families who trust me to care for them. Wishing you and your furry family members a safe, happy, and tail-wagging Thanksgiving!

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Engineering Her Own Path

Harmony resident Stephanie Wilson on STEM, perseverance, motherhood and the journey to following her dreams

hen Stephanie Wilson was a junior in high school, she was still trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. She enjoyed math and science, but she had not yet discovered a career path that truly excited her. Then came an unexpected turning point: the ASVAB (The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)

Her results pointed her toward engineering, opening the door to a field she had not previously considered. “For the first time I began to picture myself designing and building something meaningful,” Stephanie recalls. “The idea of working on aircraft fascinated me, and that moment sparked a curiosity that eventually grew into a lifelong passion for engineering.” That curiosity would eventually take her from the classroom to locomotive testing, from Florida to the defense technology industry, and back to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University years after she had left the school as an undergraduate. Today, Stephanie is a systems test engineer working in the defense technology industry, supporting systems used across land, sea, air and space. She is also a wife, a mother of two young children and a Harmony resident who believes her journey offers an important message to the next generation, particularly young girls who may be considering careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

A Dream That Took a Different Route Stephanie initially dreamed of becoming an aerospace engineer. She was accepted into Embry-Riddle’s aerospace engineering program as a freshman and imagined a fairly straightforward path from college to a career in the aerospace industry. “I thought it would be a straight road to the finish line and that I’d end up working at Boeing with a comfortable salary,” she says. But the path quickly became more complicated. Tuition costs, combined with relying on financial aid and scholarships, resulted in significant student loan debt after her first year. Eventually, financial constraints forced Stephanie to leave Embry-Riddle. The dream, however, never disappeared.

“I knew I wanted to do whatever it took to stay on the engineering path and eventually work my way toward a career in aerospace, even if the path looked different than I had first planned,” she says. “The plan may have changed, but the end goal remained the same.” That detour led her into an industry she never expected to enter: railroad transportation. For eight years, Stephanie worked as a test engineer for locomotive systems at GE Transportation.

Instead of aircraft, she found herself working with locomotives and learning how complex transportation systems operate. Looking back, she is grateful that opportunity came along. “I couldn’t be happier that the opportunity presented itself and led me to this company,” she says. “I learned so much about the transportation industry, how it supports our economy, and how crucial locomotives are to our everyday lives.” The experience also gave her something that would prove valuable throughout her career: the ability to understand how individual components work together as part of a much larger system.

Seeing the Bigger Picture Today, Stephanie applies that experience as a systems test engineer in the defense technology industry. For those unfamiliar with the field, systems engineering involves looking beyond a single component and understanding how an entire system works together. Stephanie helps define how hardware and software components interact, manages the requirements that guide development and works to ensure systems function as intended before they are delivered. It is highly technical work that requires problem-solving, attention to detail and collaboration across multiple engineering disciplines. “My mornings usually start with coffee and team meetings, followed by reviewing requirements, solving technical problems, collaborating with software and hardware engineers, and planning system verification,” she explains.

No two days are exactly alike. Some days involve leading technical discussions, while others are spent working through complex requirements or supporting integration efforts. And while much of the work happens behind a computer, Stephanie says its real-world impact is never far from her mind. “Knowing that the work I do ultimately supports our nation’s defense gives every task, no matter how small, a greater sense of purpose,” she says. For Stephanie, that responsibility is personal. “Whether it’s delivered to locomotive operators or warfighters, I believe integrity and pride in the work you do are a direct reflection of your morals,” she says.

The Foundation Behind the Dream

Finding Her Voice

Today, Stephanie and both of her sisters have master’s degrees and established careers. For Stephanie, that is part of what being a woman in STEM means. “Who I am today is the culmination of what my family has achieved across many generations,” she says. Her parents laid the foundation. Stephanie built upon it. Now, she hopes to pass that same spirit of perseverance on to her own children.

Engineering and defense technology have traditionally been male-dominated fields, and Stephanie experienced that reality firsthand. “I learned early in college that I was often one of the few women in the room,” she says. Rather than allowing that experience to discourage her, she learned to become more confident, speak up and trust her abilities. “Earning respect isn’t about being the loudest in the room; it’s about consistently doing good work and being willing to contribute.” Early in her career, Stephanie sometimes felt out of place as one of the few women on her team. Over time, however, she began looking at that difference from another perspective. “I learned to see my rarity as a privilege and to rewrite my own narrative,” she says. “If I am going to stand out, make it for a good reason.” She believes having women in engineering and technical fields benefits everyone because every engineer brings a different perspective to solving problems. “Diverse teams tend to ask different questions, challenge assumptions, and approach problems from multiple angles,” she says. “That’s valuable in engineering because innovation often comes from looking at a problem differently.”

A Promise to Herself Years after leaving Embry-Riddle as an undergraduate, Stephanie eventually found herself back on the Daytona Beach campus. This time, she was there to earn her master’s degree in systems engineering. Returning to the school where her engineering journey began was about much more than advancing her career. It was about finishing something she had started years earlier. “I prayed that one day I would be able to come back, with enough money to finish a program and walk across that graduate stage,” she says. The journey to that degree was anything but easy. Stephanie began graduate school while working full-time and raising her young family. Her son was just two years old when she started the program. Seven months into graduate school, she discovered she was pregnant with her second child. She ultimately completed the graduate program shortly after her second child turned one. There were late nights studying after the children went to bed, long workweeks, travel and the demands of being a mother of two young children. But every assignment brought her one step closer. “I learned to adapt to working full time, being a mom of two small children, and studying at night to make my dream of graduating with my master’s at Embry-Riddle come true,” she says. “And that it did.” For Stephanie, earning that degree also became an opportunity to show her children what perseverance looks like. “I wanted my children to grow up seeing that learning doesn’t stop once you enter the workforce,” she says. “It’s never too late to follow your dreams.”

Stephanie’s story of perseverance began long before her own engineering career. Her parents were graduate engineers from Peru who came to the United States seeking financial stability and greater educational opportunities for their children. Although they were unable to use their engineering degrees when they arrived, they worked whatever jobs they could find while raising three daughters. They attended night classes to learn English, adapted to a new country and worked to provide their children with opportunities they themselves had not been able to have.

Finding Home in Harmony

Stephanie and her husband eventually made their way to the St. Cloud area after meeting in Daytona Beach. When they began looking for a larger home after having children, they wanted space for their growing family, a good school zone and an in-law suite for Stephanie’s mother, who helped care for their son while Stephanie returned to work. Then they found Harmony. They toured one home and made an offer. The community’s oak-lined streets, trails, lake views, parks and walkable school immediately caught Stephanie’s attention. But it was the feeling of the community that ultimately made Harmony home. “Little did I know what amazing friendships I would make with neighbors I now call family,” she says. After spending her days solving complex engineering problems, Stephanie enjoys coming home and spending time with her family. “There’s nothing better than coming home, hopping on the golf cart with my family, and simply enjoying the community we’ve built our lives in.” And perhaps that is what makes Stephanie’s story especially fitting for a Harmony resident spotlight. Her professional life may involve sophisticated systems, advanced technology and challenges most of us will never see, but the motivation behind it is something everyone can understand: family, perseverance, purpose and the desire to build something meaningful. Her message to young girls considering STEM is simple. “Believe in yourself before anyone else does,” Stephanie says. “If you have the drive and are willing to put in the work, you will succeed.” And perhaps most importantly, she wants young women to know they don’t have to fit a stereotype to pursue a career in engineering. “It’s never too late to begin following your dreams,” she says. “There is no age limit to learning.” For Stephanie Wilson, that dream took a few unexpected turns. But she never stopped moving toward it. And today, she is helping show the next generation that sometimes the road to where you want to go isn’t a straight line. What matters is continuing to move forward.

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Day Trips Worth theDrive

Our Day Trip Worth the Drive returns this month with a fun little trip to Clermont, Florida, to visit the Citrus Tower.

Built in 1955, the 23-story Citrus Tower offers amazing views and a little glimpse into Central Florida history. While the view has changed dramatically from the days when orange groves stretched as far as the eye could see, it is still something worth seeing. The bottom level features a cozy coffee shop offering snacks, great drinks, books and board games. Grab a coffee, pick out a game or a good book, and then take the elevator to the top to enjoy the stunning views from above. We visited on a Sunday morning, and there was no one else up there besides our family. It made for a peaceful and relaxing visit, and we really enjoyed having the place almost entirely to ourselves. If you are looking for a simple family outing that combines a little history, great views and a relaxing morning, the Citrus Tower is worth the drive!

But don’t head home just yet! After visiting the Citrus Tower, we took the short and peaceful country drive, about 20 to 25 minutes, to Yalaha and stopped at the Yalaha Bakery and Deli. This traditional German bakery has plenty to offer, including a beer garden out back, with live music featured most Sundays. We didn’t get anything from the deli because the line stretched right out the door, but that was a pretty good sign that we were in the right place! The baked goods we took home were incredible, and there was one treat in particular, the key lime pie tart. It was absolutely delicious and the perfect way to end our little Central Florida adventure. Between the history and views at the Citrus Tower and the food, music and small-town atmosphere in Yalaha, this is an easy day trip that gives you a lot to enjoy without having to travel very far.

Right next to Yalaha Bakery, you’ll find Bootleggers Distillery, a fun little roadside moonshine shack that is worth a stop while you’re in the area. They offer a variety of moonshine flavors, moonshine margaritas, T-shirts, pottery, and plenty of other fun country-style knickknacks. If you’re making the drive to Yalaha Bakery, be sure to pull in next door and take a look around.

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