‘It was written in the stars’ - Shel’s pet sitting love story

After leaving a 38 year marriage and finding herself in an ‘empty nest’, our lovely member and avid house sitter, Shel, was adamant that better times were still to come. Like many others, Shel joined TrustedHousesitters while on her quest for renewed self discovery and adventure with new fluffy friends by her side. It was her divorce, a health scare and two years of reflection that propelled Shel to grab life by the horns and make a new one for herself in doing so.

‘It made me decide to go live my life [...] One thing I knew I wanted was to be in Florida - but where was it gonna to be?’

Despite the hardships Shel endured, she’s now well and truly found her new place in the world, and it all started with house sitting in Florida. Securing her first sit with us in Stewart, Shel traveled all the way from her (then) home - Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

‘The pets I watched were a 16 year old pup named Lucy, and two cats named Batman and Robin. The sit was amazing - loved them instantly and the owners also were great. Going to visit them when I am back.’

Since making the journey of over 1000 miles for Christmas and having the space she needed to plan her next chapter, Shel has been on what some might call a whirlwind of not only adventures, but also emotions.

‘I was to go into the water to wash away the last couple of years and start brand new [...]. That ended up being the day I met Tom.’ 

Tom had moved to the area the previous June with his teenage son, who lives with him full time. And just as fate would have it, this was the first time that Tom had explored this particular local beach.

‘There were so many moving parts that could have prevented us from meeting, but the universe was on our side.’

As described by Shel, it was ‘love at first sight’. During their meet-cute on the beach, Shel and Tom got chatting, and sensing a spark, decided to exchange numbers. As Shel was new to the area, Tom kindly offered to show her around during her stay, the pair even meeting on Christmas Eve for a ‘magical’ walk around Fort Pierce.

‘We walked around on Christmas Eve for hours and it turned magical’

But as they say, all good things come to an end - the time had come for Shel to vacate her sit with lovely Lucy, Batman and Robin. But before she left for the long trip back to Pennsylvania, Tom shared his feelings for Shel, and the pair confessed the connection they felt had grown during Shel’s short stay in Florida. 

Once apart, the pair talked for up to five hours a night, and eventually arranged for Shel to visit once again - a trip which she couldn’t help but extend by an additional week! 

‘We talked for hours - for weeks! And then I went down for a week and stayed for two!’

Now back in Pennsylvania, Shel is planning to move in with Tom and his son in Florida very shortly, the pair set to start their new chapter together - traveling and house sitting.

‘I can’t wait to get there and start living in the sunshine with my new boyfriend and his wonderful son [...]. Our story has so much more and we can’t wait to explore it.’

Follow Shel’s journey

If you’d like to hear more from Shel and Tom about their amazing journey and adventures yet to come, follow the pair on Instagram and YouTube.