More than thrilled that they settled into Parkland 5 1/2 years ago, Pete and Jeanna Friedland and their two sons, AJ, 10, and Garret, 4, have nothing but positive things to say about life there. If their goldendoodle could talk, Meiko would agree!
Pete works for Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC., serving as the Director of Retail Training, supporting dealers in the 5 southeastern states of NC, SC, GA, AL & FL.
Jeanna is the lead VPK Teacher at First United Methodist Church Preschool in Coral Springs. She tells us, “This is my third year at FUMC and I just love it! The staff and administration are amazing and the families that attend are lovely.” Jeanna is also the sole proprietor of an Etsy shop, Vinyl Gifts and Things, where she makes custom vinyl decals and other fun personalized items.
AJ has been involved in various sports provided through the PREC center including soccer, t-ball, basketball, and flag football. He is currently playing flag football and is on the (co-ed 10-11) Patriots. He has also been doing martial arts since the age of five, and is a brown belt! He will be testing soon for his black stripe.
Garrett has participated in i9 sports soccer league and has recently started karate. He’s following in his brother’s footsteps and already talks about being a black belt one day.
AJ is in the 5th grade at Riverglades Elementary. He especially enjoys the special areas STEM and PE, recess, and lunch. Garrett is in VPK and attends First United Methodist Church Preschool (same one that mom works at) and loves everything about school.
This family is so much fun, and with everything they do together there are plenty of laughs. When asked about athletic pursuits of their own, Jeanna replies, “We have rescued numerous baby turtles out of our pool, and nursed them until old enough to return to our pond at the back of our property! We named them all the same; “Shelly”! One has become a classroom pet in our VPK class.”
When it comes to family time, Pete fills us in. “If it’s an outdoor activity—we are all-in! Camping, Dirt-biking, Taking the side-by-side to the Everglades, we recently joined a boat club and are very excited to start getting out on the water for a change.”
Jeanna and Pete are so pleased with life in Parkland. Pete tells us, “We love our neighborhood, The Ranches. When relocating to South Florida, we looked at custom homes in every corner of S. FL. As soon as we pulled up to our house, we knew it was the one. The land it sits on, and the surrounding area was just a little slice of heaven that we knew we needed in our lives.”
Reflecting on life for the last 19 months or so, Jeanna tells us, “I think that living through this pandemic has really grounded us as a family and brought us closer together. It forced us to stop all extracurricular activities that always had us on the go, rushing to get homework completed, dinner eaten, bathed, and in bed at an acceptable hour. Not having the extras helped to bring a calming peace to our lives and allowed us to enjoy each other more than always being in a frantic state of ‘go.’”
The Friedlands attend Coastal Community Church, and Jeanna fills us in. “We love everything the church has to offer. The kids really love going to Coastal Kids and AJ can’t wait to get more involved when he’s in middle school. It is a great addition to Parkland!”
