I’ve signed up to follow some inspirational and positive Twitter accounts. Here’s what my feed looked like at one point recently:
For those of you who know me, you know I love quotes. And I have yours that you gave me close at heart in Florida, figuratively and literally.
Too often social media divides or depresses. But it doesn’t have to.
I like these quotes (and I LOVE the Golden Retriever Channel on Twitter.) These are little touches too that can help make a big difference.
And like the first quote, by William Feather, it’s important not only to bring these little instances of joy into each day, it’s also important to notice and appreciate them.
After people hear that I quit my very good job and moved to Florida, their next question usually is, “so what are you going to do next?” Well, my plan is to finish my dissertation this spring and wait tables to make some money while I do that. I would also like to continue to explore the job market and see what else is out there that might be a good fit.
Once my dissertation is complete, the plan is to explore teaching at a college/university. My pie-in-the-sky dream right now involves writing a book, being a motivational speaker, and supporting public educators everywhere.
But let’s take things one step at a time. Waiting tables… It has been 16 years since I waited tables. I’ve eaten plenty of food and drank plenty of spirits since then so I would consider myself still in the (relative) know about food and beverage service. However, sixteen years is a lot. Last time I waited tables I was 25. I’m 41 now.
This makes me think of the first time I played in the teacher vs student volleyball tournament as a teacher. In my mind, I could still play as well as I did the last time I played (when I was 17). But the looks of dismay and concern as I screeched across the gym floor, as I unnecessarily dove for a ball, said otherwise. My body also said otherwise. And that was after only an 8-year gap. This is twice as much.
I applied for my first server job tonight, in person. Given the 16-year gap on my food service resume, I felt it was important to go in and talk face-to-face with someone. I was pretty much offered the job on the spot. My serving history probably had something to do with that, my professional history may have as well, but mostly I think it’s because they’re so desperate for help.
I’m not sure this place is the right fit for me. I’m also not sure I can actually do this. But I guess I’m going to give them a few hours Friday night to give it a try and maybe find out. In the meantime I’m going to apply at a few other places and see how it all shakes out.
I’m really missing everyone today. I love you all so much and I miss you. I miss being there for you and with you. I’m trying to embrace the quiet and the new space and what it means for me. I’m trying for me and for you. ❤️
Today was unexpectedly rainy, but still warmer than back in PA. We started our day seeing a stork by the pond out back. He was cute, standing on his tall legs with his wings at his sides. He looked much more stork-like once he took to the air. Here’s a picture of the view out back, no stork in it though.
Then we went and had coffee and pastries at the 1420 Coffee Shop. Delish!
From there we ventured to Round Island Beach Park, where we were hoping we might see some manatees. No such luck with that but we did enjoy taking in the serene sights and other fauna like birds, lizards, and jumping fish.
Do you see the jumping fish?
The rain held off just long enough for us to spend some time at the park. As the rain picked back up, we drove north on A1A, all the way to Sebastian Inlet State Park, taking in some local beach sights.
After some rest and relaxing this afternoon, we had a delicious meal at Italian Cousin before taking BA to her hotel near the Orlando Sanford airport.
I got one final big hug from Betty Anne as we said goodbye for now. I’m so grateful to her for joining me on this journey. She was great company and a good sport all along the way. Who would’ve thought, when she said several months ago she wouldn’t let me drive to Florida alone, that this is how things would turn out. God is great. And so are amazing people, like Betty Anne.
Well , today was rough… BA had to have shoofly pie for breakfast, a mimosa before noon, and a Pain Killer with lunch…
It was a beautiful day in Vero, despite lingering winds and choppy seas from the storm this weekend. And it was a great day. We both slept really well and slept in. We had some breakfast and took care of a little business and then headed over to my sister’s house.
We sat by her pool, listening to the fountain, soaking up some sun, chatting, and sipping mimosas.
Then BA and I headed to the island to Waldo’s for a Pusser’s Pain Killer and some lunch. We sat by the ocean and enjoyed the sound and smell of the surf. I’ve never seen the ocean here so muddled, nor have I seen such big waves here. It was still a lovely sight to behold though.
After lunch, we drove a few minutes south to a public beach access point. We set up close to the water. I may or may not have dozed off while BA watched the surf and even dipped her toes in. The wind was a little strong at times, but so was the sun.
We were so drained from our busy day that we both took naps after we got home. And now we’re hanging out while mom makes dinner.
In all, it was another wonderful day of sunshine and quality time with friends and family.
8+ hours and we’re finally in Vero Beach, FL! We had another leisurely start to the day, especially because of turning the clocks back.
Our first stop was at Buc-ees. Holy crap. What an experience. Steve told us we should stop there if possible – that it’s like a Cracker Barrel combined with a Sheetz on steroids – and boy was he right! It was an experience in and of itself.
It was another lovely day for a drive. Traffic was okay most of the time. Waze took us another way than we had planned, saying it was 24 minutes shorter, and it worked out okay. I’ve learned to trust Waze. It’s a pretty great app. About an hour after I told BA people don’t really abuse the app to put incorrect alerts out, we started getting a bunch of nonsense alerts. Oh well…
We tried stopping at Cracker Barrel. Waited 20 minutes for a table. Then, after about 3 minutes at the table, we decided to leave. It was super busy, one table near us was complaining to the manager, and another table near us was sitting waiting for their waitress (and had been seated ten minutes before us). Although it was a shame to waste half an hour, we were glad we left and didn’t waste any more time.
Three and a half hours later, we made it to Vero and clinked our glasses:)
We had a nice (and crazy) dinner with family and now we’re settling in at my mom’s place. She and BA are getting along swimmingly:)
We started our day a little leisurely, waking up without an alarm. Even so, we were on the road around 9 am. We skipped breakfast so BA had a few Wilbur Buds to hold her over (thanks Kim!).
About two hours down the road, we decided it was a frappe Saturday so we stopped and got ourselves medium caramel frappes and fries at McDonalds. I also filled up the car and cleaned the windshield and rear window. My car got 40 mpg again, which is great (especially given how heavy the car is now that it’s packed full).
Shortly thereafter, we crossed into Georgia; and, as has been the case all along the way so far, I said “Welcome to Georgia, BA!” To which she said thank you and promptly texted her brother that we just crossed the line into Georgia. Not even five minutes later, we passed a sign that said “Welcome to Tennessee!” We were a little confused but we went with it. I asked BA if she was going to text her brother that we were back in Tennessee now and she said, “Nope.”
Traffic today was noticeably heavier and less patient than the past two days. I may have dropped several expletives, which I was delighted to find BA completely agreed with.
A couple hours later we made it to Atlanta and BA’s brother’s home. We had a nice introductory conversation and then he kindly took us on a driving tour of parts of Atlanta. We saw Emory University (fun fact: Emory was the only place I applied to in high school – and, no, I didn’t get accepted), the Governor’s mansion, parts of Buckhead, and Peachtree Rd, along with several other sights. Atlanta is hillier than I expected and is lush with beautiful mature trees.
Upon returning home, we quickly dove into some day drinking and chatting while dinner was cooking. What a delightful time chatting with BA and David! Dinner was a delicious fall-themed meal and the great conversation continued. I talked with them about the 5 Love Languages – you know what a fan I am of that – and really enjoyed the whole visit so far because I am a quality time kind of person.
I particularly enjoyed the banter between BA and David. Here’s a nugget you’ll have to ask her about sometime. Check out the horse in the picture below. It wasn’t originally designed to have a removable tail. Yet, now it does…
We get an extra hour to sleep tonight. Perhaps we’ll actually make it past 10 pm! Good night y’all!
Well, we are on our way! We left Pennsylvania today and crossed through Maryland (very briefly) and West Virginia to land in Bristol, Virginia. Fun fact, Bristol is on the state line so half of it is in Virginia and the other half is in Tennessee.
What a beautiful day for a drive! It was sunny with happy clouds and the trees in lovely fall colors. We listened to 70’s Light Rock on Pandora. Traffic was relatively light and although BA used the holy sh!t handle a few times and offered to flip somebody off, there were no serious curse words, no true a-holes on the road, and my driving was solid.
We started off only a smidge rough. We had to return for some forgotten snacks, forgot to ask someone to take a picture of us, and forgot to take a picture of the car. Fortunately, it only took a few moments for us to realize this. So we stopped on a random street in Palmyra to snap a selfie. There was a light up goat decoration in the yard where we stopped. Seemed perfect!
The quote of the day: “You see, there’s a lot of stuff I don’t know” (courtesy of BA) and followed up later by the caveat, “but I do know hot buns.” We had delicious hot buns, Cesar salad, steaks, and sweet potatoes at Texas Road House. Can you guess whose drink is who’s?
Now we’re settling into our room to get a good night’s sleep. Good night! Thank you for the prayers and well wishes! I’ll share more tomorrow!
Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans. Yep. How often are we reminded of that wise saying?! And I guess one of the best (and most cliché) responses to that is, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Now, I don’t think you can always turn things around so far as to make lemonade. However, you can certainly just accept the lemons for being lemons (and not the end of the world). Maybe squeeze them into a glass of water? Or zest them around the room for some clean fresh fragrance? Or use them to keep your avocado from turning brown?
I say this because my car is in the shop with a screw in the shoulder of one tire. Yes, two days before our big road trip and not only do I need to get a new tire but I’m also without my car for over a day, ruining my practice packing plans. What to do?
Well, I’m grateful the tire place could get me in today. And I’m grateful they can get me new tires in time for our planned departure. And I got some bonus extra time with a friend who helped me drop off my car. Plus, I got to eat fresh hot Chick-fil-A tonight instead of 20-minute old Chick-fil-A.
These are all good things. So much for my plans! Things are turning out differently and just fine anyway.
Good friends tell you the truth. They don’t just tell you what you want to hear. And when I say the truth, I’m not talking about things like telling you when you have something in your teeth. Although any friend should do that!
I’m talking about telling you the truth by asking you the tough questions and challenging your perspective. Your friendship exists in a judgement-free space where you’re able to be fully vulnerable with each other, knowing that no matter what, you’ll always be there for each other.
I am blessed with lots of great good friends. I love spending time with them. I love sharing laughs. And I’m extra grateful for them when we need to share tears.
Be sure to be that good friend in return. Tell them the truth. And tell them how much you appreciate them, if you haven’t done that in a little while.
J.I.L.L. 