Long Lost Friend

A while ago my 'real' camera started acting up for no reason. (Not my sad, little point and shoot.)  Apparently the aperture control just up and quit working so it was out of commission. This was right before the move so one thing lead to another and things were busy and getting it fixed got put on the back burner.  I finally decided to get it fixed last month and I'm so glad I did.  I didn't realize how much I missed it until I got it back.  Last weekend, the Hubs and I  took off for St. Augustine.  On our way out of town,we took a walk over the bridge for a little photography expedition. The weather was perfect and I'm loving these photos.

In Case of Zombie Apocalypse...

I am so excited that a new season of The Walking Dead is right around the corner.  For those of you that aren't familiar, it's a show about a zombie outbreak in and around Atlanta and a group of folks trying to survive it all.  Pretty scary, huh?  It's on AMC so the story is really, really good and last season the Hubs and I were hooked.  The last episode ended with the group making their way from the woods outside of town into the city to the CDC, where they hoped they would find help. I also like trying to pick out landmarks and recognizable locations since they film in Atlanta and Senoia, GA.

And it got me thinking...what would I do if 'it' really hit the fan? Obviously I'd need to work out a ton of details like making sure we had a stockpile of food, wine and weapons.  My grandad has some land with a little lake on it outside LaGrange, Georgia.  He calls it 'The Outback'.  Now that I think about it, it's not too far from Columbus (and Fort Benning) and not too far from Atlanta (and the CDC).

Friendly Cows at The Outback

And since my grandad was an Eagle Scout and in the National Guard, he'd be super prepared with cots and fishing supplies and we'd be good to go.  Hopefully, it will never come to that, but if it does, I've got a plan!  We'll just hang out at the lake, fish and hunt for food, milk cows and have a bonfire every night.  Either that, or we'll just take over the world and make it our playground like they did in Zombieland!

Randoms

I've been taking a lot of photos for work lately and I'm loving the beautiful fall sunshine and cooler weather.

The Hubs and I finally got a chance to explore a little more of Jacksonville. We went out for a date night and enjoyed dinner at European Street (they certainly know how to make a good Sangria!) and the Jacksonville Symphony. I wore my polka dot dress for the first time and I'm loving these earrings from F21.

My Sis visited and we went to see the Grandparents down at The Villages in Lady Lake, FL. If you've never been there, it's quite a sight. Thousands and thousands of retirees scooting around on custom golf carts, playing golf and enjoying happy hour. I wonder if they let 30 year olds in...I could totally enjoy that speed of life...

And enjoy cupcakes too, obviously.

So we've been in Jacksonville a little while now and it has been crazy and busy. We finally got out on the town the other day, since the majority of the weekends we have still been back and forth to Gainesville. Last weekend I went to the opening of Sweet at the Town Center with my new friends Tricia, Natalie and Sonja to enjoy some tasty, tasty cupcakes!

Boston Cream Cupcake (my favorite!)

Finally Fall

It's still not quite chilly in Florida yet (obviously), but at least it's starting to feel a little bit more like fall around these parts. I got to go out to Micanopy yesterday for some photos for work and we got to see the cutest little corn maze. Coon Hollo is the most adorable little farm! Take a look for yourself...

They even have a donkey named Paco, he was quite friendly.

I am so ready for some more chilly days, hot chocolate and the holidays right around the corner!

A Carolina Weekend

Last weekend I hit the road for Columbia, SC to see one of my best friends and watch the Gamecocks play. And it was awesome! I miss living so close to Columbia and being able to see my friends whenever I want. I've definitely been homesick lately. I got to Columbia after supper time and we all decided to visit Rockaway's for burgers and some delicious pimento cheese fries. If you're in the area, these are not to be missed!

Saturday we did the requisite tailgate shopping with a quick stop by Target so I could get some jeans. I hope it's not a sign that I'm getting used to the Florida weather, but I packed nothing but shorts and skirts for the weekend and it was a little chilly in SC, which was fabulous. It felt like football weather all weekend long! I enjoyed a fabulous little tailgate with Twyla, Amanda, her husband Lenny, and my new friend Lt. Jill.

I had a great time at the game, even though there were some ridiculously over enthusiastic fans in front of us. I'm all for cheering, but I don't think it's necessary to stand up the entire game, holler until you can barely talk, and wave your spirit rag so hard that you could take someone's eye out. That's just me, but then again I didn't drink a 5th of Kentucky Gentleman and start chugging straight Canadian mist by the 4th quarter like the fellows in front of us. Thankfully, the weather was cool with no rain and the Gamecocks pulled out a win!

My favorite part of the game is always when Cocky comes out of the box to 2001.

(Please excuse the crazy 'spirit rag' in front of us for 1/2 of the video!)

The next morning we had brunch at the Liberty Tap Room (pretty tasty!) and got on the road for Florida. This was the most 'normal' weekend I've had in a while, hanging out with friends and not worrying about jobs or mother in laws. I must start having more fun in my life, soon! Thankfully there is plenty going on this fall, so I'll just have to make the best of it!

A Rant

This probably seems a little silly to be so bothered about but it is something that really gets under my skin. Why do cashiers and baggers have such a hard time with reusable bags?!? I love my reusable bags and carry them everywhere since they fold up so easily these days.

The biggest reason I love my reusable bags is that it allows me to carry a ton of stuff in just one bag. It has very little to do with the environment. Not that I hate the environment,
I just hate walking out of Walmart or the grocery store with 20 items and 15 bags. And then you get home with a ton of plastic bags. I feel terrible just throwing them away but it takes forever for me to remember to take them back to Publix or Walmart to recycle. It's just a pain in the but.

I hate walking up to the register and having the cashier pick up my reusable bag, stare at it like it's a bomb or something else questionable and then stare at me. Then I have to go through the whole 'it's a reusable bag, I've already paid for it' nonsense. Next the bagger usually tries to put only 3 items in it, or waits for me to tell them it's ok for them to put everything in it. I just wish the managers of these stores would have a team meeting and explain bags. They are all over the place, it's not like I'm the first person to use one. Either that or just let me self check out, like I used to do at home. It's so much easier and my groceries get bagged just as I like.Does this bother anyone else or am I just a weirdo?!?

Monday Randoms

We moved to Jacksonville! I'm still going back and forth to Gainesville for my job, which is actually pretty great. I'm lucky to have such understanding coworkers to let me work from home a few days a week.

It's still hard to believe that yesterday was the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. I'll never forget sitting in class at Augusta State and hearing the news, going home in time to see the second plane hit, and freaking out/praying the rest of the day. So much has changed since then.

I'm so happy that fall is right around the corner! I'm so ready for this summer to be over for many reasons. Our first summer in Florida was a little awkward, trying to figure out jobs and living situations. Plus fall = football!

I think I have accidentally become a toiletry hoarder. I didn't mean to, I just kept getting great deals with my coupons. Now I'm on a 2 month toiletry shopping freeze. No one needs more than 1 or 2 backup deodorants or shampoos do they?!? The bathroom closet is kind of out of control these days.

I'm so ready to find our new 'normal'. Life has kind of been upside down since we moved to Florida in February. Everything feels different all the time, which is hard for someone like me who really enjoys things to be the same. God has really taught me a lot about getting out of my comfort zone.

I got my eyebrows waxed yesterday for the first time in 6 months. 6 months, people! I don't know why I've been so lazy with everything lately. I need to find a social life soon, so I have a reason to put my face on and look respectable!

We went to the beach yesterday for the first time since we moved here. It was instant stress relief. We'll need to do that more often!

One more week...

One more week until I move to Jacksonville and get to live with my husband for reals again. I never thought this would be as hard as it is and I'll say one thing, I don't know how military wives do it. I have so much respect for them. I feel bad whining since I at least got to see him on weekends, sometimes for 3 day weekends. I can't imagine how lonely it feels to have your spouse be on the other side of the world for months at a time or even a year.

On a positive note, I really hope this week goes by quickly and that all my job hunting will pay off soon. I'm nervous about finding a new job, but everything will work out like it is supposed to, right? I just keep praying that it will. I have faith that we're getting right back on track and that God is looking out for us. I'm also really excited about exploring a new city and living in a place that neither of us has lived in before. I can't wait to try out new restaurants and figure out which neighborhood will be our new home.

So here's hoping that Jax will be fabulous and all will be 'normal' again sometime in the near future...

More Adventures in Cell Phone Photography

I am currently obsessed with the photo apps Vignette and Little Photo. I wish they would make instagram for android!

In Hiding...

I feel like lately I've been in hiding. Things have been really stressful and getting me down and I'm doing my best not to be Eeyore. Since we moved to Gainesville things have been really up and down. One moment I'm really excited about everything being new and the next minute I'm homesick and missing my family. And when you throw a crazy MIL into the mix, things get a little bit more bananas. Well, hopefully things are looking up now. The good news is that Hubs got a great job offer! Yay Hubs! But the bad news is that it's not in Gainesville. So that means another move...this time to Jacksonville.

I'm hopeful that this could be a good place for us. I also think it would be good for us to live in a city that neither of us have lived in before. If anything throughout this whole moving/worrying about jobs/dealing with family ordeal, we have definitely grown closer. I just want things to feel more normal soon. So here's hoping that 'normal' is right around the corner!

Lately...

Long story short, things are crazy lately. I've been feeling really homesick and far away from all my friends and family. Here's what I've been up to...

I jumped on the anthropologie bandwagon and now have a stylish jewelry holder for my dresser.

I joined Weight Watchers and have been eating lots of yummy summer produce and healthy foods!

I went to the Gator Football Women's Clinic, which was actually really, really cool! We toured the stadium, locker room, weight room and trophy area, met Coach Muschamp and did drills on the football field.

I got to meet the Pouncey Twins!!!

In June we hit the road for St. Augustine to catch up with one of my bffs...

We spent a fabulous afternoon on the beach

Stopped by our favorite watering hole in downtown

In St. Augustine Beach we found a delicious new food spot, Taco Shop

This place had amazing mexi-treats and was so tasty we visited it two days in a row!

I hope everyone is having a fab summer so far!