Mrs. Grits

Friday, March 4, 2011

Gainesville So Far...

Random thoughts on Gainesville so far...

The weather has been gorgeous since we've been here. Sunshiney, beautiful days. I'm a little anxious about my first Florida summer this year, but right now I'm enjoying the spring. It's even been so nice that I usually eat lunch outside.
Speaking of lunch, I love that there are so many restaurants within walking distance of my office downtown. Last week I tried Big Lou's Pizzeria for a slice at lunch and I wasn't disappointed.
I also discovered a frozen yogurt shops two blocks away from the office. The hardest part is not visiting mochi every day. They have red velvet and cake batter yogurt for crying out loud. DELISH! And it's even healthier if I put fruit on top, right?
I haven't had as hard a time finding my way around town as I thought I would. I'm still getting used to all the numbered streets instead of named streets.
I'm also liking that town is so bike friendly. We might not be biking a ton in the summer when it's so warm, but right now it's nice to be able to bike up to Publix and down to the Mexican restaurant. I already feel healthier!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

After our first few weeks in Gainesville, we decided to head out of town for a bit and get some rest and relaxation. One of our favorite places nearby is Cedar Key. It's a small fishing town on the Gulf Coast. It's a perfect place to chill out and get away from everything.

We spent most of the day walking around, taking photos and checking out the little shops. The weather was perfect, and it was so nice to get out and enjoy some sunshine and fresh air.

We weren't really in the mood to go out for supper so we stopped by Cedar Key Pizza to pick up a pie and head back to the patio of our hotel to enjoy it. We weren't disappointed! One thing I really like about Cedar Key is that there are no fast food or chains in town.

While we waited on our pizza we walked around the edge of town and enjoyed the sunset.

The rest of the evening we enjoyed wine on the patio under the stars. Downtown is so small that we were able to take a few 'laps' walking around the main street to people watch and listen to some of musicians playing that night. Before we left town the next morning to come back to reality we walked around downtown a little while longer.

I'm always just a little bit sad the leave the coast, but we'll be back soon, I'm sure.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Moving, etc.

A few more thoughts on the move...

You never realize how much stuff you have until you have to pack it all in boxes and put it on a truck. I think I have a reasonable amount of things. The hubs thinks I have enough tools and utensils to stock 5 kitchens. I think he is wrong. A girl needs options for baking cupcakes, making cookies and creating fabulous casseroles!
We will never rent from Budget again. Their service was less than satisfactory, they weren't helpful when it came to making sure we had everything we needed, and none of our cars (which are regular cars) would fit on the tow dolly, so we had to make an extra trip back up to Augusta to pick up the 2nd car.
You also never realize how much stuff is really 'essential' for day to day life until you have to put the majority of your things in storage. We're temporarily staying with family until we find a more permanent place and 90% of our stuff is in storage. When I originally packed everything I thought we'd have a lot more stuff with us at the house. I was kind of sad when I had to pick and choose a few cookbooks to keep with me and the rest had to be exiled to storage for a while.
I've really enjoyed learning my way around town and trying out new restaurants so far. So far I've discovered a yummy sandwich place and frozen yogurt within two blocks of my office. Score!
Living with family has been ok so far too. The only hiccup is that I got kind of spoiled in my old kitchen and now I'm cooking somewhere much smaller without all my kitchen gadgets and good knives. I haven't learned my way around the kitchen here yet, so it's kind of awkward like wearing someone else's shoes that don't fit quite right.

Monday, February 21, 2011

The Move Down South

A couple of months ago I decided to be brave and apply for a job outside Augusta. I've lived there most of my life and while, I really do like it I wanted to see what else was out there. (I guess I really should say semi-brave since Matt has a lot of family in Florida, so we aren't completely alone which is good.) Since we don't have kids or own a home yet, we thought it might be a good time to branch out a little bit. I was offered a job working for tourism in Gainesville, FL so we decided to take a chance and see what happens.

After my last days of work at my job in Augusta (I miss my coworkers already!) and my cousin's wedding in Atlanta, we spent the better part of a week finishing up packing everything. Thursday the boys hit the road to Gainesville and I stayed one more night to visit with my family.The next day I hopped in my truck that was packed with all of our outdoor stuff (grill, patio furniture, etc.) and hit the road for Florida.

The morning was pretty foggy when I got started.

I passed through Statesboro and waved hi to Georgia Southern!

Hopping on I95 at Savannah

Crossing the state line...

I stopped in Starke at the Dairy Freeze for a strawberry shake.

If you're ever on Hwy 301 heading through town, stop for a shake, you won't regret it!

Welcome to Gainesville

The last stop was unpacking everything nonessential into our storage unit...I'm pretty sure Matt was tired of driving the 24 foot truck at this point...

We managed to get the rest of our things into storage with the help of our friend and the greatest moving buddy ever, Rob. I promise we didn't leave him in storage with all of our stuff!

So now we're here...I started work last week and I'm still getting settled in. Every day feels a little bit better, but I am a tad homesick and hoping that things will slow down soon.