It was a little less than 8 hours, and somehow the time in the truck flew by us. We spent forever traversing the Carolinas, but once we hit Georgia the trip picked up speed. After crossing the FL border, Jax Beach was only 45 minutes ahead. Wow.
We stopped that night to pick up dinner on the way to Kris and Steph's where we had a cocktail and enjoyed their back patio. To have only been to Jax Beach twice now, I am growing more and more excited about time spent in that very spot. They are so welcoming and enjoy having everyone around. Granted I like my hermit time, but I know we will spend some lovely, relaxing times seated around the table on their back deck enjoying a dram of something tasty and the night air.
Friday was a big day. I took a Gyrotonic class at a studio where I might like to teach. I sort of wanted to scope the place out and sort of wanted to indulge myself. It was really, really wonderful. I forget what a luxury it is to be the student sometimes. When I left, I inquired about other Gyrotonic classes they offered and said I'd really like to join the class when I arrive in July.
Afterwards we took a quick trip to Bell's to search out a Mothers Day gift for Mary. Tom took a conference call in the car while I walked over to the Panera across the way. (I love that Carrboro has made me so willing to walk more.) His morning was quite busy. When he finished his call, he picked me up from Panera and drove me to the Starbucks down at Jax Beach. He then spent 2 hours with the accountant. I eventually took a walk around the little shopping center. (This nook also houses Roy's which he has spoken very highly of.) I also finally crossed 3rd street to put my feet in the sand.
But back to our trip...
When he finally (finally) surfaced, we drove down to the pier to park. We were going to walk to Lillie's, but I had my directions all wrong. Casa Marina was much closer, so we climbed the stairs up to the upstairs penthouse bar and patio.
Here is our view from lunch...
Afterwards we took a quick trip to Bell's to search out a Mothers Day gift for Mary. Tom took a conference call in the car while I walked over to the Panera across the way. (I love that Carrboro has made me so willing to walk more.) His morning was quite busy. When he finished his call, he picked me up from Panera and drove me to the Starbucks down at Jax Beach. He then spent 2 hours with the accountant. I eventually took a walk around the little shopping center. (This nook also houses Roy's which he has spoken very highly of.) I also finally crossed 3rd street to put my feet in the sand.
There were so many sea shells! When I was a little girl, Cranmommie and I always picked up seashells in the mornings when we were at the beach. I can still see Mrs. Orey's coffee mugs and taste the coffee milk that Grandma and Papa would make me before we went looking. Cranmommie and I never had THIS many shells to peruse. This is the finished product after (finally) cleaning them off this weekend.
But back to our trip...
When he finally (finally) surfaced, we drove down to the pier to park. We were going to walk to Lillie's, but I had my directions all wrong. Casa Marina was much closer, so we climbed the stairs up to the upstairs penthouse bar and patio.
Here is our view from lunch...
I feel certain we will frequent this spot. It definitely felt like we were on vacation. Is this too good to be true? To live somewhere where the tempo and pace of life is so much more relaxed and steady? I hope I can embrace the slower speed and let go of my often frenzied need for activities and scheduled events.
We tried to do some house hunting, but it wasn't meant to be. I won't bore you with the details, because it was pretty exhausting. As of today, we have a place we've applied to rent. Our fingers are crossed that it all works, and we should know something today or tomorrow. If we do not get this place, the agreement is that we will continue to look for something three blocks back from the beach until June 5. After that if we still have nothing, we will rent something farther away from the beach.
On Saturday, Mary and Tom joined us. We had a really wonderful time with them. Mary helped with the house hunting, and we did some shopping and eating.
On Sunday, the four of us went to meet Dr. Nipper, from whom Tom is purchasing Orange Park Endodontics. He was super. I probably thought he was so super, because he looks eerily like Daddy. (I mean bald spot, glasses, mustache, clothes - DAD!) They had a good meeting, and we all left so proud of Tom and feeling very good about the business venture.
Afterwards we drove back to Kris and Steph's where they had cooked out for Mothers Day. We got to see more friends and family and had a great time watching the TPC Sawgrass wrap up on the outdoor tv. It was pretty neat to see the gorgeous sunset behind the commentators and then look up beyond the tv to see the same incredible sunset. We were all admiring view.
The next day was for me the most exciting part of the trip. I received an email after breakfast that morning inviting me to speak with the owner of the Pilates studio. She and I connected over the telephone later that morning and had a very positive conversation. While I do not have a job per se, it was just what I needed. We have plans to meet on July 17th, and I feel like there is something in Jax Beach that I have done all for myself. We've exchanged a few emails since then including my resume and references. I am really hopeful that this grows into a job - if it is meant to be the right one.
All in all we had a great weekend. We did some exploring for my sake, a lot of driving around, and began finding some little nooks that are sure to be favorites with time. It had a rocky start with the housing questions that were left hanging in the air, but by the end we'd walked the beach together. We shared the sound of the ocean under the moon and in the bright midday light. I am really looking forward to all the memories we have to make in the years to come.
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