Life is a Beach

*This was written about my day Thursday, June 23. *

Today I was supposed to be in Tampa visiting with my mom and a few friends from home that I haven't seen in awhile.

My mom & I

However, due to the craziness that is moving David & I had to drive to Jensen Beach last night for an appointment with the Home Owners Association. Apparently this is vital to do before we move in, and this is the only time they had this week if we wanted to move in Friday. Therefore, I am currently sitting at a Panera after exploring my soon-to-be new home.

On to the beaches!!

This morning, I dropped David off at his office down here and headed to Jensen Beach which was a quick 10 minute drive. I came prepared in my workout clothes, hoping to make up for missing my workout last night due to our unscheduled drive down.

After my run I took my shoes off to cool down in the sand & surf.

Arriving at the beach soon after sunrise, I set out with the goal to reach "those really small buildings in the distance". I felt like they stayed in the distance the entire run! Holy cow were they far away!

Finally, through semi-soft sand, I managed to reach my destination and turned around to run back.

See those blurs in the distance? That's what I ran to!

Feeling accomplished I headed to the next beach on my list: House of Refuge.

This historical site boasts the oldest building in Martin County as well as the only Refuge House left standing. These coastal homes were meant as havens for survivors of shipwrecks and other such disasters in the 1800s. Now, a maritime museum is hosted in the quaint looking house for a minimal entrance fee.

Bypassing the museum, I headed to the beach behind it to enjoy the view, test the waters, and explore the rocks!

This beach was completely empty save myself and a fisherman's boat in the distance.

The last beach I explored was Bathtub Beach.
Aside from the funny name, this out of the way beach is known as a great family spot where parents feel secure allowing their kids to explore because of the relative safety afforded the beach by a living reef that essentially blocks the area off to sharks and other such wildlife.

The water is beautifully clear- I felt like I was in a spring, never have I seen such crystal clear water at a beach!

There were also little areas sectioned off by posts meant for sea turtles nests! I researched it a little, and different community centers (http://discovermartin.com/events/) host educational nights where people are taught about the turtles' habits and then escorted to local nests to observe their nesting rituals and hopefully see the baby turtles' fated trek to the ocean.

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As far as the eye could see was a stretch of pure white sand untouched by litter despite the popularity of the beach. This beach is an amazing example of humans peacefully coexisting with the natural wildlife.

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At this point I was exhausted after spending an entire morning & afternoon in the sun so here I am at Panera waiting for David to get off work!

I can't wait to visit more of the small local beaches to discover each and every intricacy, nuance and that little something that makes them unique!

Friday will be full of moving the large stuff down to Port St. Lucie and then finally finish up my weekend of moving with a garage sale Saturday & some final cleaning to our empty house on Sunday!

Southern Charm & Fuzzy Feelings

Technically, Florida is in the South. Yes, I know, basic geography.

However, the culture within Florida isn't "Southern" like places in Georgia or North Carolina.

There is just this genteel attitude that permeates every aspect of life in these true Southern states.

Here is a quick recap of some "Southern" trips and then... onto the main event!

North Carolina with David

 Two years ago, I visited Hickory & Charlotte, North Carolina for a visit to David's hometown over break.

New Years Eve started out fun & full of life! We hit a few bars, danced, made merry and finally ended up at a bar a little outside of the city. As everything started to wind down, we took a taxi van for our large group and contentedly headed home.

As we started heading back into the city, our cab driver blatantly ran the meter up misunderstood where we needed to go & headed in the complete opposite direction!

At this point, we informed him that we were not going to pay when he was going the wrong way. With that, he promptly dropped us on the curb and drove away without a second glance. He was just about the only person without some Southern gentility in this state.

At 2:30am, we started walking home.

At 4:00am, in high heels and "downtown wear", through bad parts of town, and sometimes beer-goggled directions, we made it back home!




Through it all, everyone remained in relatively good spirits.
(I will admit to some frustration on my part...Blame it on the Florida roots!)
The rest of the trip wasn't as dramatic, and we continued to visit the cute restaurants and beautiful sites within North Carolina.

Also, I saw snow for the 2nd time in my life that trip- totally amazing!


Hilton Head Island, South Carolina with Kristin

Last summer, Kristin and I accompanied her parents & their friends to a timeshare in South Carolina.

This island was a haven of country clubs, horse stables, and generally healthy & friendly people all there for a good time.

I can't think of a time where there were unfriendly servers, people that weren't smiling, or strangers that when you passed them didn't say hi.

All around, it was a welcoming place. We visited the beaches, local bars by the pier, and well known restaurants.


That brings me to SoFlo!

To be honest, my general opinion of South Florida has always looked something like this in my head:

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When in reality, it looks something like this:

And this:

This crazy move to my former nemesis of Florida was brought about by my boyfriend, David.

David (pictured above) graduated from UCF (represent!) in May, and he was one of the few lucky engineers that was able to get a job right out of college. He started a week after graduation and has been impressing them with his skills since then. Last week, we found out that he was getting transferred down to the Walton office in Port St Lucie.

While I had entertained a job opportunity in teaching down there (A principle I met at a job fair, but that's another post), we weren't sure that the move was really going to happen.

It all became a reality this past week as our house has been a whirlwind of packing, cleaning, and general havoc as we've tried to find a way to move all our stuff, set up utilities, and wrap up the end of our lives here in Orlando.

All of this rearranging has had be feeling warm & fuzzy towards my favorite hang outs & unique places in Orlando.

Next post: Favorites in Orlando!

Family Gatherings & Party Planning

I've always loved to host gatherings & parties; I feel like playing the hostess is a fulfilling task that allows you to show those you care about that you care!

Christmas hosted at my mom's restaurant, The Breakfast Nook

Ever since I was little i've always wanted to play "helper" and as I've grown up, that role has turned into the main party/event planner!

With this in mind, I really want some ideas for family traditions or foods that other people always eat around a certain holiday. What do you do with your family/friends??

Thanksgiving at my grandpa's house

My nana makes a jello salad we cleverly nicknamed "The Pink Stuff" that always makes an appearance at holidays, sometimes in colors coordinating with that holiday. Though the color changed, it was still always "The Pink Stuff" because pink was the favorite and the color most often chosen.

Christmas in Orlando

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of this glorious dessert. :(
 I do, however, have the original recipe. It's quick, easy & well loved. Without further adieu,

   The Pink Stuff

Ingredients:

16oz cottage cheese

12oz cool whip

16oz can crushed pineapple*

2-3oz package strawberry jello*

Directions:

Drain the pineapple and set juice aside.

Pour pineapple juice into a measuring cup, add water until it reaches 2 cups.

Pour the juice/water mix into a sauce pan & bring to a boil. Add jello mix, stir pan.

Reduce heat and cool for 1 hour in large mixing bowl.

Add remaining ingredients in their entirity and refrigerate.

Chill & serve!

*You can also use different kinds of jello & fruit for a different flavor- lime jello & orange slices, Real strawberries & strawberry-banana jello. Make up your own combo!