Going to the Chapel...

Since I haven’t written in nine days, this is a rewind/recap of life since last Saturday- going backwards since a lot of people lose interest after 100 words.

Today, I woke up sick, which totally stinks, considering tomorrow is a big day! Roger and I spent the day packing and organizing. Tomorrow, we head to Casa De Solana in St Augustine, where we are GETTING MARRIED!!!!! http://www.casadesolana.com/

 My mom says we picked the haunted room, but I’m sure I’ll be so excited that I won’t require sleep. I love our outfits we chose and I think we’ll look stunning. Afterwards, we’re having dinner at the Columbia.


I’ll post pictures this week.

We're staying at the B&B tomorrow night, and Tuesday we’re going to the Fountain of Youth. http://www.fountainofyouthflorida.com/

Then, we’re headed to Orlando for our flight. LONDON CALLING! We’re headed to England. It’s supposed to be in the forties, fifties and 60’s, so I hope we won’t freeze our petunkies off. Roger says maybe we won’t come back…..

Saturday, we ran last minute errands. Roger and I got manis and I got a pedi. I was super disappointed. I thought I’d be creative and get a French manicure with bright sparkly red, but it looked awful. Since the Vietnamese ( maybe?) lady was steadily talking about how ugly my feet are to her co-workers (I know this, because every time she said something, they looked at my feet, looked at me, looked down, and then commented), when she asked me if I liked it, I begrudgingly said “Yes”. Now I look like I have talons dipped in blood. Sigh. No worries though, because my toes are so squeezed together in the four inch heels Roger picked for me, that you can’t even see my toenails. And if you could, they’d be purple from lack of blood flow.

We also had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. O.k., so I have to admit, Roger had to drag me there, because I was convinced it would be yucky healthy pizza, since the California Pizza in the frozen section at Publix has chicken, diced tomatoes and spinach. Let me just say this, pricy, but good! I would totally get the pizza Roger ordered next time- carnitas (pulled pork), pesto, and habanero sauce. Yummy.

Friday, we were lazy and did nothing. Roger cooked lomo saltado for my grandparents. Super flavorful.

 Thursday, I enjoyed every minute of Roger’s company. I missed him so much. We got our marriage license, picked up my dress, ordered my shoes and had Roger fitted for a suit.


 Wednesday was the longest day ever. I counted every minute until Roger was to arrive. My grandmother and I made him a birthday cake- her mother’s carrot cake recipe with rum icing. I think he was pleased and surprised to have cake and presents.

Tuesday was blah.

Monday was blah. Sunday was blah.



Saturday was a blast! I went to the Devo/Blondie concert. I was in the thirteenth row, smack in the center. Perfect seat in a perfect venue. Devo was super awesome. I was initially shocked by how old and heavy they looked, but man, they had heart. They could still jump and run around and put on a good show. Blondie was another story. She appeared intoxicated, had a super big blond wig and wasn’t very enthusiastic. Her voice was still great. She just didn’t move much, it reminded me of the Temptations when I saw them last year.

And that’s it. Update to follow in a couple of days!

Whip It, Whip It Good

Don't ask me why, but the song stuck in my head is Milkshake (Kelis). (You know, My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard....)...... record scratches.... WHAT? Milkshake? On the day when I will see Blondie and Devo? Time to switch records. Whip It! Whip it Good! Maybe Mark Mothersbaugh will let me borrow his red hat made out of a plant container. Four days until Roger returns. I cannot wait!!!

Happy Unofficial Anniversary!

One year ago today, I met the love of my life.

Alex bought tickets to the Bad Brains concert in Ft. Lauderdale, thinking someone would want to go with him.  At the last minute, he still had no takers.  Because he had never driven out of town by himself, I didn’t want him to go alone, so I begrudgingly agreed to go.

When we arrived, we were almost the first in line.  When we got inside, he immediately wanted to go to the mosh pit.  I told him I was too old for that and that I would stand one level up by the rail so I could see him. 

The first band came on, and everything was o.k.  But then, Bad Brains came on and it turned wild.  People were bumping into me and shoving me out the way.  Next thing I knew, this tall handsome guy in a shirt that referenced some kind of Pussy Café (or something along those lines) was standing next to me.  He told me he was going to stand next to me and no one else would bump into me.  We didn’t talk much, but when he disappeared, I was really disappointed. So, I went to the back of the room away from the crowd.

Next thing I knew, he was standing beside me again.  He said he had been looking for me.  I felt a wave of relief rush over me in such a calming way.

I introduced Roger to Alex, and he invited us to get something to eat, but we had to leave because it was a school night.  He gave me a kiss on the temple.  I will never forget that.  He was sweet and gentle.

I thought I would never hear from him again.  Next thing I knew, we were on our first date, and starting our happy forever after.

I’ve never met anyone so interesting and kind.  He makes me laugh, he keeps me entertained, and he still promises to protect me forever.

Thank you Alex and Bad Brains for bringing me the Love of My Life!

Roger's Adventures

Roger had his own Grand Adventure today.

Before

After!  Handsom Fella!

The Palatka Experience

Here's some pictures from today's Grand Adventure:

Downtown Palatka

Elsie Bell's Antique Mall

Display at Elsie Bell's

Wine selection at Tangled Oaks Winery

Afterthought.....

I just thought of something that actually made me smile.....

Words of Wisdom from my little sister, Courtland.  These are her favorite quotes, which she uses frequently:

"Crack is Whack"
"If you're going to be dumb, you'd better be tough!"
"Peace in the Middle East"
and my favorite, "Everybody Poops!"

:)

Accentuate the Positive

Last night, I pulled up camp from my mother’s and headed back to my grandparents’.  My mom’s dog, McGregor, ended up being my travel companion.  I’d never made a trip with a dog in the car.  He was so excited by everything- the lights, the toll lady, the fresh air………! And to see my grandparents’ genuine excitement to see him was priceless!  (And, to see me too I guess.)

Now, my sleeping pattern is all whacked out.  I went from being a person of extreme structure to staying up until two or three, waking up at 8, taking naps, you name it.  So this morning, I woke up exhausted with a sore throat.  How does that happen?

But today I’ve resolved that I’m going to accentuate the positive, like the old song.

This afternoon, I plan to visit this winery.  

http://www.catchwine.com/wineries/florida/tangled_oaks_vineyard/

I also want to go to Elsie Bell’s Antique Mall in Palatka.  Palatka is known for this: 1) The Florida Azalea Festival, 2) a Blue Crab Festival, and 3) as once being home to the Timucuan people.  It’s a microscopic speck on the map, west of St. Augustine, FL.

More good news is that I weighed  and found that the scale finally decided to move.  Apparently my efforts to follow Dr. Adkins’ Carnivore Diet are paying off, because I lost four pounds.  Yippeeee

Accentuate the positive………. J

Good Mornin'!

Good mornin’, good mor-o-or-nin’, time to wake your sleep head, good mornin’, good mornin’, to you! Whoo, whoo, whoo!  (That’s today’s song of the day. You can’t even attempt to sing it without smiling.)

The other song of the day is Happy Birthday, because today is Roger’s Birthday!  And although I’m very disappointed we cannot be together, especially since he was in Peru last year for my birthday, too, I’m still in a good mood, because birthdays are happy.  It’s the day we came into the world, kicking and screaming, and were immediately grabbed, cleaned up, swaddled and held by someone who loves us. 

So Happy Birthday to the Love of My Life.  I plan to celebrate when you get home.  I have presents for you to open and looootttts and loooooottttts of kisses for you!  You’re another year older in our Grand Adventure, so that make you wiser, right?  Xoxoxoxox

Go With Your Gut!

Always go with your gut. When in doubt, it is your best guide. No matter how you feel about something or someone, if you have to choose between what your head, your heart or your gut tells you, go with your gut feelings.

Sad and scary!

I just spoke to my little brother on Skype.  He is currently stationed in Afghanistan.  I could tell he looked worried and tired.  He explained to me about the efforts by the insurgents this week, and the casualties involved.  He said the bases at Kabul and Bastian were brutally attacked. He said his base would be considered a great prize, which makes me extremely worried.

This is my appeal for prayers for our soldiers, the country of Afghanistan, and all the people who lost their lives as a result of this chaos. (And for my little brother, of course.)

How many thoughts can bounce around in my head at once???

Here are my random thoughts this morning:

• ·        For anyone that plays Hanging with Friends, “bice” is a word.  It’s a blue pigment.  If anyone would like to play with me, that would be awesome, because I need two hundred more points so I can change the look of my character.
• ·         Two product shout-outs: Colgate Optic White Toothpaste and the Venus Bikini Trimmer.
• ·         Things that are not cool: knowing there’s a lizard in my bedroom SOMEWHERE, being exhausted and not able to sleep, not seeing my best friend/love of my life for 7 days, with 9 more to go, not being able to remove the stupid blond hair extensions some whacked out hair stylist added to my hair.
• ·         What I would love to eat if I were not on a diet: crème brule. How’s my diet working?  It’s not, and I’m not cheating.  I think stress is a factor…. Sigh
• ·         Something I despise: lies!
• ·         Questions for the day: If Jacksonville is the largest city in the country by area, why don’t they have an Ikea store? And what’s in a Swedish meatball anyway?
• ·         The Spanish word of the day is Zapato (shoe).  And, yes, I have not passed Lesson 3 of Rosetta Stone, because I can read and write Spanish o.k., and my grammar is good, I just can’t pronounce anything accurately.  How do you say “Help” in Spanish?????
• ·         It’s 10:30 in Florida, which makes it 9:30 in Lima, Peru.
• ·         Why won’t anyone comment on my blog?  Am I that boring?
• ·         According to Wikipedia, the first album released by Depeche Mode was “Speak & Spell.”  Here’s the Depeche Mode song of the day:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEAuMiKqP-4
• ·         That’s it.  My four minutes of random thoughts captured in a list.

Misc Stuff

Because I don't believe in starting ANYTHING on a negative note (including the day, a conversation, etc), I figured I'd start this note with something happy.
So here's a great song in the spirit of Sunday! :

Anyway, now to my dilemma.... anxiety.  It's crippling.  Every since Roger left, my anxiety is fierce.  Normally I'm a person that wakes up before the sun comes up, extremely happy and singing some silly song about birds and the sun; I now find myself staying up to 3 in the morning worrying, then sleeping until ten o'clock.  Why is this?  Is it fear that Roger will magically change his mind and not come back? Is it a lack of self confidence?  I just don't know.  Part of me thinks it's from boredom.  I haven't worked for two weeks, I haven't been exposed to many people, and I never appreciated how much time Roger and I spend communicating.

So, today, I'm making my best effort to be happy and positive.  To know that I have a wonderful life ahead of me with the someone who loves me back.  I'm going to appreciate what I have and what will be, instead of worrying about what could be.  A word of encouragement would be nice, but of the 203 views of my blogs/thoughts, the only person who's commented is Roger.

And here's some fun facts today about Jacksonville, where we're moving in October:

• Jax is the largest city in the continental U.S. by land mass
• It operates the largest urban park system
• The annual Jax Jazz Festival is the 2nd largest jazz fest in the U.S.
• Lynyrd Skynyrd and Limp Bizkit are from there, and Elvis performed his first indoor concert there.
• GI Jane was filmed there
• It's home to the oldest skate park.

And to end, a quote I recently read that I'm trying to ingrain in my thoughts: "You can't lead a positive life with a negative mind." (I think I got that right, if not, to whomever these wise words belong, please forgive me.)

Have a Happy Sunday!!!!!

Fun with Mom

I had a super great time with my mom today. Although we mostly slacked off on our project, we spent some quality time together.  It's nice that we enjoy each other's company as adults.  Plus, since she's almost ready to rent out this house, it's like when she used to take me camping when I was young. No beds,  no T.V., and staying up way too late. Our own grand adventure.
I spoke to the love of my life tonight, which always brings me peace. Poor guy apparently has food poisoning.  I hope he feels better soon. I am anxiously awaiting his return from Peru.
Sweet dreams.

The Blow-Up Mattress!

It's always interesting sleeping on a blow up mattress.  You start out so proud of how well you did inflating it, and amazed at how fluffy it looks. However by morning, at least one body part has sunken to touch the floor.  Here's some techniques I discovered while trying to sleep last night. 1) The Wedge: lay to one side of the mattress, so the other side is extra inflated, then stuff as many pillows as you can behind you so you don't roll off ; 2) The Spread Eagle: adjust your arms and legs straight out like you are in a mid-jumping jack.  This allows you to cover a lot of surface area, thereby decreasing your chances of sinking in ; and 3) The Diagonal: lay in a diagonal direction across the mattress, because the air passages inside run vertically. This, too, decreases your chances of sinking.
I hope tthis helps anyone who will be experiencing the wonders of an air mattress....

An Old Saying

I"IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY, DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL." THESE ARE OLD WORDS OF WISDOM THAT I'M CHOOSING TO FOLLOW AT THIS MOMENT AS TO AVOID A STRING OF UN-GENEROUS STATEMENTS THAT MIGHT SPEW FROM MY MOUTH IF I OPENED IT RIGHT NOW........
(AND I'M NOT SURE WHY I ONLY HAVE ACCESS TO CAPITAL LETTERS TODAY....)

Missing Roger

I miss Roger so much.  Life is really boring without him by my side.  We talk, we laugh,we watch movies and listen to music.  We go for drives and he holds my hand…….. sigh.

Anyway, today I watched National Geographic’s documentary on the world’s most dangerous gang- MS13.  So, in case I can’t find a job, I figured I could keep the gang idea on the back burner. Maybe they could just punch me in the arm for my initiation instead of beating me silly. There are just three other problems- I look ridiculous in a bandana, I can’t get their tattoo because I hate asymmetry, and I can’t seem to make their “sign” with my fingers.  Humph.

And, speaking of tattoos, I decided to ix-ne the idea of going to the tattoo convention in Jacksonville.  I don’t think it would be much fun alone.  Instead, I guess I’ll go to Okeechobee for the weekend to help my mom with a project.  Maybe she’ll treat me to a mani and pedi when we’re done. J

Dear Baby Jesus

Dear Baby Jesus,
Thank you so much for the following:

• the best boyfriend (soon to be be ex-boyfriend when we get married) in the whole world- my Boo Boo Honey
• a family that loves me (even if my son hates me)
• great music
• Batteries
• My Garmin
• Xanax
• Music
• Feather Pillows
• My bicycle and jump rope
• The girl at Lane Bryant who told me my bra size is 42F instead of 40DDD and gave me a 50% off coupon
• My Dutch oven
• Roger's citrus juicer
• Teavana
• A  car that I love
• what little knowledge I have
• the fact that I have food, shelter and decent health
• the fact that I have two parents that love me, even if we don't see eye to eye, and two grandparents that freaking rock because they love everyone unconditionally
• because I am unique, and even if no one understands me, I love myself, because I have good values,  and try hard.
• As a disclosure: I know that I am super lucky and may sometimes appear to not appreciate my life.  Please don't get me wrong....  I'm thankful for what I have and would still be thankful if I had less, because no matter what, I am blessed.

Pics From Cooking Class

Snap.  Forgot to post my pics from the cooking class.  I made this!

 And by the way, Mr. Adkins, you suck!

Publix Cooking Class

Tonight was one of the best nights of my life.  I went to the Publix Aprons Cooking School’s class on cooking seafood.  We made shrimp toast (never heard of it before, but man was it yummy!), Mahi Mahi in a bag, arugula salad with citrus sections and white truffle oil and grilled salmon with a balsamic reduction.  There were 10 of us and two chefs and it was so much fun!!! I learned how to hold a knife, how to Julianne vegetables, how to clean fish filets, how to prepare a bag to cook fish in parchment paper, how to make buerre blanc and lots of other cooking techniques.  I have to be honest, I didn’t like the taste of much except the shrimp toast squares, but cooking is so much fun.  At the end, we had a sit down meal to taste all of our food, and each course was served with wine.   The experience was totally worth the $50 and I would do it again in a minute. 

By the way, Rosetta Stone sucks.  So what if I can’t properly pronounce “a woman drives a car.”  They don’t even give any points for effort.  And apparently, I need to stay away from yellow apples, too, because I cannot pronounce that either.  How rude……..

Please God, save me from boredom.....

Mid-day update.  (Can you tell I’m bored?  I actually miss my old life and work….)

Today I broke out the jump rope I bought on clearance at TJ Maxx yesterday.  I should have thought about the fact that according to the 18 year old bra expert at Lane Bryant, I now have 42F boobs.  (O.K., a moment of honesty- I initially typed 40F out of embarrassment, but hell, what’s another two inches matter when the cup size is F?)

Anyway, my generous bosom made jump roping slightly difficult.  But since I have OCD (only when it comes to numbers), I developed a training system….. I put together the border of a puzzle (yes, I’m so bored I bought a puzzle).  Then for every hand full of pieces I drew out of the box, if I was able to fit a piece in, I would go outside and try to jump.  The first attempt was to make one jump, the second was two jumps, etc, etc.  I’m now up to being able to jump 15 times in a row.  (My grandfather is a little confused about this process, but is trying to show his moral support.) Maybe be next week I can be as good as Rocky……

Also, today I’m on lesson 3 of Rosetta Stone.  Because I try to be a perfect student, I had to spend an extra day on lesson two because apparently, I cannot pronounce la manzana es verde correctly (the apple is green).  Oh well, after two hundred attempts to get it right, I just decided from now on I’ll stick to red apples (roja).

And, I discovered another bad part about not being employed is the easy access to infomercials.  I now own Heel-Tastic, and plan to buy the NuWavePIC cooker soon. I’m convinced that I can no longer live without one.  However, to demonstrate that I still have a measure of self-restraint, I am refraining from buying the PX90 exercise system.

And finally, as a public service advisory, please do not be shocked if you see me and discover that my 1 1/2” bangs have developed cowlicks that look like horns…….  (and for anyone interested, thank God for spell check, because I initially spelled this word as calick, which according to the Urban Dictionary, is the act of defecating in one’s partner’s oral cavity.  Gross…  Don’t believe me? http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.urbandictionary.com%2Fdefine.php%3Fterm%3Dcalick&ei=liFSUKS8HYfO9QSWnIGAAw&usg=AFQjCNEp2xeJ_THF1416IBJZyyEURIWCkQ)

At least I’m not that bored, yet…….

The Haircut

Today was blah.  I slept late again.  Had my super Adkins diet breakfast.  My grandmother and I were supposed to go shopping and get my hair cut in Gainesville, but she didn't feel well.  Then, my grandfather started having trouble with his vertigo.  So, once I got them settled, I went to Jax.  Big mistake.  There's lots of cool stuff to buy there, and I don't have an income right now.  I did settle on a cute pair of shoes, a couple small presents for Roger's birthday, and a giant card board  "C" with metallic silver spray paint for our new apartment ("C" for Conner/Caceres, of course....).

That's when things got interesting.   I went to the Regency Mall.  My first red flag to turn around should have been the fact that only 1 in 5 stores remained in existence.  But no, I ignored my gut and found a Master Cuts.  Long story short, the very nice young lady who was the sole employee agreed to give me bangs, but neglected to tell me her scissors were not sharp and she didn't know how to cut bangs.  I now have an inch and a half of bangs, after she had to keep cutting to make them even.  Next, she convinced me to get blond hair extensions.  Then, even more exciting, was when she also convinced me that I needed to have my hair set/curled.  After an excruciating hour of rolling 10 strands of hair at a time on a fancy blue roller, I got to spend another hour under a heater lamp thing that was broken, so it had to rest on my head for support.  In the end, I now have a non-permanent Jheri Curl.  The young black man who was to be the next victim/client was super excited and asked for the same hair style, minus the 1 1/2" bangs, of course.

Tomorrow will be a new adventure- a cooking class at the Publix Aprons cooking school.

Fourteen more days until Roger returns.  Hopefully I wont look too weird when he returns.  I always end up like a mischevious puppy who resents being left alone when he's gone.  (You know, shreds the pillow cushions, shreds the toilet paper, etc when his owner leaves.....)

Last time he left, I ended up with a leather-like tan and a tattoo......

Day 11

Day 11 of our Grand Adventure

Today is a bummer.  I got up at to 4:30 a.m. to take Roger to the Gainesville airport for his trip to Peru.  He’ll be gone 16 days.  Aggghhh!.  This is so long for me because 1) we’re never apart, 2) he’ll be gone for his birthday and our 1^st anniversary, and 3) I’m a somewhat jealous girlfriend and he has a million friends in Peru, half of which are girls that post provocative pictures of them-selves online and use a lot of dirty language in their Twitter posts.  (O.K., so I don’t speak Spanish yet, but I am on Lesson 2 of the Rosetta Stone program, and the words look pretty suspicious to me…..).  I was invited to go, but it’s so much money, and I don’t fit in, and I need to find a job.

So, here I am- hour 6 of being alone.  So far, I’ve eaten a very overpriced breakfast at the local Mayberry-like restaurant called Melrose Café.  A café it was not, and the fancy name certainly didn’t warrant paying $7.50 for 2 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon and black coffee.  Then, I bought a ticket for the Blondie/Devo concert at Anastasia Isle (where is that anyway?).   http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/220048C5AC373FC5?artistid=821295&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1&tm_link=ms_home_event_link&ac_link=ms_home_event_tdusfortybelow

Then, I signed up for the Jacksonville Publix’s Cooking School class for how to cook seafood (http://www.publix.com/aprons/schools/Jacksonville/ClassDetailReservations.do?childId=19305) and a beginners sewing class in St. Augustine with an oriental lady who speaks almost no English.

If I get extra bored, there’s also a tattoo convention and a sale at Lane Bryant.

The highlight of my day so far was peering over a wheelbarrow with my grandmother where my grandfather proudly displayed the cotton-mouth snake he beheaded in the garden.

That’s o.k.  I still need to pay bills, look for my English bulldog puppy, pick a new apartment in my new building that is on a floor that allows pets, wash the cars, mail some birthday cards, look for an indoor flea market for my new store- Lilly’s Frillys, get my hair cut, and yes, look for a job.

Sigh. Life is still good.

In the Beginning......

The first week of our latest grand adventure has now passed.  It was not what I expected. It wasn't smooth or easy, rather it was a true test of our relationship.
We started last Friday with my last day at Seacoast.  I worked for Big Lake and its successor Seacoast for 14 years and three months.  And although it was very stressful and taxing on my health and spirit, I was still sad to leave.  I was very surprised that they had a luncheon and after work party for me.  So many people came to say goodbye and show their support for the changes I decided to make in my life.
The next day we did not jump out of bed to pack; we did not act on the urgency at hand- we (I) had too much stuff and one-third of it remained to be boxed and sorted through.  Instead, we ran last minute errands.  We moseyed through the day, then around 4 decided to get busy.  At 11:30, I was exhausted and spent, and had made so little progress.
On Sunday, I got up early, ready to face the day.  Roger went to get the truck, and the teenager who mows our yard (and his big brother) were scheduled to arrive to help us do the heavy lifting.  That's when we hit our first snag.....our 26' U-Haul wasn't there.  Hello panic-mode.  The U-Haul company did some scrambling, and a couple hours later, we were back on track. 
Initially, I was concerned that our "stuff" wouldn't fit in the truck.  After the first hour when part of the furniture was in, I started to feel optimistic. Then, hour two, and I realized I was right.  We didn't have enough space in the truck.  We sent Dennis and his brother home, and were forced to face reality.  Roger, frustrated and tired, explained that had to start making decisions about what I truly wanted to take and what must be left behind.  I felt like a defeated hoarder- paralysed to think that I must make quick decisions about which boxes I would keep or discard.  The problem wasn't parting with material items, the problem is my boxes were poorly packed, and I had no idea what was in each one.  The first box I opened had some empty figurine boxes, some photos and some gold jewelry.  Just a reaffirmation that if I just dumped boxes, I would have no idea what I was loosing.  Sigh, I decided to sleep on it.
Monday morning, I was able to convince Roger to take what we had to Melrose, then rent a second storage unit and a pull behind U-Haul trailer and come back for the rest.  This would give me the opportunity to go through everything properly.  After we finished packing our vehicles and what would fit in the big truck, we loaded the RX7 and my car on vehicle dollies and took off around 3:00p.m..  We arrived in Melrose around 11:30p.m.  Snag number 2: the U-Haul and car dolly wouldn't fit in my grandparents' driveway.  So, in the middle of the night, we had to unload the RX7, drop the dolly, rig it with flashlights so cars could see it and not run into it, then we pulled the big truck in.  Poor Papa, we were going to have to confess that we ran over the sprinklers making the turn around the circular drive.  Then, we took the Volvo off the Nitro trailer, dropped it off, and used the Nitro to get the big car dolly out of the road; and then brought the RX7 back in.  Geesh!
Tuesday, we slept until 10:00.  It had been almost a year since I slept that late.  We returned our car dollies, rented our 2nd U-Haul, rented our two storage units, which equalled 10x30 in space, then headed back to Port St Lucie.  We arrived at 6:00 p.m., and once again started loading.  And, once again, Roger pointed out that I was running out of space.  Aaaagggghhhh!  So, I kicked him out to start cleaning and I started putting together my giant puzzle of boxes.  In the end, 3 hours later, my casualties included a bar stool, a nightstand, a potted palm and a shop vac.  This I could live with and donated them to my FFF, whom I dragged out of bed.  From there, at 9:30 p.m., back to Melrose, where we arrived at 3:00 a.m.  Crash.
Wednesday morning, we met the men who were to help us unload the truck and trailer. My mother's friend referred two twin firemen to be our helpers.  (At the end of the day, it turned out that neither were the men referred to us- we still don't know who they were... weird.)  It felt like it was 900 degrees, but was really 95.  After three hours, we were exhausted and smelled like old sweaty gym clothes that sat in an airless duffel bag for a few weeks.  The rest of the day was a blur, and we crashed from fatigue again.
We began Thursday with optimism.  We were determined to find a house and employment.  We found neither and were beginning to get very discouraged.  I decided it might be easier to make Jacksonville our hub during our search and stay in a hotel instead of driving back and forth.  Because I'm more thrifty than Roger, I convinced him to stay in a cheap Days Inn at Neptune Beach.  It was really a damp dump with roaches.  We tried not to think about it too much.
For two days we looked at several houses, applied for numerous jobs, and found a few great restaurants.  End the end, we are still jobless (with a couple potential interviews), but we found a great place to live at the Metropolitan Lofts on Church St in the heart of downtown Jax http://jaxlofts.com/.
Back to my grandparents.
So now, we'll spend the next two days relaxing and Internet surfing and then Roger will go to Peru for a few weeks.  I'm super bummed because I'll miss his birthday and we'll spend our first anniversary apart, but we'll have the rest of our lives to hang out together.
Hopefully when he returns, we'll finally get married in time for phase two of our Grand Adventure which will begin in our new home/loft apartment.  (I'm secretly crossing my fingers for a little  English bulldog puppy, too! We can call him Brutus.)
I'm praying I'll be selected for a Financial Advisor Trainee at Wells Fargo.  I'd get to go to school for 7 months to take the test to get a Series 7 licence.  And I'm crossing my toes that Roger will get the Warehouse Manager position he's hoping for. 
Thank you Baby Jesus for all our blessings so far.  (By the way, we think we'll become Episcopalians now.)
That's it for now.  Stay tuned!