Solitude

I am still adjusting to my life here in Florida, and I have quite a ways to go. I think it will be better once I start working in a couple of weeks. Things are looking up in terms of getting stuff done for my job: I finally got my FL state provisional license in the mail as well as fingerprints & a badge made (not cheap here) for teacher certification and to be allowed on school grounds. I am anxiously (and not so much patiently anymore since I accepted this job back in December) awaiting my assignment. I should hopefully find out Monday. I hope that gives me enough time to get materials needed to do assessments and such. I am honestly trying my best to keep the "everything will work out" attitude about the job, but 20% of me is nervous that something might go wrong. I just have to trust my company. It's just crazy that school starts on the 19th, and I won't find out anything until after the 10th. I haven't met my CF supervisor or had any sort of orientation. YIKES, I don't like this. I am a planner. This isn't a good situation for a planner, hahaha. Oh boy.

On the brighter side, I am adjusting better to the life of solitude. Not good, but better. I'd like to give a shout out to all of the perks that have aided in this adjustment: First and foremost, I'd like to thank the USA channel for the 2-day Law & Order SVU marathons in addition to my DVR for allowing me to record the episodes and watch them at my own pace. I stretched the marathon out to at least 3 days worth of television! This is my favorite show, for sure. I'm also thankful for Big Brother season 11 and how it is on 3 days per week. This gives me something to look forward to every couple of days! Next I'd like to say how awesome the $1 movie rentals are at the grocery stores! Speaking of groceries...I discovered the Fresh Market and World Market = amazing!!! I will be getting just about all of my food there. They have the best fruits, veggies, seafood, nuts, breads, CHEESE, spices, everything fresh! They have my favorite wine too (Mascato Di-Asti) and the best organic chai tea I've ever made at home. I've been extremely grateful for the wine and chai in the evenings. It's relaxing. So is the hot tub and swims at night. Our pool has a 10pm curfew, but they don't really care how late you stay out there as long as you're quiet. Oh -and I must say that the thing that is most worth being here is the two free massages I get every month. I had my first one yesterday, and it was nice. It was raining outside which made it even better. I then went to Starbucks to read (I spent hours at Books a Million, so I bought a few new books to get me started).



Today, I went downtown to see Jacksonville's Favorite Oak tree at Jessie DuPont Park. It was very cool. I then went to the beach and read for a little while. It was nice, but I wish I had someone there with me. I don't like it by myself. I left before it started to rain. It has rained every day, which makes it impossible to make plans to do anything outside in the evenings. I've been wanting to go for a run on the beach in the evening, but I haven't been able to due to the repetitive rain. I hear the fall months will be perfect for running, so I look forward to that.



I helped my friend Kelli book a flight down here. She will be here on August 27th for the weekend. I will be SO happy to have her here. I booked my dad a flight on September 10th, and he will be here for 5 days. I am already counting down the days. Then I get to go home a couple weeks after that for Lacie's wedding, yay! I’ve been so caught up in the excitement of moving and starting my job that I didn’t realize how homesick I would be. I never felt this way out in California –and I was across the country. I guess that’s because I knew I was going back at the end of the Summer. I don’t know what will happen now. I just have to tough it up. I talked to my friend Kayla today (who begged me to move down here) and her mother-in-law just moved back to WV….which means she for sure won’t be moving to FL. I hate it. It doesn’t seem fair to me. If this doesn’t teach me the reality of “independence” I don’t know what will. I need to base my decisions on what I want and not what other people want. Yet, I don’t know what I want. It is complicated. Things will work out. Yes, they will. Faith. Faith. Faith. I must end by pointing out to myself that solitude is change, and like I said in the title of one of my previous posts, "Change is Good."