travel day! there should be a law that says:if you drive past the beach you must stop!

sooo...we woke up early the next morning to head up to orlando, but before we did,we sat on the balcony one last time, had some coffee, and relaxed (it was nice not to be too rushed). sabrina thought it would be a good idea to call and mess with lori (the adult version of 80's "is your refrigerator running? go out and catch it, hahahah)...i mean..i didn't stop her- but i'm pretty sure lori had to go take some blood pressure meds and breathe into a plastic bag in the corner...until finally sabrina stopped short and told her she was just joshin' (otherwise we might have had to remote call 9-1-1). #sorrylori

we checked out and figured out that the durango had its own nav system, so we figured that out, and as we were driving, i decided to play with some buttons on the dash, and sabrina gave me her best 'mom' look and said, "don't go pushing buttons-you don't know what they're going to do!"  (no worries, there wasn't an auto-eject button, nor was there a self-destruct-in-10-seconds button)...but we finally did figure out how to make it quit stalling-we think.

once we got to the ft lauderdale area, i was losing the battle of the bladder, so we pulled over by a sketchy gas station with an outdoor bathroom-with a door that opened to the outside-which didn't lock. but i wasn't worried-i knew that if it came to it, sabrina had my back-i have no doubt she would've pulled out her best football tackle and wrestled them to the ground. (i hope, right?)

at this point the coffee and power bar breakfast was wearing off, so we found ourselves a little natural burger restaurant.
lady at counter: oh, those large fries, they'll feed three.
us: oh...perfect, we're from texas.
i don't know three of what she thought they were going to feed...it was the perfect amount!

then we found a parking spot on the next block, where we could see the ocean just down the way, so we parked it.
change in the street--CHECK
pay the meter--CHECK
think we can walk to the water barefoot--CHECK
feel like my feet are blistering and the skin on my soles will completely peel off--CHECK
keep going to find "shade" in the dune grass--CHECK
being laughed at by the locals--CHECK

it doesn't get cheerier and more relaxing than that!

sabrina was wise enough to turn around and put her flip flops back on in the shade. but foolish me...whoever came up with the stupid motto no pain no gain was probably high on morphine, too. just sayin'.

finally we got to the cool, wet sand-and praised Jesus for it! we walked north until we found a spot that was slightly less populated. not that you need to know we were going north, but just in case anyone out there was wanting to really envision it, we turned left. there ya go.

the water was beautiful and refreshing! we spent a good amount of time just wading and enjoying. got some sun...one never notices it in the moment, but i definitely had lines.  at one point while we were out there, some idiot man brought out a bag and began feeding the gulls...mine.mine.mine.mine...for a minute i thought he'd break out in song with "feed the birds, tuppence a bag." umm that wouldn't be weird or anything...eventually we had to go in and move our belongings a little further up, so the rising tide didn't get them, and while we were sitting there, observing our surroundings and taking it all in, we were trying to avoid looking over at the couple in the water pretending to be....dolphins? dolphins expressing way too much pda? maybe. and then there was the girl on her paddle board with the watermelon slices on the boobs and buttocks (not real watermelon, that'd be on the strange-food-fetish side....nope, she just looked like she'd purchased a toddler bathing suit)...AND add to that she nearly ran into us on her board, when she turned around to make her way back and oops, there she was!

while there, i got a text from my dear friend, brandy, asking if i was in orlando-she'd gotten my letter. well, no, but we were on our way! so she suggested dinner and i said yes. sabrina was a trooper-she offered not to go so we could catch up, but i begged her to go because i really love it when people i adore meet other people i adore, because shouldn't everyone in the world be friends?! #justdoingmypart so after our long haul to orlando, we found our rooms, and sabrina got a business call before taking a record-breaking shower (must be a mom thing, but seriously impressive!) then we may have missed the turn..not once, but twice! my fault....probably both times...oops.

a little dark...and the lighting wasn't that good either ;)

appetizers were good, company was good-we got to help sabrina work through some things about her daughter wanting to go on a mission trip, laughed at some guys who were 'pea-cocking' like college boys..wait a minute..they WERE college boys, no wonder! after a wonderful, albeit too short of time with brandy, we called it a night. went back to the hotel and it was our last night, so we hung out on the balcony one last time...unplugging the overhead light, because it was so bright. good times, i tell ya.

it's getting long-more tomorrow-
julie

florida part 1, winter park in the summer

as promised, the vacation continues. i am breaking this into parts because it's kinda like there are 3 vacations in one. i booked my flight to florida for 2 weeks. i flew into tampa and rented a car because i knew i'd be driving around florida; it's not like texas (where going from one side of the state to the other is an major endeavor), road-trips here seem much easier. maybe because as i drive, i either see ocean, and think about sea turtles, or everglades, and think about alligators.

but i digress...i woke up early on monday morning the day after we had returned from the iowa family reunion, and drove down to dallas for my tuesday morning flight. i left the boys with mom and dad-kinda' like when my brother and i used to visit grandpa and grandma's in michigan for the summer, only no cousins, no church camp, no swimming lessons, no shopping..ok, so maybe it really wasn't much like my childhood summers at all...anyhoo, i arrived in dallas in time to check my mail, go to the bank, and then get over to my chiropractor for an adjustment that i was hoping would last for 2 more weeks. when i got home, i loaded the washer and packed up for florida.

everything was on time and fairly uneventful into birmingham. when i reached bhm, i knew i'd have a long layover, so i was able to finish reading my book that brandy had given me. let me tell you-A DREAM SO BIG, peiffer was such a great book! laughed, cried, it gave me a new appreciation for africa-and i could relate to much of the missionary aspect. so i wanted to finish it so i could return it. the problem is that reading this book in public is dangerous...you must have kleenex handy because you never know at what moment something emotional is going to hit.

 we touched down at the airport a little late due to weather in tpa, but not too bad. i walked over to the on-site rental car place and looked up and down the line, but did not see the company i booked with. hmm. so i called my travel company and asked about that; after waiting on hold, i was informed that i had to go back to the terminal and follow the sidewalk around to a round-about, where the driver of the off-site rentals would swing by every 15 minutes. and so i took the hike and with every bus that pulled up, i looked up at the sign, to make certain that it wasn't like a shared bus with a different name...but no. i was looking for ez. i suppose they were being creative with 'easy,' but truth is truth...it would have been much EZ-er to have this rental on-site like the big boys.

when i arrived, i went in and there was a local gentleman there arguing with the rental agents because they were telling him that he couldn't have unlimited mileage. i panicked a little because i was worried that my reservation for unlimited mileage would not be honored either, but the agent working with me said that it was a policy for locals, because they tend to abuse it. whew!

so i hopped in the car and made my way to bradenton-over the sunshine skyway bridge- beautiful! and of course, i wanted to stop at every little turn off parking that looked out at the ocean (it would've taken an awfully long time), so i suppressed the temptation, and finally made it to shea's place, but the entire time that i was driving, i was contemplating my love for the ocean. i even rolled the window down for a bit to get that smell. upon arriving, it was time for dinner, so we went to one of shea's favorite little places that is right off a causeway, and i had fish tacos for the first time. i never go for fish tacos inland, because they probably use guppies...but now i have been spoiled for life, and i may as well never eat fish tacos anywhere else again. just thinking about it makes my mouth water a little.

after dinner-and i should have gotten a picture of this place, it was nearing sunset, so we made our way out to the beach. i was drinking it up, because the next morning i would get up early to head up to orlando/winter park area to visit a couple of friends. so this ocean experience was just a teaser. when we got back, we watched a little t.v. with the roommates.

this is shea- the epitome of #saltlife

wednesday morning, i was up early so that i could leave when shea left for work. it was an easy drive until google-maps nav said she'd found a quicker route, and did i want to take it. i said, "sure, why not?" she failed to tell me that i was going to incur debt over the toll charges...but whatever, i made it to brandy's! once i'd gotten there and unloaded (the luggage), i went in and relaxed for a bit and sent her a text. she said she would be over to pick me up for lunch. and in the meantime, i relaxed with bibi the kitty. AND the inspector came-asking about a well...AND i got to meet the owner and tell her how precious i thought this house was! i love it! and when brandy arrived, she took me over to the rollins college, where she is now a valuable employee. not that she wasn't before, but now they were going to be able to appreciate her value!

we parked at the college, and then walked down through the historic area of winter park-such an attractive area-and we ended up at a greek/mediterranean restaurant and we ordered a hot-air-balloon-like-bread. don't even ask me what it was called-it was delicious, and that's all that matters. you can tell i don't indulge enough, which is surprising as much as i love it! the dips were tasty and we also got the meat-filled-fried-football thingies...seriously. i need to work on this. when we finished, we walked back to the school, and she showed me her office, and i got to meet her boss, ed. i already felt like i kinda' knew him from some of the stories i'd heard and how he'd helped her in the process of finding a place to live.

later that evening, we went to a fancy restaurant that overlooked the lake, and had an appetizer and drinks. then we drove around a bit and found another little area that overlooked the lake as well-good to know. bed-time for me has been later than usual this summer because my friends are all night owls... #morningpersonproblems .

view to die for...ok, view to be injured for? ok, fine...view to get full to.

any pic is better with water and a sunset in it!

on thursday i just hung out, got some work done, laundry washed, and then met up with berit. meeting with berit was a treat because i haven't seen her in years! she was in my unit, so i consider her one of my kampers, and the last time that i saw her was when she was a counselor! i've said it before, and it remains true-i love it when my kampers grow up and become friends. we met for lunch at bikes, beans and bordeaux. i wasn't completely sure what to expect..bikers? like vroom, vroom harley bikers? beans-coffee shop? it was a quaint little sandwich/cafe shop. i had an amazing little caprese sandwich and...jelly beans! hence the beans..the bikes is perhaps because there is a little custom bike shop next door. anyhoo, it was a great place to meet!

BERIT!

 from there, i got to go see her new house, which she is finishing up-DIY, girl after my own heart! i love what she has going on! it's a really cute place! then we went down the street to the apt she is currently in, while finishing up the home, and chatted for a bit more. it was funny, because i told her i was going to visit friends from high school, whom i hadn't seen in 24 years, and she asked, "what do you talk about with people you haven't seen in that long?" and i just kinda' laughed and said, "what are WE talking about?" after seeing sheryl, yanira, juan pablo, erika, brandy and my cousin carrie last year, time is just a concept. time with friends..if only that was my job-hanging out with friends! that would be ideal.

great photo-shoot park..fake senior pics

when i went back to brandy's, we got to drive around and explore a little. we found a cute little park on another lake, nestled in the back of a ritzy neighborhood. we got out to look around and it was an impressive, quiet area. what a great place to come to decompress! then we ran some errands, and ended up at a thai fusion joint. this was my first experience with thai fusion. if you recall, vietnamese fusion (nammi food truck) has become a favorite of mine-to the point of i have learned to recreate my favorite meal. anyhoo, i of course left it in her hands-and it was delicious. i am not afraid of thai food.

thai fusion tapas

when we got home, we were able to get some of that beautiful art up on the walls. brandy has great appreciation for art, and she has good taste-we had fun putting it up. so fun to be able to be a part of making her place a home! i got to see brandy last summer as well, when she lived in md. it was good to see her here-i really think this is going to be a great fit! there is something so comfortable about friends from home. it's always hard to leave, because you just never know when you're going to see them again!

getting the art in its just-right place...for now

on the way back to the beach, i used the WAZE app instead of google-lady. i was interested to see how it would work. since i don't have my radar detector with me, i was hoping this app would be my ticket to no tickets. and guess what..so far, i am proud to announce that i am ticket-free!!

before i left, i had to invest in a knee brace, as my knee was starting to give me issues. i knew that the next couple of days were about to be down to business, because shea is a do-er.

 and that will be coming up next.

julie

almost a challenge-free summer...

i was positive that i would get through the entire summer without being tagged for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. but no. my dear friend brandy tagged me. at first i thought, "not sure i would've done it for anyone else." i think a lot of these things that people do are silly for a moment of fame. that's why i chose not to do it in front of  a bunch of our staff ...i didn't want it to be a spectacle. at first i was just going to do it because it was a challenge from brandy; then i thought about it a little more and here's what went through my head: i have or have had friends that are going through painful stuff- fibromyalgia, chrohn's. breast cancer, lung cancer, lymes, depression...in a HEARTBEAT i would do more than this for them. so, although i do not know anyone with Lou Gehrig's disease, after i saw this story, i know that the more people who are made aware of the disease, the better.

alright, i kinda had a moment and ran out of gas...and got busy before i was able to finish telling about my summer adventures. let's back on up to july 27th.

july 27th was a very bittersweet morning. i had to leave my cousin's house (sad face), but i was on my way to see brandy (yes, the afore-mentioned brandy, who felt the need to tag me in the challenge). brandy and i go way back. we were friends back when i lived in HONDURAS, and we've been back in touch over the last couple of years-which i have loved! so when the chance arose, it was so good to get the opportunity to visit with her!

we met for brunch with one of her dear friends, regyna, in d.c. i gave myself some extra time to find the place, and good thing i did because it was insane trying to find parking for sunday brunch! yikes. but i did...and when brandy and regyna arrived, we ordered the best brunch all you can eat/drink and then i got to sit back (only not literally as we were on stools and i would've fallen off), but i got to figuratively sit back and be entertained by some great stories! bad boyfriend stories, pink eye, and rude concert patrons...there was a lot of laughter! bummer that regyna had to go home, it was great to meet her because again, when you meet friends of friends, it adds a layer to who they are!

i followed brandy to her place, and it was an adorable apt. in a beautiful area. we took a long walk on the trail by her place, and it was beautiful! but more than a beautiful trail, conversation. oh how good it was to catch up-real. 

every once in awhile you just have to live!

since when do you walk by the slides and keep walking??

 and then we when we got back, we began a sherlock marathon! (really brandy, alien cat? i suppose i should see him in blonde and see if i agree). on monday we had sushi, and that evening we had dinner with another friend brandy knew through recruiting, who was in town with her family. they were so gracious to treat us to dinner and amazing company-so fun!

we realized that we didn't have any pics, so we took a selfie

it was a late night and i felt terrible that brandy had to get up at 3:30am; although i thoroughly enjoyed the amazing cup-o-coffee she brewed up! kept me awake on the way to dulles!

and now that it has made it back to my place, whenever i use it, i say a little prayer for ya!

there are so many things i love about brandy! amazing sense of humor, love for people, insightful, attention to detail, art-centric, adventurous, brave, strong...i could throw out a few more adjectives, but the point is i truly love having brandy as a friend, even if she did guilt me into the ALS bucket challenge! 

then when i left, it was pretty much straight back to mom and dad's and then back to dallas to get started with my school year again. we'll get into that on another day!

julie

p.s. carrie, bmayes and jackie, hope to see you making people aware real soon!