Jacksonville 2012

I went to Jacksonville over MLK weekend to visit Bethany! I’d been to the area twice before – once with my sister when she was considering a job there, and one other time to see Bethany. So it’s becoming one of my frequented cities. Jacksonville is on my very short list of places I would consider moving to. It’s far enough north to have seasons, but it’s still Florida! We had a very busy schedule this trip, which included:

Jacksonville Zoo. Bethany’s son turned four on Saturday, so this was his birthday outing! It’s a good zoo and I saw several animals I’d never seen before.

St. Augustine. We spent Sunday afternoon eating gelato (I had tiramisu and blueberry cheesecake) and exploring the historic Castillo San Marcos, which I didn’t get to see when I was there before. It was a beautiful day, perfect for hanging out on the grounds. We saw a girl taking quinceanera photos – at first I thought she worked there and was in period costume! Her dress was a work of art.

The beach, of course. It was freezing, but communing with the ocean is a necessity for me. We saw several stranded starfish and rescued them (with dramatic cries of “It matters to this one!”).

After the beach, we had dinner at The Conch House. I went there with Debra years ago and am still thinking about their roasted pepper calamari. It was just as good as I remembered. I don’t have pictures because I was too busy eating, but I highly recommend the place if you’re in St. Augustine.

Used bookstore and Bethany’s magical thrift store. I didn’t buy any books for myself (gasp!), but I found enough great clothes at thrift that I had to borrow cash. Woo!

It was a great trip! I’m blessed to have several close friends who are very relaxing and easy to be around, and Bethany is one of them. I wish we lived closer.

It’s hard to explain, but I feel a sense of rightness when I’m in Florida that I don’t feel anywhere else. I really hate to quote Twilight (and from memory, ugh), but it’s “like I’d been in pain and that pain had suddenly ceased.” I start asking myself, why exactly do I not live here? Why do I choose not to be near the ocean and eat seafood and see palm trees every day? Of course, I love my life the way it is. But what I really want is to pick up all the people and things I love and transport them to the Atlantic coast. The end.

About Brenda

Mom to a preschooler with T1D. Paralegal. Swiftie. Xennial. Grizzlies and Tigers. Pilates and Peloton. Books and fanfic. 901 / 305 View all posts by Brenda →