I'm Still Here.... Literally

Here's just a quick update to fill in a few gaps and get back in the blogging spirit.  It has been a really long time since the last post I wrote but that's a good thing because it means I haven't been bored.  Also, now that I'm writing again, it means I'm coming to the end of my time in Georgia.  Believe me, I couldn't be more ready!  Florida and Georgia have been very welcoming states.  However, I've come to the conclusion that they are largely inhospitable to human life during the summer months.  It is HOT down here which to me means its unsustainable and unhealthy.   

Despite the heat and humidity, one of my favorite experiences this summer was visiting Disney World over the 4th of July!  I met my friend at the All Star Music Resort and we spent the weekend at several of the theme parks re-discovering the magical world I haven't been to since High School! I had flashbacks while I was on some of the rides to when I was there with my marching band friends.  Good times :)

While we were there, we got to watch fireworks twice.  Once in front of Cinderella's castle at Magic Kingdom and once from the second floor deck of a Japanese restaurant in Epcot.  Bad weather almost cancelled both events but Disney pushed through and was able to have the show go on despite the challenges.  

In addition to Disney World, I have also taken time to visit the NPS National Historic Site right down the road from where I am living.  Fort Frederica is a small park but it is beautiful and has a lot of interesting history surrounding the area.  It's loosely connected to another fort in St. Augustine, FL that Bonnie and I tried to visit but were unable to because we got there right as it was closing for the day.     

 St. Augustine had been built up over and over in our minds by other people into a fantastic little town that simply MUST be visited if you're living anywhere near it!  Well, lets just say that it didn't quite live up to our expectations.  Maybe we didn't see the right parts.  Maybe it was because the weather was too hot.  For whatever reason, it just didn't float our boat.

Quite the opposite, however, is a place called Fernandina Beach.  So far I have visited twice.  Once for my birthday and once before that too.  The beach is the best one I think I've ever been to and the town is charming with lots of restaurants and shops to explore.  I know I will be going back there one more time before leaving Georgia and beginning my drive north and west into the winter season.

A couple weeks back, I learned where I'll be going for the next 11 weeks of training and for my next blog-able adventure.... In just 2 weeks Bonnie and I depart for Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Believe me.  It's worth every single one of those exclamation points, and probably more than that too.  I am dreaming already of long hikes in the woods and breathtaking scenery.  Of geysers and snow capped mountains.  Of elk and bears and wolves howling at night.  I've got visions of sugarplums dancing in my head....

The sunset to the left was one viewed from my front porch earlier this summer.  Now, its symbolizing the end of one phase of life and the hope of a new beginning coming soon.

Stay tuned because I have a full week of driving coming up!  It'll feel like I'm back out on Route 66 all over again heading west for the second time.