August? Where did you come from?

Okay, I'm here, I really am I swear.

And I'm still alive.

I'm working here in West Palm Beach and making a dent in the number of boxes that they have holding old files in the basement. There were way too many for me to even make it to the halfway point. That coupled with machine malfunctions and construction which makes for times when I can't scan anything means that I'm no where near an end.

I have to make it back however so the date of my trip is set.
I will be leaving West Palm Beach on August 22 headed to Atlanta where I will spend the night and continue on in the morning to Sylvania or maybe Lima for an overnight.

My uncles are keeping me super spoiled here. I know that they don't see it as a huge deal but I feel like I'm taking advantage of their kindness in a bad way... It's just a feeling though and they are both adamant about not letting me pay for food.

Yesterday before it rained, I got some good sun and then fell asleep in the hammock next to the pool. It was a wonderful thing and I woke up in time to put the hammock away before the rain. I'd say that I could feel the change in the air but then I'd sound crazy so I won't say it.

Things have been pretty uneventful here.

Aunt Jodie came for a week and helped unpack which was a super help because we weren't moving very fast and she got rid of most of the boxes in the house altogether. She and Thom even installed new fixtures to the sinks of all but one bathroom in the house. It took them a whole day but they got it
done and the next day they installed cabinets in the garage. They make quite a pair.

I made Taco Ring for them last week (which is one of mom's recipes) and it turned out pretty good. The left overs barely made it two days which is a normal thing at my house but I wasn't expecting it to happen with my uncles.

We've had some good times at Roxy's and Bar Louie where the staff know who we are. I get caught off guard a little when I am handed the drink I was about to order by the bartender who looks me in the eye and says "Hey, how are you?" and actually cares. It feels pretty good.

That spurs another thought. I love how I get called sweetheart, hun, and kiddo. I mean no I'm not a kid anymore and I'm not their sweetheart but it gives me the warm fuzzies when someone addresses me this way and isn't just saying it because they have to. When they say it because it's what they feel like saying then I feel like I'm being respected and like I have their attention even if it is for just a moment.

At work I've been collecting pictures that I find pretty. I have 3 folders of them now and I'm excited to start my plan when I get back.

What's the plan?

Well, for now I'm going to call it my green space. I want to make a large collage of everything that I've found and put it on a wall. I had originally thought that I would put it on posterboard but my collection is growing so big that I don't think they will all fit there anymore.

Let's see, what else...

I had a job interview two weeks ago that went super. It was for a before and after school program. Due to my class schedule, I will be a morning person and they hired me as a substitute but it has the potential to become an everyday job.

I am keeping the job with the dining hall on campus for evenings and possibly afternoons, depending on what they give me. I'll have a good cash flow though and living with my cousin should be interesting.

Good news on buying books for this semester too.

First, I'm only taking 12 credit hours (four classes) plus writing my thesis which means less books in the first place.

Secondly, Kindle books or electronic copies of the books I need are available for all but three of the ones on my list.

So instead of the $500 that I would easily drop on books this semester, I'm spending only about $300. It makes life easier. It also makes carrying books around easier because I won't have a million heavy books to carry.

For Labor Day weekend I will be on Kelly's Island with Noah and my family. Noah bought tickets to Cedar Point for my birthday so we thought that would be a great weekend to use them. Plus my wonderful family will get to meet him so it works out perfectly. Let's see how long it takes for him to run screaming away from us...

I know that last time I promised pictures but I'm still not able to post them at the moment. Maybe I'll just have to make a post of just pictures or something. No promises though. Things are rather busy in my life at the moment.

Okay, last but not least, my plans for the trip back to Ohio are as follows:

Thursday morning, leave West Palm Beach headed north on I-95 up the coast until Jacksonville where I'll head west a little to catch I-75 through Georgia.

I'm hoping to arrive before 6 pm so that I can go with my Uncle to The Complete Works of Shakespeare that evening.

Friday morning I will leave Atlanta heading north on I-75 up through Tennessee then Kentucky and into Ohio. I haven't decided yet on the destination for that day whether it is Lima or Sylvania but I will be sure that everyone knows where I'm at.

I'm praying for sunshine all the way up even if it is super bright because even that would be better than the storms I drove through to get here.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer just as much as I am.

Blessed Be!