Baby love

It's hard to believe I'm back in Jax already... my MN weekend went by much too quickly! Sharing Mr. and Mrs. Stockdale's special day was a blast. If anyone can think of an occasion for me to wear that apple red tea-length chiffon halter dress again, please let me know!

Jumping back into the fray is proving to be a bit overwhelming -- hence the short entry. I hope to have more pics and updates soon, but for now I had to at least share a couple of the latest and greatest Lukie shots (seeing him was definitely one of the biggest highlights of the trip).

"No you may not remove my pacifer for a picture. Eeeeehhhh!"

Here we go... air tosses, wheeeeee! (I wish you could see the MC logo on that drool-covered onesie. ;-)

Hurricane Faye - headed for Jax?

Yikes! Faye has been churning through the Caribbean and is heading for the Keys as we speak. It's predicted to take a NE trajectory, but will hopefully stay further south. Whether this thing ends up being a hurricane or a tropical storm, I feel very unprepared. Jax is supposed to get heavy wind and rain beginning Wednesday evening -- right in time to cause delay or cancellation of somebody's flight home to MN perhaps?!? I'm keeping a close pulse on the weather updates...

THERE IS A 45 PERCENT CHANCE OF WINDS 34 KT /39 MPH/ OR GREATER. MOST LIKELY TO BEGIN BETWEEN 8 AM & 8 AM WED.

RESIDENTS CAN EXPECT MINOR FLOODING OF ROADS -- ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH POOR DRAINAGE. KNOWN INTERSECTIONS WITH VERY POOR DRAINAGE MAY HAVE WATER LEVELS UP TO 3 FEET. OTHER POOR DRAINAGE AREAS WILL HAVE WATER RISES OF 1 FOOT.

ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WATCH AREA BEGINNING TUES AFTERNOON.

Murder at 4460

I'm about ready to add "professional bug killer" to the Special Skills section of my resume. I continue to find new and creative ways to off the palmetto bugs that keep appearing in my apartment. This morning, for instance, I shrieked to find a particulary ugly brown one crawling around in the bathroom sink as I prepared to step into the shower. Let's just say the drain plug was quickly sealed and Mr. Ugly died a watery death. UUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHH. It's probably time for another visit and spray-down from the Pest Control company.

This afternoon Libby and I get to meet Rob the British dog-sitter, who will be taking care of her while I'm gone in MN next week. If he's even half as charming as he sounds on the phone, Libby will surely want to adopt him as her new owner. I'll return and her little face will be crest-fallen as she ponders, "Where has the wonderful guy with the fun voice and all the fabulous treats gone?" lol.

On that note, count-down to MN is rapidly dwindling! I'm scheduled to leave Jax Wednesday evening on a 6 p.m. flight -- I'll have four solid days to pack in a Rochester visit, a wedding weekend, and quality time with dozens of family and friends. Wish me luck! ...I can't wait.

Idol mania in Jax!

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The American Idol frenzy has taken over downtown Jacksonville. This morning (Aug. 13) the downtown roads were jam-packed with Idol hopefuls, even before 5 a.m. It was bumper to bumper for anyone trying to get through the downtown roads during the very early commute. The sidewalks were filled with people walking after parking several blocks away. Police are keeping three roads near the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena closed until after the auditions.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=116021&catid=3

My turn

Libby got a hair-cut this week so it was about high time I went in for one as well. I found a posh-posh outfit in the St. John's Town Center called Salon Cielo... I really like how the cut and high-lights turned out (see below). As for the rest of the weekend? Well, it's still really HOT here so the outdoors aren't very desirable -- unless your only plans are to lay by the pool or on the beach.

Cute story worth sharing: This afternoon I was standing in line at the grocery store behind a young woman and her little girl who looked to be about three years old. The little girl started chatting me up about the Barbie doll she was holding and then, to her mother's horror, told me, "I kissed a girl and I liked it."

Obviously she listens to Seacrest's weekend top 40 countdown and is a fan of pop singer Katy Perry. TOO FUNNY.

Nearly scalped!

Yesterday morning I took Libby to the groomer on my way to work, and asked them to give her a nice short cut for the FL heat.

Take a look at the before and after pics --- convince me I didn't drop off a shih-tzu and return to pick up a chihuahua.

Libb will definitely feel cooler through the summer, and next time I will definitely emphasize that a shave is not the same thing as a "nice short cut."

Two minor hiccups

As the days pass by and I become more comfortable in this new life, I feel like a pretty independent person. I'm logging long hours at work and gaining ground on projects, I'm slowly exploring my new city, I'm shopping and cooking well, I'm exercising and reaching new levels in my relationship with Libby, I'm continuing to decorate my place, I'm planning for visits to MN and others' visits to Jax, I'm reading a lot and I'm contemplating grad school. Yep, most days I feel pretty sturdy and focused. But two obstacles recently plopped down in my path and caused me to feel less like Miss Independent and more like Miss Run-home-to-MN.

1. The Saturday before vacation, the coughing ignition issue plaguing my aging car for the last several months escalated to a check-engine light issue -- which ended with a nearly $500 repair job. I am currently the proud owner of new crank and camshaft sensors, yet the coughing ignition issue persists. My faithful yellow-pages repair shop has since recommended an additional $1200 in repairs and tune-ups. SCORE!

2. While talking on my cell with Kristi the night the girls were coming into Jax, I was attempting to do too many things at once. I was slicing watermelon above the sink when I hung up the phone and stupidly dropped it into a pan soaking with water. It took only about 5 minutes before the life-centering device started emitting a mutant chirp and quickly died. Thank goodness for Google and Mapquest -- I got myself over to the closest Sprint store, doled out more dollars for a new charger and phone (sans the 200+ contacts I'd meticulously keyed and stored over the last few years), recommitted myself to another two-year contract and was on the road for the airport by 9 p.m. as planned.

With a little bit of perspective, it's much easier to regard what initially feels like MAJOR issues as minor hiccups. Problems get solved and life goes on, right? (Even when you're living 1500 miles away from the familiarity of home :-) .

MN girls in Jax

Having the girls here from Thursday to Monday was wonderful! On Friday we spent an afternoon in St. Augustine visiting San Sebastian winery and taking the boat tour. The winery was awesome -- at the end of the tour and tasting our group sang me Happy Birthday (mildly embarrassing) and toasted champagne. I had to buy a couple bottles to take home! The boat tour ended up being not-so-pleasant when rain and clouds appeared about 10 minutes in, but it did afford some great views of the marina, Anastasia Island, the lighthouse and even some dolphins popping in and out of the surf. Other activities we fit in were dinner at Bonefish and PF Chang's, drinks at The Ritz and Fionn McCools, a movie at Tinseltown (finally saw Dark Knight!), a couple afternoons laying out and swimming at Jax Beach, shopping at the Augustine outlet mall, treats at Yogaberry, and lunch at Carribee Key up in Neptune Beach. It's fair to say that I had the biggest "tourist" mentality in the group. If I could've dragged the girls on more tours I definitely would have. ;-) Future visitors, beware...

We had to move from the roof deck to the main deck to hide from rain... we still had a pretty decent view during the whole boat tour, though! The cruise started downtown at St. Augustine's Municipal Marina near the Bridge of Lions. During the tour we saw historical landmarks including the Bridge of Lions, the St. Augustine Bayfront, the Castillo de San Marcos, the Cross where explorer Pedro Menendez landed, the St. Augustine Lighthouse, and Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth.

View of the Castillo de San Marcos -- once the northernmost outpost of Spain's empire in the New World. The fort was constructed in 1672 and is the most impressive of all the historical landmarks in St. Augustine.

At the San Sebastian winery we learned about the complete wine-making process (through a video presentation, a guided walking tour of the 18,000 square foot wine production facility, and a complimentary tasting).

In between tastings we could "cleanse our palates" with saltine crackers. My favorites were the Vintner's White and Red, as well as the Rosa. The Cream Sherry and Port dessert wines were way too rich, but would definitely be delicious drizzled atop a cheesecake. :)

Dinner at Bonefish Grill -- described as "interpretations of market fresh fish, grilled specialties and big city cocktails in a rich, sophisticated ambiance." I simply describe it as the best place in Jax for bang-bang shrimp and rainbow trout with mango salsa. Mmmm!

Birthday brownie! Complete with ice-cream, whipped topping and raspberry sauce (and zero calories, of course).

Smile, shades and a cooler -- pretty much all you need for an afternoon at Jax Beach.

Toe-writing at Neptune Beach, where we wandered around after lunching on crab and mahi wraps at Carribee Key. Dropping Kris and Tare at JAX Int'l on Monday afternoon... sad to say good-bye.

Tork stayed for a couple extra days, and wanted to take some pics of the grounds at Cape House. Here I am in front of the office and work-out facility... I love all the palm trees!