Mighty 8th

zane found an air force museum in pooler when we were looking for hotels the first night- so we made an afternoon detour. pooler is where sunday morning meeting was.

stroll #1

by the time we find parking i'm walking on air- hardly able to contain myself, wanting to just saturate myself in these streets of savannah. i keep asking zane, "are you excited to be here!?" & he keeps giving me the same smile that lets me know he really is excited but i'm still waiting for a more enthusiastic response that i know i'm never going to get from my husband.



we've made reservations for a ghost talk/ghost walk the first night, so we have time to explore before twilight sinks in. the streets are glowing from fresh rain. we find ourselves drawn to the river. we are amused by the talking crosswalks that keep repeating "wait" over & over again robotically. zane wonders aloud what happens if you don't wait, the thought amuses us. down by the river we step onto real cobblestones- i'm thankful i'm not in stilettos. the air is thick with energy- it feels unreal. we watch tug boats chug along & overhear some girls talking about the giant yacht parked in front of the hyatt -they are saying it's the 55th largest in the world. talking aloud about how that kind of money is mind-boggling knowing we'll never have it & being thankful. we point out all the hotels & inns we researched online before we came here; it's so fun to be able to place what we could only previously imagine. a local hears us chatting & joins in, he gives me a beautiful gardenia bloom. not for free of course. i'm shocked that zane is being suckered. i poke fun at him & we hope that maybe he was an angel in disguise so we'd feel better about the $5 we just threw away for something we could pick ourselves around town. but looking back i'd do it all over again in a heartbeat because the smell of gardenia will remind me of this beautiful place forever.

first looks

savannah literally took my breath away. we were on the highway & i was busy texting not paying attention to the road at all & zane interrupts my thoughts by saying "welcome to savannah honey" so i look up & instead of seeing the characterless grey paved roads that i have been looking at for the past three hours i'm suddenly driving down streets lined with thick old oak trees & victorian style houses squeezed together in varying degrees of shambles that just emanate bygone days. it was startling. i see such potential in each house that looks abandoned wondering how anyone could desert something this beautiful? we aren't even in the historic district yet & already i feel overwhelmed with giddyness.

feeling peachy

the state welcome sign says, "We're Glad Georgia's On Your Mind." & we were glad it was on our minds too. not even a little cat-&-dog-weather could dampen our spirits.

georgia on mind...

my thoughts have been echoing those of my sister-in-law. just feeling too aware of my insufficiency - unable to find a balance between sleep & still being able to offset my to-do list & reclaim my life again. feeling i can't breath in deep enough- even having a mini poor-me-session with tears & all- but i've finally been delivered. it all came together last night.

all my checked-off items:
get mom & dad's anniversary gift prepared in time
send derek's birthday gift
papa phils & dad's father's day gifts are ready to send
return twilight
finish breaking dawn/return to lib./pay any late fees
get groceries for the weekend
get cash for the weekend
mapquest directions
call frank
call sheila for contacts in georgia
call contact for directions to meeting
print out hotel confirmation
clean the house- (bathroom/kitchen/laundry/vacuum/mop/clean all glass surfaces- i'm admitting possessed when it comes to cleaning the house whenever we leave on vacation -it drives zane crazy)
pack
catch-up on my inbox
get ice for cooler

i haven't been perfect. everything is not done. i shouldn't have skipped yoga- i have a 'need-to-call-list" that still hasn't been touched- i have thank-yous to write- piles of papers to organize & put away, etc. but it feels so much better to focus on what i have finished instead of what i haven't. & now... i'm going to leave the rest behind & focus on a FUN extended weekend with my husband. we're exploring savannah, GA. we've never been to GA.- just planning to 'wing-it" - staying in an "inn" right in the downtown historic district & tonight is up in the air- all part of our mini-adventure. meeting new Friends. being tourists. a road-trip (hopefully the first of many?) in our new car. catch-up on my books-to-read-pile. plans to xm ourselves out. 2.5 days to just escape reality- explicit instructions to certain people at work to not call unless it is an emergency -did i mention that i'm excited!?

Ashlee's Fill-in Story

Here you go babe- all the details you want & more you probably don't!

this particular form of yoga is known as iyengar. but i didn't choose this class for the type- rather i choose for the convenience of the location. (it's right downtown flagler- two-miles from home). & i didn't even know what form of yoga i was even practicing until after the class was over when i asked for a weekly schedule. ha. & then i had to wait til aidan went down for a nap this afternoon to even look look up what iyengar is. sooo... according to wikipedia this form of yoga is known for it's use of props to aid with postures. which makes sense because we used styrofoam blocks & mexican blankets & of course our mats. i liked this little tidbit: "Unlike more experiential approaches where students are encouraged to independently "find their way" to the asanas (postures) by imitating the teacher, an Iyengar Yoga class is highly verbal and precise, with misalignments and errors actively corrected." soo basically- this class was made for me because i need LOTS of help. lol. anyway there are more interesting facts about it on wikipedia.com if you want to look it up=)

i was amazed at how weak my muscles have become. holding many of the postures made me just shake. & being a former gymnast (altho i was never hardcore- i was in super good shape at one point in my life) -it's just crazy how tight you get- like you've never tried to touch your toes in your whole life. that's something else i really like about yoga- that it requires discipline & consistency which would hopefully carry to all other parts of my life.

just the setting alone was calming. it was in what looked like an old classroom with timeworn dark wood floors that creaked. & heavy deep red curtains were drawn over multi-paned windows with paint that was peeling. the soft glow of white candle light dancing with the wind coming thru a cracked window. & of course the music you'd expect in a yoga class mixed with the scent of rosemary oil teasing your nose. truly an atmosphere where you crave deep breathing & a clear mind.

anyway- hoping to go again- tue & thur nights fit into my schedule- even tho i found out these are intermediate classes-it made me feel a smidge better at my insufficiency.

i really feel like with regularity that i could strengthen myself from the inside out & maybe even know a calmer mind. it's worth a try anyway.

YES!!!!

well i finally did it! i went to my first yoga class last night- it was everything i needed it to be & more.

us.

just another night being us - hanging out in flagler - enjoying life together. the big event of the evening was going to publix grand opening- our brand new grocery store- only 7-minutes from home - woo hoo!

gettin' salty & sandy!

we couldn't resist the smooth ocean after work this past saturday- we had fun being the kids we truly are.

Almost Home Sweet Home

so we have really been thinking hard about downsizing & finding something cheaper for the next 6-months or so as my job is ending in August & with no back up (yet!) we really need to think about the future & be smart- so we both fell in love with this studio a few miles up from our place now- it had a total rustic cabin vibe which i LOVE- of course we'd lose the ocean views but we'd gain canal views (& sweet fishin right from our backyard!) anyway these pix are mostly for you mom- know you wanted to see what i was describing- anyway- longish story short- we'd all but signed the lease & had told our current landlord that we'd be out of our place by july 1st & he offered to lower our rent significantly if we'd stay soooo we're stayin'- couldn't pass up the good deal=)

Memorial Day Weekend

mike & anna invited us to hang out at this pool - they wanted some 'adult interaction' -anyone else find that amusing?? zane & i hardly qualify... =) we had a blast tho! i forgot how fun swimming is! it turned into a whole day affair with BBQ & watching Orlando Magic beat Cleveland.

IKEA!

this is so typical of us- we go all the way to orlando & all we find at ikea that we can't live without (for now anyway!) is food. swedish sparkling pomegranate juice- fresh baked cinnamon rolls & the best swedish toffee chocolate. what can i say- we love our sweets=) we also went to universal for a couple hours & rode on a couple roller coasters- felt good after being cooped up in the house all week due to rain.

AHHH!

I SAW DOLPHINS TODAY!!!! it NEVER gets old. i had just left my house & about two blocks down the road i saw fins out of the corner of my eye so i jerked the car over to the side of the road & ran across the street & suuuure enough... & they were closer then i'd ever seen them before- they looked close enough that i could've waded out to my waist & touched them. dolphins & whales just fascinate me- i can't get enough of them!

things to shout about!

1. i have the rest of the afternoon off to read the rest of my book!
2. i am done with my icky annual exam- don't have to go back til june 2010!
3. my uncle is back in the states!
4. hans & irena & mattias, noah & jordan are coming to florida (from holland) in july!
5. bobby & dreema might get to see a taste of what we think of as home at walla-walla convention this week & meet some of our family! (they are a couple from our sunday morning meeting on a road trip across the country).
6. we have gospel meetings again! (with only 7-sets of workers for the whole state of florida they are a rare treat!)
7. today marks the start of hurricane season!

life is good.

may showers bring may flowers...?

somebody's unfortunate yard after the rain.

the rain formed these pools along the beach- this one was waist deep.

more rain pix. the official number was 27-inches of rain. all in one week y'all! & it wasn't even hurricane season yet. i also saw my first funnel cloud- it had rotation like it was going to turn into a twister. my heart was pounding. thankfully the big bad cloud dissipated. anna & the kids came over for spaghetti this past week at "zane & nee-na's" house- & they brought these sweet flowers=)