What is a 'Budget'?

Of course I know what a budget is. I have had to create and work within a budget numerous times for work. In fact, I am EXCELLENT at spending someone else's money. But me? On a 'budget'? Not that I have had an over-abundance of money in the past, or that I have been haphazardly spending it or anything, but if I wanted something, I could usually just pull out my debit card and get it.


As I am starting to look for an apartment, I am starting to tally up all the bills I will have to pay in the process. Rent, electric, water, internet, garbage disposal, insurance, buying furniture, the list goes on and on. I am not going to lie, money will be tight. So, just tossing plastic at the Wal-Mart cashier without looking at my total might not be the best approach anymore (again, it's not like I've been Miss Got Rocks or anything just never really took the time to think about it before).


My solution, I have started to explore new options... Roommates. It wasn't my first choice, but the more I think about it, the better of a plan it sounds. Then I won't be coming home to an empty place, the bills will be split with other people, and potentially the most appealing of all, the possibility of instant friends! Maybe not such a bad plan after all. Hmmmm, not sure this is going to be an easy process. Better get cracking!

The 2nd shift

So, I have survived the 1st shift, the shift from Illinois to Florida. Now I face the 2nd shift, adjusting to a new job. Since we are basically a hotel with a very specific clientele, the front desk and guest services needs to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I was hired on to work the 2nd shift. Its not a bad gig, working 2:30-11 pm. Get to sleep in every day but still out early enough that I can have a social life is I so choose. After one week of work, I fell into line quite nicely. Like I said, get to sleep in. Not hard to adjust to.


To be honest, the weirdest part of the whole thing is the food situation. Instead of 'packing a lunch' for work, I 'pack a dinner'. For years and years, dinner has always been the more extravagant meal of the day. For lunch you throw together a turkey sandwich and an apple and you call it lunch. Dinner has more prep work, there has always been more to it. Not a big deal in itself, you can always make something and turn them into instant left-overs by putting it in some gladware. But, when you are working until 11 pm, when do you make "dinner"? Well, at lunch time of course. Now I find myself dicing and slicing, boiling and grilling, at 1:00 in the afternoon. It's odd to me to be boiling pasta at lunchtime. Maybe that's normal for other people, but that is new territory to me. Not only am I making dinner at lunch time, but I am also making lunch at lunch time. All of a sudden I am running a mini-restaurant in the kitchen preparing multiple dishes for just one person.


I suppose I could always just flip the meals. Make a meatloaf for lunch and a tuna sandwich for dinner. I've had cereal for dinner before, no big deal. Of well, the way I look at it, if this is the hardest "adjustment" I have to make, the 2nd shift will be a piece of cake (you have to have dessert with dinner!!!)

Florida 'To-Do' list

I was thinking about it the other day, and it might be a good idea to get my Florida move to-do list hammered out. Otherwise, there are lots of shiny things here and I have a very good chance of losing focus. Here it is, in order of importance (sort of):

- Find a job (Somewhere that I can be passionate about and make a career out of): CHECK

- Find a place (there HAS to be a pool)

- Make friends (they HAVE to have a pool... that is if my previous 'To-Do' goal is not met, otherwise I have not specifications)

- Acquire fun Florida hobbies (Hobbies under consideration: Surfing, Fishing, Gator chasing... which has a very good chance of becoming Jessi chasing)

- Work on base coat: ONGOING (but off to a good start!)

- Become a sufficient tour guide (I've got to be able to lay some knowledge on people when they come to visit)

- Find a gym (Ugh, if I really have to... like how it is the very last on the list?)

I've created a little gadget thing in the right column in case anyone wants to keep track of where I am at with my 'To-Do' list. Well, that's if anyone really cares. I suppose if you read this, you may care slightly. Well, it appears I have my work cut out for me and I better hop to it! 

Life's a Beach

I went to the beach yesterday. Cocoa Beach, about an hour and a half away, I was told if I wanted to surf this would probably be my best bet. I plan on going from "I've surfed" to "I'm a surfer" so it is time to start! I had referred to the 'Surf Guru' to check the report and discovered that the waves weren't surf worthy, but I thought I would venture out there just to check it out anyways. 

It was quite a little jaunt out there. I drove miles and miles on a road and only saw cattle and a combine, two things I did not anticipate on my trip to the beach. The only signs I saw were for a small roadside hut promising "Gator Jerky" and "P-Nuts". I have seen enough scary movies to know that you NEVER stop at such roadside huts with this description if you plan on making it to your destination alive. 

The beach was great! I wandered up and down for hours just people watching and working on my base coat. When you spend hours at the beach without the distraction of friends or surfable waves, you start to notice things you never have before. Like the fact that all things that live in shells are really gross. I picked up a shell to look at it and this gooey stuff was wiggly around out the end of it. I assume that this creature of sorts does it's part in the food chain and is necessary, but yuck. Or, those tiny shells that are all over the beaches in Florida that are there when the wave recedes then seem to dig into the sand. When you start to think of all those little shell sand creature things digging around, well it's enough to make you want to go out and buy the "mom-est" pair of water shoes. 

My other realization is that no matter how hard you try, it is physically impossible to leave all of the sand at the beach. Don't fight it. I find if you just accept the fact that you will have sand on your clothes, in your car, and eventually in your bath tub, you can just sit back and enjoy some fun in the sun. 

So, don't stop for "P-Nuts", ignore all living things that reside in shells, and build a sand castle with the sand in your tub, then you will be able to appreciate the fact that life's a beach!!!

Orientation- The magic starts here

When I finally made the decision to move and switch jobs, it wasn't the job search that scared me. It was actually starting a new job. The thought of being the new person having to learn all new procedures and getting aclemated all over again was the part that made me really nervous. Coming into today, this day of my orientation, I didn't have any of those fears, those worries, those nerves. When I accepted my position, the only feelings I had were excitement and anticipation. I was ready for the new challenge and looking forward to it.


At the risk of sounding cheesy, I would really classify today as magically memorable. I thought I struck gold with my first job (traveling and all) but I really found the jackpot. There is so much passion and compassion that is just beaming from every person at the Village, people truly want to be there each and every day. Each day we are making dreams come true and now I get to be part of that. There was more than once today that I nearly teared up just listening to the stories and knowing that I will be part of those memories.


It is a tradition at the Village that the first day for a new hire they meet Mickey and Minnie and take a picture with them (Mickey and Minnie bring three friends with them and visit every Monday and Thursday). I know I am 26 years old, but I know I was just as excited as the kids in line in front of me. I will definitely remember this day! As I stood between Mickey and Minnie and smiled wide for our picture, I couldn't help but think, the magic starts here.

My job search

Well, I can definitely say one thing for sure about my job search, it was not at all what I expected. I know this is going to sound cliche, but I have always try to remind myself of this at the hardest of times, but I believe it more than ever now, "everything happens for a reason and when it is meant to be, it will be".

I starting browsing the job postings in October of 2009. I had always told myself, put two years in at your first big kid job and then once you aren't 'entry level' anymore, look for something you can be more passionate about. Find something that you can look forward to every day. Now, as far as first jobs go, I really made out like a bandit. How many people get a first job that they get to travel a couple times a year. I had an opportunity to learn about a whole industry I had never even considered before (and didn't really even knew existed). And I really did work with some great people, friends that I will have for a long time. But, I knew from day one that it wasn't a 'forever' arrangement. Even my director mentioned just two months after I started "I know I can't keep you forever".

Anyways, October 2009. At that point, I knew I wanted to move. After my first couple of conferences, I found my new favorite hobby: traveling. I realized that not only was I getting restless in my career, I was getting restless in Illinois in general. I applied to more jobs than I even care to remember. Sometimes just clicking "Submit Resume" without even reading the job description. In the year plus time that I was searching, I had gone on two interviews, which if you have seen my resume or even spoken to me for more than a minute, you know is preposterous (if I do say so myself)! :)

So after this spring, I decided it was time to take a leap of faith, I was sure I could figure it out as I went. I am a pretty good problem solver after all, but I knew it wasn't going to be easy considering what I had been facing so far. Fast forward (you heard this part already).. So, now I am in Florida. I arrived June 1st, took June 2nd as a 'get the know the area' day. June 3rd I dove into full job search mode. I was here and I couldn't put it off any longer. I set up shop at a Panera and hammered it out. I want to say I applied to 15 jobs that afternoon, but one in particular stood out. I had kept one eye on their job postings since my visit there in fall of 2009 and thought I would give it another try. Around 4 o'clock I decided to call it a day, it was Friday and I knew there wasn't much more I could do now that the weekend had started. Around six was when I got the call to schedule the interview. The following Wednesday I was there for my interview, they called the next morning with the job offer. In less than one week of starting my job search in Florida, I was hired at a place I was considering all along. Despite the many other companies and organizations I had looked at, this was the one that called and worked out. I have orientation tomorrow, just two weeks after arriving. So, call me cliche if you'd like, but "everything happens for a reason and when it is meant to be, it will be".

Are we there yet?!?

Distance is different here. It takes the same amount of time to get somewhere, but you drive for miles and mile and miles. The other day, I forgot my ID in the back pocket of my jeans, and I had to detour back to the house to get it. It was a 15 mile detour! I drove over 30 miles for frozen yogurt yesterday. The first stand alone Starbucks I found is over 20 miles from the house. There is just so much open space. With all the hotels and gift shops, outlet malls and theme parks, there is still so much unused space. It is surprising that through all the tourism, you still have room to stretch.


The roads are all four lane highways with people making U-turns anywhere that the grass is even short enough to cut through. When you aren't used to it, you get completely thrown when the person in front of you 'U's it from the left turn lane. All of a sudden, you are miss judging where you are going and you have to go up a couple miles and u-turn back the other direction. If I don't plan it perfectly, I will be going 4 miles out of my way to find a place to turn around to get a cup of iced coffee. I have been taking to getting it at the end of my outings on my way back instead of at the beginning strictly because that is the side of the road it is on.


The neighborhoods are different here as well. Everyone lives in subdivisions, each with their unique catchy name, usually nautical. 'Caribbean Isle' or 'Center Crest' with a picture of a sail boat on the sign. These neighborhood are labeled "no outlet" with one main entrance/exit street for the whole subdivision. There's nothing wrong with this set up, it's just different than I am used to. You can't cut through a hole in the fence of someone's yard to get to the Wal-Mart parking lot. You can't walk to the Seven Eleven for a soda. There are the places that people live and the places that people shop. Two separate things. When you run out for something, you have to be committed to the errand, otherwise you won't even make it half way there before you are looking for a place to U-turn and head home. Even if you are committed to the task at hand, you find yourself saying aloud, "are we there yet?!?"

One week and a day...

I packed my car and left Illinois one week ago yesterday but it feels like it has been ages. I keep telling myself "I live in Florida", but I feel like I haven't really EARNED it yet. I've only been in Florida since Wednesday, that's not even long enough to be considered a good vacation. I don't have a lease, I haven't paid any bills, I haven't worked. So far my 'move to Florida" is a glorified vacation. 


No worries, I have been working towards all of those things so far. These things take time and I need to learn that crazy little thing called patience. This is for real, I am here and I am not going anywhere any time soon. Honestly, I'm not sure I would be able to figure out a way to fit all of that stuff back into my car. 


The weather has been exactly what I have been looking for and I have already started working on my base coat. I think I can really get used to living in Florida.

I'm here!!!

After four days, nine states, 1868 miles, and 451 animal crackers, I have reached my destination. The developing neighborhood in Davenport, Florida that was once an orange grove just 4 years back now is the home base for my adventure. As I settle in to my more than generous guest accommodations, I take it all in (including the seven adorable and lovable cats… even the one that clearly got a hold of too much cat nip in her youth) and have some time to reflect.

Yesterday’s travels brought on a lot of observations. For instance, I realized I love browsing gas station gift shops. I can’t resist looking at all the random beach knick knacks, raunchy bumper stickers, and travel size versions of all the stuff that don’t need to be travel sized on account of they weren’t that big to begin with. Or that I have this strange sense of accomplishment each time I cross over a state line knowing I can start counting down the mile markers from the top again. But the most painstakingly obvious observation I made was that I would make a terrible truck driver. Not because I can’t sit in the driving position for the entirety of a day, or that I don’t love roadside truck diners. But because mostly when you spend 12 straight hours alone on the road, you have WAY too much time with yourself. Now, I know I can be funny, some might even say entertaining. However, I am really not interesting enough that I can hold up both ends of the conservation and still keep it flowing for 600 miles.

I have more thoughts about being ‘on the road’, but there is plenty of time for all of that later. For now, the ‘To Do’ list is already forming and I better get cracking! Guess what Florida, I’m here!!!