New life

Well, I am LOVING island life! I LOVE the salty sea air, the breeze and even the humidity. I've already said that once my hair grows long enough to wear curly again there is a good chance I will never go back to straight. Wild beach hair (you know what I'm talking about) for life! I love the 14 hours-a-day sunlight and that the temperature almost always stays about the same even when the sun goes down. NONE of this having to turn on the car's heat in the morning, a/c in the afternoon stuff. Even if it is hot, at least it can make up its mind!

There is almost always a 30% chance of rain when I check the weather...and then it will thunderstorm for about 20 minutes and the sun is back out. I LOVE a good thunderstorm! And my weather channel app has a 'Beach' tab... I can find out everything you wanted to know about the beach with the touch of my thumb. Low tide, high tide, surface temperature of the water, wave height, best time to fish... I love the amazing, thick, plush grass that grows everywhere here. It makes me just want to roll around in it, run and tumble, do cartwheels...wrestle. And it's green all the time.

I love the view from the causeway (tall bridges) on and off the island, especially driving home. The rivers and the intracoastal waterway...it makes me want to have a kayak. I love absense of traffic (except at the roundabout...which just seems to be caused by people who aren't sure WHAT to do there...) I Kings Way and the roads that are seemingly enclosed by big beautiful trees and spanish moss. I love that people ride bikes. It makes me really want a bike too. I love the marsh, I love Epworth, I love the sunset over the marsh AT Epworth. I love that it makes me feel like I am a world away in Africa. It looks like the beginning of the Lion King. You can't look at the sun because it is the biggest, brightest, orange ball of fire you've ever seen.

I love the pier and the little shops in the Village. Tonya's is the equivalent of Plain Jane...and I can't even afford to walk past the window! I love the new brick path along the beach, I mean getting out for a walk in the evenings along (or ON) the beach...as opposed to Lumpkin Street (which is wonderful, and already miss the blinky fireflies...) When you walk along and it is high tide the waves crash against the rocks and you can feel the ocean spray. Neptune park is picturesque as is the historic lighthouse...it's all just really beautiful. It's just like when I was growing up and we would come in from a long day at the beach, take our showers and get dressed nicely, damp hair and sunkissed [read fried] faces... to go out to eat dinner and play putt putt or have ice cream. (Or buy hermit crabs...you know I got one every year... TANGENT: One summer after I had just finished 8th grade, I went on my first mission trip, to Mexico. My mom's church joins with multiple other churches in the district and takes a team of about 85 people to build houses every year. Well, I was on a team with several other young people but was by far the youngest. There was a couple of college kids on the team and they did such a good job of including me that I forgot how young I was...and I began to fall "in love" with one of the guys... Barron Thompson. Then the mission trip was almost over, the mission trip goggles seemed to have slipped...and I realized it would never work out between us. (It was me, not him... "Let's just be friends," I told him) He was VERY devastated (obviously) and acted like a jerk. (It also might've had to do more with me beating him badly in a game of hearts (in which I definitely Shot the Moon...and you know males and their egos...) So we ended it on bad terms...I left, he went back to college...and the next week, whilst on vacation at the beach, the night came when I bought my [annual] hermit crab...and I promptly named him Barron-Thompson-the-Crab. Rather like a knight. You know...wonder where Barron Thompson is today...? END TANGENT).

Long story short, I feel like I am just on a long vacation..which may not be a bad thing!!!

I work everyday from 10-6, sometimes later, which I actually really enjoy right now. I like that I get so much done after everyone else leaves and the phones stop ringing and there are no crying babies. I like that the sun is setting while I drive home. I really even like my little 20 minute drive to and from work. I like my super-cool-official-important badge that I have to wear that bears the homeland security seal...and I like that people salute me when I drive through the gate. (This is just a polite gesture I think, seeing as how I am of no rank or position to deserve a salute...but it still makes me feel important and respected. Hey, after all, I am training up mini secret service agents and U.S. Marshalls and other federal agents. But if you think about it I AM training up secret service agents and U.S. Marshall's kids... "MY kid got WHAT!?! Oh, I'll show you bitten..." "I'm SO SORRY Sir, please don't hurt me, I also probably can't do very many push ups..."). There are also tire slasher things at the gate. [Read scary]

I enjoy my job, there is a lot of room for my opinion, creativity and ideas. The girls I work with are fun to be around and make me smile. I already think the Lord has given me a heart to pray for them and learn from them. All of them come from backgrounds different from anything I am used to in Athens. My bosses are hilarious and helpful as I learn (and understanding and gracious when I fail--or ask a zillion questions and for approval and praise :)). I have much to learn, one thing being what I try hard to remember every day...sometime you just have to let it go. It's ok if I leave my desk a little messy, I don't HAVE to know what do to about specific situation right now, we can work on it together tomorrow...just relax, I have to tell myself, it's just so easy to want to be PERFECT at what I love so much!

So recap...it is indeed "Heaven on Earth and an onion slice..."

(except that it can be pretty lonely with no one to share it all with...)