I’m gonna come clean for a minute. It was a bit of a slow start here in Florida. Palatka is a small town and there aren’t a lot of employment opportunities for me. As a result I was feeling a little discouraged and useless. In fact, Chrysa and I had a discussion about it in the car one day. Chrysa had been offered an extension and we were wrestling with whether we should accept it or not. We theorized that we weren’t 100% sold on Florida because we were coming off such a great assignment in Iowa. Think of it this way. You eat a spectacular meal at a famed 5 star restaurant and it blows your mind. The next day you have McDonalds for lunch. Your Big Mac would be a disappointment, right? We had a little of that going on. In an effort to settle in, and while on the job hunt, we have been exploring the area and trying to be as local as possible.
One place in town to feel at home is Uncorked and Unwind. It’s a great little local’s bar that we have mentioned before on this blog. We went there our first week in town and continue to be regular patrons. We always have a great time chatting with the other customers. Uncorked is a wonderful place to see friendly faces in a warm atmosphere. The owner is great and even helped me pick out Christmas gifts for my mom. Uncorked also recently sponsored a Cuban food truck for a night. Chrysa and I went and it was a great night on the town. We drank local brews while eating Cuban sandwiches and empanadas. Since we had double orders of everything we had to hit the fitness…hard!
Speaking of fitness – we have been doing a lot of it. As I have mentioned before, the weather has been mostly great. It’s usually warm and sunny during the day and cool at night. This has made outdoor fitness the norm for us. Most days of the week you can find us running through Palatka, over the St. Johns River Bridge, or hitting the bar station in Ravine Gardens. We have also joined Orange Theory Fitness. We’ve found it very beneficial to get a once a week destruction session in. It has really helped. I found it to be a particularly good form of speed training. We recently did a race and kicked butt. More on that in another post.
We don’t just stick to Palatka for fitness. We have been exploring other areas as well. Our Orange Theory Studio is in Jacksonville Beach, as are the Jacksonville Beach Runners. I was introduced to these cool cats by my high school buddy, Onke. I ended up reconnecting with Onke on social media around the same time we moved to Florida. It was a no brainer to arrange a get together when we figured out we only lived an hour or so from each other. He invited me to run with the JBR crew and I have been running with these guys semi regularly ever since. In fact we will see most of them for the upcoming Gate City Race.
We haven’t just been fit and active. We have also been exploring, while eating and drinking our way around Florida. We’ve found that St. Augustine is a spectacular place to go when you can’t think of anything to do. We head that way pretty much any chance we get. Need to stock up your liquor cabinet? St. Augustine! Need a place to go to warm up after a cold day at Anastasia State Park? St. Augustine! How about a night on the town for a certain someone’s birthday? You guessed it, St Augustine! We went there for Chrysa’s B-day and had a great time. We had an unbelievable meal overlooking the water and then had cocktails under the lights and the blood moon. It was magical!
We aren’t just sticking to the cities and towns either. We have been checking out the forests as well. Specifically, Ocala national Forest. The town of Palatka pretty much borders the forest so it’s a short drive for us. We have been a couple times now and really enjoyed it. There are trails to run and hike as well a stunning natural springs. Chrysa and I were shocked to find out you can actually swim in the pristine waters. We just can’t believe the accessibility. The temps outside are already rising and we are both looking forward to taking a dip in the crystal clear water.
I’m happy to report that all of our trepidation has been resolved. We have everything close at hand to make Florida one of our most successful assignments yet. As you can tell, we have plenty to see and do. In addition, we have a wonderful little bungalow to live in. It’s two bedroom with a pond out back, a fire pit, and plenty of wildlife to watch. I am also employed now! I’m working as a cook at the This and That Café in beautiful downtown Palatka. I’m having a really fun time slinging out breakfast sandwiches and making lunch specials. I have to say this job plays into all of my strengths. I get to test out recipes and even get to invent my own. In addition, I work movie nights on Thursdays and Karaoke on Fridays. I actually get paid to sing and dance (badly, I might add).
I dare say that the Big Mac feeling we had earlier is gone. We are comfortable and living the good life in Palatka. Things are so good Chrysa took the extension. We are here until June. I guess we are all in now.
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