f l o r i d a l i f e

wow, its been a long time since I've written anything here. but thats definitely not for lack of reasons to! the move has gone very smoothly. we have managed to get settled, explore a bit, and make some new friends. i still get lost every time i leave the house but thankfully I've finally learned most of the main roads. 

learning how to live with someone in a shared space has been easy for us since we've lived together for longer periods during j's time at TBS. the hard part has been adjusting to our schedules and learning how to communicate in a normal way now that he isn't in the field all the time! and to be honest, its a great problem to have because it means we get to see each other so much. 

for me personally, the most difficult thing has been accepting the fact that i will have to put myself out there in an unfamiliar place and meet new people. we've spent some time with j's friends and their significant others which has been great! everyone is super nice and they know from experience the things i am going through. last weekend a big group of us went out in downtown pensacola which was awesome. i was surprised at how fun the bars were! and with the exception of a slight alcohol induced bout of hysteria on my part, the night was a blast. we were also FINALLY able to go to the beach! it was beautiful. white sand, blue water, and sunshine!!

i was supposed to head home yesterday morning but decided to extend my trip through the weekend in order to lock down a job I've been chasing while down here. I'm excited to say that i think at this point it is in the bag. such a relief! i have to admit that i was terrified at the thought of being down here with nothing to do. i don't want to only be a marine girlfriend. thats not who i am. or its not the ONLY thing i am. I've grown up being a very independent, educated, and motivated person and its easy for people in military communities to box significant others in and assume the worst about them. its kind of sad. but i refuse to be one of those people!

james and i are planning on getting our scuba certifications when i get back down here in may which i am SO excited about. especially since there are so many coastal and marine archaeological sites down here! we even found out that the local colleges offer classes that i may be able to take that will add some credits to my grad school count :) 

in addition to working full time, going to the beach, (hopefully) taking some classes, learning the area, and trying to find a place to volunteer i am feeling much better about my schedule. the only time things get hard is when i have nothing to do, so staying busy, getting out and doing new things, and meeting new people will not only be my biggest challenge but my salvation here. i think that this is the beginning of an amazing adventure and i can't wait to see how we grow as a couple and as individuals on this journey :)