Charlotte Harbor at 8:15.

We are training in a conference room at the Gasparilla Beach Club. It’s a private club for members. I loved the unique seashell fireplace .

Since my divine appointment with Lisa from New York, asking me to watch her dad, I have continued to sit with him all last week and weekend. He is an 81 year old Christian Jew, Korean War veteran, ex police officer, and a remarkable man.

He loves telling me stories about his life. I love most when he talks about his wife. He met her when visiting his mother in the hospital. She actually was in the bed beside his mom and they started talking and he kept visiting her. He told her when she got out of the hospital, he was taking her home with him. He sure did, with a ring on her finger.

She died a long time ago, but he never remarried. He said, “I couldn’t remarry, she was the love of my life.” This touched me because I feel the same about my d.h., I couldn’t remarry if I lost him! 🏝

P.S. I explained a lot of blog posts ago that I call my husband d.h. It stands for dearest husband. I started calling him that after reading Zelda Fitzgerald called her beloved Scott this.🌴

It’s about 78 degrees with a nice breeze.🏝

I decided to try out the pool today. It is very lovely with perfect water temperature. There were a couple of people but now I’m the only one here. There are tables with umbrellas making an ideal place to eat lunch,🏝

I got one of the jobs I applied for, I will be in the boutique shop primarily and also trained to work the Inn gift shop.

I came over to do my HR paperwork and to get my bridge pass. My training begins next Tuesday. I am excited to get started and learn the ropes.

While over here, I thought I might as well read some chapters in my book while enjoying the beach.🏝

On the tour I saw the beautiful dining room.

After taking my sweet d.h. to the airport, I was very upset seeing him leave. I went to Englewood Beach to pray and think.

Englewood Beach is nice and close to my apartment but it’s not my favorite beach. This beach is more touristy and a little more crowded than the others in the area. It does have a very nice pavilion and free parking.

I just needed the time to reflect and remind myself we’re doing this for us and our future. This experience will determine if we want to buy here and live half of our retirement years here. It is still hard to be apart. Thank God for cell phones and FaceTime.

In my quiet time on the beach I asked for direction in my job situation. I received a text from someone in New York that saw my profile on Care.com. She said she was desperate for me to please call her. When I went back to my car, I called and she explained that her dad was in the hospital and should have already been released days ago but she can’t find anyone to be with him for the first day and his friends can’t stay for whatever reason. The hospital won’t release him until she finds someone. I, of course, offered to help her. I felt that it could be a divine appointment and so relieved that I was here for her. When I went to his home today, his friends Ray and Rose were there. We automatically hit it off and exchanged numbers. I’m so excited to have met this sweet Christian couple. Ray reminds me of my deceased Uncle Bob Lynch and Rose reminds me of my deceased best friend Loreen . They are from Massachusetts and moved to Englewood after retiring. I love God and am grateful for His orchestration.🏝

We accomplished a lot in a short period of time. The apartment is unpacked and boxes in recycling. We met several people already. Some of our neighbors have come over and introduced themselves, offered to help, and brought us cold waters. I have a retired sheriff from Virginia below me. He told Tony he would look out for me. A couple of doors down is a retired car dealership owner from Cincinnati, Ohio who has a best friend in Tryon, NC. It’s a lot of fun meeting the different people and finding out how they found Englewood.

I still haven’t heard about job. I’m going to rest a day or two and then start exploring the area and my options.

Weather: The weather has been great! It has been in the high 80’s during the day and humid, but the evenings cooler and not as humid.

We tried our regular favorite restaurants for dinners. Our two favorites are Landys and Ephesus. We tried The Waverly for the first time. It was our first time to try sea bass with corn risotto and it was amazing!🏝

We are in the state of Florida. I got a call from The Gasparilla Inn a few hours ago wanting an interview. I go tomorrow at 3:00.

We got a 10 foot Uhaul and a trailer for Goldie. We have been on the road over 9 hours, because of road construction and a major accident in Brunswick, Georgia. Still have 4 hours to go. 🏝

I can’t believe this adventure is going to begin in just six days! I’m excited and nervous at the same time. I think I’ve packed everything in a slow and methodical way to ensure I have what I need. There’s a lot to consider when moving 10 hours away.

When my daughter, Staci, invited me to vacation with her and Dale a couple of years ago, I had no idea a spark would be lit, after all, I never thought I liked Florida! After I returned home from that week, I couldn’t forget the beautiful southwestern Florida skies and the laidback lifestyle everyone seemed to be enjoying. I made a couple more trips since then with family and friends , each trip learning more and more. I am going to ultimately go on this adventure for the life experience and as an experiment.

I have been in a battle with depression for several years now. I think it just slowly began to spiral out of control in 2017 when I lost my sweet daddy. My adventure to Florida will also be my experiment to see if the change in geography will help me. We shall see what is in store.

I was telling my mom what I was planning and she said I got my adventurous spirit from my dad. He had even worked in Florida years ago for a time. I had never known that before. I wish I knew if it was in the same area I’m adventuring to.

The life experience is for gathering information! I want to get a job and learn what it’s like to be a local there, not a tourist. I want to feel the hum drum days along with the glorious ones. I will be interested to see what it’s like day in and day out. 😀 I look forward to seeing what the Lord leads me to . My sweet d.h. will then decide if we should buy a lot or house so we can be snowbirds when he retires.🏝