Where are our keys? Oh - in the Gulf of Mexico!

Tropical Storm Isaac did not effect the area as much as the weather reports were first stating. In fact, we just got a few days of wind.

Every morning I have been walking the beach looking for shells washed up by the storm. The waves have been high in the Gulf of Mexico but I was enjoying the walks. Until this morning. I lost the only set of van keys we had in FL.

Yup, for some reason we only had one set of keys. The others were left back in PA.

My jogging shorts do not have pockets in them. In fact, most of my clothing does not have pockets which is a bit annoying. And so, I put the keys in a plastic bag with my sandals. The bag had no holes. I held the bag the entire time and yet when I went to get the keys, they were not there. My sandals were there but the keys somehow escaped.

The only thought I have is that they are somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico.  I do not know how they left the bag but they did. I walked up and down the beach looking for them.

A nice lifeguard let me use his cell phone to call the hubby who was back at the condo. I told him what happened and he said for me to take the free trolley back to the condo. I seriously forgot about the free trolley and would have walked the 4 miles back to the condo. Good thing for hubbies who have common sense!

Another set is being shipped from PA and they should be here within a few days. We could walk to the beach from our condo plus there is the free trolley. We have plenty of food, internet and cable. We have a cell phone and no one was hurt.

I guess if there was anywhere I'd want to be without a car, it would be on Anna Maria Island. But, if someone happens to find a Dodge Caravan key, remote fob and 4 condo keys, could you please let me know? :) 

Here are a few more photos I took yesterday after Isaac passed. 

A flooded parking lot 

It was a double red flag day at the beach which means that the public is NOT allowed in the water.

Three baby gulls trying to walk against the wind. The wind would push them back into the water with every step they took.

Anna Maria Island on Dwellable

Hurricane & Dolphins

We have two and a half weeks left on our wonderful FL vacation. We are on a tiny strip of land known as Anna Maria Island. It is just south of St. Petersburg and just north of Sarasota.

The island is 7 miles long and is very thin. There is one road that goes the entire length of the island - Gulf Drive. 

We are having the best time and hopefully will continue our vacation without being evacuated. Why? Because there is a hurricane headed our way! It is kind of scary but kind of fun. 

Photo credit: http://www.weather.com/

I remember a hurricane on Long Island when I was young and I had the best time. Of course I wasn't in charge and could enjoy the storm without thinking of where to get water or how to make the next meal. 

And so we went to the beach for one last swim before the storm hits later tomorrow or early Monday. It was gorgeous. 

We see dolphins at the beach every year we come and sometimes they get VERY close. Yesterday I captured three dolphin with my camera and even got a shot of one jumping completely out of the water. Very cool! 

I'll keep posting beach photos as long as we have power. I hope everyone stays safe and buys lots of water (I'm actually not sure why everyone buys lots of water but this seems the thing to do).

The Colors & Fun of Anna Maria Island

My hubby & I have been walking every evening while on vacation. There is a trail along the beach that is mostly shaded by trees. With the breeze off of the Gulf of Mexico cooling us down, the miles pass quickly.

Here is the path on which we walk: 

Two nights ago I decided to walk back to the condo (a 5-mile walk!) and passed some very interesting colored houses along the way. Last night I did the same walk and took my camera along! 

Orange & Turquoise - I love this color combo! Notice the fence?
It has cut-out fish skeletons.

Purple & Green? An unlikely combo!

I am in love with the sherbert colors of these condos.

The fence reads "I wish vacation would last forever" which is SO true!

The same house but zoomed in to show the murals.

More sherbert colored condos.

My house doesn't have shutters but I would want these cute bird cut-out ones if it did.

Dolphin mail box!

The businesses in the area have gotten in on the fun. 

An ice cream shop - we went there and the ice cream is YUMMY!

The same shop from the front.

I love the name - Banana Cabana. It makes me smile.

This restaurant has a shark coming out of the front.

I do not know who Mike Norman is (sorry Mike!) but this is a great marketing tactic!

A photo of the beach from last night - the waves have finally calmed down. Just in time for the hurricane! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Anna Maria on Dwellable

What do I want to be when I grow up?

I am 32 years old and I still do not know what I want to do with my life. Let me rephrase that...I'm not sure what I want to do as a career. With my life, I want to glorify God every minute of every day. I want to "serve people always" (I heard this phrase from a missionary at church this past weekend).

Currently I am selling on ebay full-time. I make a good salary and pay for benefits out of my own pocket. My hubby of 10 years and I are paying our bills and I am so thankful for this.

My hubby takes care of his father. This is a full-time job since his father can no longer care for himself. He also cleans our house and takes care of his elderly aunt & uncle's place. He loves what he does.

And I am hoping to find something I love as well.

I have sold cars and loved it. I have worked at an after-school program for kindergarteners and loved it. I have worked with seniors and loved it. I have been a professional cake decorator...and loved it! Basically, I have loved almost every job I have ever had.

Selling on ebay is kind of boring and does not let me interact with people on an every day basis. I shop at thrifts (basically my only interaction is handing the cashier my credit card) and then come home to wash, photograph, list and ship the items by myself.

I am at a point in my life where I can choose to go back to school, get a new job or just continue what I am doing. I am leaning towards one of the first two. I just wish I knew what I wanted to do. Every single job I see on the "help wanted" sites I want. Seriously...it is that bad.

Nursing? Yup, I would love to be a nurse. Teacher? Yup, that one too. Site manager? Yes please. Real Estate Agent? Yippee! Photographer? Sign me up. Missionary? Of course! I'm not even sure of what some of the jobs entail but I still want them.

There was literally not one job that I wasn't interested in on the "help wanted" sites. Okay...perhaps personal pet groomer but that is only because I am allergic to all things with fur.

I don't want to go back to school without a specific profession in mind. That just seems like money that could potentially be wasted if I get tired of my job. And so for now I am keeping my eyes open and I am praying. A lot.

Monday's Florida Photos

We are on our second week in Florida and we are loving every minute of it. We are currently on Anna Maria Island and will be here for a total of three weeks. After Anna Maria Island, we are heading inland to Orlando for a few days. 

We went to a (free) Greyhound race track one night last week. It was actually quite fun! 

Notice how blonde my hair is getting from the sun? It turns that blonde every year and yet it still surprises me. 

We have also been walking every evening. I love the Florida weather!This photo was taken after a storm came through - the beach usually doesn't have seaweed on it.

And the FL schools started back up today. If I were still in school, I would be bummed school starts so earlier in the year. It still feels like summer here! I took a quick photo of a friendly crossing guard on my way to a few thrifts this morning.

Our vacation "schedule" looks like this:

7:30am: I wake up and package ebay shipments. I then get ready and go thrifting. 

10am: My hubby wakes up. He catches up on emails and eats breakfast.

11am: I am home and we start packing up for the beach and catch up on each other's mornings. 

12pm: We are at the beach until about 3pm. 

3pm: We home back to the condo, take showers and eat. 

4pm: Nap time! 

6pm: Go for our evening walk. 

7pm: Watch movies together or go somewhere local for fun.

9:30pm: I go to sleep. Yup, I am an early bird evening on vacation! The hubby stays up until 1-2am.

I believe we may be the most boring vacationers EVER. But, we like the slowness of the pace and it works for us.

   

I'm also linking up HERE.

Recently Sold on Ebay - 8/18/12

I am finding that thrift stores in FL are not the same as in PA. The prices are MUCH higher. I have found a few things to list but not too much. Thankfully I brought my inventory with me on vacation and still have been selling. 

Here are a few things that have sold over the last few days: 

1. Jessica Howard dress, new with tags, sold for $50. 

2. Chico's skirt, sold for $17. 

3. Chico's Travelers skirt, sold for $33.

4. Odille (sold exclusively at Anthropologie) skirt, sold for $35. 

5.  Elie Tahari dress, sold for $19.

6. Talbots skirt, sold for $14. 

7. Talbots skirt & jacket suit, sold for $37. 

8. Travelsmith dress, sold for $23. 

9. Tahari by Arthur S. Levine pants & jacket suit, sold for $29.

10. Lauren by Ralph Lauren skirt, sold for $30. 

11. Talbots dress with attached top underneath, sold for $30. 

(More) Florida Photos

The house we are staying in this week is the CUTEST little home! It has two bedrooms and one bathroom. The hubby & I have never stayed in a house that only has one bathroom and let me tell you...we hope to always have atleast 1.5 bathrooms from now on! I am not sure how my mom, dad, sister, brother & I survived for years with 1 bathroom when I was growing up.

The oak tree on the side of the house where we park every day. 

Fort De Soto Park - we have been here twice and it is gorgeous!

Here is a little squirrel. I thought he was so brave and cute until he ate through my (expensive) cooler and stole our sandwiches and steak (we were floating in the water while this happened). Bad squirrel!

This sidewalk and canal are just a few blocks from the house and we walk there every night. 

So pretty!

St. Petersburg on Dwellable