Gap Year

To paraphrase Haley Dunphy from the TV show Modern Family, "I've decided to take a gap year.  To travel the world, figure out what I want to do with my life and, obviously, work at the GAP."

I've found myself echoing these words from the popular sitcom to describe what the last year of my life has been like.  Since leaving my job at WebbMason almost a year ago today, I have taken time to examine my priorities, explore new opportunities, and of course, work in retail.  While this rings of a mid-life crisis at thirty, I think it only natural that when a single girl gets married she finds it necessary to shift gears.

The first few months of my "gap year" were spent traveling, as described in previous blogs.  After our epic adventure, Brian and I returned to Naples and began a new journey, one that ended in us becoming homeowners.  He went back to work when school started but I managed to enjoy a few weeks of unemployment before my intense work-ethic kicked in (thanks, Dad).  We were still in the process of packing and preparing to close on the house, so there was plenty to do, but I still needed to feel like I was being "productive" so I sanded and painted several pieces of natural wood furniture white to match our new decor.

My mom shared a verse that helped me find purpose: "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

In October, I took a part-time position at my favorite home decor store, Pier 1 Imports, because I thought it would be a fun job (and for the discount, of course). I have to say, I was surprised to find out how exhausting retail work could be.  Whether I was opening and unpacking boxes of merchandise at 6 AM on a Saturday or constantly roaming around the store on a tile floor, my whole body (especially my feet) would ache at the end of a four-hour shift.  Although I enjoyed interacting with customers, at $8.50 an hour, it wasn't much fun; it reminded me why I had chosen to get an education.

I loved "shopping" with other people's money!

So I began my "real job" search in earnest, with more questions than answers.  Did I want to continue in my current field of Marketing/Sales?  I made it to the fourth interview with Gartner, a well-known research and analytics company located in Fort Myers, before I determined that the answer was emphatically "no".  While I believe I could have gotten the position and been successful, the words that kept coming up in the interviews like "driven" and "competitive" just didn't seem to describe me anymore.  I felt strongly that I would have been getting myself into the same situation I had just left, where the pressure was intense and the hours were long (not to mention the commute).  I was holding out hope that there was a difference between a demanding job and a challenging career. So I walked away and breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, I found myself wondering where in the world my ambition had gone.  I've always been highly motivated and for most of my twenties, my life revolved around work.  Now, it wasn't that I wanted to be a full-time housewife, I just wanted to find a balance.  I began searching for a job that would be just that: a job.  One where I could work regular hours, earn benefits, and leave it there when I went home.  I began networking with the few people I knew in Naples and had lunch with my wedding planner from the Naples Beach Hotel.  Shortly after, she told me about a position as a Conference Concierge in their catering department.  I had never worked in hospitality before, and I thought this would be a good field to explore a career path, since Naples is a premier vacation destination.  I got the job and was excited to see behind-the-scenes of resort where Brian and I said our vows.  While it was challenging at first, it didn't take me long to realize that I would outgrow my responsibilities, and due to the nature of the industry, most of the positions I could move into would mean working early mornings, nights and weekends.  As much as I loved the hotel and enjoyed the people I worked with, I knew that it was not the right fit for me.

On my first day at the Naples Beach Hotel

It was about the time that we celebrated our first year of marriage that Brian and I began trying to envision what we wanted our future to look like.  In our daydreams, we would have the same schedule and a lifestyle suited to having a family someday.  Brian was a huge inspiration to me in terms of what I wanted in a career.  His work as an educator was both challenging and rewarding, and he was passionate about it in way I had never experienced.   I began asking myself, could I see myself being a teacher?  Did I even like children???  I mean, I knew I liked babies and toddlers, but TEENAGERS?

Brian arranged for me to be able to observe a classroom at the middle school where he teaches to help me answer some of these questions.  I have to say, the classroom environment has changed drastically since I was in school, where everyone sat in rows and it was silent and rigid; the only reason you got up was to ask the teacher a question at her desk. Today's classroom is much more collaborative and relaxed; after my initial shock wore off, I realized that this didn't mean the teacher wasn't in control of the room, it was just that there was more interaction happening, in other words... learning!  Also, I determined that I actually do like children.  I know that sounds awful, but middle school was a difficult time for me, and I was relieved to find adulthood had given me a very different perspective.

I also had the opportunity to sit down with Brian's principal and discuss what steps I would need to take to persue a career in teaching, since my bachelor's degree is in Business. Florida has a clearly defined path that allows people to make this type of career change, however, she explained that the major thing I lacked was experience in the classroom. And there is really only one way to get it: substituting. Well, that would be a challenge since I had a full-time job, but I began completing the requirements to be a Guest Teacher in Collier County just in case. 

In April I began volunteering with Junior Achievement, a non-profit that partners with local business people to go into classrooms and educate students on how to be successful in "real life".  The curriculum includes how to manage personal finances and the importance of decisions about career, education and lifestyle. You know, the things that you probably wish someone had taught you in school, like how to make a budget, safeguard your credit score and plot a course for your future.  My manager agreed to allow me to come in to work an hour late one day a week for six weeks so I could teach a class of 8th graders some of the lessons I had learned the hard way.  Not only was I very passionate about Junior Achievement's mission, but the program also afforded me the opportunity to try out my skills in the classroom. After the very first day, I was hooked!

Then things started happening very fast. The principal at Brian's school informed me that a long-term substitute position had opened up for a Resource Teacher through the end of the year. She told me that she thought it would be an ideal way to get me immersed in the classroom and offered me the job. I gladly jumped at the chance, and with Brian's approval, gave my two-weeks' notice the same day.  For the last five weeks of the school year, I provided support in 6th-8th grade language arts classes and was on hand to substitute whenever they needed coverage, which toward the end of the year, was pretty frequent.  In this way, I was able to observe several different teachers and their classroom management styles, and then try to put what I had learned into practice when I was called on to sub. In the beginning, the learning curve was pretty steep, but after a few weeks, I started to get the hang of it and have fun, especially as I became familiar with the school and got to know the students and faculty. 

Mrs. David actually taught a math class!

I have been writing this post over the course of the past few days (sorry it is so long!) but as of just yesterday I know how it ends. It may have gone without saying that when the school year ended, I was unemployed, or I had the summer off, depending on how you want to look at it. Brian and I made a quick getaway to the Keys this weekend and while we were there, I got a call from the in-coming principal offering me a full-time position as a 7th grade Language Arts teach next year!  We were in the perfect place to celebrate!!!

Celebrating in Marathon Key, with a sunset view of the Seven Mile Bridge

I want to give a shout-out it my amazing husband for being so supportive and understanding during the past year.  Without him, I would never have been introduced to a challenging and rewarding career where I can grow for years to come. Words can't express how grateful I am for you!!!

Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. - Proverbs 19:21

Better Together

Warning!  This video contains romantic content.  If you are prone to nausea or disgust, you don't have to watch!

Better Together

This was my gift to my husband as we celebrated our first year of marriage, a look back at some special moments and other big "firsts".  Every day with him is better than the last!

Brian took me to an unbelievable dinner last night at Truluck's, our favorite restaurant in downtown Naples. What girl doesn't love a chance to get dressed up?

When we made our anniversary celebration plans, we had no idea that Auburn would be playing in the SEC championship game, but we were able to watch the first half, and sneak a few peaks at the score during dinner. We high-fived when we saw that the Tigers had defeated Missouri 42-59.  After dinner, we went to see a play put on by the Naples Players at Sugden Community Theater, but I have to confess that we left at intermission to go home and watch the Ohio State vs. Michigan State.  There was a lot on the line!  And we were not disappointed when the Spartans prevailed, securing Auburn a spot in the National Championship game!

This morning we headed down to the Naples Beach Hotel to relive our wedding day!  It was a beautiful beach day and brought back so many special memories.  I still can't believe it has been a year sent we said "I do"!  Then again, so much has happened in a year!!!

We had a low-key evening, but I had one more surprise up my sleeve.  We still had the top layer of our wedding cake in the freezer, so I thawed it out, opened a mini bottle of Cook's champagne and we toasted to our first anniversary!  

Lovin' Lindsey Lane

We have been in our new townhouse for almost three weeks and already it feels like home.  Brian has expertly put several gallons of paint on the walls and seeing the colors we chose in each room has really made it feel like ours.

There are still a lot of things we would like to do in the future, but we wanted to share some pictures with the folks back home.

Our New Nest

Entryway

Living Room

Dining Area

Kitchen (not as yellow as it appears here)

Back Deck

Powder Room

Stairs to 2nd Floor

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Guest Bathroom

Office

Guest Bedroom

Upstairs Balcony

Upstairs Laundry

Garage

Cody likes it!

We feel so blessed that our dream of being homeowners is finally a reality and are so grateful for all the help we had along the way from our families and friends, including our Realtor, Alexandra Nasrallah (Sun Realty) and mortgage broker, Kim Bos (Citizens Mortgage Group).  We learned so much during the process, and at times it was stressful (especially since we were working on a short timeline to vacate our rental unit) but we prayed and had faith that everything would work out if it was meant to be; we were not disappointed. 

This verse was very real to me during the weeks leading up to our closing:

Philippians 4:6-7 -- Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

And now, this is the cry of my heart:

Psalm 126:3 -- The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

New Beginnings

Some time has passed since our last post and we have much to talk about! For starter's we had such as amazing trip this summer and appreciate all of our family and friends for tuning in to the blog to check us out. Sara and I created memories that we will cherish forever, we saw landscapes that will remain forever etched in our brains, and most important of all we did it together.
As we arrived back home to Naples we were met with a surprise. The owner of our condo - from whom we were renting, decided to sell! We were immediately met with two possible options, we could rent from the new owner of our condo (they were investment buyers) for almost three hundred dollars more a month, or we could start to search for a home to buy of our own.  It was such an exciting decision, the thought that we could be home owners and stop throwing our money away in rent and start to build equity of our own was to tempting.

We spent our afternoons after work searching the MLS and visiting property after property; it became clear to us that we would just know when we found the right place, we would get the feeling that it was our home. Surely enough, we found that feeling not even a month into looking. As we walked around the Key West style town home, Sara hopped with delight (literally). It just felt like our home, we could envision our things and our life together in it. We made an offer and the rest is escrow history.

Pictures of 3281 Lindsey Lane coming soon!

Sweet Home Alabama

Just as New Orleans was a great place to kick off our road trip, Nashville was the perfect place to go out on a high note. From Music City we headed south on I-65 to Birmingham and sweet home Alabama. We had planned to visit my Aunt Barbara and Uncle Tom for two nights. They have a beautiful home worthy of Southern Living and gave us a warm welcome over a glass of sweet tea. After all of our wandering, Brian and I agree that we appreciate the Deep South with its green trees and good manners more than ever.

And of course, the food!  Dinner was a half rack of ribs at the famous Dreamland BBQ. Even if it originated in Tuscaloosa, this Auburn fan has to give credit where credit is due - they cook some finger-lickin' food!  

The next morning "Unkie" Tom cooked us his famous breakfast of eggs, grits, bacon and biscuits; our day was off to a good start!  Brian and I took the morning to relax and recount our travels.  Eventually we worked up an appetite and grabbed a quick bite at The Summit before heading to Homewood to visit Birmingham's most famous landmark, the Vulcan statue. Vulcan, the Greek god of fire and forge stands in tribute to the city's roots in the iron and steel industry.  From his tower on Red Mountain, Vulcan stands 126 feet high and is visible all over Birmingham, but hard to take in from the park below.

Back at the Roberts' residence, Tom had cooked an amazing steak dinner and we sat down for another great meal and genuine conversation.  I had plans to meet my fabulous friend, Jayme Malone, who also lives in Birmingham for a drink and dessert at Jackson's Bar and Bistro while Brian stayed to watch the Braves extend their winning streak to nine games. Let's hope they can keep it up!  

Another good night's sleep and another great breakfast (but this time with blueberry pancakes), and it was time to hit the road again!

A short 3.5 hour drive and we were in my hometown of Dothan, Alabama where I was reunited with my very dirty dog, Cody. He had been at "summer camp" a we took to calling it; my parents kept him and he got to chase geese and race cars in the rain. As soon as we let him out of the gate, be jumped in the front seat of the car. I think he missed us!!!

Next we went to inspect all of the progress my family and their team of helpers had made on the child development center. We were absolutely amazed at how much they had accomplished in a month and so happy that all of their hard work would soon begin to start paying off; they hope to open September 1st and already have several candidates!

Everyone agreed they had earned a day off, so Saturday we were able to do some quality visiting. My niece, Avery, had a gymnastics exhibition at the mall that afternoon so the whole family went to watch, including my sister, Joy, who was in town from Florida State where she is in graduate school. Avery and her teammates put on quite a show for all the back-to-school shoppers and Aunt Sara was so proud!  

We picked up dinner at Dobb's BBQ, always a favorite and settled in for a rousing game of Dutch Blitz. It was so nice to have everyone together, and I think we each treasured it all the more since it is a rare occurrence these days. 

Sunday was our last day in Dothan and for the grand finale, Dad wanted to take the boat to Panama City, about an hour and a half away. My family lived in P.C. until I was twelve, so I spent most of my childhood on the Saint Andrews Bay, swimming, skiing, and snorkeling. Something about the smell of salt in the air and gasoline on the water makes me almost euphoric. Weird, I know. 

We put in at the City Marina and headed for Shell Island. After a good, long "talking-to" from my dad, (with the help of my sister Jenna's boyfriend, Andrew, a helicopter mechanic) our Yamaha motor propelled us across the bay which was brown and brackish with a month's worth of heavy rainfall, through the pass and into the Gulf of Mexico.   Much to our surprise, the water off of Shell Island was a gorgeous, clear emerald green. With the sun shining overhead, it was a day made in heaven!!!  

We swam, played and sunbathed to our hearts' content. When it was time to head back to the marina, the motor roared like lion!!!

Before heading back to Dothan, we stopped in to visit with my Grandaddy Koesy and his wife, Annie Lou.  They served us cool, sweet watermelon and we shared the latest news.  It was the perfect end to the perfect day.

Sights and Sounds of Music City

We arrived to Nashville excited to seek out some great live music. After checking in to the Sheraton Downtown, (another great deal thanks to Priceline) we found we were in walking distance of all the famous hot spots! Broadway, Printer's Alley, and The Country Music Hall of Fame were just a short walk downhill. Tired as we were from our drive from St. Louis, we still could not pass up a night on the town. We ventured out to 2nd Avenue and Broadway to get a taste of the nightlife. Sara was a little concerned that it being a weekday we might miss the excitement that this famous city has to offer, but she was wrong! The streets were bustling with excitement and truly every saloon or restaurant you walked by was ringing with live music!

This was exactly what Sara and I were hoping for. We both agree that this is what our sleepy city of Naples is missing - the opportunity to hear live music - and having multiple venues to choose from was even better.  After a quick bite to eat at the Rock Bottom Brewery, we visited the famous Wildhorse Saloon, where we perched up on the second floor, listened to a few songs and watched a group of professional line dancers persuade audience members to join in on the fun!

We started to work our way home to the hotel down Broadway. We came across the world famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge and based on the crowd we thought we should pop in and see what was going on.  There was an amazing band with a girl on fiddle who got the whole place going crazy with "Callin' Baton Rouge."

Feeling confident that we had scoped out what we wanted to see and do the next day, we finally retired to the comfort of our hotel.

Tuesday was rainy, but we didn't let that stop us. The first thing on our list was check out the Country Music Hall of Fame. As many of you probably now, I am new to country music, so the history was interesting to learn about. They had memorabilia from Hank Williams and Elvis to Garth Brooks and Brad Paisley. We both agreed that it was very informative and aesthetically beautiful.
                    

Hundreds of Gold and Platinum selling Country Albums

Elvis' Cadillac

Dodging the rain, we hopped in and out of themed country gift shops and saloons making our way back to the hotel to prepare for dinner. Sara made reservations for us at The Listening Room, founded in 2008, as a way for owner Chris Blair to create an environment where you can experience quality food while hearing cutting edge music from aspiring song-writers. It was definitely a more intimate venue, each songwriter explaining the origins of their next hopeful hit.

We ventured back down Broadway and went to The Stage, where another great band brought the house down.

I think you all get the picture: I absolutely loved Nashville! It is definitely one of my top 3 cities we have experienced on this trip. One thing I have learned is that we live in a BIG country, and there are so many beautiful, unique and inspiring things to see. We are extremely blessed and fortunate to have been given such a small glimpse of it this summer!