Keys Life.

So, I started this blog when I first moved to Florida. However, I never finished nor published the first post I made. I deleted it just now. So much in my life has changed since I moved down here that I could not even begin to finish that entry. I've thought a lot about blogging lately, I want to do it, but I think it is more enjoyable for me when all of my friends are doing it too. Then, its more a of a collection of storytelling from everyone's lives. I also wonder sometimes if I am wasting time living by retelling the details of my life. Well, enough pondering....I might as well give a recap of what I've been up to since I've been in the Keys. =)

To start off this was my view the entire ride down to our house. I followed John in the Penske truck and Tina followed me. The ride was fun but very tiring. I was also SUPER emotional after leaving my home for truly the first time in my life in which I could not just be home within a few hours. The first night we slept in our cars for a few hours at a truck stop and the second night we had made it to Jacksonville and got a hotel room. P.S.- It takes way longer to get through FL than you would think... especially when your destination is the end of the road. Also, that is Dashboard Ducky you see in the picture. Him and Cash(Tina and John's dog) kept me company on the drive.

Finally we made it. This is our house. Its a great place to live, nice area, truly beautiful. We live right on a canal and have a huge yard. Did I mention that I live about two minutes from my current full time job? At first I was working in Key West, working retail at the ever-so-glamorous Sponge Market in Mallory Square. I can't complain really though... I could get a sun-tan(burn) at work sometimes. And when I worked at night I would get to see a very beautiful sunset. I also obtained a part-time job at Bath and Body Works, which I still have. Although it is a pain to drive 40 minutes for a few hours of work, it is extra cash and it gives me an excuse to visit the friends that I've made there. Key West is such an awesome town. It is full of history, great food, great dives, and very colorful and beautiful people. And by beautiful I don't really mean good-looking. You'd have to go there to know what I mean. I had no clue about it until I moved here. But I can tell you, I thought there were some interesting people in Oneonta and other parts of Upstate NY, but its nothing like the people here. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that a large amount of the people here have come from so many other places and also sometimes do not stay here long. It has definitely been a place for me to just clear my head and be me.



I've met some really great people down here. The first picture is my friend Jesse and I, on our way to Fort Jefferson at the Dry Tortugas. It was such an amazing experience. We could be long lost twins..kind of ....Jesse and Jessica, both 23, almost the same hair color and skin complexion. The next picture is my dear friend Yoshi and I at Fantasy Fest. (If you don't know what Fantasy Fest is...look it up. It is crazy...and how fitting, this year's theme was Habitat for Insanity!) I always have a blast with Yoshi...or Mama Yoshi as I call her. She has pretty much adopted me and has been so great. She has a heart of gold and is always doing little things to take care of me... like feeding me. haha. Her boyfriend, Allan, is also like the big brother I never had that would probably severely injure someone if they hurt me. There are so many other great people I've met in KW while working - - Maria, Marie, Matt, Brian, Steven, Sabrina, and Jaylene just to name a few. Sabrina and I have been bonding lately over being from the Northeast. We have started a list(sort of) with Yoshi of all the things we want to do... top of the list is having a themed dinner party, and also taking a trip to the Dry Tortugas. That last picture is of Paco and myself. He is the little chihuahua that my roommates have recently added to our family. He is an adorable little terror. His name might be Paco, but he answers when I call him Kitty Kat. Hahaha. This has kept me entertained for the last couple of months.

So that was my Key West crew. I have a whole other group of friends where I live, which is about 30 miles from KW, on Big Pine Key. I spend most of the time there either working at Little Palm Island (which has been a pretty awesome job so far), bumming around my house, or hanging out with the friends I have here, mostly at Boondocks or at Tiki.



The first picture is of my roommates and I at the smallest bar in Key West (I think there are maybe 4 bar stools... haha). I owe them big time for this entire experience. If it was not for them I would still be in NY most likely. So much love. The second picture is of myself and a good chunk of the people I hang out with where I live (in the pic: me, Charmel, DR, Alicia, and Ed). This was the pre-Thanksgiving Turducken dinner...yummm. These are some truly wonderful people, and I am very blessed to have met them.

Here are some more assorted pictures from my life these days:



I've grown a lot since I've been down here and I am still growing and learning (and always will be). I love the environment here and am fortunate to say that I live here. Who knows where the road will take me, but for now I'm here and I am going to enjoy it.

That's enough. For now.