Most cliches have some element of truth or wisdom.
“When one door closes, another door opens” is one that is true for us. Tomorrow will be the day we “close” on our new home. We will soon be saying goodbye to the apartment that has been our safe haven during our transition period here in Jacksonville. Living here has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience and a wise decision for us. We explored nearly every area of this city…and beyond. Our feelings and ideas of where we wanted to settle changed several times over the course of the nine months since we arrived here. From the convenient area in which we now live to the funky Riverside area to the Beaches and back, again, over the Inter-coastal Waterway, each area had its draw. But, in the end, we were finally able to zero in on what it was we really wanted in a house and neighborhood. To feel being part of a community, close to the water, has been a constant for us. As far as a particular house – we knew we would know it when we saw it. Or, rather, when we felt it. We spent a lot of time trying to imagine ourselves in a lot of houses. With this house, we did not want to leave the very first time we saw it. It was love at first sight – warts and all. Actually, blemishes and all. It was, too, the house sister Linda saw in her “vision”. Another story and a true one.
We will have a view of a pond. There will, of course, always be room for family and friends. My initial idea of having a library for our books and music has been replaced with an open floor plan with books and music everywhere – exactly as it should be! Our winding street has sidewalks on which people actually walk – often and at all times of day. It is only a 7 minute drive to the beach and stores and restaurants are within 5 minutes by bike.
This week we will begin our updates and renovations. We have our list and, hopefully, at least most of it will be completed before we leave our current apartment in June. We have found, rather quickly, that it pays to do a lot of leg work yourself – searching out the best and most reliable tradesmen and suppliers. More about this later, perhaps.
And, so, our new life together begins another chapter. It is a Southern Life Redeux.
southern redeux 