Sunrise

One recent morning I got up the gumption to get up early and take a run on the beach at sunrise. It was marvelous, but as I ran I thought to myself, “Self, you know what would be even better than running on the beach at sunrise? NOT running and watching the sun come up while sitting on the beach with a hot beverage.”

So that’s exactly what I did a few days later. Don’t get me wrong – I’m a big fan of sleeping as late as I can get away with, but there was something magical about greeting the sun the moment it appeared.

Moving In

Not pretty yet, is it? I can’t get over the mental image of a hoarder’s house when I see the state of our new place these days. In our defense, we are making good progress. We’ve been unpacking diligently all week long, and are well on our way to getting this place to a more comfortable state. It has been quite a process, to say nothing of a logistical challenge, to go from a house with a basement and a garage to a townhouse with neither of those things. Our house was just under 1,300 square feet of finished space, not counting the front porch, the unfinished storage area of the basement, and the garage. This sweet townhouse is about 1,100, not counting the small front patio. So we’re certainly lacking the storage we’re used to, but it is forcing us to not only get creative with how we store things, but to really be intentional about what we own. 

To be honest, these 1,100 square feet feel like they should be plenty of space for the three of us. What you can see in the picture above is part of the living room, into the dining room and kitchen. To the right is the downstairs bedroom/bathroom. Upstairs is an office area, a laundry room, and Little Bean’s bedroom/bathroom. Give me a few more days before posting photos of the rest of the Belich Beach Bungalow – I’ll feel better about sharing photos when we’re a little closer to done with this messy stage of the process! 

Have I mentioned that it’s been a long time since we’ve had to move? I made a big rookie mistake this time – I did not have the foresight to label the box with the all-important coffee pot in a way that would, you know, tip me off that it held the coffee pot. There were plenty of boxes labeled “kitchen misc”. That doesn’t help me much on the other side of the move when I need coffee STAT. However, the physicist and I discovered that if one of us has opened a dozen boxes looking for something, the other of us only has to open one box to find it. It’s a little maddening, but it does result in finding the object. Who can complain? 

The good news is, after a long day of unpacking, this is a quick jaunt away:

 

Adventures in Rental Hunting

I have seen a lot of ugly rental properties in the last couple of weeks. The Physicist, Little Bean, and I have taken several trips up to Jacksonville to scout for the place we’ll live this next year. The very first day we were in town we found a nice townhouse near the beach, but we were very aware that we could not possibly have been less informed about places to live in Jacksonville than we were at that very moment. Besides, it had a few stokes against it for the price and other aspects, so we kept looking. 

We went back up to the city about a week later and saw lots and lots of ugly places. However, we still felt like that mission was a success because we came away feeling like we better understood which neighborhoods we might like to live in. We had always pictured living as close to the beach as we could afford, but on this trip we discovered the neighborhood of San Marco, east of the river and a stone’s throw from downtown, but a 20-30 minute drive to the beach. Still, the area oozed character and we could really picture ourselves living there. Plus, all the places we could afford near the beach felt icky. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if ALL the places in our price range would be scuzzy. 

On the next and final trip up we were ready to pounce on a little place in San Marco very close to the main part of town. We were the first people to call to make an appointment for this property, and we had a good feeling about it. One look confirmed our suspicions – this was a great little place. Hardwood floors, completely updated kitchen and bathroom, and within walking distance to all the cool stuff in San Marco. However, another family had gotten there about two minutes ahead of us and snatched it right out from under us. We were crushed. The landlord saw the crestfallen looks on our faces and offered to show us another unit next door that was currently being renovated and not yet on the market, but once it was done it would be identical to the one we just lost. We checked it out and when we left we were 90% sure we would take it.  

Then we went to our last appointment in Atlantic Beach – in the same townhouse complex as the very first place we saw. We were frankly shocked that this place was still available as it had been listed for over a week and, as we had just seen first hand, great places get scooped up faster than you can sneeze. 

It was perfect. It was everything we had pictured when we began this crazy adventure. It’s a sweet little two bed / two bath townhouse on two levels with a living room that spans both levels. It has all new appliances, and a washer and drier right in the unit. (Oddly, we learned that washers and driers are somehow not at all standard in rentals. Very often there are just hookups for them. Like that does anyone a lot of good unless they take their washers and driers with them when they move!). Plus, there is a little private patio that will be just perfect for sipping coffee. Best of all, it’s just a few minutes’ bike ride to the beach. We could almost walk there but there is a small state park between us and the beach, so we’l have to go a tiny bit north to get in through the park, or a bit south to get in through another access point. 

We were too busy loving the place to take pictures, but I’ll be sure to post them when we move into the Belich Beach Bungalow in just over a week!