Friday, March 14, 2014

My Time in Florida

I am back from my week-long trip to Florida.  It went fast and slow at the same time as the time with family went really fast, but the time spent at the conference went pretty slow and the days were long as I had client dinners that went until 9:30-10:30 at night.

The family time was wonderful, though.  The weather was a bit cool, but I still went to the beach in the afternoon on Friday and Saturday.  There's nothing like hearing the relaxing sound of the ocean.  While the temps were cooler, it was very sunny and it felt amazing to feel those rays of sunshine.


2 of my aunts and I


I also ate really well while I was visiting family.  Almost all of the meals were home-cooked and oh so delicious.  Another highlight was squeezing in a game of rummy.  I did not win any hands, but it was still fun.

On Sunday I had to head over to Orlando for my work conference, but I was able to stop in Tampa to meet up with Stephany for a coffee.  We've been reading each other blogs for years so it was really fun to catch up in person!




The work part of the trip was, well, work.  Last year when I was attending this conference, I was preparing to move to Charlotte, and a lot of people remembered that which means I had to answer lots of  questions about how I am liking Charlotte, which, by the way, is pretty much my LEAST favorite topic of conversation.  So yah...  That said, it was good to connect with other people that work in my industry and to learn more about a product that is utilized by a lot of my clients.

I flew back to Charlotte on Wednesday evening and am now trying to play catch-up after.  Between my trip home for work and my trip to Florida, I haven't been around much the last couple of weeks and it's catching up with me.  I'm over-tired and my tummy is a little upset with me as traveling with a gluten intolerance is always challenging.

But I'll be around for the next 2 weeks, which is both good and not so good.  It's good because I miss my bed and need to return to a normal diet. It's not so good because any stretch of time spent in Charlotte is hard on me, and it's been even harder on me lately since I don't see a clear path out of here.  It was made even worse last night when I found out my rent is increasing by $500 when my lease goes month-to-month next month.  Just when I think things can't get worse, they do.  I was stressed about finding a job before, now I'm even MORE stressed. 

Tell me something good or happy because I need some positive things to focus on to pull me out of the pit of sadness and frustration I am currently inhabiting.  Please don't tell me that God only gives me what I can handle or that there is some greater reason I am going through this.  I can't handle any positive spin comments on this relocation experience and I can tell you with absolute certainty that I am not better off in any way for having gone through this experience.  It has been AWFUL.  And expensive.

17 comments:

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

Yea this past year has been complete crap. No way around that. Let's just pray it ends soon for your sanity and bc a 500 rent increase is absurd!

Something positive? Tomorrow is Friday and it's supposed to be nice out here this weekend, hopefully there too.

Becky said...

Ugh, $500 increase? Thanks for playing!

So cool that you got to meet Stephany!

Something funny - Daylight Savings Time has been kicking my ass this week. No really, I don't know how one hour can have this much of an affect on me, but I've been walking around like a zombie. (Hmm, that wasn't really funny…)

Caroline said...

Ugh $500! I remember facing a similar problem when I was trying to get out of CT but didn't know exactly when I would be gone. In a way though that motivated me to take action faster about what my next step would be.. but clearly that's not the same situation here..

Something happy.. Unfortunately I'm not in the best place right now myself so this is challenging haha umm.. spring is coming!

Stephany said...

So happy we got to meet! :)

I can't even BELIEVE about this rent increase. That is pure insanity. I would be so stressed! And you're already stressed so you REALLY did not need ANOTHER thing added on top of things. Ugh. I want this season of your life over as soon as possible. It's just not right to be so miserable all the time.

Something good... I'm finding that giving up sweets for Lent isn't as tough as I originally thought it would be. I feel better, too, when not constantly stuffing myself silly with sugar! :) (Soda is very hard, but I'm getting through it.)

Marlys said...

I wish I had magic words to comfort you, but don't. The crosses in life are heavy but hope "someone" will help you carry it. We are always here for you.

Nicole said...

Hi Lisa - I am glad you had fun in FL. The sunshine, sand and water look AMAZING!!

I hope you have a restful weekend.
I don't really have anything funny to share - but I do enjoy your posts. I wonder if you are still knitting at all. (I think I asked a while back, but I can't remember what post...)

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

Oh, so you don't want to hear me tell you the Universe only dishes out what you can handle? Because, ummm, yeah, I don't think I'd tell you that even if you asked me not to. You really have been dealt quite the year+ ... it will get better, but that's also hard to hear when you don't know exactly WHEN it's going to get better. So ...

Tomorrow, I think we're going to be driving through Asheville NC on our way to Savannah ... a city I know you adore and a city I hope you will adore when you visit it soon. I wish we had time to stop and explore ... but, I'll just be happy if the sun is shining and the scenery is better than the corn fields of the Midwest. =)

Nora said...

$500 rent increase? WTF. That's just awful. I'm sorry, Lisa.

Something positive: it's going to be 70 degrees here today! I'm wearing the blessed necklace you gave me (makes me feel closer to you). I love you!

Linda said...

So jealous you got to meet Stephany!

Some things good and happy: dark chocolate with almonds on my desk, it's the weekend, and a fun no pressure first date for lunch today.

Amber said...

I'm so sorry this has happened. What an *&#&$#$#@ (insert nastiest expletive possible) rental company that is. I still can't believe that's even legal!

I'm glad you got to spend some time with family last week and I really hope you have more clarity in your life soon. Something good (for me anyways) is it's FRIDAY! This is my last relaxing at-home weekend for the next three weekends so I'm going to soak that up as much as possible!

Carolina John said...

five hundred bucks? a month? wow. that seems absurd. Chalk that up as one more thing you won't miss about Charlotte. awful.

Jen Feeny said...

$500 oh good lord! I think you need to go into the office and fight with them about it. That is insane! And here I was annoyed when our place wanted to charge us $100. Thankfully my husband talked them down to $50. Do you have any lawyer friends that can go toe to toe for you? Any way you could go somewhere else for month to month? I'm so sorry, that is really, really frustrating.

Sending big internet hugs your way girl.

SonjaKay said...

Hi Lisa. I've been quietly following your blog for the last couple of years. I just have to say that you've obviously had a really awful year and I think it's ok to complain and feel upset about it, especially when things keep piling up. I hope things start getting better for you soon. I started running a year ago and your running posts have been inspirational. It sounds like you're running again and I hope that continues. When I'm really down, the things that help are sleep, dark chocolate, running (especially with friends), and writing. Hang in there. Here's a link to something that cracks me up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4ajQ-foj2Q

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

500 more is stupidly ridiculous. I think when we went month to month in 2006 we had to do either 200 extra a month but that equaled to 100 per person. ridiculous. umm my happy thing is I am celebrating turning 30 the next two Saturday nights child free. yay beer!

Jeanie said...

Yikes. That's an obscene increase just for month-to-month. I could see $100 or something but $500? That's criminal.

Happy... I guess my happy is that I had a very good sale yesterday -- and that this week a friend just invited me to see Porgy and Bess, as his wife is going through chemo and can't be "out there" right now. Sorry for Meredith, but happy for me. I'll give Roger a surprise to give her when he gets home so she won't feel forgotten!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

:-( Do you buy lottery tickets? If you do, I hope you win. Get yourself the heck out of Charlotte!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

I am glad you had fun in Florida, and not glad that you were stressing about things (which I believe you have resolved now, which is GREAT). I know that was the last thing you needed...$500 a month is ridiculous, in my opinion.

I have great news, but I it is not final yet, so I can't really talk about it on the interwebs, but will text or email you in a bit!