July 18th, 2001

Woke up early and finished preparations before I leave for Jacksonville. Mimi has made me a couple Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, a sport bottle of tea and a blueberry danish thingy to take with me on the trip. I spent a fair amount of the time I was there helping Mimi tinker around on her computer. Ever since Grandpa died out in California, I've begun living with a little nagging fear in the back of my mind that this trip could be the last time that I see any of the relatives I've visited along the way. Mimi and Papa have had some health problems recently... so that fear is especially acute.

Being able to spend some time with them was nice... I wish I'd had more time to spend though. Perhaps this Christmas, or something.

The two of them were really good to me while I was with them... thanks for everything.

I spend a little more time than I should visiting in the morning, I have to have the car back by 3:00pm in Jacksonville... a 6 hour drive away with a 1 hour time jump ahead (Central to Eastern time). Eventually the time comes and I have to leave or face being late...

So I reluctantly leave...

Goodbye Mimi & Papa! =(

Driving...

along...

towards...

Tallahassee(via I-10).

Look! The Cuban Land Bridge!

Now...

heading towards...

Jacksonville. A Holiday Inn and Waffle House by the airport...

Heh. An ad in the Alamo Car rental place. Check out the laptop the lady is using.. ;)

Everyone say hi to Jennifer, my sister. Yeah, she got the looks out of the two of us. :P

Outside Alamo.

Cruising around Northern Jacksonville.

Dames Point Bridge. Cool, huh? =)

It's been a long... *yawn*

drive. Think I'll take a little catnap...

with Jynx the Cat...

Jen's other cat, Precious.

I come slowly to the realization that I'd become set in my ways in a lot of respects, primarily in ways I deal with things that happen in my life. Driving in total silence for 6 hours with nothing but your thoughts is a great way to sift through things.

I mentioned how I wanted that kid back that was able to more easily go with the flow. Being in a constantly dynamic environment over the course of this trip has helped blow out the cobwebs and a kind of mental tartar that had built up over the past few years. The trip has given me the chance to remove myself from the old ways and rebuild from the ground up.

I think one of the reasons, among others, that I decided to stay at Hawkeye was something that happened around my birthday. I got a birthday card from someone or some people out there. In it, whoever it was had written "You are appreciated." I don't know who sent this... it wasn't signed by anyone. But whoever you were... thanks. There's something to be said for not being taken for granted. Sometimes it can balance out all the other bad stuff.

Someone mentioned to me that my journal entries have seemed a bit pensive lately. Yeah... I guess they have. That's going to change.