AND here it is... The JAX blog
OKAY, I'm a week and a day late... better late than never though, right? First and foremost, I would like to thank Southwest Airlines for overbooking a flight that I was taking back from Phoenix in February. I was one of the lucky passengers to get kicked off (for arriving 5 minutes before it was about to leave, oops!) and get a free travel voucher to be used within the year. I did have to stay in Phoenix an extra night because that was the last flight out... Luckily my bitches are there and put me up for an extra night (and more wine and girl talk, of course).
Fast-forward a few months to April. My dear friend and fellow Blazer twin, Lauren Beyer (AKA L-Boogie - thanks C-Bowles!), got offered the job of a lifetime with the PGA Tour; re-locating her to Jacksonville, Florida. Sad to see her go, so happy for her to follow her dreams! Now I'm thinking... What a perfect way for me to use my free ticket!
This Northwest girl traveled to JAX on Sept. 12-15. I didn't really know what to expect from Florida. I've been to Orlando before (once) and it was in-between hurricanes, so it was deserted and there was a lot of destruction. I guess I was expecting JAX to be just like Orlando (because I didn't really know any better). But it wasn't ;-) It was better! Here is how it all went down:
FRIDAY:
L-Boogie picked me up from the airport and after a big, long hug and lots of smiles we got Starbucks and headed to her house. We got all cute in our little purple dresses and headed out to dinner and to meet up with some of her friends. We had a great meal (I had mussels and crab chowder) Lauren had something chicken? (sorry dear, I can't remember)... and of course a few rum drinks :-) After dinner we headed over to an outdoor bar on the beach (Lemon Bar, I think), met up with Tuna and Amanda and drank Corona out of a can (who knew?) After that we made our way over to Lynchs (where we got blessed with free parking because we were just too cute). Drank a few more beers, learned that Tuna likes to dance party too, so I made myself a new friend! At about 2am we drove to Sonic and I accidentally ordered a burger but I don't remember eating it, oh well. Went back to Lauren's, crawled into bed and thought that was a good first night.
SATURDAY:
Woke up, Lauren made pancakes. Yummy. Went to the beach for a little while. Drove back to Lauren's place and jumped in the pool instead of taking a shower, awesome idea! :-) Decided to head to St. Augustine for the day. Had frozen yogurt with berries on the way (brilliant idea!) Made our way to St. Augustine with no idea or insight as what to do there, just going to see where the day takes us. Found a pretty sweet little carousel to ride for $1; we had to do it! So we did. It was fun and quick. We then made our way over to the Great Cross in a lovely little park and walked about and enjoyed the scenery. Stopped in a little chapel, then we left to see more of St. Augustine. Found the cutest little cupcake shop and a clothing boutique (bought something at each place). Drove on to see more... ended up parking near their little downtown area and started to walk around. WOW, what an adorable town we stumbled across! There were amazing buildings, little bed and breakfasts, shops and restaurants everywhere! There was so much history in this town (oldest city in the U.S.) Every time we turned the corner we saw something even more cute and amazing! I had a permanent smile on my face. It was one of those days that just kept getting better and better. There was live music all over the city (people on the streets playing the harmonica and performers at outdoor restaurants, so coooool) We just enjoyed our time, taking it all in and seeing as much as we could. We ate dinner at Crabbers (hehe) dined on shrimp, crab cakes and some ice-cold beers (can you say best dinner ever!). Our waiter was really nice and kept bringing me crab dip samples because I said I really liked it. Talked to him about Seattle because his friend just moved out there and he is considering it too, wouldn't be a bad move. It was now time to leave this amazing town and head back north on the A1A (props to Vanilla Ice) to JAX. Rocked out to some G. Love in the car and thought about what we were going to do when we got back home. Decided on a Piano Bar (Tuna met us there) got a drink and wouldn't you know it, I was the only one there that wanted to have a dance party (story of my life) Had some fun listening to some good music and then called it a night and went home to sleep; another amazing day/night in JAX.
SUNDAY:
Woke up, got ready, headed out to the PGA Tour Headquarters to see where my girl L works. Had brunch at the Clubhouse and it was the best brunch I had ever had in my life! Seriously, grits, a croissant, cheesy potatoes, shrimp, caprese salad, bacon... fucking amazing is what I'll call that. Finished up with a huge slice of delicious chocolate cake and felt quite satisfied. Did I mention that we ate outside on the patio in cushy chairs that overlooked Sawgrass? AMAZING view! Then took a golf cart around the course to see the 17th hole... again, amazing! L got a text from her boyfriend that he was back in town so we headed back home to get ready for our beach party! Got ready, arrived at Garrett’s (L's boyfriend) house. Met DJ, Jon and Tuna (whom I'd met earlier and formed a quick friendship over dance parties and Boston sports and just Boston in general). Piled in cars and headed to the beach! We hung out for a few hours on JAX beach; drinking beers, playing some beanbag toss game, throwing the football, playing a quick game of volleyball and splashing around in the water. Great times! Rushed Lauren to her soccer game then went home to relax before going out for sushi dinner with the whole group. Dinner was good (thanks, Garrett!) then it was off to Alex and Amanda’s house for a few friendly games of beer pong (which turned into lots of beer pong, flip cup, dancing in the garage and boys wrestling in the living room). Oh wait, it's Monday now...
MONDAY:
Okay, final stop was back to Garrett and DJ's place to play some Rock Band. On the way back I rode in the back of Jon's car and DJ drove. Nice sound system. Jon also mooned Lauren and Garrrett in the car to the right of us, Thanks for that Jon. Lauren and Garrett made an unannounced detour/stop (thanks for that by the way!) and we all kept drinkin and rockin out. I got to unleash my inner rockstar and let me tell you, I wasn't all that good. The night went on... went to sleep at about 5am, woke up at 6am because all the boys had to leave for work, lame. Everyone should be on vacation like me! ;-) Went back to Lauren's, we both crashed until 8am, then it was off to Amelia Island for a few hours until I had to go to the airport. We walked on the beach and talked about a great weekend, had shrimp and beer for lunch, took a cute little ferry ride and walked around a fun little pirate town (Fernandina Beach). Then she dropped me off at the airport and I spent a total of 5 hours on two different planes, took the bus home and went to bed.
It was a GREAT/AMAZING/WONDERFUL/AWESOME words-can't-describe-how-much-fun-I-had vacation! It was grrrrrrreat to see my girl, meet her boyfriend and their friends and explore different lifestyles in Florida (Lauren's life is my vacation). Because JAX is in northern Florida, there was more of a southern hospitality than I had thought there to be (especially in St. Augustine... felt like I was back in New Orleans or South Carolina a few times). All in all, it was an amazing weekend and I'm already looking forward to going back for a second visit! :-)
Love you Lauren!
Fast-forward a few months to April. My dear friend and fellow Blazer twin, Lauren Beyer (AKA L-Boogie - thanks C-Bowles!), got offered the job of a lifetime with the PGA Tour; re-locating her to Jacksonville, Florida. Sad to see her go, so happy for her to follow her dreams! Now I'm thinking... What a perfect way for me to use my free ticket!
This Northwest girl traveled to JAX on Sept. 12-15. I didn't really know what to expect from Florida. I've been to Orlando before (once) and it was in-between hurricanes, so it was deserted and there was a lot of destruction. I guess I was expecting JAX to be just like Orlando (because I didn't really know any better). But it wasn't ;-) It was better! Here is how it all went down:
FRIDAY:
L-Boogie picked me up from the airport and after a big, long hug and lots of smiles we got Starbucks and headed to her house. We got all cute in our little purple dresses and headed out to dinner and to meet up with some of her friends. We had a great meal (I had mussels and crab chowder) Lauren had something chicken? (sorry dear, I can't remember)... and of course a few rum drinks :-) After dinner we headed over to an outdoor bar on the beach (Lemon Bar, I think), met up with Tuna and Amanda and drank Corona out of a can (who knew?) After that we made our way over to Lynchs (where we got blessed with free parking because we were just too cute). Drank a few more beers, learned that Tuna likes to dance party too, so I made myself a new friend! At about 2am we drove to Sonic and I accidentally ordered a burger but I don't remember eating it, oh well. Went back to Lauren's, crawled into bed and thought that was a good first night.
SATURDAY:
Woke up, Lauren made pancakes. Yummy. Went to the beach for a little while. Drove back to Lauren's place and jumped in the pool instead of taking a shower, awesome idea! :-) Decided to head to St. Augustine for the day. Had frozen yogurt with berries on the way (brilliant idea!) Made our way to St. Augustine with no idea or insight as what to do there, just going to see where the day takes us. Found a pretty sweet little carousel to ride for $1; we had to do it! So we did. It was fun and quick. We then made our way over to the Great Cross in a lovely little park and walked about and enjoyed the scenery. Stopped in a little chapel, then we left to see more of St. Augustine. Found the cutest little cupcake shop and a clothing boutique (bought something at each place). Drove on to see more... ended up parking near their little downtown area and started to walk around. WOW, what an adorable town we stumbled across! There were amazing buildings, little bed and breakfasts, shops and restaurants everywhere! There was so much history in this town (oldest city in the U.S.) Every time we turned the corner we saw something even more cute and amazing! I had a permanent smile on my face. It was one of those days that just kept getting better and better. There was live music all over the city (people on the streets playing the harmonica and performers at outdoor restaurants, so coooool) We just enjoyed our time, taking it all in and seeing as much as we could. We ate dinner at Crabbers (hehe) dined on shrimp, crab cakes and some ice-cold beers (can you say best dinner ever!). Our waiter was really nice and kept bringing me crab dip samples because I said I really liked it. Talked to him about Seattle because his friend just moved out there and he is considering it too, wouldn't be a bad move. It was now time to leave this amazing town and head back north on the A1A (props to Vanilla Ice) to JAX. Rocked out to some G. Love in the car and thought about what we were going to do when we got back home. Decided on a Piano Bar (Tuna met us there) got a drink and wouldn't you know it, I was the only one there that wanted to have a dance party (story of my life) Had some fun listening to some good music and then called it a night and went home to sleep; another amazing day/night in JAX.
SUNDAY:
Woke up, got ready, headed out to the PGA Tour Headquarters to see where my girl L works. Had brunch at the Clubhouse and it was the best brunch I had ever had in my life! Seriously, grits, a croissant, cheesy potatoes, shrimp, caprese salad, bacon... fucking amazing is what I'll call that. Finished up with a huge slice of delicious chocolate cake and felt quite satisfied. Did I mention that we ate outside on the patio in cushy chairs that overlooked Sawgrass? AMAZING view! Then took a golf cart around the course to see the 17th hole... again, amazing! L got a text from her boyfriend that he was back in town so we headed back home to get ready for our beach party! Got ready, arrived at Garrett’s (L's boyfriend) house. Met DJ, Jon and Tuna (whom I'd met earlier and formed a quick friendship over dance parties and Boston sports and just Boston in general). Piled in cars and headed to the beach! We hung out for a few hours on JAX beach; drinking beers, playing some beanbag toss game, throwing the football, playing a quick game of volleyball and splashing around in the water. Great times! Rushed Lauren to her soccer game then went home to relax before going out for sushi dinner with the whole group. Dinner was good (thanks, Garrett!) then it was off to Alex and Amanda’s house for a few friendly games of beer pong (which turned into lots of beer pong, flip cup, dancing in the garage and boys wrestling in the living room). Oh wait, it's Monday now...
MONDAY:
Okay, final stop was back to Garrett and DJ's place to play some Rock Band. On the way back I rode in the back of Jon's car and DJ drove. Nice sound system. Jon also mooned Lauren and Garrrett in the car to the right of us, Thanks for that Jon. Lauren and Garrett made an unannounced detour/stop (thanks for that by the way!) and we all kept drinkin and rockin out. I got to unleash my inner rockstar and let me tell you, I wasn't all that good. The night went on... went to sleep at about 5am, woke up at 6am because all the boys had to leave for work, lame. Everyone should be on vacation like me! ;-) Went back to Lauren's, we both crashed until 8am, then it was off to Amelia Island for a few hours until I had to go to the airport. We walked on the beach and talked about a great weekend, had shrimp and beer for lunch, took a cute little ferry ride and walked around a fun little pirate town (Fernandina Beach). Then she dropped me off at the airport and I spent a total of 5 hours on two different planes, took the bus home and went to bed.
It was a GREAT/AMAZING/WONDERFUL/AWESOME words-can't-describe-how-much-fun-I-had vacation! It was grrrrrrreat to see my girl, meet her boyfriend and their friends and explore different lifestyles in Florida (Lauren's life is my vacation). Because JAX is in northern Florida, there was more of a southern hospitality than I had thought there to be (especially in St. Augustine... felt like I was back in New Orleans or South Carolina a few times). All in all, it was an amazing weekend and I'm already looking forward to going back for a second visit! :-)
Love you Lauren!
haha, I love it! You captured every single moment of the vacation, even the stuff I hadn't quite remembered!! (Well, you left out one or three key parts, but I'll let that slide.)
ReplyDeleteI was going to link your recap to my blog (and prob still will) but you totally busted us in your stories from Sun night/Mon morning. Ah well, your life is my vacation!! :P
Come back anytime!
How did I screw up our key phrase? Your vacation is my life!
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