Relax

I’ve neglected my blog for a few weeks…LOL What I’ve been doing is being heads down working on Notesprout every evening this month. It is coming along so well and I’m very excited! But that also means I haven’t been consistent with other things. I’ve had stuff I wanted to write about it. And this one is something I’ve been working on for days…LOL I’m finally getting it published…hehehe

When I moved to Florida, Mom and Dad sent me a little “House Warming” care package. One of the items was a photo “frame” that says “Relax” on it and it holds a photograph with a little clip at the top. I love it and it has been on display since I got it. I decided to hang it in my bathroom…hehehe I’ve had guests comment how much they love my bathroom decor 🤩 This is the first bathroom I’ve ever had that I actually enjoy being in…LOL The “Relax” photo is one of the reasons why I enjoy my bathroom now. I imagine I’ll hang this in every bathroom I have from now on…hehehe

The first photo I displayed on this was from one of the first places I explored in my new home, at the time. I took this photo on August 4th, 2022 at Brasher Park in Port Rickey, Florida. Back then, I would frequently visit this park to enjoy the views of the Gulf. There were even many times I would kayak from the park in that beautiful water you see. You can barely see it off in the distance, but there is a tiny little island a mile out that I’ve kayaked out to and had lunch. I also had this view for lunches many times back then from a bench that faces the Gulf from the park.

My first encounter with “Bob” was here too…LOL He’s a Great Blue Heron. I call all the Great Blue Herons Bob now…hehehe I experienced a dolphin while kayaking from this park. And I’ve seen dolphins playing in that water even when I was sitting at the park. I’ve seen manatees here as well. One of my favorite videos of a pelican was recorded here while I was kayaking. So many wonderful memories. This photo really brings it all back ❤️

I haven’t been there for quite some time now. I got out of the habit of visiting a few years ago. I’m not really sure why I stopped going. I’m grateful for the memories I have from when I first moved to Florida. This place still holds a special place in my heart these 4 years later.

This was the second photo I displayed in the “Relax” frame. It was a very peaceful moment. It’s also the last time I’ve been on the water in Florida…LOL Aside from water attractions at Walt Disney World, I haven’t been back on the water here. I took this one on May 4th, 2024. That was the 2 year anniversary of when I moved into my apartment and officially became a Florida resident. I was taking my paddle board out for its maiden voyage; which was its only voyage. But the moment was a very important one to me at the time. So I’m glad I captured it…hehehe

What you see here is Hurricane Pass, the gap between Caladesi Island on the left and Honeymoon Island on the right. I think the pass gets its name from the huge hurricane that passed through here a hundred years ago. The two islands used to be just one island. The hurricane literally passed right in this spot and split the island in two. Yeah, these storms are that powerful 👀 It didn’t move a mountain. But it did split the land…LOL

This is another place I no longer visit. I frequently visited Honeymoon island those first few years living in Florida. It’s in a lovely town called Dunedin, Florida. It was the beach I would go to if I wanted to take a long walk or spend time in the water from a beach. A pair of hurricanes damaged, and thus closed, the island a little over a year ago. So I stopped going. It’s open again now, though. I just haven’t been back…LOL

The current photo is quite a bit more recent…hehehe This is The Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. That’s right! It isn’t Florida…LOL I took this photo less than a month ago on our May vacation. This was a special moment for us. I keep going back there in my mind as I daydream about all our vacations. One of the things I love most about this photo is that Cherie was sitting on a rock just to my right. When I look at this photo, I see me best friend in her white headband with her red and white shirt. We are both experiencing the same shared moment together ❤️

This is the first photo I’ve featured on this “Relax” frame where I was sharing a moment with someone. The other two are moments of solitude. This one means so much more to me than the others. I wasn’t feeling alone in those other 2. I just feel happier with this one. I feel more at home. More…relaxed 🥹

If my pattern continues as it as been with this, my next photo will be in 2 years…hehehe We shall see 🤩 I really don’t have any goal for changing out the photos. When something hits me in that special-relaxing way, I’ll add that next photo. For now, I’m grateful for all the moments represented by this photo frame. I’m keeping the printed photos in the stack so long as the clip can hold them. All 3 I’ve talked about here are currently in that clip. I’m also keeping an Apple Photos album of them all so I can quickly recall them on my phone and computer whenever I feel like looking at them.

This frame has helped me relax. It reminds me to take a deep breath when I’m stressed. I put it in the most necessary room of my home so that I will aways look at it. It’s on the wall just above my hand towel. I can basically see it from most angles of the bathroom. You can’t miss it! And You can’t help but…relax…when you see it 😌