We continue to be thankful for our time in Gainesville before we leave for many different reasons. A huge one is to be near my family and have the opportunity to spend much time with them and enjoy their company. Last Saturday they took us out to a surprise dinner as a late celebration of our first anniversary. High Springs is a little town nearby that boasts freezing cold springs (go figure) and dusty antique shops. In the last couple of months, in an attempt to add more culture to this sleepy town, a great little jazz restaurant opened called Trombone Charlies. My parents drove us out the back way, through beautiful country roads, in order to confuse us. It worked! I had never seen this place before and was pleasantly surprised by the casual, yet elegant atmosphere and big band style group that entertained us during an incredibly yummy meal (with killer chocolate silk pie for dessert!). Two thumbs up to Charlie and my parents who picked a great double date spot.
Another fun opportunity we had this week was to spend a few nights at the beach. St. Augustine is the closest beach to Gainesville and carries so much history and character. This was the first time we have been on a real vacation since our honeymoon, one that did not include visiting supporters and staying in peoples' homes (although we love that too!). Although we "missed out" on Potter's Wax Museum, the Alligator Farm, and the Pirate Ghost Tour, other interesting discoveries we made were a little, dead hammerhead shark (12" ones are much cuter than the big guys), a huge, beached sea turtle (I'm afraid it was dead too), and fluffy cinnamon and nut biscuits on the continental breakfast bar. The trip was a great way to relax and say "good-bye" to the beach.

A funny thing about preparing to move to Bolivia is the necessity to stock up on items that can't be found there. Since Scotty just started wearing contacts (doesn't he have gorgeous blue eyes?) and I use them as well, we recently ordered enough to last us our first 3 years. After receiving our shipment in the mail today, my mom commented that I reminded her of Mary Poppins in the scene where she repeatedly reaches into her magic bag and pulls out enough stuff to furnish her bedroom. Our contacts kept coming and coming and coming...

The next couple of weeks remind me of the last bit of time we had in Charlotte when we had scheduled a dinner with a different family every night. We are attempting to do something similar in order to see everyone we love here and find much satisfaction as a couple having meaningful interactions, dinners, prayers, and other "normal" life experiences with people. It's good to see how God has uniquely created us and brought us together to so enjoy a ministry of hospitality- something that we will very much love doing together in La Paz. Check your calenders to see how you can take advantage of our open house policy and come visit us!