11.28~cocoa beach

yesterday we received the news that we would no longer be moving to a church 5 minutes away from the fairgrounds, but instead moving 3 hours away to Cocoa Beach, Florida. This morning we picked up all our things and hit the road. We arrived at an old schoolhouse that has been transformed into a Red Cross facility. We walked through the front hallway and out into a cute courtyard/garden area, with a red bench swing and colorful animal statues. There are doors surrounding the courtyard on all sides each leading to an old classroom, and one of the doors so happened to lead to our new "bedroom." We opened the red door and found our 13 cots awaiting us, side by side, in a tiny old schoolhouse room. After unpacking our minimal belongings, we put on our bathing suits and headed to the BEACH, which is only a 10 minute drive from our new home (how amazing is that??) By the time we got there it was around 3, and it was the perfect time of day. We ran into the ocean with reckless abandon and stayed in until we had chugged too much saltwater, the waves had nearly knocked us out and our cheeks were rosy. I stood at the shore, watching the smiles light up my teammates' faces as they splashed through the water with a childlike playfulness. It was such a pure sight, I told myself to always remember that moment and the freedom that came with it.

I feel like this move to Cocoa Beach was needed for all of us, and I'm thankful for it. A part of me wanted to get out of Clay County and didn't even know it until I left. And now, I am even closer to my favorite thing in the world, the ocean, and I get to spend a winter in an even warmer sunny spot. I'm a bit seasonally confused right now because it feels like the beginning of Summer but it's actually almost December, life is just so wild. I truly feel like the universe is with me right now. Hopefully, we will get a lot more work out here too. Life is good.

Though our living situation is much tighter, i'd say overall it is an upgrade. The doors on the building lock, our bathroom is no longer in a trailer, we have our own kitchen (which has been unheard of) and there are Christmas trees in the entryway of the building that make me feel a little more at home. For dinner, Wynn and I made chicken, veggie burgers, rice and broccoli and danced around the kitchen to the new jam, Good as Hell. We got very positive reviews on our dinner and it was lovely to feel appreciated.

I'm realizing I don't need much at all, really. Just human connection, food, and a sleeping bag (and probably my iPhone if I'm being honest with myself because I'm a millennial and I can't pretend not to be). I am getting used to this lifestyle of constant change, but I don't think I want to be. I don't want to get used to anything in life or I know it will rob me blind. Stay present, I tell myself constantly. Be here, feel this moment, let it change you, don't miss a thing.






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