I’d be less than truthful if I said I didn’t enjoy the Summer break. It would have been nicer if I’d had some grand adventures, but lots of fun little things I did, which would not have been possible had I been working, made up for it.
The mini-week in Virginia Beach was a very nice dose of relaxation topping off the Summer. My girlfriend and I enjoyed relaxing in an oceanfront room with a balcony, watching the sun rise daily and, at day’s end, people-watching as folks frolicked on the boardwalk. We rode our bicycles a lot, ate quite a bit, enjoyed some adult refreshments, spent some time on the beach (it was a hot and humid week), and just relaxed. It really was lovely.
All good things must come to an end, though.
I flew to Minneapolis on Sunday, September 9, and officially started my new job on September 10. It seems like a good, solid company, staffed by good people. I met lots of new people, learned a bunch of new things, and then flew home late on Thursday. It was exhausting, but in a good way.
The week was overshadowed by news of and worry about the impending hurricane. Early in the week, forecasters were predicting that the storm would track inland from the N.C. coast and head north to our area on Thursday. Originally, I was going to return to Virginia on Friday afternoon. I knew I’d be stuck in Minnesota if I waited until Friday, with my company footing the bill for the extended stay, so we moved my flight to Thursday. No big deal, really, as I’m sure I would’ve been able to entertain myself had my return been delayed.
The worry was because my friend’s house was right in the storm’s projected path. Heather and her husband, Timo, have a beautiful house in Carolina Beach (CB), south of Wilmington, NC. CB is actually on an island between The Cape Fear River and the ocean. They’re pretty close to sea level, about one-tenth of a mile from the Intracoastal Waterway and only about 10 miles from where the eye of the storm came ashore. Some of you may remember me talking about the area in posts like this one.
They and their pets had evacuated, so I knew they were safe, and I know material things can be replaced, but it’s such a beautiful area. It was sad thinking how much the natural beauty and landscape of the entire area could change forever.
I was sick to my stomach watching the weather coverage, seeing where the eye came ashore, watching Florence sit, churning away at the coast for several days. I thought for sure the island would have been leveled or heavily damaged at the very least. Miraculously, it was spared. There was some damage and flooding on the island, but it was FAR better than one would expect given all the horrific news coming out of that area.
They can’t return to their house until the roads around Wilmington are passable, but it seems as if their house is not damaged. They won’t know for sure until they’re back, of course. There will be yard clean-up to do, of course, but things really could have been much worse.
On a lighter note…
That Hubby of mine recently decided we should start exploring local breweries, so we got back to that on Saturday. If you follow me on Instagram, you know we’ve been doing that for a couple of months. I was still pretty tired after that very-busy week, but sampling beer isn’t particularly strenuous. And I took it pretty easy on Sunday. Now, I’m readjusting to the reality of work.
Happy that you liked the start of your new job, and got home safely! I think you had a lot of fun and got a lot accomplished (LOVEVA) while you were on “vacation”. 🙂
And I am enjoying watching your beer adventures…keep on sharing!
Thanks, Lynne. It was indeed an eventful break.
Back on track indeed!
Best wishes for many years of job happiness ahead!
Thanks, David!