Charleston... A.K.A. Home #3

Yesterday morning, I took off from Fort Liquordale -- said goodbye to the boat, sunshine, flip flops, and perhaps yachting... for a while at least... and headed north to my home away from home, Charleston -- saying hello to warm friendships, laughter, and a emotional recharge.

The drive was 10 hours -- including the little stop I made in Jacksonville and a 30 minute circle due to misreading the directions. Needless to say, after my iPod went out in three hours, I had plenty of time to think my way into anxiety. Yet, the closer I drew to my Camelot, the more at peace I became.

What was in Jacksonville? Well, I stopped by Chris's mom's house to drop off some of his things. With things the way they are right now, I have no idea when I'll see him again -- he's in the islands, I'm here... and his t-shirts are not exactly easy to replace. Of course, he probably could care less about the clothes, but well... I didn't want to keep them around either. So, I pulled into mom's driveway wondering if this was going to blow up in my face or not. Honestly, I hoped that she wouldn't be there, so I could just leave the stuff on the porch and run away. But, as fate would have it, she was home. Chris's mother is a wonderful lady who has all the grace and poise of any well-bred southern woman. She welcomed me into her home, gave me a warm hug, and offered me food and drink. We had a great talk about yachting, the economy, Charleston, and of course Chris. In the end, what I thought might end disastrous turned out to be better for me than I expected.

So, when I arrived in Charleston last night, the roommates, Nicole and Tracy, were headed to ballroom dancing. Apparently, every Saturday night they go to a club and dance their little hearts out. How AWESOME is that?! I've always wanted to learn ballroom dancing -- taken some lessons but never anything more than the basics -- and there are some willing male participants in the group of friends... YES! I can't WAIT until next saturday!

This morning, I went to church and the talk was about living a life of no regrets. Amazingly, the very spot I'm in right now is the perfect place. One of the principles was to live passionately -- take risks and trust God. Hmmm... yeah, I'm in a great spot to take some risks. I've never been one to gamble with finances (love and hair, no problem, but money? NO WAY!). At this point, I'm pretty much being FORCED to trust God for provision. I know He can do it, and I know that this time in my life is a great time to deepen my relationship and understanding of His promises.

This afternoon, I went with Kimmie to a photo shoot. It was raining and gross, but our model was fantastic and gorgeous! We ended up having a blast and bonding despite the frigid rain.

But through all of this, God has been working. Something big is brewing... On the way, I saw a billboard for the Charleston Boat Show next weekend. This week would be perfect for trying to drum up some day work helping prepare some boats. Also, vendors always need people to work, so maybe I can pick up some money doing that? More importantly, I can make some CONTACTS!

Also, one of the roomies, Beezee, just left her job teaching the high school at a local Christian school. I'm familiar with their curriculum, have a secondary ed degree... I dunno. It's a option, for sure.

Lots of people are asking me how long I'll be in town, and I honestly don't know. I would love to record some while I'm here, but I don't have the money to put into studio time -- even though it's SUPER cheap. More importantly, I don't want to wear out my welcome and impose on Kimmie's kindness. I just needed a refuge to think and seek and follow. Thank God it was here.