Beach Break Anyone?

Happy Monday ya'll!!!! 

I am using ya'll in the best southern drawl I can do!!! 

I spent the weekend at an amazing Conference in Jacksonville, Florida called the Southern Women's Conference and it was AWESOME! It is the first annual Southern Women's Conference and it was phenomenal! I met a ton of great ladies that are in recovery, heard SO many awesome speakers (testimonials) and also got to escape the Pittsburgh cold for the weekend....what a win win win in my book!!

Here is the obligatory selfie at the airport as I was waiting to the shuttle for the hotel...

Speaking of the shuttle; the hotel shuttle driver told me when he picked me up at noon on Friday that it was supposed to storm and be under 60 the entire weekend. I am happy to report he was WAY wrong. It ended up being 65 - 70 and SUNNY the whole weekend in Jacksonville, FL! YAY!!!

It was a weekend packed with women speakers on recovery from alcoholism and every one of them was amazing! There was not a lot of down time at all so I figured I did not need a rental car and that is why I took the shuttle from the airport right to the hotel.  

Here is the program to show you how packed the schedule was!!

I was able to squeeze a walk in on Friday afternoon....I had to get that in because I was worried after the shuttle driver said storms all weekend...it was beautiful there!!!!

There was a cute little pond by the hotel...I was literally walking around the airport as my hotel was technically at the airport just down the road a little - HA!

Saturday afternoon I was able to find an hour to lay under this palm tree and grab a quick nap! Ahhhh...

Saturday night - this was the view from my hotel window when I went upstairs to go to sleep....so pretty!!

There were a lot of crafters there...I found this awesome mug to bring home!!! I love the thing that looks like a crack in the top...I found it very ironic...seeing how I "put myself back together" with the help of a fellowship!!! So I bought the damaged one...very representative! HA

So the event was over on Sunday morning and I decided that I could not leave Florida without seeing a beach!!! I called the airport and got a rental for five hours! HA HA! I had the hotel shuttle take me to the airport and got a rental to drive 1/2 hour to the Little Talbot Island. It is a State Park in Florida...you all know how much I love State Parks from when I was traveling!!!  This did not disappoint.  I was able to take a three hour walk down and back on the beach and it was breathtaking!
Here are a few pictures I took...

Beautiful, right?

Then I saw this little guy. I thought he was stranded on the beach and I was so excited to run and save him by tossing him back in the ocean.

Sadly, upon closer inspection, I think he was dead. He had the ends of all his arms broken off and was very still. But I threw him back in just in case there was a possibility he was just playing dead... :-(

I just love State Parks for the raw nature they show you...

It was truly beautiful there...

On my drive out of the park...there was a huge swarm of birds circling and squawking like crazy...I mean hundreds of them flying in circles. I had to stop the car and get a picture....It went on forever. I have no idea what they doing.

Jxjj

The pictures can not do not do it justice...it was so strange and I have never seen anything like it before! Weird...

Soo beautiful...

There is nothing I love more than water!! Ahhh...

I drove back to the airport and turned in my rental car. As soon as I started walking to check my luggage; I got a text from Delta that my plane was delayed for two hours due to mechanical difficulty. That is the downfall of being two hours early for your flight. So I was trapped at the airport for five hours until take off....I had a nice relaxing dinner and Candy Crushed A LOT!!! HA HA!

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to attend such a spiritual and amazing weekend with a ton of awesome and grace-filled women!!

Happy week everyone! Hugs to each and every one of you!