Up To The Surface

  Omni: The Happy Place   I have a few places I can always go no matter what kind of mood I’m in, And I feel calm and happy after going there. There is one in particular though that is especially important to me And I cannot get there but once in a few years. This is not because of distance, Though it is about an hour and a half away from my home. It is because of cost. It’s a resort.   How did Omni on Amelia Island become my special happy place? It dates back to September 2013. My birthday is at the end of August And that year, my mom wanted to offer me a gift of choice. She was willing to give me money for a shopping trip But I stumbled upon an ad for a special event  That the church I was going to at the time  Was hosting in mid-September. For just $150, the ladies of the church could go up To this resort in Amelia Island  Stay together in three-bedroom villas for two nights Enjoy worship music, guest speakers  And on the Saturday afternoon,  E...

  How Amazon Prime can be a blessing and a curse   My life greatly simplified after my husband revealed  that I could have access to the prime account also. At that point, I had a new baby. I didn’t have all the time in the world to go bouncing From store to store to find a special type of glue Or a certain vitamin Or items for baby-proofing the condo. There was a time in the not-so-distant past That I would have to do just that. Saturday would roll around and I would go to Target To try to find a certain household item. Target would be sold out. I would then go and try Home Depot. Soon, half the day was gone looking for one item. When it came to matters where there were more choices Like buying a new pair of shoes I could find myself bouncing from store to store  To the mall and back again Just to find something that sort of had “that look” For the right price. Throughout my 20’s, it wasn’t uncommon For my entire weekend to be spent driving to stores Looking for cer...

  What I learned about “home” in 2020   2020 was definitely the year to spend a lot of thought on your home. Because of the covid-19 pandemic,  my part of Florida was on lockdown  for the second half of March and all of April,  with some things not reopening until the summertime. Many people had no other choice but to stay at home, Because their jobs were closed and nothing public was open. Some stayed home because they genuinely felt more susceptible to Covid. Some stayed home almost the entire year, While others still went about  a more simplified version of their lives. I am an essential worker with a job at a bank, So I had to continue traveling to that bank Monday through Friday. But that’s all there was aside from Target and the grocery store. Church was closed. Malls were closed. The beach and the public parks were closed. Festivals were cancelled. Restaurants closed or reverted to pick-up only. It caused many people to spend ample time within their ...