Moccasin Slough Park

There is a great little park in between Orange Park and Fleming Island on US 17 called Moccasin Slough Park. It's not a massive park/trail like The Theodore Roosevelt Area or Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens but it is still beautiful and the perfect place for a little visit with nature :) They also have a very nice playground area for children...we skipped this since we don't have children, unless you count a dachshund/beagle mix named Romeo and a black kitty named Tiny Paws of Fury...and I don't think they'd do very well in a playground setting...Ryan sometimes acts like a child but I can only imagine the stares and horrified gasps a 31 year old man would get as he approached a 2 foot slide and said "Hey kids, come play with me!"

We had our folding bikes in the car with us, so we took them out to bike around the paved trail, but it goes in a circle and only takes about 5-10 minutes to complete. I rode around the circle a few more times (Ryan thought I was crazy, he didn't see the point in doing laps around the little trail, he hates that) and I noticed all of the massive and beautiful magnolia trees, plus one tree that I thought would be my perfect Hunger Games tree...meaning: a tree that I could feasibly climb for survival. (Pictured below)

Just across US 17 from the park is the Black Creek Trail which parallels US 17 for about 8 miles. My bike seat was super uncomfortable, so we only made it like a half or quarter of a mile and then I had to turn around or risk butt death. Ryan was amused/annoyed by what a wuss I am and I had to remind him that he knew when he married me that I am no athlete. I can wander around in the woods, I can bike short distances and I can doggy paddle in a pool if I need to...that's about the extent of my physical prowess. It probably didn't help that I made us stop at the Burger King right by the park for a veggie burger before we started on the trail (Just because it's veggie doesn't mean it's not JUNK food, delicious junk food.)

If you're looking to challenge yourself and not be a wuss like me, here is my suggestion: start at the beginning of Black Creek Trail, when you see Moccasin Slough Park, stop by and admire how pretty it is, SKIP BURGER KING, and continue on the Black Creek Trail until it finishes. Then, turn around and enjoy the 8 mile bike ride back :)

Welcome to our "Yacht", The Perfect Temperature

Here is a brief tour of our sailboat, complete with a horribly executed tribute to one of the funniest movies ever (That's for you Zeoff!) and just in time for Easter :) Ryan edited this video because I am just hopelessly lost when it comes to editing...the downside of this is that he controls what goes in the video. He thinks it's funny to show people how mentally unstable and goofy I am. So, now for your viewing pleasure, here is what Ryan and I do with our time....


Ps. If you want to subscribe to our channel, I think you have to be on the YouTube site to do so, I don't think you can do it from this embedded player.

The Jacksonville Giants

Last Sunday we went to see the Jacksonville Giants (ABA team, like the minor leagues for basketball) play the Orlando Kings. They were giving complimentary tickets to lawyers who brought their bar card, so we thought we'd check it out. We had great seats, but as Ryan pointed out, "It doesn't really matter because nobody is here!"

The Jacksonville Giants came to Jacksonville December 4, 2010 and it seems that nobody really knows they are here! Everyone we told had no idea that there was a ABA team and so I hope that they are able to advertise and get some people in there. We had a great time and it was an inexpensive way to watch professional basketball right in our downtown area. The dancers, Jacksonville Jewels, were entertaining as well as the various contests they had throughout the game for fans to win money. The only thing I thought was kinda lame was the mascot (Mr. Big? Really?) and the girls with the feather boas and painted faces who accompanied him... If you want to catch a game, you can go to their website: www.jacksonvillegiants.com for game times and ticket prices. (They range from $8-$32)

The Dance Shack

After seeing the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra on New Year's Eve, we decided that we wanted to learn how to ballroom dance. After a quick Google search I found The Dance Shack and with a membership fee of $20/year, which brings your cost from $10/class to $5/class, we couldn't pass it up!

We tried to go to beginner's ballroom dancing on Friday night, but by the time Ryan got home from work we realized that we'd be late....so we decided to go the next night, to beginner's Salsa.

When we got to the Dance Shack, we were a few minutes late (Ryan relied on technology and it nearly took us into a lake...if you watch The Office, you know what I'm talking about) and there were 3 men and one woman about to get started. The woman, Carole, came over and explained that we could try the class out for free to decide if we wanted to purchase a membership.

So we took our places, women on one side, men on the other and facing each other and listened to our instructor explain the basic salsa move and then practiced it together with and without music before moving on to a simple turn.

I took Salsa in college (It was an actual class that I got 3 credit hours for) and Ryan had taken a class or two in the past himself, so the beginner's class was not too hard for us. After it ended, we decided to get a membership and stay for the intermediate class for a total of $40 for the year membership and $10 for the intermediate class.

The intermediate class wasn't too difficult either but it was more interesting since more people showed up to take it. I would have preferred to not switch partners, but I think in the future if I made that request, it would be fine. (According to their website)

I'm excited to go back for Ballroom lessons, since that is what we are really interested in, and I'll let ya know how it goes!

The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra/NYE

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! What better way to ring in the new year than to check out the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra?! While looking for alternative things to do for New Year's Eve...I discovered that they would be playing NYE and then hosting a reception afterwards with snacks, free champagne, a jazz band, dancing and an excellent spot on the river to watch the fireworks at midnight!

Neither of us had ever been specifically to see a symphony orchestra perform, so it was an enchanting evening and an absolutely delightful way to say goodbye to 2010 and prepare ourselves to try even more new things in 2011. In addition to the orchestra, they also had ballroom dancers and opera singers to accompany them during a few numbers.

After seeing the grace of the ballroom dancers, Ryan and I have decided that we want to take lessons in 2011 and give it a "whirl"...get it? Because you whirl in dancing...nevermind. At least I'm laughing :)

Well, I hope that you all had a wonderful 2010 and that you have an even better 2011. Try new things and make your life experiment a good one!