Naples Weekend

So, Joe and I went to James's new home for the weekend. We had a great time, and the 4.5 hour drive, once we made it through I-4 rush hour, was not too bad.

Once we arrived, we had the grand tour, and I was impressed. It's a beautiful home, and by the time it was time to head back to New Smyrna Beach, I didn't want to leave. His home is full of natural light, and large sliding doors that lead out to the pool area to give it an airy, open feel.

This is a pic from the Master Bedroom:

Here's a short video I did the next morning:

Joe got to pick out "his" room, and he chose the one I thought he would--the downstairs bedroom at the end of the hall that offered lots of privacy, and a little nook where he could set up his computer center.

We were pretty tired after working and driving all day, so we didn't stay up too late. The next morning, while Joe slept in, James worked on getting the sprinkler system working, and I set up the "theater room." The prior owners had left all their movie posters and I was delighted to see many of my favorites on the wall. James bought a 4K curved TV before he moved, and that thing is super awesome.

I predict this is the room we will hang out the most in...and yes, we'll do something with the wires, possibly wall mount the TV...

After Joe woke up and we had breakfast on the patio, we drove into town for some necessities, like some filet mignon and chicken to bbq by the pool later that night. We also went to an outdoor mall and had ice cream and macarons. I think I saw more Maserati's in the parking garage than I've ever seen in one place. But maybe the coolest car was this BMW. Never seen one like it!

Speaking of cars, James and I decided against the Dodge Hellcat. Instead, since we are new business owners and have to project a certain image, we decided to look at Audi. I don't know for sure if that's what we'll get, but we're looking at that type of car now. James likes them, and I think they're nice too.

After the mall, we decided to head to Big Lots (I know--the Wal Mart of HodgePodge) to see if there were any already assembled desks that would fit in the nook for Joe's room. On the way, Joe spotted a two story Barnes and Noble, so we had to stop. We picked out a family-type trivia board game for ages 15 and up to play later.

Then Joe started to feel a little carsick, so we turned around and headed back to the house, butstopped by Target for dinner fixins and a small poster board and markers for a school project Joe had to work on.

When we got back, we went upstairs and watched some 4K nature stuff on the TV while playing our new game. I won but it was a close game. Joe technically won because he got the 20 chips needed to win first, but we extended the game to 25. James had led the game at many times, but I'm too competitive to let him win. Lol. He made up for that by skunking me in a game of pool, later. Well, the first game he skunked me, sinking the 8 ball before I could even get three in. The second game, we were each down to the 8 ball, and my shot was set up perfectly, and I sunk it easily....along with the cue ball. Lol. So, James won again.

I also got to teach Joe how to play pool (he's never played), and I think he'll be good at it.

James had received an Amazon Alexa gadget for a housewarming gift from the realtor, and we all had fun playing with that. For the pool games, we had Alexa play different kinds of music. I was impressed with the sound quality.

While we played pool, the BBQ grill was fired up, and we made teriyaki bbq chicken and filet. It turned out yummy. We also had rolls and corn on the cob, which Joe loves.

We'd picked up a basketball for the hoop in the front yard, but by the time dinner was over, it was getting dark, so we went back upstairs and watched YouTube videos while Joe worked on his project.

The day went by too fast...

The next morning, we woke up, had breakfast by the pool, then walked a few houses down to the community pool and gym. The neighborhood also had tennis and basketball courts, and the gym was really impressive.

When can I move? I really didn't want to leave, but I still had to do laundry for work the next day, and Joe had more homework. So, we said our goodbyes and drove home. Joe REALLY enjoyed the weekend and wants to invite a friend to come with us next time.

Before I move, I'll have to give three months notice to work and to my landlord, and get rid of nearly everything in my house. That's gonna take some time...and I'll have to help Aidan either get a new apartment (she was going to move out this month, but that fell through), or help her get established at a new job in Naples. There's still a chance she might take a job in Arkansas, too.

And I'd have to have at least a part-time job lined up in Naples, too. I could work full time on our business, but it will take time to make enough profit to do so, I think. We're looking at our options...

Anyway, it was a great weekend, with great warm weather, and great company. It felt like we were a family, and I've missed that feeling. I'm hoping Callie will also move back in the summer...

But, it's back to work today, so I've got to switch out of daydreaming mode and get focused. Lol. Oh, and here's a picture of the Terrible Kits...