It’s been awhile since we’ve posted sunrise photos. We’ve not been idle in shooting sunrises (and a few sunsets in the Keys), but negligent on posting.

We took this photograph last Sunday at our favorite spot at Mickler’s Landing. While setting up the shot, four pelicans entered the frame in a wonderful formation.

Our kids started another year of school this week. Our two oldest are juniors; next year will be their last as public school students. New adventures as adults will soon be upon them. Our two youngest have just started their last year as middle schoolers. Next year they will be high schoolers. Life is moving fast for us all.

Endings and beginnings are exciting times. Our lives are an adventure from sunrise to sunset. Each day we have the opportunity to live a life nobody has ever experienced before. We’re paving new trails with every step, every breath and every decision we make. That makes all of us a pioneer.
 
Now, what is a pioneer? 

A pioneer charts new lands. And that describes our children, ourselves and everyone taking the time to read this post. Nobody has ever lived the life we’re living. We’re living uncharted territories. That’s exciting! The whole concept of being a pioneer makes each day an adventure. It makes each day of our lives one of unlimited potential and discovery. It puts us in charge of the direction we choose to take.
 
Being a pioneer means having a vision

The success of our relationship is a great illustration of this. Both of us had transformational events in our lives just a few years ago. Separately, we had a vision to create a fulfilling and healthy family life for our kids. We also envisioned creating a relationship that would inspire each of us to become a better person each day. Our vision of financial freedom has taken us down some very exciting roads in the last year. We’ve learned new skills and inspired some of our friends to take action in their lives. What’s great is we’re starting to develop a small community of entreprenuers that can inspire and teach each other.

Being a pioneer requires courage

None of our successes have ever been accomplished without stepping into unknown territory, leaving behind the familiar. If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. Each day gives us an opportunity to try something new, each day is an opportunity to transform your life. Talk with someone you’ve never spoken with before. Take a different route to work. Learn something new. Risk stepping out of your comfort zone and see what’s on the other side. Pioneers were always seeking something beyond each horizon.

Being a pioneer is hard work

It requires a commitment to meet each day with an adventure mindset. To examine what works and what doesn’t. To be honest about the choices you make and the actions you require. Hard work combined with vision and courage always pays off. It’s also puts us in charge of our own accomplishments. Without us taking action, nothing happens. Without us moving forward, we’ll never see what’s beyond the horizon.

Applying all of these pioneering attributes can be transforming. The pioneering philosophy we’re living and, hopefully, inspiring our children helps us to look forward to what today and tomorrow will bring.

How are you living a pioneer life?

Amazingly, this storm is making it’s third landfall in Florida along a zigzag track. we think, when this is all said and done, there won’t be a county untouched by Fay. From what we can tell, most of the damage from flooding has taken place south of I4, on both sides of the states. One blog writer we read often described how their home, in south Florida had been flooded, forcing them to leave by boat.

Our four kids and three dogs have been experiencing cabin fever. Which makes for some very interesting and annoying situations. Some of us decided to watch Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (yes, the power is still on thankfully). It’s amazing to realize this film is twenty years old this year. Not sure if it’s aged well, but it did bring back some wonderful memories of the late eighties.

We spoke with a friend who lives on the beach. She took her cell phone to her sea wall and allowed us to hear the roar of the ocean. Very impressive as well as scary. We’re glad we’re inland a few miles.

Another friend who lives in the Springfield section of Jacksonville told us a thirty foot branch fell down just behind the art studio in her backyard, taking some power lines with it. My mom, who lives in the Riverside area of Jax, reported strong winds and heavy rain. They did attempt to walk their Bernese Mountain dog during a lull in the storm.

They’ve closed down two of the main roads in Jacksonville that go to the beach, JTB and Beach blvd. We also heard that a few of city bridges have finally been closed. So moving about in the city, if we even wanted to, is no longer an option.

Our lake is filling up as is our pool. We don’t think we’ll have any problems with them, but they do bear watching.

One of the most famous mermaid paintings is A Mermaid by John William Waterhouse, created in 1900.

Another artist that has caught our eye is Amy Brown. Amy creates beautiful fantasy art. Her mermaid artwork is very striking and original.

Additional mermaid artwork, including sculptures and paintings, can be found at www.ExoticMermaidArt.com

If you know of other beautiful mermaid artists, we would be interested in learning about them.

As we discussed in an earlier post, setting aside time in the evening once a month to examine your loose change can be a fun family activity. Before starting this hobby, its a good idea to conduct some research. A great resource is Mint Error News Magazine. This online magazine features an error coin glossary and error coin pricing guide as well as the latest news.

The right tool can go a long way in helping you with finding error coins. A 10X loupe/magnifier is an inexpensive tool that can you can use to quickly examine your coins.

What we really like about our polka dot suitcase is how it stands out at the airport. Once it arrives on the conveyor belt, we can spot it a mile away. Plus, we get a lot of compliments about the bags.

Our kids have picked up on this trend as well. Our oldest daughter recently purchased polka dot bedding and our youngest loves polka dot shirts in any color.

Polka dots tells a lot about your personality. It shows a fun-loving, playful nature. Polka dots can be found on a number of items, including polka dot handbags, polka dot duffle bags, even polka dot diaper bags. What fun!

Simply put, these coins are mistakes made at the mint. And never were suppose to see the light of day. However, every now and then, one sneaks out into the public. Mistakes can range from double images in the design (double die), nicks from the coin dies leaving a raised area on the coin (die gouges and die scratches), to a coin partially imprinted with the mirror image of the coin design (brokage). Given their rarity, these coins can sometimes fetch a great price. Recently, mint errors found on the State Quarters have inspired many people to search through their pockets.

An interesting way to spend the evening as a family is to pour a bunch of coins on the table and search through them, looking for errors. A magnifying glass is helpful in searching the details of your coins. The Error Coin Auctions website provides a description of the many types of errors you might find.

A recent sunrise trip gave us some beautiful golden lighting on the water. We loved the light pattern on the water and the tranquil nature of the waves.

What a refreshing scent appropriate for the Spring. Our latest candle of the month is the Mia Bella’s Key Lime Pie. You can actually smell the tangy lime and green lemon zest, which reminds us of our trip last year to Key West. Each month, we receive a new 16 oz. candle through the Candle of the Month Club. We’ve enjoyed sampling the different fragrances and appreciate that the candles are made with a natural wax blend. This helps hold the fragrance throughout the life of the candle. Additionally, we get 12 votive candles of the same scent and a Bella bar, a soy mixed soap.