Florida Photos and I Almost Killed RJC!

I thought my first day back after my trip to Florida would be the most hectic. Well, it was hectic alright (over 260 emails – I wanted to run and hide!) but it was nothing compared to my adventure today!

I woke to a notice in my email stating that my domain was set to be closed. I frequently get both ground mail and email from companies that supposedly want to renew my domain. Anyone who has received these alerts knows that 99.9% of time it’s a bunch of garbage and most are trying to rip you off because they are not your actual registrar. So, being the cautious person I am, I went to check on the site (RJC). I thought the worst case scenario I’d need to update my registration before anything terrible happened. Too late! The site was already down! I almost had a heart attack. How did I miss my renewal and why was the company letting me know after the fact?! It turns out that the payment method I used several years ago when I first purchased the domain was no longer valid. Okay – fair enough. But it would have been nice if they told me BEFORE they took my website offline.

I’d already been debating about completely changing over to the new domain (remakingjunecleaver.com) so I thought, “Hey! Let’s bite the bullet and do it now.” Oh boy. Let me give you the cliff notes version of several hours of panic:

It broke my domain, then it brought my domain back, then it completely broke my WordPress, then it broke my images….

At one point I was [-- this close --] to just letting the site die. Seriously. But, after over 6 hours I finally fixed everything. (thanks to great customer service from Host Gator – and a fantastic plugin called Velvet Blues Update URL) So, if you stopped by for a visit earlier today you probably saw a huge mess. Sorry! I think we’re back to normal and we’re riding on our official address now – yay!

I’m still working on the photos from my brother’s wedding – but until those are done, here are a few random pictures from the trip!

Do I look Travel-y enough for the Travel Club?

I got to the airport 5 hours early - so I found a little secret spot behind a Dunkin Donuts where only staff hung out. It was my sanctuary while I waited.

Providence Airport Restroom - You never know where you'll find interesting photos

My mother and I went out for a Girl’s Lunch at a little Japanese restaurant called Orange Buffet in Orange Park, FL. Oddly enough, I’m the one who got my mother hooked on sushi and now SHE eats it more often than I do!

The restaurant seems to have mixed reviews, but that’s typical when you mix buffet style with international cuisine. Like most Americanized restaurants – it was great in some areas (the sushi and hibachi bar were excellent) and lacking in other areas (main dishes were limited and desserts were even less available). Though, there was one dessert that was simply adorable – even if the flavor could be improved. These little cakes tasted just like Tang! LOL

Unfortunately there were also very sad moments during my trip. My home town, once an award winning city for it’s trees and plentiful lakes, is becoming a dry, barren area. Due to the unusually low amount of rainfall for several years our beautiful lakes — where I swam as a child — are becoming nothing more than puddles. The ‘Beware of Alligators” sign serves as an ironic reminder of how much wildlife use to inhabit our city’s biggest park and public swim area.

We must have stood in this spot for over an hour; talking about how much fun the park and lake use to be. I just kept reminding myself: Even if the water is gone – the memories are not.