The "Eaglet" Has Landed

I'll make this post a quickie because I'm exhausted and need to get to bed.

I'm happy to report that our little "eaglet" (Angela) arrived safely in Naples last night. Well, actually, she wound up staying the night in Punta Gorda which is about an hour north of Naples because she found out last minute that the house she'd PLANNED on moving into Friday night wasn't going to be ready for her until this morning (Saturday).

I had a blast finding hotels for her to stay in on the way to Florida, by the way. The first night was at a Day's Inn in Sweetwater, TN with a great rate. Last night was at a Best Western located right on Charlotte Bay with the ocean to their left. They actually swam in the outdoor heated pool with a view of the bay just over the pool edge. They loved it! And best of all, I found the room for only $63! And they accepted cats, as did the first hotel in TN. I love discovering good deals like that! (Even though her employer is paying for her relocation, she didn't want to take advantage of their kindness by over-spending on her trip).

Anyway, when Angela arrived at the rental house this morning, all was just fine until the landlord, who knew Ang was bringing 2 cats, told her she'd have to keep the cats locked in her bedroom, OR leave them outside with the landlord's cat. That was certainly unexpected (Ang would never leave her cats outside as they've been de-clawed and are indoor kitties), so she told the lady, "Uh...sure...ok" but then left the house to find another place to rent. In the meantime, Tom & I were worried for her and the cats. Here she was in an unknown city, car packed to the max with 2 cats inside of it, the temps are WARM outside, etc. However, within a few hours, she called us to say she found another place, and we were proud, if not a little pleasantly surprised, at her resilience, patience, and persistence in handling this crisis with calmness. She then called the first landlord and explained why she couldn't rent there. Her new home is a pale, yellow-sided cape cod (pictures are below). She and her friend, Doc, who made the trip with her, rent the entire upstairs--2 bedrooms for their use only on either side of the stairs with their bathroom in between. There is one man in his 20's who rents the first floor bedroom and bathroom (he's a friend of the owners who reside in Louisiana), and then the living room, kitchen, washer/dryer, etc. are for everyone's use. The rent is a little more, but like Angela told me, "Now we'll have an extra bedroom for friends and family to stay in when they come visit me!" (You hear that, Aunt Jeanette?)  :-)

Later this afternoon, Angela stopped into her new employer's place (photo below) and met a few of the veterinarians, technicians, receptionists, etc. They were so happy to finally meet her and vice versa, and they're looking forward to her starting work tomorrow night at 10 p.m. (12-hour shift). After that, Ang & Doc visited one of several beaches in the area (their house is maybe 2 miles from the beach, and Ang's work is 10-15 minutes east of that), and watched the sun set over the Gulf. She took a pic with her phone and sent it to her dad and me so I included that in this post too. For some reason, she took the photo sideways, and I didn't have the heart to straighten it out, so there ya go. LOL She also took a slightly blurry phone pic of downtown Naples and sent it, so I've posted that too. It looks like one of those adorable, quaint and RICH oceanfront communities. LOL She was amazed at the tropical breeze and how it's strong, but warm, and also how warm the ocean water was today. In other words, she's having a blast. LOL

Anyway, now that she's settled into a place, her dad and I feel MUCH relieved, and can breathe a lot easier. Of course, this particular house has limited furnishings, unlike the other place which was totally furnished, so tonight she's sleeping on a mattress on the floor with no fan (thankfully, the house has central a/c), no lamps, no dressers and only the sheets & 1 pillow she brought from home. But if I know my daughter like I think I do, she'll have a smile on her face as she's drifting off to sleep, her 2 cats snuggled closely to her, dreaming of golden sunsets, warm breezes and palm trees.  You go, baby girl!  :-)

The "plantation-style" cape cod. She & Doc rent the entire upstairs.

The kitchen. She told us the house has these wooden floors throughout the entire house.

Angela's place of work. Love the palm trees!

A blurry photo of downtown Naples. I love that the palm trees are lit up like Christmas trees.

A Naples sunset.