“Salt Life” bumper stickers originated in Jacksonville, Florida and are originally stickers on the back of cars that used to indicate a surfer or body boarder whose life is centered on beach. Salt Life is a way of life and dress brand for individuals who adore surfing, boarding, and all things shoreline and wave related. The term “salt life” means a kind of boho beach lifestyle, now it’s also a company that promotes it.
My very first blog post was called “Southern Hospitality” accompanied by the above photo of Jacksonville Beach and was written almost exactly seven years ago.
How do you even try to wrap up seven years of a life? Images, quotes, data, audio, memories start to flood the mind making it difficult to make
sense of what a chapter that long in a life truly means. We’ve all aged, but our girls have definitely aged in a much more fun way than their parents. Professionally, I have had the unique (at least in my profession) opportunity to share farewells from each of the three amazing professional opportunities that occupied much of my time while living in Jacksonville. Our journey from Las Vegas to Jacksonville was to assume the headship of the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School. Four years later it was time to say farewell…
Next up was my executive directorship of the Schechter Day School Network. Two years later it was time to say farewell…
And just last week, I reflected and said farewell to Prizmah…
So, I wouldn’t blame you for being sick of hearing me say “good-bye” at this point. I’m tired of saying “good-bye” and we don’t actually leave for Canada for another week and change! But. Professional good-byes only cover so much. Seven years is longer than anywhere I have ever lived in my life as an adult and pretty close to the longest that I have ever lived anywhere at all ever. A chapter of life this impactful is worthy of more than a series of professional reflections and thank-you’s however heartfelt.
And to think…that a guy who hates the beach could love a salt life.
Things That Definitely Happened During These Seven Years
- Maytal went from 2 to 9; Eliana went from 4 to 11.
- Jaimee and I went from 8 years married to 15.
- We lived in two houses.
- We voted in two different presidential elections and had very different feelings about the outcomes.
- I successfully transitioned saying “y’all” ironically to non-ironically.
- There were at least 11 days in which I did not sweat.
- We went a on a variety of road trips only to abuse social media with friendly hashtags like #MitzmacherSummerFamilyRoadTrip2015Day12EatingASandwichInRoanokeVirginiaOnlyToAnnoyFriendsAndFamily
- I had a love affair with no less than three styles of travel bags.
- My children can identify each brand of Hilton by their signature cookie.
- I can identify each airline by their signature customer service approaches to delays-cancellations-rebooks-refunds.
- I checked “airport shoeshine” off my superficial bucket list (#SuperficialBucketList). It was pretty awesome.
- Who likes Mint Juleps? Apparently we do.
- I went from a .7 mile commute in Las Vegas to a .5 commute in Jacksonville to a 37-step commute inside my own house. Take that carbon footprint. Sure, I’ll be driving the same minivan for 23 years at this rate, but I saved the world from climate change. You are welcome.
When we moved here seven summers ago, lots of folk asked “Why Jacksonville?” (Just like now we are cycling through a round of “Why Ottawa?”) Well, despite the risk of cliche, “southern hospitality” was really part of what drew us to this community – its genuine warmth and welcoming nature. So warm and so welcome, in fact, that we were quite convinced when we first arrived with muffins delivered and wagons welcomed, that perhaps we, ourselves (or really who are we kidding, me) weren’t nice enough to live here. In the same ways that I found my work environment as nurturing and supportive as any I have ever worked in, I would say that we found our overlapping work, school, shul, and Jewish communities all that and an authentic biscuit. All four of us leave Jacksonville with treasured friends for life.
Las Vegas is a community where (almost) no one is from; Jacksonville is community where (virtually) everyone is from. We learned in Las Vegas the power of opening up our homes to build community – as teachable moments, for professional networking, to enrich our children, to make a life – and kicked it up a few notches in Jacksonville. As our annual holiday celebrations grew and grew each year, no guest felt more grateful than Jaimee and I did as hosts. We hope to continue to pay forward the warm welcomes of prior homes in our next chapter.
Speaking of Jaimee…
How blessed am I.
I have no idea how someone can work full time while seemingly being a full-time wife and mother at the same time, but somehow Jaimee manages. Her organizationals skills are epic and well-documented. Her cooking skills have evolved past recognition from box-and-boil to multi-course-from-scratch delicacies. Late-night meetings became biweekly business trips, but somehow everyone got where they were supposed to be. She’s an amazing educator in her own right, influencing me professionally more than she knows, my closer, my partner, and my bestie. For the last 18 years, we’ve taken many leaps of faith from job to job and from community to community, but always together.
And so we say our final (for real this time) goodbyes as we await the moving trucks in the days ahead…
What happened in Vegas definitely didn’t stay there; what happened in Jacksonville won’t stay there as well. We will remain connected to the people and places who continue to shape and contribute to our lives as we look forward to all the new experiences awaiting us in Ottawa. Follow our story on social media if you like, as we will surely follow yours.
We’ll always have flip-flops in January. #SaltLife Out.
Bon voyage. Forget the flip flops and buy skates and skis.
We spent 4 years in Ottawa where I was the Assistant Principal of Yitzchak Rabin High School. I think it is presently a part of Hillel Academy.
Feel free to be in touch with any questions. Fran Urman