10. random people vacationing here and calling us out of the blue
i looooooved getting these calls on my phone from the 812 area code and finding someone i hadn't seen or talked to in forever on the other end asking if we could get together while they were down here. it was so much fun and made me feel connected to home. when this happened, it was always the highlight of my week. always.
9. water, water, everywhere
being around water makes me so happy. i think that's the only thing (well, except for kat and kelly) that kept me afloat in those first few difficult months. no matter how lonely i was, how bad worked sucked, or how many nights in a row mike worked, just driving over the sunshine skyway or being around the beautiful gulf of mexico and tampa bay lifted my spirits.....just enough. (so did k&k, and i love them for it).
8. january
i'll be honest: christmas in 70 degree weather kinda sucks. i don't know, maybe i've just forgotten how cold it can get up north. however, 70 degrees on january 1 is just plain heaven. no post-holiday blahs to worry about, it's time for spring planting! :)
7. bo's ice cream
sure, i've gotten sick the last 2 times i've been there, but it still rocks. nothing like pulling up to a random ice cream stand in the hood, seeing 5-6 of my students, and enjoying a tasty thick 'n' chunky after a long day working in the yard.
6. hurricane days!
before we were homeowners, we loved hurricanes! (we even got excited about the scary one that looked like it was headed towards us in '04!) no school, being locked up in the house for a couple of days watching steve jerve talk about eye walls and wobbles...... too fun! a serious one would have certainly been another story though.......
5. pirates
on bayshore, at seminole elementary.....pirates are everywhere. :)
4. international mall
sigh. i love that place.
3. scooter, macy and daniel
all three pure floridians, none have seen snow or have spent any extensive amount of time in cold weter. i'm sure daniel will hate us someday for moving him from the paradise of the beach to ......... ohio. (maybe we'll hate ourselves for doing it too, ha!)
2. 4th of july on the pinellas beaches
you have to find a spot on pass-a-grille and watch the fireworks from all of the little towns all the way up the beach. it's amazing.
1. amazing people
it took me awhile to warm up to you floridians.....but there are so many of you who have meant the world to mike, daniel and i and i will never be able to tell you exactly HOW much. YOU have made our lives warm and sunny while we lived here, YOU kept us company when we were lonely and without our family over various holidays, YOU welcomed our baby like he was your own family. without knowing it, you made this feel like home for us, and are the reason why it is so hard to leave now. i know who reads this, and trust me, i am thinking of each of you individually as i write it, as well as MANY who do not. i can't thank you enough, nor tell you how much we will miss you.
No comments:
Post a Comment