My Life in Florida...

                So, my life in Florida? I received the idea for this post from Nela at "Beloved Star." What is the great state of Florida like? First of all, I need to specify that there are 3 different parts of Florida. The Southern tip that consists of  Miami and its surrounding areas is the first. Many of us Floridians refer to this as an extension of Cuba considering 99.9% of its inhabitants speak Spanish. "South Florida", the 2nd part of Florida, consists of a few cities, but mainly I think of it as Floridian suburbia and touristy beach shops (I inhabit this section). And then there's Northern Florida, which we choose to call Georgia. I can really only tell about "South Florida" although I have visited each of the other parts.

                Days typically start for me around 10am (during the summers). I wake up, grab a South Beach Diet protein bar, and drink a glass of Floridian orange juice. That's our main product here (other than tourism and sunshine). Idaho has potatoes, Iowa has corn, Georgia has peaches, well, we've got oranges  - tropical delicious oranges. My days typically vary but they're usually busied with shopping with friends, the beach, or going out for lunch with my sister. I live more in Floridian suburbia than the touristy area although I visit there often.

               Its weird always feeling like I'm always on vacation during the summer. The beach is only 30 minutes away from my house and we've got a pool as well, so I'm always prepared at any moment to go swimming. Even in January, we heat up the pool so while you northerners are ice skating we're swimming in the pool, or even sometimes at the beach. I guess this is something I feel like we can boast about here in Florida. Its the beachy atmosphere and I love it. Its amazing how you can walk into a restaurant sandy and in a bathing suit and cover-up and no one treats it as unusual. Its also awesome how you can facebook your friends the day before and meet up at the beach, go to the usual lunch spot, and grab ice cream in your bathing suit when you're hot sitting by the water.

              Many evenings I ride my bike around our neighborhood. The sun is setting the air is cooling. The day begins to wind down. In summer its light out in 8 or 8:30 which is rather nice. Its these days, I somehow manage to stay up til 2 almost every night. This probably isn't very healthy but that's just how the day goes I guess.

               Part of me wishes that I grew up in the "small town" atmosphere where everyone knows each other. I kind of enjoy the natural beauty of old rustic barns, corn fields, and quaint shopping plazas. I mean don't get me wrong there's nothing wrong with Florida's suburbs, planned landscaping, and international shopping malls, in fact that what makes my home what it is.

               O yes, another defining point of Florida is its weather. Wow, our weather here is quite bipolar. It can be a perfectly beautiful day with cloudless skies and yet 30 minutes later a thunderstorm can somehow manage to form. During the summer it rains almost every afternoon or evening. It also unbearably humid all the time here. But the rains and humidity add to its tropical feel. In the end I love my home state. Rainy, tropical, cultural, beachy, whatever you call it, to me its home.