Damn YaNCkee

Most of the time, I am happy to be out of Florida. It's hot, humid, and way too built up for me. However, I did spend the first seven years of my adult life there, and I do have a few things that I really miss. 10. TREES Seems like a silly thing to miss, but I love trees, and there are a few in Florida that you don't see in either of the other two places I've lived - NY and NC. The golden rain trees, which apparently, aren't even supposed to be planted in Florida - and all those tall pine trees. I just love how they sound with the wind blowing through them. 9. SUNSETS Florida sunsets are waaaaay more beautiful than anywhere else. 8. WJRR/RealRock101one 7. GATORS DOCKSIDE I love wings and this place makes 'em GOOD. Hot garlic and the teriyaki are both great. 6. Mt. Dora A cute, charming place in Lake County. Always reminded me of where I grew up in NY. Lots of antique shops, B&Bs...my favorite place to go and just walk around. 5. PUBLIX The best supermarket EVER...

Friday night we (Ray's parents, Melinda/Scott, and all the kids) went to Frank Liske Park for an outdoor concert. Bluegrass for the opener, and a jazz orchestra for the main event. It was great - when the kids weren't running around and making noise. We ended up packing up kind of early and heading home, where I watched Donnie Darko (my new favorite movie) with the in-laws. Saturday we went and had a nice lunch at Smokey Bones and then went to Sears for a replacement filter for the refrigerator, a couple of shirts for Ray (I picked them out!), and this thing called a CarChip. It reads the car's computer, and then you hook it up to the computer and it will read the diagnostic codes and all that good stuff. We've (well, Ray) been wanting one of those, and this was on clearance for $30. They're usually $100+. After that, we hung out at the in-laws for a while, and then went home, and I can't even remember what we did after that! Sunday I talked to my Dad, he's ...

Sounds scientific, doesn't it? Really...that's not what this post is about. It's about how the age we consider old changes the older we get ourselves. Take, for example, my four year-old nephew's conversation with my mother-in-law. Out of curiosity, he asked his nana how old she was. When she said fifty-five," he promptly replied, "You should be dead by now!" NICE. Fifty-five must seem impossibly old to a four-year old child. Just like, every few years or so, I too, raise the bar when it comes to the concept of what old is. At this point, I think ninety is officially old. If you can make it to ninety, well then by God, do whatever you want. You've earned it. Eat two pounds of bacon a day. Watch TV all day while eating nothing but doritos and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (yes, this is MY dream). So I'm 30 now. By my nephew's standards, I should be dead in only 25 more years. I can't wait!

Hello! I decided to start this site as a way of sharing my thoughts and the oh-so-exciting happenings of my life with all of you. There are probably five of you at this point, but that's ok. Gives me something to work on. First, a dedication or two... To PH, for inspiring me and giving me the confidence to do this sort of thing. You rock. And to JN, for leading by example. I've always enjoyed your updates! OK, now that I've wiped the tears from my eyes, I'm ready to get on with things. Come back soon... Tre