a slice of old Florida

I have always been intrigued by old Florida. I'm a Floridian (born and raised) and I love the magic that Florida holds for non-Floridians. The promise of endless sunshine, gorgeous beaches, the happiest place on Earth (Disney World, of course!).

But, there is a forgotten piece of old Florida that out ranks all of this for me.  Just north of Tampa on US 19 sits a relic of Florida that is still standing tall. Weeki Wachee Springs is slice of nostalgia that has been preserved for future generations. Hailed as the world's only city of live mermaids, it beckons tourists away from the all mighty mouse. It promises them a wonderful, if not gimmicky, show full of magic and sights beyond belief. Since 1946 tourists have been coming to Weeki Wachee to marvel at the beautiful mermaids that seem to effortlessly dance without the need for air in the crystal clear spring. A spectacle and a must see for sure!

The draw of old Florida and the magic of such a place is what drew me into my current read, Swim to Me. The book tells the story of a 16-year-old girl who leaves her home in the Bronx for the sunny promise of Florida. After her father walks out on her family, she feels as though she must get out and make a better life for herself. Weeki Wachee seems like the perfect place to do just that after visiting the park on a family vacation the year before. She auditions at Weeki Wachee and gets the job. Now, how will she deal with her new found stardom and what will happen when her family suddenly reunites in a most feared twist of fate? This book is not the most substantial book but it is a good read none the less. I would recommend this for a long drive or a day at the beach. It left me with dreams of old Florida and I am now planning a trip to Weeki Wachee as soon as possible!

the south: can't live with it, can't live without it

As much as I loathe the South I also love the South. I've lived in the South my entire life and there are some days when I can't wait to GET OUT!!! Especially, when I'm surrounded by Sarah Palin bumper stickers and gun racks.  But some days, I absolutely love living in the South. I love sunny days, going to eat at the local seafood place down by the river, the fact that we can find any excuse to have a party, and of course, the food (fried pickles are my weakness)!!

This thought process was brought on by the quintessential movie of the South, Steel Magnolias. Could you get any more southern when you have a red velvet groom's cake shaped like an armadillo? I don't think it's possible.

The South has always been my home and I suppose it always will be. But, I do wish that some days it was a little bit more sophisticated. I wish that we weren't a little bit of a laughing stock. Some of the news stories that I see about the South when I'm traveling are just plain embarrassing. No, not all of us drive pick-up trucks, go hunting 24/7, and we don't all know how to line dance.

I do love the laid back way of life we have perfected down here south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Why do what needs to be done now if it can wait until tomorrow is our motto. Wasting time is one of our favorite past times. Heck, it's actually a full fledged sport!. An afternoon with a sweet tea and a front porch swing is all we need.

But, if we believe in something we sure aren't afraid to tell you. (Hence all the bumper stickers previously mentioned.) We did seceded from the Union after all. We stick up for ourselves and are some of the proudest people there are. But, sometimes we're a little too proud and can be a little loud. But, just bare with us and hear us out. Once, our point is out there we'll quiet down.

So, next time you happen to be in our neck of the woods take advantage! Find a front porch, pour yourself some sweet tea and waste away the day. Talk loudly and speak your mind. Remember, your among friends.

It's my birthday and i'll shop if I want to

Wednesday was my birthday. Or, as I like to think of it, the day the Earth was graced with my presence.   What? You've never heard of it?

Anyway, there was a perfect storm of obstacles that kept me from celebrating my birthday on my actual birthday. One, I have a job, and I didn't get off of work until 5pm the entire week. Two, my mom has been sick for a week, as have I. Three, my dog has been really sick all week, he's just starting to get better. And four, my dad worked all night the night before and was therefore falling asleep at 6pm because of it. So, today I celebrated my birthday!

I went shopping. This is my absolute most favorite hobby! I consider it a hobby because that's how much time I spend doing it. And because I'm a deal hunter. It's a game.

My parents were awesome and bought me a new stereo for my car. My poor stereo in my Jetta is kind of falling apart. There is no direct plug-in for my iPod so I use one of those cassette tape player adapter thingys. But, for some reason when I play my iPod through my care stereo it only likes to play out of the left side speakers. So, I have to fix the balance until its just right because I'm OCD like that and it has to be even. Also, the buttons that control the balance, the fade, the base, and other sound do-hickeys all have their knobs falling off. Every time you try to change any of these things the knobs fall off in your hand. One poor little knob got vacuumed up. My radio has served me well but it is time it take an early retirement. It shall be replaced by this beauty.

If you notice it glows purple. That's not the only color it can be either! That's the main reason I ended up choosing this one. And I'm sure the sales person at Best Buy thought that my decision to get this one based on the fact that it had "pretty colors" was a thoughtful one. I think so. But, the best laid plans seldom go as planned. It turns out that they didn't have a part they needed to place my thoughtfully researched choice of radio in my car. So, they had to order it which means I can't get my new radio installed until next weekend. This gives me time to say goodbye to my trusty old radio.

After sharing my amazing electronics knowledge with the people at Best Buy, my mom and I headed to the mall.  My mom got an a.m.a.z.i.n.g deal at New York & Company. Two skirts marked from $24.99 down to $7.99 and a "leather" jacket that was 70% off. 

Yeah. Well. I didn't fair as well. I gave in to my weakness, The Gap. Love it, love it, love it.

First up are these shorts:

I paid way more than anyone should ever pay for denim shorts. 

But look how cute the embroidery is!

I also found these dressy jeans on clearance.

They are perfect for Jean Friday at work.

This cute flower applique t-shirt also came home to live with me.

Hope ya'll had a great Saturday too! 

the rundown

So I've been extremely lazy lately, especially on the blogging front. I will now continue that laziness and share with you a list of what has happened lately.

1. We got a new puppy, Sadie. Her name was originally Patsy, but we are not the most country music inclined family. Then her name was Bodie, short for Bodacious, but we couldn't remember that she was a girl with that name. She is settling in well, only a few accidents while she gets the hang of the doggie doors. But with this face, how can you get mad at her?

2. My other dog, Jake, is sick. He has doggie pneumonia and is coughing like crazy. We took him to the vet yesterday and the poor guy had to have an IV for antibiotics. He has to be confined and kept calm so he now resides in a laundry basket on the couch next to me. But again, how can you resist the face?

3. I did not get the job in London so it looks like it will be grad. school in the Fall for me. Back to Tally I go. Now I just have to find an apartment, my days of living on campus are over!

4. I have become obsessed with researching my family history. No one in my family has every really known much about where we all come from. My inspiration was a new show on NBC Who Do You Think You Are?. The show consists of celebrities researching their family history. Sarah Jessica Parker learned that she had a family member that was in the Salem Witch Trials, Lisa Kudrow found a long lost relative her family believed was dead, and Matthew Broderick found out someone in his family was in the Civil War.  I'm using Ancestry.com and it is super easy. They have a 14-day trial offer going right now. Check it out and see what you can find. I already found the ship manifest that shows my great-great-great grandfather immigrating from France. How cool! I know, I'm a big, family history obsessed, nerd.

5. After my post about my addiction to Coach, I won that second purse and my grandmother sent me a Coach gift card for my birthday. My mom called her an enabler. She may be an enabler, but she's my favorite enabler! 

6. My birthday is next week. I will be 22 and I have yet to decide what I will do to celebrate the occasion. I'm not big on celebrating birthdays, especially since this one falls in the middle of the week. I'm thinking I'm going to spend next weekend shopping and getting pampered: mani-pedi and a haircut. 

I will now continue to sit on the couch in my pj's and watch 90's sitcom re-runs.