Time for some alphabet fun. Leave me a comment and I'll give you a letter. You’ll then have to list 10 things you love that begin with that letter. After that, post this meme in your blog to give out letters of your own.

I was given B:

1. Bryan
2. Bailey & Boog (Allie's Nickname)
3. Bailey's Irish Cream
4. The Beach
5. Bon Jovi
6. Bath & Body Works/Bed, Bath & Beyond/Best Buy (figured I'd lump the shopping together)
7. Boating
8. Bless The Broken Road (Our first dance song at our wedding)
9. Blue Crabs
10. Blueberry Buckle (mom's recipe, of course)

If you would like to play, let me know by commenting below!
Thank you to Beth for giving me the letter B. :)

Company Sponsored Beer Pong

I have to admit, I have a pretty cool job. As I type this I am looking out the window at the Gulf of Mexico and beautiful St. Pete Beach. I am wrapping up a week at the beach for my company's annual user conference. I have spent the last four nights in a one bedroom condo with my own private balcony.

Entertaining over 300 customers for an entire week is exhausting, but there is alot of room for fun too. Being at the beach does make it better and helps us relax at the end of a long day (besides, our customers love it!) At each conference, we have one night where we put on a big event. This year it was a beach party...complete with a DJ, Wii, pool & darts, black light beach volleyball and.....BEER PONG. This was absolutely the highlight of the evening and on more than one occasion I heard "I want to work for your company!"

I certainly can't complain...we are a fun group.

I Remember

Tomorrow is the anniversary of 9/11. It's hard to believe that it's been seven years....it seems like just last year. Alot has happened in my life in those seven years, but the memories of that day are still fresh in my mind. It wasn't just an ordinary day for me. I wasn't among co-workers or friends or going on with my every-day life. It was the day I officially became a Floridian. I was starting a brand new life, in a brand new state, 1200 miles away from the only place I had ever called home when the world came to a screeching halt.

My mom and I were unpacking the few things I was able to bring down in my car. One of those things was a clock radio/CD player (I need to have music!). We were putting away the stuff we had bought at WalMart the day before, while waiting for the movers to arrive with my furniture and other things, when we heard the breaking news over the radio that a plane had hit the WTC.

We immediately stopped what we were doing and glued our ears to the radio. When the movers arrived, the first thing they took off the truck was my TV. Being from that area, they too wanted to see what was going on. By the time the TV was hooked up, the first tower had already fallen. We cried as we tried to get in touch with family and could not get through to anyone. Little did we know, my father was helping the passengers off the SeaStreak (the NYC commuter ferries which are located in the marina my parents keep their boat in). Some had no idea where they were sent...they were just told to get out of NYC. My uncle was assisting the Coast Guard, with his personal boat, do the same.

Later that week my mom had to rent a car to get home. We weren't sure when she would be able to get on a flight. My sister and friends sent me pictures from candlelight vigils they attended. And pictures of the smoke that billowed over the city for days later.

I can't quite describe how I felt in those weeks following. It was a cross between the excitement of starting something new and the emptiness of what had just happened to what I consider my home city. On top of that, the feeling that I was so far away from anyone and everyone who mattered, at the time. And so began my life in FL.

Give me Liberty, Or...

After much debate, my new car is.....a 2007 Jeep Liberty! The new baby came home with us tonight. I'm so excited that I can't sleep (it's 1:38AM) and I just want to play with the new car!

Oh...and my brother in law said I have to name it, so I am looking for suggestions!

We drove both vehicles tonight and even though I liked both cars, I have come to the conclusion that I just prefer driving a truck/SUV type vehicle more. Although I have always thought of the Libertys as a cute, fun little SUV....I did not set out to get one. In fact, I really thought I wanted a Sebring, which is the only reason I found the Liberty. Funny how things work out that way.

So tomorrow I get to clean out old Greenie and post it for sale on Craig's List. First person with $600 an a tow truck can have it!

Decisions...Decisions....

Earlier this week my car died (funeral services to be announced...). It's a long story, but basically the car needs more work than I am willing to put into it. I can't complain...the car has been very good to me through the years. I've had it for nearly 10 years and it is almost 160K miles on it. Up until this past 18 months, I've never had to do anything other than routine maintenance on it. Ok, there might be a small ding in the front from my fender bender seven years ago that I never got fixed, but the car ran like a champ!

It has safely taken me on many travels from Canada to the FL Keys. It has seen many highways and interstates. It was christened with a Cinco De Mayo to remember (thank you Sunny for puking in my new car!) It went to Woodstock in 99, moved me to FL in 2001 and has been to many a Nascar race from FL to Virginia. In recent years, I have kept it a little closer to home.

So now it is time for me to say goodbye (insert 'Taps' here), for tonight I go pick up my new car. There is only one problem....I haven't decided which to get yet. I have it narrowed down to two: a 2007 Jeep Liberty or a 2007 Chrysler Sebring. Both have less thank 8K miles - the closest to brand new I have ever come! They are both at the same dealership. We went to test drive both the other night, but the Sebring was not there, as it is being used as a demo car for one of the managers who had the day off. We drove the Liberty and really liked it. So tonight we are going to drive the Sebring and make a decision from there. There is no doubt in my mind I'll like it...its too similar to my car now...or my old car. I am making a pros and cons list to help me decide....

Pros for the Jeep/Cons for the Sebring:

• The Jeep is fun to drive & I prefer to drive a truck/SUV over a car
• Cheaper insurance
• Towing capability
• Plenty of room to now take my vehicle on road trips
• Great for the dogs
• Safer vehicle - The Liberty got a 5 star crash test rating!
• Bryan prefers the Jeep

Pros for the Sebring/Cons for the Jeep:

• The Sebring is 1K cheaper than the Jeep (i.e. lower payments)
• Better gas mileage
• It's silver...as opposed to the Jeep being white (which I typically don't like, but atleast the black trim on the Jeep makes it tolerable)
• I LOVE the new body style of the Sebring, which was introduced in 07
• We already have one SUV....we really don't NEED two

So there is my dilemma! Both are affordable and I have no doubt that I would keep either for a long time. I'm just like that with my cars. I guess we'll figure it out tonight. Either way...I'm coming home with a new car!! Now if only I could find someone else to make the payments....

Happy Labor Day!

Where I come from, Labor Day is the unofficial, but official end of Summer. It's the time of the year where the warm days give way to cool evenings, the days noticeably become shorter, kids go back to school and the little towns around the shore "dry up". In Florida, there is no official end to summer. Summer weather continues right through October. And it's not unusual to be able to wear shorts or go swimming on Thanksgiving or Christmas. I remember the first year I lived here, I went to the beach and/or pool every month of the year. (Jan was a tad chilly, but my sis and I still braved the water!)

However, I will say that this is the start of my favorite time of the year down here. Fall & Winter in Florida are amazing. (One of the many reasons we chose to get married in October). The temperature falls and the humidity dwindles as people start to come out of the air-conditioned cocoons and become alive outdoors again. There are festivals and things to do almost ever weekend...from Sept to May.

The biggest festival being the month-long celebration of Gasparilla. Gasparilla is when Captain Jose Gaspar and his Pirate Krewe invade Tampa and force the Mayor to hand over the key to the city. It starts with the Ultimatium (where the Krewe asks the Mayor to hand over the key, which she denies forcing them to take it by invasion). And it ends nearly a month later with the The Gasparilla March Triumphant: The Return to the Sea, where the key is handed back to the Mayor and the Krewe goes on it's way. The main parade is sort of like Tampa's version of Mardi Gras. It'll be even more special this year because it coincides with the Superbowl being here in Tampa.

Also in the cooler months is the State Fair, tons of outdoor craft and art shows, the Strawberry Festival (and strawberry picking season - woo hoo! FL has THE BEST strawberries), the Tampa Boat Show, and tons more to do. There are also a bunch of outdoor events and things to do with your pets. And being the doggie mommy who enjoys taking the pooches with us....that'll mean more trips to the beach, restaurants and fairs & festivals just for my canine kids.

So on that note...I'm off to enjoy some outdoor activities and am taking my furry children to the park. We'll probably even walk up to dinner tonight.

Hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day weekend!