First Things First.

 So two weeks ago, I took my sweet boyfriend away from our tundra home in the upper peninsula of Michigan to Naples,Florida so he could meet my parents. I grew up in Florida but did my undergrad in Michigan, so it's always nice to get away from the bitter cold and visit my favorite coast. There's nothing like escaping the brutal winds of lake superior for the warm sea breeze of the Gulf. We were only there for twelve days, but in that time we spent time with my family, laid out on the beach for several hours each day, and visited my favorite, South Beach. South beach is a far cry from Naples. While Naples is a Gulf Coast town comprised of wealthy older people and the business class, South Beach is a completely different animal.

There were gorgeous, sun drenched people at every corner dressed  provocatively in flamboyant colors. That beach was studded with topless women soaking in the sun or chasing their children.  The accents ranged from Polish to Cuban to French to Colombian. While it is a pricey area to spend the weekend, there are plenty of places that aren't ludicrously expensive where you can sit with a refreshing cocktail and people watch.Still life street performers decked out in face paint and period costumes lined Lincoln rd., patiently waiting for passersby to dump a little change in their dishes. There's always so much to see in South Beach. I'm the kind of person who walks down a strip and has my eye on everything and I'm listening to everyone, which in turn causes me to trip over something. While my eyes were focused on a bedraggled homeless woman being chased away from a cafe dumpster by the host, I heard a woman telling her son that she was going to yolk him if he asked her for tortas one more time. Sometimes I wish I had more eyes and ears.

It must have been quite the culture shock for my sweet boyfriend, who grew up in smaller town in Michigan, but we both had an amazing time letting loose over there. The weather was beyond perfect, the blue water coruscated beautifully under the sun, and we ate like kings. We stayed at the Cadet, which was a quaint and inexpensive hotel just a couple blocks away from Lincoln rd. Unfortunately, I am a cheap date and passed out close to midnight (much to the disbelief of my sweet boyfriend), but there was still partying going on outside at 5 a.m!

Our last day in Florida was pretty depressing because I knew that I'd be going back to wet, 40 degree weather and the bikinis and mini dresses would have to go back into the closet where they won't see sunlight again for weeks.

We got back on Tuesday and I'm still feeling pretty nostalgic, but I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things here in Michigan. *sighs*  at least there will always pictures to bring me back.

Sunset in Naples.