Ode to Florida

A lot has happened in the last last six weeks. Rachel turned six. We had a little family party for her where everything was pink, Rachel loves pink! Jennifer is our cake decorator so she made a beautiful cake for her. Rachel loved opening presents and was so excited to see the new dresses her Grandma Pat sent to her.

Eric finished his LLM program in real property law from the University of Miami. We are all so excited for him! Our four year law school adventure is finally coming to a close and we are ready to get back to real life. May 31st we pack up our moving van and make our trek from Miami to Southern Utah. I am so excited to be back around friends and family and the wide open space of the west. I love the desert!

Here are a some of the things I am really looking forward to:

1st, a very hot shower! Here in Miami because it is such a huge city the power company regulates the amount of power that goes to your large appliances so our water heater only turns on briefly to conserve energy. Unfortunately I have only found two times during the day I can take a warm 15 minutes shower before the hot water is all gone. GRRR! No wonder every one is so grumpy here they all need a nice relaxing hot shower. :)

2nd, a good hair cut! I have had my hair cut four times since we moved here and every time I come away sad, crooked, and with a different hair style than I asked for. I think part of the problem is most people here only speak Spanish and all I can say is, no hoblo espanol. I really should have learned Spanish when I was young! I really am looking forward to my old hair stylist in Leeds, she was great!

The third thing is a big plate of wings at Wingers. Now Miami can't be blamed for this. Wingers is only found in the western states. We have enjoyed the tropical and Cuban cuisine here. I think it is always fun to try new things but I love the sweet and tangy taste of wingers wings, mm mm good.

And last, a lot less traffic and less people cutting me off and running me off the road. Oh how I love smaller cities. Living in Miami has taught me that I am not an Urbanite but instead a person who likes smaller cities with friendly people. :)

Now, Miami hasn't been all bad. We love the beaches, I was only able to see them a few times but they are amazing. I also loved the Florida keys, they really are incredible. We also loved the Everglades. Seeing a real alligator up close, without a fence, is a pretty cool experience. The kids got pretty excited and the little ones got a bit nervous about seeing the gators. There are so many wonderful things to see here. I do look forward to coming back on vacation . . . just not to live.

We have also met some wonderful people and enjoyed our ward very much. We learned a lot about the Cuban culture and that helped us to understand why things are the way they are here. Although I can't deny my excitement to leave I do have some wonderful memories to hold on to.