Florida! Could You Be My New Love?

Okay, I love Florida. It's official. After a week there, I was ready to move. Yes, it rained and stormed two solid days, but guess what, it was still warm out. I didn't have to find a sweat shirt or a coat or go buy long pants. I wore my shorts and my sleeveless shirts. I wasn't freezing. Yes, it was hot and humid the other days. Yes, the sun was even punishingly hot at times.  Yes, forgetting to put sunscreen on any part of my exposed skin was a huge mistake and resulted in a sunburn in a short period of time in the sun. And, yet I felt free, comfortable, and happy.
As soon as I stepped out of the Orlando International Airport at somewhere around seven o'clock in the morning on July 4th, I smiled. The rush of heat and humidity felt like coming home. I know. I'm weird. It's okay, you're not the first to think so. Now, I have to admit not being able to check into the hotel until four in the afternoon started to wear on me fairly quickly after flying all night. After all, my last shower was hours before we boarded our flight. I felt like I needed a shower, to wash my hair, and to change my shirt...
I went to Florida looking for the sun and the heat. Oregon tends to be very rainy and it's a cold rainy. As much as I love rain, the cold rain begins to wear on me after a while. I miss my summers in the South. That's just the way it is.
While in Florida, I visited the Kennedy Space Center, spent a day and two nights in Miami, took three walks on the beach, posed for photos for the cover of my upcoming book of poetry, watched the last shuttle launch, met some nice people, and got to see three fabulous friends. Were there things that would've made the trip better or more perfect? Sure, I can think of a few, but those are just reasons to go back!
Over on my reviews, blog, Reviews with TLC, I will be reviewing the hotels and restaurants from our visit over the next several days. If you're interested, check there often in the next couple of weeks.
I will also be posting a few more blogs here about the trip, my observations, my thoughts and feelings, etc.
And, in the process I'll be looking for excuses for a return trip to Florida... Feel free to make suggestions.
T. L. Cooper is an author and poet whose work aims to empower and inspire through an exploration of the human condition. Her poems, short stories, articles, and essays have appeared online, in books, and in magazines. Her published books include a collection of short stories, Soaring Betrayal, her Silhouette Poetry Series, and a novel, All She Ever Wanted. She grew up on a farm in Tollesboro, Kentucky. She currently lives in Albany, Oregon with her husband and three cats.

Comments

  1. justkellyhereJuly 20, 2011 at 3:06 PM

    Um, schedule a book signing?

    ReplyDelete
  2. T. L. CooperJuly 20, 2011 at 3:21 PM

    Well, duh... Why didn't I think of that? I could schedule multiple signing and have an excuse to travel the whole state... Thanks, Kell!

    ReplyDelete

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