craving the southern coast, the florida keys & anything clear and tropical.

Before I speak my mind, I am well aware that I currently reside in sunny California, in a very beautiful and manicured city by the sea. I am so appreciative of it and each and every day I step outside I am thankful for the beauty I am surrounded by.

But, there is something so much more magical and exotic and intriguing to me down south and further down into the Caribbean. I know, I know, I am biased because those are my stomping grounds but that is how I feel. I am not going to complain about the beaches here in California by any means but if I could choose, shockingly I'd take the Atlantic over the Pacific! Sometimes I feel that people believe Calfornia to be some prized possession - God's gift to the world if you will. I can see it, but at the same time I know there are other places that for me, are just as beautiful, if not, more appealing and that's okay. So strange enough, even though the ocean is right outside my door - I have been longing to go to the Florida Keys and the Caribbean.

I know I am not going to Florida or the Caribbean in June, but Hilton Head Island is my one true love and I wish it would get here already! My parents are currently on a cruise in the Caribbean and they made a pit stop in Florida and I was so envious of their tropical and humid adventure!

I grew up visiting my grandparents in Florida and I have some of the fondest memories and so Florida has left such a sweet taste in my mouth. I love the white sand and the crystal clear waters, WARM waters might I add. I love the architecture of the homes, the pastel colors splashed throughout and I love the humidity. Lately, there has been some chit chat with my girlfriends of having a girls trip to the Florida Keys and I stayed up so late one night thinking all about it. I was so excited - but realistically it just wouldn't work out. Too far travel wise, not enough time to squeeze in a good decent week to make the trip worth it so we tossed the idea and we are saving it for a raining day.

What a teaser, because now it's all I can think about. It's all I have been craving and reading up on and reminiscing the time spent there with my family growing up. I just so badly want to go back to that now that that stage of my life is over with since the passing of my grandparents. I've always viewed Florida as magical. It always seemed so chic to me and maybe that's because that is how I viewed my Grandma Jean and that is where she lived. There was always an adventure - so many themed parks, childhood dreams coming true at Disney World, exploring every inch of the world as a young tyke thanks to Epcot and our families favorite -Busch Gardens where I discovered my love for roller coasters. I miss playing card games with my grandparents and learning how to whistle while rocking in my Grandmas rattan chairs on the porch. I loved her rattan furniture. Loved it.

My grandparents neighborhood was filled with live oak trees and the spanish moss hung like garland. It was eerie, especially at night when we'd take walks down the street to see my Great Grandmother and eat whatever she was fixin' in the kitchen. During the days, my sisters and I would drive my grandparents golf cart to the pool and I remember thinking the pool was so grand and majestic. You know how when you're a kid everything seems so much bigger, mighty and vast? That's how I viewed it - and the pool always had music filling background noise that consisted of the whispering of Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. The pool scene in the film with Whoopi Goldberg, 'Corina, Corina', always reminds me of swimming in my grandparents pool in Florida. Everything was so relaxed, so beautiful, so charming and simple. And that's what I miss. I miss my grandparents a lot. That's why I love Florida because it takes me back to a time in my life that I truly cherish and I won't ever forget. I loved their company, even though I was a shy little girl, but I appreciated the world that they introduced me to down there. Therefore, Florida is familiar and brings a feeling of comfort to me. So with that said, I've been longing for a dose of Florida and it's been on my mind lately.