Now that I'm back in Illinois and have had my not-quite-as-theatric-as-I-had-hoped-for reunion with Katie (she was also picking up my parents at the same time and, in this post 9/11 era, cops don't like you to sit with your car for too long in the arrivals area), I suppose it's time for the vacation recap...

(drum roll)

The Positives:

• Seeing Nano and my Aunt and Uncle - I never really get to see them nearly as often as I would hope.  Damn this whole out-of-state living situation.
• Hanging out with almost all of my family all at the same time (we missed you, Kate).
• Surprising Nano with all of her neighbors at what she believed would just be a family dinner.
• Getting somewhat of a tan.  Some would argue it's a burn, but I'm trying to be the "cup half full" kinda guy right now.
• Discovering a new swimming pool game with my dad that we call "Pool Disc" which involves throwing a golf disc upside down in the pool so it either skims across the water like a speedboat or hops like a skipping stone.  For the sake of your face, you should try to stick to skimming.
• Going to the beach in Clearwater.
• Eating some great food at Nano's place.
• Having a killer calzone at a Greek restaurant in Tarpon Springs.
• Laughing my arse off when I mentally mixed the words Tarpon Springs and Tampa, both of which cohabitated a mileage sign, and came up with "Tampon Springs."
• My dad and I doing our worst "Superfans" impersonation every time we passed the exit for Bearss Avenue in Tampa by constantly saying "Da Bearss!"
• Having Katie tell me that the sea glass sun catcher I bought her was the best gift she received from the vacation even though I thought it was just a kitschy little thing that I would wind up liking more than she did.
• The airboat tour that Brian, Jen, and I took.  Lots of fun and lots of gators.
• Discovering that Lamborghini Diablos are just as cool in person as they are in magazines and in the movies.
• Playing games of 31 well into the night on our last night there.
• Encountering my first live armadillo at a rest stop along I-75.
• Lying through my teeth to my brother that both my Dad and I waded out into a swampy part of a lake inlet down the street from Nano's place which is notoriously infested with gators.  I said I did it to get a photo I wanted and didn't stay in long... all in the name of art.  My B.S. reason for my Dad going out there was that he just wanted to.  My brother was convinced and the lie has perpetuated until this instant.  Of course, if he doesn't read this entry, he'll still never know.  Muahahahahahaha.
• Finding a really cool sporting goods shop in the Tampa Airport where I bought a Buccaneers hat that was actually marked down in price.
• Seeing Katie again after nearly a week.

The Negatives:

• No Katie.
• The heat... it was in the 90s for most of the time we were there.
• The sunburn... yeah, I said I was trying to be "glass half full" and all that jazz, but my inner cynic always triumphs.
• No Katie.
• The humidity... did I mention it has hot?  Well it was humid, too.
• Driving four round trips to the Tampa area from Wildwood.  That's a brutal drive after a while especially with gas prices these days.  And I-75 is boring as sin.
• Being charged by an armadillo that obviously doesn't like having his picture taken and is much faster than I originally anticipated.
• No Katie.
• Being told that in-flight snacks cost money.  What a load of crap.  Thank you, Katie, for the travel bags.
• Discovering that this sporting goods shop in Tampa Airport actually carries more Yankees swag than any of the local teams from throughout the state of Florida; possibly even combined.  If I was still a Yanks whore, I'd be in Heaven.  Alas, I am not so much anymore.  Although, Don Mattingly is still my God.
• Needing to wear a shirt, hat, and sunglasses in the sparkling water at Clearwater Beach.  I felt like a schmuck.  Damn tan/burn.
• No Katie.
• Leaving the rest of my calzone behind.  Nano has them in the freezer.  That was one fine calzone.  I hope she enjoys the leftovers.  Ah, the little things.
• Hanging that Ibanez EX160 back on the rack and leaving the pawn shop.
• Leaving Nano and my Aunt and Uncle to come home.  As much as I missed Katie, I'm going to miss them as well.  And it's never easy leaving any of them.  I want to see them all again so badly.

That does a pretty good job of summing up my trip to Florida.  Soon, I will find time to transfer the photos off my digicam and post them on Flickr.  I promise.  Likely tomorrow.