The Best Thing About Florida..

The best thing so far about living in Florida doesn't have anything to do with the theme parks.  It's our lanai.  I'm proud to say that I knew in advance that would be one of the best things about living here, and made a large lanai and pool a 'must-have' when we were looking for a place to live.  We use it exactly the way I envisioned.

We've got the GeoTrax trains, the sandbox, the climber, the big Barbie house and lots of Barbie gear, our chairs and a fire pit, and the table and chairs that came with the house out there.  Oh, and the grill, and a lounge chair that serves as a Barbie drying rack.  The kids probably spend about half their time outside.  Obviously, that'll change a bit when it gets hot, but for now, it's absolutely amazing.

I can be in the kitchen cooking or on the couch watching TV (like that ever happens!) and have a full view of the lanai, and since the weather has been so nice, we just leave the door open so I can hear them.  When it gets hot, I'll probably keep closer to the door if I'm inside.  But for now, I can even be working at my desk in my bedroom while they're outside, since our bedroom has a door to the lanai (and oh, when it's pouring rain, it's amazing to just open the door and sit on our couch and read).

My absolute favorite part of the day is dinner time because we eat almost every dinner out on the lanai.  It's so relaxing, and we hear the crickets chirping, and the white Christmas lights we have strung up just look so pretty.  If we put on some music, it's just idyllic.

I've noticed over the last few years that winter has gotten to be more and more of a struggle for me, but I didn't realize how much so until we moved down here, and I haven't experienced it at all.  Not that everything's perfect - we still have stress and difficult days, but being able to get outside really helps me stay balanced.  I do miss Massachusetts, but Florida suits us so much better.