I actually love winter. Snow always makes me incredibly nostalgic of my childhood. My sisters and I would spend hours as kids building snow forts and running around in our sleds. I remember coming back inside and my mother would always have cocoa waiting for us. Our faces would be snow burnt and red, but it felt good. This winter Brad and I were around for quite a few snow days, but we seemingly missed a huge chunk of everyone's misery. We had the opportunity to head down to Florida. I had the intention of staying down there for a week or two, get a little bit of sunshine to help endure the rest of winter, However, a week turned into a couple weeks which turned into a month, then all of a sudden we were in Florida for 6 weeks. I have to admit, I enjoyed every moment of our stay. Brad and I both looked into possibly staying there longer. We were able to get on our bikes almost every day, riding to the market, bookstore or out for a bite. And the ocean was amazing, we often found ourselves laying out on the beach reading a book. We even found an Italian speaking group. Brad also starting going to Open Mics down in Florida too. He actually got a few gigs and made a fair amount of money. At one of the Open Mics he made friends with older Irishman,Bill which turned out to be really cool. First, he was offered to play a show with him one weekend. Then he played St. Patrick's Day with him. Before leaving Florida we made plans to meet Bill in Ireland when we head back to Italy in the summer. (yes! we finally have made plans to return to Rome!!) Aside from the amazing weather, I was happy to be in Florida to see my cousins, Natalie, JC and Alexander. In the past when they come to Chicago, we really only have had the chance to see them for a few hours as the are always on-the-go, visiting with friends and family. So, it was really great to see them. Alexander was adorable. He just turned 2 years old in December and is quite the little chatter-box. He reminded me so much of Myles as his age, very imaginative and incredibly charismatic. I was little sad to leave at the end of our stay because we really only get to see them a few times a year.
I was a little bummed that no one from my family was able to make it down to Florida. I had invited my sisters, cousins, aunt, mom and dad. But the notice was so short, nobody could make plans. So, Brad and I had decided we would drive up to New Hampshire and spend some time with my parents. We had planned to leave around March 25th, we figured winter would be ending soon and it would be safe for spring to start. Our plans kind of got swept away, when I got a job offer. So, I had to head home to Chicago...
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