Sunshine Land

The first time I went to Florida was lackluster. It was also the first time I was ever on a plane by myself and in the airport 11, at the age of 14. Let me break that down for you real quick.

It was the summer of going into high school, and also the summer of my first heartbreak. As I was recovering from that, I was to go down to Florida and spend some time with my rambunctious going into high school, and also the summer of my first heartbreak. As I was recovering from that, I was to go down to Florida and spend some time with my rambunctious 6 year old cousin. When we got down there and got situated at the hotel, we went to visit my aunt who lives 10 minutes outside of Universal Studios. I loved spending time with her, but still, being away from my parents and being with a crazy unkempt six-year-old really harsh my mellow. I had serious separation anxiety and “Mommy boy” syndrome up until I was about 15. So two days in, after sweating to death at SeaWorld, I decided it was time to go home and be with my parents and my computer in my artificially chilled air. Although this trip was unsuccessful, I knew the next time I went my mother would be coming along. And that's exactly what happened.

About half a year after my father passed, my mom used the little savings we had to take her and my aunt and myself down to Orlando to stay with my aunt for a week and a half. My mom wanted to sit back and relax and hang out with the family, and considering as to how I have five or six cousins that still live in Orlando, that's exactly what we did. However, for my Wanderlust-ed aunt and myself, this wasn't enough for us. She and I found ourselves running around to wherever was physically and financially possible. Our expeditions let us all over Florida, including a trip to Key West and to Universal Studios, where I ended up putting the park on lockdown. I have to explain that one and further detail.

When we got to Universal Studios, we immediately headed for the new Harry Potter World. My mother held onto my cell phone as I rode their dueling dragons’ roller coaster, as I did not want it to fall out of my pocket on the ride. She sat on a bench and waited for me, but when I got off of the roller coaster, the crowds were so thick that I couldn't see her anywhere. I wandered around trying to find her, before eventually talking to one of the security staff who were conveniently dressed as Hogwarts prefects. I told one of them that I had misplaced my mother, and since I was 16, they immediately panicked and put the park on lockdown until they had a security came with his phone that can call out of state. I made a phone call to my mom, and we were reunited in overtime, but not before creating a big scene. I knew that if all else failed, I would go out to my aunt in the parking lot, and if I couldn't find her, I would walk home, as it wasn't that far. So after our reunion, we walked around the park, saw some things, drank some butter beer, and called it a day.

Somewhere in Boca Raton...

My cousin John took me to a concert at Hard Rock Live later that week at Universal Studios, and we saw Hellyeah. It ended up being my first really heavy concert, and even though the tickets were purchased on the way home, it only cost like 20 bucks per person. It was a dirt cheap way to have fun. We also went out to eat with family and had a small party to celebrate our coming to Florida. At the end of the trip, we went to Key West for the first time.

Halfway between here and Key West, we met up with a friend I had met online who had lived in Boca Raton. She was three years older than me, and we connected online via a Pink Floyd music video’s comment section on YouTube. This was back when YouTube users could still direct message one another, and as it turns out, it would lead to a lifelong friendship. Though my mother was leery of having me meet someone who very well could have been a catfish, I put her on speaker to prove that she was real, and then, we met up for two hours at a local mall. There is hope for online dating and friendships after all!

Key West at Sunset.

The first time I went to Key West, I sat in the back of a car for 8 hours playing Pokémon and waiting to arrive. We drove straight down from Orlando, stopping at a hotel in Miami at night to recharge our batteries after a long day. I got to see the sunset disappear into Mallory Square, visit Duval Street, see Ernest Hemingway's house and resting place, enjoy key lime pie in the Florida Keys, eat some of the local food, go snorkeling and meet a cute local girl, and take a picture next to the southernmost point in the United States. All in all, it was a very successful trip to one of the most expensive areas in the United States. Even if I don’t bode well with warm weather, I’ll be back one day for a hike or two.