I saw the most AWESOME thunderstorm!!

Okay so I admit it, I've had a pretty rough time of it recently between school, attempting to find work, house and pet sitting, and family business. So, my solution? I did what any self respecting Floridian would do, and I went to the causeway to see salt water. On my way to the beach I noticed dark clouds looming north of where I was headed. They were up by Clearwater and I was headed to Dunedin and Honeymoon Island. I wasn't too worried about them hitting me, but I called my mom in Tennessee to be sure. She looked at radar and claimed that I was right - I had a while before they'd make it to me. I love the internet; I can call Tennessee and find out if I'm going to get rained on in Florida - now that's a cool trick!

I didn't have much time but since I had my roller blades in my car, I went skating. The wind was ridiculous and I was skating on more sand than asphalt, but it was great. On the horizon over Caladesi Island and Clearwater I could see the massive thunderheads. They were incredible! Bolts of lightning were striking the ground all around the area, but the sun was still shining as the last rays of it peered through the clouds overhead. The surrounding skies were turning midnight black as a wave of thunder seemed to push the storms to sea. It was so bright where I was in comparison to everywhere else that it made my small beach look like the beam from a flashlight in a blackout.

I love a good thunderstorm although they don't seem to like me. I almost got struck by lightning once in a car on my way to the lake with some friends several years ago when a lightning bolt fell from the sky and struck a telephone pole about ten feet away. Another time back in high school I was home alone one afternoon with my dog, and my house got struck. The power went out, my dog sat on me, and some paint got blown off the wall along with some dry wall in the garage. That was when I decided not to mess with Mother Nature. I enjoyed my skate and the thunderstorm today, but when palm fronds began falling from trees because of the wind, I headed home. It was a nice evening though, and the perfect ending to a pretty rough few days. I still love Florida, and salt water can still work wonders on me. I'm hoping to go sailing this weekend with a friend, but only time and tide will tell.

What Happened to Summer??

I don't get one - that's what happened. This month is the beginning of my first full summer in Florida. I'm supposed to be relaxing with friends, hanging out with my boyfriend, and sailing the yacht club's dinghies all over Tampa Bay. Not to mention I should have a summer job as I have for the past two years, but no, all of those things, the job, the boyfriend, the sailing, it's all not happening. I guess that comes with growing up, and while I love being on my own and having my own life down here, away from the hills and small towns of Tennessee, I do hate the work that it's taking to keep it all.

I have been eating, sleeping, and breathing for the past four months with four thoughts: get transferred to USF, get a job, get a loan for school, and get an apartment. Those four measly words, job, apartment, loan, and transfer have ruled my life for too damn long. Most of those things have been taken care of.

I was approved for a loan last week which is good because now I can pay the ridiculous $16,000 out of state tuition; don't they know I'm a broke college student? My boyfriend and I have found an apartment in Carrollwood, one of the few areas of Tampa where we won't get shot, and are set to move in on July 18th! Finally, I was officially accepted to the University of South Florida (my once "dream school") yesterday - four years later than intended, but probably, knowing my life, exactly when I should have been. I don't, however, have a job yet which is the critical part of keeping all of the other things. I'm still putting in applications and praying that someone needs a fifth year undergraduate English major to peddle their wares to the public for a petty price. Anyone know of any offers? I didn't think so.

So that's my summer so far, or lack there of. I also rarely get to see my boyfriend because he's way cooler than me and is in summer school five days a week. Now that's incentive to not be an engineer! I can't talk though because my literary brain has spent the past two summers sitting in math classes, but those days are behind me, and I'm now on to more grown up things, like trying to find my way in this big, scary world. I'm still trying to finish transferring to USF so that I can hopefully have all of the paperwork and headaches out of the way by fall, so that I can concentrate on my supposed last year of school! I'm still looking for a job, and hopefully that will be done soon enough. Things are slowly beginning to come together, and I just hope that I can survive to see the end of it all.

To those of you who get the luxury of having a summer...enjoy it. The free summers of youth and retirement are meant to be treasured, and to ignore them is to disrespect one of the most fundamental pleasures that make this a wonderful life. Have fun for those of us who are too busy playing "grown up" to even notice the lightning bugs. And if you should run into one of us "grown ups" in the midst of your fun, please, take a moment to share a bike ride, a walk, or an ice cream cone with us, and remind us that life is still a beautiful thing. Happy summer! Have a good one; I'll be living vicariously through yours.