101 Reasons to Live in Florida...The Hottest State in the Union, Baby!

As a native Minnesotan, I greatly appreciate the beauty of a white Christmas. I really do. The snow is picturesque and lovely while it's falling during the Holidays. I loved it for the first 25 years of my life....and then I had enough. Now I love to visit my homeland, but I'm not interested in ever shoveling my drive, plugging in my car at night or understanding windchill factor when I check the temperature outside. Ski vacations? No thanks. I'll take a warm beach any day of the year. Thus, my love affair with Florida - not to mention the fact that I have family and dear friends there.

This year, in the Seattle area, we were treated to a little taste of Minnesota with lots and lots and LOTS of snow. When I casually mentioned it to my sister (who lives in beautiful Florida), she sent me a cute little book for Christmas that I thought I'd share. It is called (aptly), "101 Reasons to Live in Florida...The Hottest State in the Union, Baby!" and was written by Ellen Patrick. It's a cute read and perfect gift for those who yearn for that beautiful Florida sunshine.

So, our retirement to Florida won't be here in the immediate future, but I love these reasons to keep shooting for that goal. So here we go with some of my favorites... Oh, and thanks, Sis for rubbing it in. :) I love you!

• Can you say "Sunshine State"?
• It's just like the Midwest and Northeast, without the snow, ice, rat race, stress, bad food, and grumpy people.
• We didn't invent margaritas, we just perfected them.
• Three national championship football teams provide infinite gloating material.
• Real key lime pie will cure just about anything.
• Spring Break comes to us, instead of the other way around.
• You don't have to move when you retire.
• The Florida Lottery. It could happen.
• Electoral politics more creative than in any other state.
• A certain very important Mouse.
• All the Jimmy Buffett songs are true.
• We got hurricanes. We also got hurricane parties.
• More umbrella drinks per capita.
• It's fun to tell your Yankee friends, "Excuse me, I have to be courted by a Presidential candidate."
• The Daytona 500: for those who like to drink while they watch other people drive.
• South Beach known to induce first actual case of disco fever.
• Nation's highest ratio of bare skin to clothing.
• Cutoff jeans accepted in most restaurants (and board rooms).
• Apalachicola oysters.
• The sugar white sands of the Gulf of Mexico.
• Cold beer tastes better in 100-degree temperatures.
• Cocoa Beach surfing rocks!
• The dancing never stops.
• The space shuttle launch.
• Even more important, tailgating before and after the space shuttle launch.
• Bike Week in Daytona is a great lesson in how to get arrested.
• No legal limit on blondeness.
• Boiled shrimp, and lots of it.
• No tanning bed needed.
• "You put de lime in de coconut."
• Historic St. Augustine.
• Walking on the beach at sunset.
• Sailing is prescribed by doctors for stress-related ailments.
• Down time held in high regard.
• Badminton and shuffleboard considered hip.
• If you get cold, you can wear a thong.
• No unsightly igloos.
• The Marlins, Dolphins, and Buccaneers: you can catch 'em, go on the ride, see 'em at Sea World, or watch 'em play football.
• Folks still know the meaning of the word "neighbor."
• Deep-sea drinking while you fish.
• Blue crabs.
• International Drive.
• Floridians never grow old - they just get tanner.
• The good thing about our rain: it will stop before you turn the page.
• Shelling on Sanibel.
• Key Largo diving.
• Bar hoppin'.
• Island hoppin'.
• 1,350 miles of coastline.
• 1,350 miles of bars.
• Glass-bottom boats, just in case you don't have enough regular views of paradise.
• More than 1,000 golf courses allow us to research whether there could possibly be such a thing as too much golf.
• It's fun to feel sorry for the North from November until May.
• Over 6 million Floridians can't be wrong.
• Cuban jazz.
• Cuban cigars.
• We were good enough for Hemingway. Not to mention Madonna, Versace, and a few others you may have heard of.
• From any point in Florida a beach is only 60 miles away.
• We're what you see in the dictionary when you look up "amusement."
• If it can be made into a theme park, we'll do it.