First real post! I’m less than a month away from my big trip to Mexico City and I finally got this site looking about how I want it to, only took me about three weeks of changing everything around at least 6 times. Things around still aren’t “it” but we’re getting closer. Since I started traveling and blogging, I thought it would be really cool to have everything, portfolio and all in one place.

Things are looking well for the trip too. I met a few people on Couchsurfing who have agreed to let me stay for a bit while I am in the city. Mark, my initial contact has even agreed to come get me at the airport, which is a huge ease off my mind. My biggest single worry about the trip was having to make my way onto the Metro with two backpacks and alone/confused/goofy looking. I also have been getting some Spanish lessons from Violet across the street, who has lived there since well before we moved here (’95) but I haven’t really met her since recently. Nice lady, I’ve learned more in three lessons than I have in months of dumb online programs.

In a fit of spending way too much time at home I found a cheap (and I do mean cheap) bus ticket to Miami to see my old UF pal Adrienne Wang, who I have kept up with well over the years via the lovely Gchat.

The weekend was pretty low-key, which is where I like to keep things. There were two dinners with friends, a trip to the beach where of course I still managed to get burned, some movie watching and a nice trip down to the Everglades, something this Floridian somehow hadn’t done in the all these years. Somehow I also never went to Miami after all these years either.

Anyway, I didn’t really take too many pictures over the weekend so I am going to keep this a little short. Honorable mention to seeing cousin Scott Castle while in Miami. His wife Zoe, child Kennedy and Lance (husband of other cousin Jackie, who is Scott’s brother) where all there as well and we had a great dinner.

Alsoooooooo, and I guess this is the biggest of news, but last night Brother Bret and SIL Angel had their first baby, Charlie, which makes me an uncle. I feel exactly the same lol. Congrats to them for bringing someone who will almost certainly be awesome into this world.

Born around 6pm, July 22nd and clocking in at a birthweight of 6-3 and a total of 19 inches long, we are quite excited (though none as much as my mom) to have Charlie Rae into this world. Oh, and she’s a girl 😛

More to come!