20 Beaches and Counting: Tampa Bay, Florida

Located on the Gulf of Mexico side of the state of Florida, Tampa Bay reminds me of a time in my life when I took my first adventurous leap into the world of travel. I was 17 and had never been on a plane before. After learning that a great-uncle (whom I had never met) was living in Florida, I decided at that moment to book a flight to Tampa and embark on my first real trip.

I booked a flight on USAir (I still remember the airline) and flew to Tampa to meet my great uncle. He was lovely and so was his neighbour, Naomi. What I remember most about that trip were evening walks with Naomi, a visit to Tarpon Springs to buy sea sponges, my first taste of Tropicana-brand orange juice (we didn't have it in Canada back then), spending a day at Sea World, and a church experience I will never forget. I was a church-goer in those days, so one Sunday morning Naomi took me to her church - a drive-in church. If you think of the drive-in movie concept, it was pretty much the same. We drove to the back of the church and parked in clear view of the the pastor's podium, which was located behind a glass window on the second floor of the church for all the people in cars to see. I can't recall how we heard the sermon.. it was probably a channel on the radio we had to tune in to. I had never seen anything like it - you could literally attend church wearing your pajamas.

That first trip seems so long ago now, but I still get the same feeling of excitement when I travel today. It was just the beginning!

This is the second post in the "20 Beaches and Counting" series. In my first post I share the first beach of my childhood.

20 Beaches and Counting: My First

The other day my mind wandered over to the beach, and I missed being there. I thought about all the beaches that have been a part of my life over the years, and decided to feature one beach each week in this blog, along with a memory and a photo. I'm up to 20 beaches, but I keep remembering more each day, so the number may change from week to week. Ah.. the beach.

This week I'm remembering a beach in Port Credit, on Lake Ontario. I lived with my family on that beach from the time I was about a year old until I was seven years old, at which time my parents separated and we were forced to move. Our backyard actually backed right on to the lake. It was a rocky beach, and I remember spending hours walking upon the rocks, alone, collecting pieces of coloured glass, of which I would smash between two large rocks, into powder (now that I'm thinking back, I wonder just how "big" those rocks could have been in the hands of a 7 year old?). I would then pour the bits of glass powder into a clear glass jar, and with each piece, the jar would take on the beautiful colour of that glass, layer upon layer.

My Next "30-day Personal Revolution"

She's done it again, Amanda the @sexythinker has posted her 30-day Personal Revolution, again inspiring me to match it with one of my own.

First, for those of you who follow me here, I'd like to introduce you to two of my other blogs: Mexico.. Casi Cielo and A Good Connection. The first will house all of my blogs on Mexico, and will include an area of "good news" about Mexico, updated daily. I've also listed some of the other blogs/websites I like to frequently visit, especially when it's freezing cold outside here in Toronto and I want a hit of Mexican warmth. The second blog is where I wear my professional hat, and blog about everything and anything communciations or social media-related.

So back to my 30-day Personal Revolution. From now until my next trip to Mexico on April 14th I will do the following:

1. Gym or yoga twice weekly
2. Work out at home twice weekly
3. Continue helping V build her business using social media tools (it's been so much fun so far!)
4. Start helping T make connections and bring awareness to her brand through various social media platforms
5. Get those business cards
6. No more candy
7. Write one blog a week, alternating between my two other blogs: A Good Connection and Mexico.. Casi Cielo
8. Continue weekly Spanish lessons
9. Clean oven and fridge thoroughly
9. Schedule floor renovation
10. Make time for friends each week

Wish me luck!