Things we like

To commemorate our one-year anniversary of living in Florida, we thought it would be fun to put together a few 'top five' lists of our likes and dislikes of current and past residences. Actually, it sparked some debate :) The three states below are places in which we both have lived and worked.

Since we're generally optimistic people, we'll start with the likes.

What we like about...

Florida:

1. Rich natural history. In spite of the "rat" and the "whale" (Mickey and Shamu) and prodigal development, Florida still has a wide range of interesting plants and animals.
2. The freshwater springs unique to this part of the state and country.
3. Being in a college town - biker friendly, lots of trees, plenty to do, good jobs/school.
4. Fresh seafood and year-round local produce.
5. Being able to comfortably ride the motorcycle in t-shirts and jeans any month of the year.

Alabama:

1. The friends we made there. At Lamb of God (our church), through A&M (Joel's school), and my knitting girls. You are all greatly missed and thought of often.
2. Excellent fall and spring seasons.
3. The historic neighborhood where we spent our first year as a married couple.
4. Being surrounded by hills/mountains. Great hiking as a result, including caves. North Alabama is a beautiful part of the country at the 'foothills' of the southern Appalachians. For those of you who've never been, you'd probably be surprised.
5. Southern hospitality, wit, accent. A man once responded to my question, "How are you doing today?" with "Finer than a frog's hair split four ways."

Wisconsin:

1. The majority of our family and friends live in Wisconsin. We are going on 3-4 years apart from these folks, at least on a week to week/month to month basis. 3-4 years and counting that we will not get back.
2. Four distinct seasons.
3. Door County. Joel and I each spent a good bit of time here growing up. Joel more so since his grandparents live in Sturgeon Bay. But he and I have shared some excellent times at Rock Island, Washington Island, Fish Creek, Baileys Harbor, and of course at G&G Zak's.
4. Madison has a phenomenal ultimate frisbee scene (Michelle).
5. Badgers and Brewers (Michelle)/Spring ephemerals - see Shawano Co. SW1/4 Sec 29 T27N R13E the 2nd week of May (Joel).

Tomorrow, we'll reveal the things we don't like so much about these places.