Characters of Sunny Isles

Our days in Miami are numbered, its sad but true. I can't even think about my days without the beach and the year round delightful weather. But there are things that i want to remember that i feel the need to write down. So without further adieu, here are the characters of my town of Sunny Isles.

Suitcase Lady- owns 4 black and pink polka dotted suitcases. Suitcases may be spotted around town sans the Lady. She is most often spotted at Walgreens or local bus stops, but I have spotted her suitcases along the beach, middle of the side walk, and Denny's.

Kung Fu guy- spotted most often outside of the Denny's near our apartment practicing Kung Fu in oncoming traffic in the busy street

Santa- big straw sun hat. Red plaid shirt. Smells like beer. Long crusty white beard. Does not make eye contact. Seen hanging on a bench outside my friends apartment or bench outside our local Publix.

Lunch lady- quite possibly my favorite character of Sunny Isles. Brown teeth, red gelled back hair with a pixie cut. Has an underbite. And a lisp. I see her everyday at work when I pass by the cafeteria to pick up my kids for my counseling job. I most often hear her shout "Sit down, shut up!" to little children.

Dread locked Jamaican- runs every day along the nudie beach. Has the longest dreads i've ever beheld. His beard is even dreaded. He wears a skin colored speedo and it scares me every time.

Topless European + daughter- spotted almost daily at my local beach. Very friendly, very topless. Her 5 year old daughter is also topless. Both significantly overweight. But friendly.

Jimmy Buffet Beach Bum- another favorite. Always has an old school boom box blaring Jimmy Buffet classics, most often, "Margaritaville." Spotted most often on our local beach, and occasionally on the side walk on my morning runs. He always gives an encouraging fist pump with accompanying cheer.

Bus Stop Schizophrenic- sited usually at the bus stop on my way to work engaging in heated conversations with herself. Scares me. I always walk by as fast as i can and try not to make eye contact.

Princess- her actual name. I have only seen her twice but both occasions were so memorable I can't leave her out. On the first occasion, I was speaking in church. I looked up from my paper on the pulpit to behold a  lovely Haitian woman walking in the back, wearing a bright red mumu (ehh is that how you spell?) with, you guess it, a ginormous beauty pageant crown upon her head. In her hands... a bright green head of iceberg lettuce that she was eating like an apple as she walked up and down the isles looking for heaven knows what.

Squatty mcgee- spotted literally every single time I rode my bike up to Hollywood, no matter what time of day I went. He was always on top of the observation tower doing squats.

And there you have it folks, the characters of Sunny Isles. We are considering leaving here a little earlier than planned due to some bad weather and I can't tell you how sad I am. Our time here has literally been heaven for me (and hell for Danny). I can't imagine another time in our life where we won't have kids/house/real responsibilities we can go to the beach every day, snorkel, swim, jog, go out to eat, etc. We've met some radical friends here that we will always love and cherish.
I can't believe that in a few short weeks we will start law school and dental school and act like real humans. We have had so much fun playing since we left BYU for China, then Miami. I don't even know how to be a real human. We are so thankful for the time we've had to play... and by we I mean me. Because we all know Danny is the responsible adult who studied the whole time. But still. So thankful.

Now on to trying to convince Danny that we should stay...