Ft. Lauderdale Blog

Aug 27: BFN, Blog-O-Buds!

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:44:06 -0700

Hola, blog amigos! It's your faithful blogger, Isabella, back for my last summer blog. We started school again this week. I'm in high school now, officially and everything. Ninth grade is ok so far, but I can't wait til I'm one of the cool seniors or even just a junior. You know how it is when it's like you're the new kid in school, right? But at least my great boyfriend Francisco is with me. He likes it even if school in South Florida is so totally different than in Colombia where he's from. My BFF Juliette is still in middle school in 8^th grade. I miss you, J!! But I am like just SO glad I've got Francisco!!!

So what can I say? The summer is over and I really am so sad it is. :-(( But I still like to think about all the great adventures I had. Best of all for sure was meeting Francisco!! And NOT dating that stuck-up dude Bryan!! Remember him? Ewwwww. But Juliette and I had so much fun too, just us. And sometimes our buds Francine and Nicki too, who also are in high school and just the best! Hi guys!! ;-)))

It all started when Juliette and I got certified as real true scuba divers. Wow, totally amazing! Remember how scared I was when I tried it the first time just in that little tiny swimming pool?? ROFL. Because now I put on my mask and push the regulator in my mouth and jump in. Into the ocean! Not just some stupid swimming pool. J and I both love it and we try to go diving every time we can. Like, maybe again next week. Can't wait!!

And we did those Segway thingies with my dad and J's dorky younger brother, Spencer. So much fun! Especially when my klutzy dad fell off in the middle of the woods at Birch State Park and we couldn't stop laughing at him. Sorry, Dad, but it's true ... Ya know I love ya, Dad!! YTB!!! Haha.

I did so much this summer I can hardly remember everything. It seems almost like a long time ago to me. But Juliette and I went parasailing, which was amazing!! And we went to the cool W Hotel with Nicki and Francine and we went shopping on Las Olas and bought lots of ice cream at Kilwin's. Francisco took me out on jet skis for the first time ever and we kissed in the moonlight by the ocean. See what I mean? Totally a summer of adventure.

Not to mention the book I'm writing. I told you about that too, remember? I even posted one special part of my book for you in this blog. I want to be a famous writer someday. So I'm writing this book all about living in Fort Lauderdale and growing up in the most incredible place in the world. It's so beautiful here. And exciting and romantic and I've been living here with my dad for way over two years already. I don't ever want to move. But you should most definitely come down to visit me!! I know you'll love it as much as I do.

So I guess now I have to say goodbye, right? Maybe BFN anyway. Ohhhhh I'll miss my blog buds SO much!!! I hope you'll maybe come back sometimes and read some of my old blogs and the other blogs posted here too because they're lots of fun. Three whole summers of blogging all right here, mi amigos! Anyway, I really will miss you all - everybody who reads my blogs, ok? Just know I'll be thinking about you during my first year of high school. Wish you were here too. Then maybe you could help me study for my first high school math exam next week!! LOL!! TTYL!!!! :-)))

Aug 20: Woo-Hoo!!

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:03:37 -0700

So in last week's blog I said maybe my next adventure would be a surprise, right? Well, it totally was! I did something in my final week of freedom before high school that was fast, exciting, kinda scary. And fun! :-)

Oh hi again, blog amigos! This is Isabella, btw, in case you're new to my blog or anything. You should go back and read some of my other blogs. I'm having such an amazing time in my great summer of adventure. And great summer of romance too! Those two things were a big part of this week when my awesome Colombian boyfriend Francisco took me to the ocean ... to try a jet ski for the first time. Woo-hoo!! Definitely romantic because he surprised me totally. Definitely a real adventure because they really do move fast, you know?

Francisco texted that morning about going to the beach. I was like, "Cool!" We took the bus from my house and got off at Las Olas, then started walking with our backpacks. But I didn't know where we were going. So I'm saying, "Uh, Francisco? Why don't we just put our towels down on the beach, like, maybe right here?" But he laughed and kept walking. Whatever, right?

Until we get to this little place that rents jet skis. Francisco just looks at me and smiles. Then he says, "I want to try this today. With you!" Whoa really? Like my good friend Nicki says sometimes, "I am DOWN with that!" Right, Nicki? Hahaha!

Well anyway, Francisco paid for everything all by himself and didn't let me give him anything. He's so sweet, like I told you. Then the jet ski guy shows us how to run this thingie and it's a little weird at first. Not too hard really. Just weird til you get used to it. I mean, they are like SO fast you can't believe it! I thought Segways were fast when we tried those this summer. Remember my Segway trip, blog-o-buds? Well NO way! They're not fast compared to jet skis!!

So Francisco and I hop on one jet ski and he starts driving first. And then he just suddenly hits the gas. The jet ski goes like "ZZZZZZZOOOOOMMMMM!!" I almost fell off but I was holding him so tight I didn't fall. Before I know what's up, we're way out in the ocean and hitting waves and flying into the air. Just completely amazing!! We went back and forth and back and forth, all up and down beside the beach but far enough away so there's no swimmers or anything. It was the big blue Atlantic Ocean and Francisco and me. I was screaming and yelling and laughing for an hour.

I got to drive too and so he just sits behind me and holds on. But you KNOW I wasn't driving this jet ski thing like Francisco drives this jet ski thing, ok? LOL. I was more like "putt-putt-putt" over the waves. Not too fast, you know? Still fun! But I have to admit it was more exciting when he was driving. But I saw some other girl out there driving her own jet ski with some friends and she was going even faster than Francisco! That's how my BFF Juliette would be too. But no, not me, no way. Slow and safe - that's how I like this, thanks.

When we finished on our jet ski, Francisco and I went swimming and it was soooo nice. The ocean is really warm and we splashed each other and played almost like little kids. Then we laid down on the beach on our towels. And well ... hmm, let's just say we started kissing and didn't talk too much for a while. ;-))) That's all I'm going to write in this blog about my big adventure with Francisco. Except that I can't wait to see him again!! And I really wish this great summer of adventure never had to end!! BFN - see you all again next week for sure!!!

Aug 14: Almost Over

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:40:48 -0700

I can't believe my great summer of adventure is almost over. Wow, blog amigos - can you believe it?? Only two more blogs to go after this. Then my dad is making me stop the blogging again so I can get into the high school thing and everything. I guess that's ok. Except I'll miss all of you!! :-)))

But the summer's not over yet, right? I see my Colombian boyfriend Francisco 3 or 4 times a week now. In between seeing each other we text a LOT. Haha. You know what I mean. Yesterday we took the Sun Trolley downtown to Starbucks and sat outside so we could suck down iced green tea lemonades. Yummy! Then we walked around and just looked in shops and had so much fun talking about everything. I am SOOOOO lucky to have such a nice, amazing, sweet boyfriend!! He's cute too!! (BTW, I told him about my blog ... So now he reads it just like you. But he really is nice and amazing and sweet!! Hola, Francisco!!)

Oh and I should tell you what happened last Saturday night. Great time, blog-o-buds! It was a total girls night out, ya know? Juliette and Francine and Nicki and me - we all went to this really cool thing on the beach. They call it "Saturday Night Alive." The name is kinda like the TV show "Saturday Night Live," get it? LOL! But this is a party that's really "alive" on the beach.

They've got lots and lots of live bands, all way up and down A1A. That's the street by the beautiful Fort Lauderdale beach. It's supposed to be maybe a mile of bands and DJs and almost every kind of music but it seems like even more than a mile. I read some blog that says Saturday Night Alive is happening this Saturday and next Saturday too from 7pm til 11pm and it's seriously amazing. You should go! The four of us think this Saturday Night Alive thing is just like the best!

So here's what happened. We're walking by this place with a salsa band playing outside and Francine starts dancing on the sidewalk. She's so funny! She just goes, "I've totally gotta move every time I hear salsa. Can't help it!" So then we all start dancing too and we're just having so much fun, right? But then this guy on these big old stilts comes across the street to us. And he starts dancing too - on stilts! With Francine! Then Nicki gets into it with our stiltman and they're both dancing with Francine. TOO funny ... ROFL!! Juliette and I almost couldn't breathe because we were laughing so hard!!

After all this fun we needed something to drink so we bought bottles of water from a guy selling it on the street. Whew, it cooled me off and I needed it. What's really so excellent about this party by the ocean is that it's all free. You can walk along and listen to a million bands. And then just bop across the street to the beach whenever you want. Which is what we did.

The sky was getting all purple and red and yellow from the sunset behind us. The ocean was kind of like a gray color but also with some pretty blue mixed in it too. Completely awesome. So we all just wanted to sit on the sand for a while and chill and drink our water. And watch the sky and the sea. And listen to the music across the street. We talked about how beautiful the ocean is in Fort Lauderdale and we all said the same thing. We all love it here! It's a totally amazing place to grow up.

I'm not sure what I'll be doing next week, which is our last week of freedom before school starts. Big gulp. High school and everything for me, right? But that's ok. I just want to have another incredible adventure or two (or three! :-) ) before my summer of adventure is over. So come back for another blog and find out what's up with me. It might just be another big surprise - for you. And for me. LOL! Adios for now, blog buds!!

Aug 6: Old Times Again

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:16:57 -0700

I was right. Everything really is changing. Remember my first blog this year? All the way back in May that's what I said: "Everything is happening to me now. All at once. It feels like everything is changing." And it is pretty scary sometimes. I was right about that too. But it's also really so much fun. Because things are changing in good ways for me. :-)))

I mean everything is so totally amazing with my boyfriend Francisco. And now I'm good friends with Nicki and Francine, two of the nicest girls in school. And I'm getting ready to start high school in a couple weeks. Gulp. But that's all good too. I think high school is going to be great. And I've still got the best, most excellent BFF in the whole world!! Yay!!

That's why I called this blog "Old Times Again." Because it was like old times again with Juliette, my absolute total best friend. We had so much fun shopping together yesterday. I felt almost like a little kid, kinda like when I moved here. That was over two years ago and I was only 12 then! Wow, that was so long ago it seems like forever. Back then it was just Juliette and me - and sometimes her goofy younger brother, Spencer. And that's how it was on Las Olas yesterday. Just J and me. But no Spencer this time!

Juliette and I were texting yesterday morning about school starting again pretty soon. And we're both going like, "I need some new clothes." It was pretty funny. But it was good too. My dad already said I could go shopping and so did her mom. They gave us credit cards and told us how much we could spend. So now we're like, "Yessss! Let's go today, girl!!"

You probably know all about Las Olas, right? I've told you about it before but maybe you don't remember or you live in another state or whatever. It's this totally beautiful street with little shops and stores and restaurants and everything else on it. Both Juliette and I love going there. Especially together - with credit cards!! Hahaha ...

So first we go bopping into this cute shop and guess what? They had these great tie-dyed tops in a huge sale and we both bought two of them in maybe our first 20 minutes shopping. Juliette got a mostly pink top and another one with lots of blue. I got a tie-dye that's mostly red and purple and a second one with lots and lots of yellow. Know why the yellow, blog amigos? Because Francisco is from Colombia and the flag from Colombia has lots of yellow in it. I think he'll like my new top a lot!!

We're not little kids anymore like we were when we used to go shopping on Las Olas. But sometimes yesterday we felt like kids anyway!! LOL!! Because we just laughed and laughed about everything. Sometimes I couldn't stop giggling. I really did feel like I was 12 again instead of being a high school girl now.

That's ok because we had SO much fun!! We both ended up buying a cool pair of jeans and J got a really pretty skirt too. After we both spent all we were allowed on those credit cards we just walked over to Kilwin's for some great ice cream cones. Mmmmmmmm!!! Chocolate all the way for me. J got mint chocolate chip. Tasted hers - & both flavors are awesome!!

And that was our afternoon together, blog buds. We went home to her house after that and played Rock Band, which Spencer got for his birthday last year. Juliette mostly played drums and I played guitar and we did pretty good too. Until Spencer came home and told us to stop. I think he's mad because I have a boyfriend!! ;-) But it was a great day with my BFF, just like in the old times when we were kids. Except I'm not a kid anymore - and tomorrow I have a date with Francisco. Maybe I'll wear my new "Colombia" tie-dye for him!! BFN, blog buds! See ya next week!! :-)))

July 30: Moonlight Romance

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:56:56 -0700

I think Fort Lauderdale must be the most romantic place in the whole world. I'm back again, blog friends - your faithful blogger Isabella. And this week I'm going to tell you about the best date of my life. It was so special I'll never forget it. Ever!! Girls, I totally hope you get the chance to experience something this amazing. And guys, I hope you're as nice as Francisco so you'll do something this awesome with your girlfriend.

Because Francisco asked me to go with him to the Fort Lauderdale beach. And to stay out alone with him until 10 p.m. And my dad said Yessss!! Dad, YTB! :-)) He said just be really careful and even gave us money to take taxis to the beach and back home. I had to call him a couple times to check in and everything. No biggie. Thanks, Dad!!!

What happened next is too beautiful to just blog about, blog amigos! Remember I told you I want to be a famous writer some day? And remember I'm writing a book about my life in Fort Lauderdale? Well, I already wrote several pages in my book about this amazing date. So I'm going to share some of it so you see how incredible it really was, ok? This is what I wrote in my book:

"I don't know if I should call Francisco my ‘boyfriend' yet or not. Maybe it's too soon. But I already feel things for Francisco I've never felt for anyone in my life. When he showed up at my door tonight, my heart smiled. He carried an old backpack with something in it - Francisco just laughed when I asked what was inside. Then we jumped in our taxi, which felt like a fancy big limousine to me, and we rode together to the beautiful Fort Lauderdale beach at twilight.

Francisco got out first and held the door for me. Such a nice guy! Then he gently took my hand, something he never did before, and I let him take my hand too. And we walked holding hands this way to the wide sand beside the South Beach parking lot. Francisco opened his backpack now and took out a thin blanket and some fruit and two bottles of water. He spread it out on the beach in the moonlight. Then he smiled at me and once more my heart smiled back at him.

Fort Lauderdale is a place I truly love now. Very much. The palm trees swayed in the tropical breeze and the moon rose high over a quiet sea and the stars began to twinkle over our heads. Sometimes I can't believe I really live in such a place! Romance can fill the air here, like a perfume that is sweet and impossible to resist. That is just how it felt sitting next to Francisco for the first time on the beach in the starry moonlight. I knew we were going to kiss here for the first time too.

I think all of this made it happen - the moon and the stars and the breeze and the ocean. Fort Lauderdale made it happen, helped us to feel the romance in the air. And so he smiled at me again without a single word and just leaned over and took my head between both hands so gently. Very gently. Then he kissed me in a way I've never felt before, in some way that was as gentle and beautiful and romantic as his hands on my face and the tropical breeze in the trees."

That's what it was like, blog buds! As you can tell, a very very special night!! Of course it's easy to have a special time in Fort Lauderdale even without a great guy. And without spending a lot of money. Because it's so beautiful and romantic here. Or you can have an amazing time and spend a LOT of money like when Dad took me to Steak 954 for my b'day dinner! LOL!! There's so much to do and I love it!!

Anyway, so Francisco got me back on time and Dad was all happy about that. Then Francisco went home and texted right away:

Francisco: "thank u! best nite 4 me since coming 2 fla! :)"
Me: "maybe best nite in my life! ;-)))"
Francisco: "me 2!!"
Me: "still feel yr 1st kiss!!"
Francisco: "didnt want it to stop!!! ever ..."
Me: "me 2!!!!"
Francisco: "c u 2morrow? I hope!! :)"
Me: "YESSSSS!! call me in a.m., ok? cant wait ..."
Francisco: "YESSS!!!"
Me: "xoxo!!"

And yes, I did see Francisco the next day. And the day after that and then today too. But I miss my BFF Juliette and want to see her really soon!! (Hi J!! Hope you're reading this ...) I think things get more complicated in high school. It seems that way already even before I really start classes. But it's ok because I have such a great BFF and live in the best, most romantic place in the whole world. And because I have such a great ... boyfriend!! Haha!! See ya next week, blog-o-buds!!!

July 24: Big WOWWWW

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:03:43 -0700

Hola, blog amigos! Just practicing my Espanol because I've kinda started dating a guy from Colombia. Hahaha. Or "jajaja," as they laugh in Spanish writing. Pretty funny. But anyway, this is your faithful blogger Isabella and I had the greatest afternoon today - in any language. It really started this morning with some sweet texts from Francisco. He's so romantic, girls. I love texting with him. Then guess what happened next? I have someone with me who's going to tell you! Here she is ... my guest blogger this week, Juliette!! Yay!!

Hi again, everyone!! This is Juliette doing the blog thing again with my total BFF Isabella!! We just got to her house after the most awesome afternoon. So then Isabella goes like, "Let's write a blog about it right now!" Very cool. Thanks, Isabella!! But maybe you should start telling everyone about what we did, ok?

Isabella: Sure, J! I'll start by just saying I took my BFF and two of the nicest, coolest girls in my class to the new W Hotel on the Fort Lauderdale beach. Remember, I told you before that I went there for my 15^th birthday? I totally couldn't wait to show Juliette how incredible this place is. And I also asked Nicki and Francine to come with us because they're going to be in high school with me next year. I really like them both!! :-))

Juliette: I wish I was a year older so I could be in high school too! But I'm only 14 and it totally sucks because sometimes I feel like some total kid or something. :-( You and Nicki and Francine are all SO cool!!

Isabella: No way are you just a kid, J! You'll be with us in high school pretty soon anyway. But it doesn't matter because we all had so much fun together today, right?

Juliette: Right! The W is like going on a trip to the future. When we walked inside, Francine noticed the awesome fountain and all these flowers and everything right away. Nicki loved it too and me too but Isabella just goes, "Wait til you see the aquarium!!" And she was right. You won't believe this until you see it!!

Isabella: J means the jellyfish aquarium I blogged about last week. Remember all those spooky white jellyfish in a huge, huge tank? A waitress told Nicki there's like 2,000 gallons of water in there and SOOOO many jellyfish all swimming in this big circle. But even the jellyfish weren't the best part of our trip to the W. Right, J?

Juliette: Most deff!! Because we walked around and saw all this cool stuff like the hugest outdoor patio and all these big couches in the lobby. But then Isabella just says, "Wanna see the most awesome pool?" And then it's like right there in front of us. I hadn't even noticed but the stairs go up to the pool from the lobby. Wow ...

Isabella: Up through the middle of the swimming pool!! Now THAT'S definitely awesome!! They call it the "human aquarium" because you just watch everybody swimming in the pool like they were fish or whatever.

Juliette: Or maybe jellyfish!! Teehee!

Isabella: LOL! So Nicki just says, "Let's get something to drink and hang a while, ok?" That was the best part. Thanks, Nicki!! And Francine was so totally nice and bought Cokes for everybody and wouldn't let anyone else pay. Thanks, Francine!! So we just got four chairs and hung by the pool for like an hour or maybe longer. I'm not sure. But I think we all felt pretty cool to be chillin' at the new W pool!!

Juliette: Some of the guys around the pool thought we were a lot older too! I could tell they wanted to totally hit on us! LOL!

Isabella: But we just had fun laughing and drinking our Cokes and sending texts to our friends. Francine even tweeted a couple times - you know, like, "At the new W hotel pool in Fort Lauderdale and totally luvin it!!" Stuff like that. Fun!!

Juliette: Nobody wanted to leave the hotel, right, Isabella?

Isabella: Right, J! All of us just wanted to get a room and stay there for like a week!!

Juliette: Totally!!!

Isabella: I wish!! But we're home now and writing this blog about our latest summer adventure. A great day with just the girls. I'm really glad we all went together to see the W Hotel. I love it there. And now I want to go back again. Really soon. Maybe next time for a nice romantic date with Francisco on the patio next to the beautiful blue ocean. That sounds "muy bueno" to me! Jajaja! BFN, amigos!!

July 16: Birthday Boy

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:45:21 -0700

I'm back again, blog friends. It's Isabella, your faithful blogger. And no, I didn't make some weird typo mistake in my title for this blog. I turned 15 on Monday and I had a great birthday blast with my dad. Thanks, Dad! :-) So yeah, I was the "birthday girl." But I also got my big birthday wish about a pretty special boy. I'm going to write about both things in my blog this week.

My latest summer adventure started when Dad took me out for a verrrry amazing birthday dinner - to one of the coolest places I've ever been in my life. The new W Hotel on the Fort Lauderdale beach. I think I'll be going back with Juliette and maybe some other friends soon to show them around. But for now, I'll just say that we went to this beautiful patio that's right beside the blue Atlantic Ocean. I just got a Coke and Dad had wine and we ate some great food to start off the big b'day evening. Then we went inside for dinner at this restaurant called Steak 954. Like ... just ... incredible! There's even this HUGE aquarium and it's filled with live jellyfish! Totally awesome. They look like little white blobby ghosts swimming inside the tank. And the food was probably the best steak I've ever eaten. This is a great, super cool hotel and I can't wait to show it to my BFF now.

Dad was so totally sweet to me all night and bought me some nice new clothes for gifts too. YTB, Dad!!! Especially because I got to wear some of those new clothes on my first date with Francisco. You remember him from last week, I hope. Dark hair, dark eyes. When he smiles, I can't help smiling inside and outside at the same time. And he's really soooo romantic too! Guess where we went on our first date?

Francisco told me, "We must go by the sea again, where we met." He's from Colombia and his English is very good. But he says things in a different way sometimes. I like it! Haha! So listen to this, blog buds. Francisco and I got together at exactly the same spot at exactly the same time as when we first met. His idea! See what I mean, girls? How totally romantic is that, right? ;-)))

But the best part is that Francisco is just so nice, you know? Totally different than that stuck up Bryan! Francisco wanted to learn all about me so I talked about the book I'm writing - the one about my life in Fort Lauderdale, remember? But you know what? I didn't tell him about this blog. Not yet! Maybe I will later this summer when we get to know each other a lot better. But right now it's just our secret, ok? Shhhh! Hahaha again!!

Anyway, we walked and talked and laughed a lot. We even stopped for gelato. In the same gelato place I went with Bryan! Too weird. Except that Francisco was just SO nice and just the sweetest guy all the time. We finished our romantic first date with a long walk on Las Olas and we walked all the way to the downtown buildings. Then we kept walking on the New River under this big white moon that was shining over the water. All I can say is, wow - it was perfect! And we both said we want to see each other again. Soon!! I'll bet you'd already like to know where our next date will be, wouldn't you? Well you know what? So would I!! We haven't decided yet. But next week, you totally know that I'll have a lot more to say about Francisco so stay tuned for that!! I have a funny feeling that this summer is about to get a LOT hotter for me!!! LOL!! See ya next week!!

July 9: No-Bummer Summer

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:57:36 -0700

That's what my dad likes to call it. He keeps saying, "You're going to have a No-Bummer Summer!" You know, like nothing too lame or awful or whatever is going to happen to me all summer long. I hope he's right. It's been pretty great so far but I have to admit I was a little worried right after the 4^th of July. That's when I got together with Bryan, remember?

I was telling you about that last week in my blog. And, yeah, we met for ice cream on the Fort Lauderdale beach just like I knew we would. Here's what happened. As soon as he sees me Bryan starts with all this goofy stuff about how beautiful I am and everything. Eeeww. I'm kinda like, "Yeah ok - uhm, thanks. Let's get some ice cream." So we walk up the street to this good gelato place and he takes out a $50 bill to pay for it. For gelato that cost like a whole $6.45! Whatever. Except it was SOOOO totally obvious he was just trying to impress me.

Which was definitely NOT happening. You girls know what I mean, right? Like I care he has $50 in his wallet. Because I don't care. Bryan's some rich kid and he's already in high school and oh, like, big wow! He just thinks I'm going to date him because he's older and because he drives and because he has this fancy car his father bought him. Yeah, right!

But it was so great just walking beside the beautiful Fort Lauderdale beach that I tried to ignore him and have fun anyway. We walked along the sidewalk and then we finished eating our gelatos. And then he suddenly tries to hold hands with me. In the first half hour on a first date!! I'm like, "Huh? NO!" This is when I started to really worry that maybe Dad is wrong. Maybe I would have a "Bummer Summer" after all!! So what could I do? I'm stuck on this lame date. I just watched the gorgeous blue ocean coming into the beach in pretty white waves. And I was soaking up the rays and looking at other people walking around. And Bryan totally doesn't even notice that I'm soooo bored with him and he keeps talking all about ... guess who? Himself! "Me, me, me" like all the time, ya know? Major eeek!!

Except then you know what happened? I got lucky because we bumped into these two guys he knows and I know one of them too. His name's Francisco and he was born in Colombia. He goes to my school and I've seen him around the halls a million times but we never talked even once. But guess what? We'll both be going to the same high school next month, which is kinda cool.

Anyway, Bryan starts talking to the other guy - whose name I totally forget! But then I just start talking to Francisco about going to high school and I found out he's really nice. Pretty cute too! LOL. Dark hair and great dark eyes. Bryan is just like going on and on talking to this other guy about whatever. So you know what I did then, blog buds? I asked Francisco to text me this YouTube link he told me about. (Just so I could get his cell number! HAHA!!!)

So he texts me while we're standing there and I have his number now and Bryan doesn't even know or anything. Bryan also doesn't know I write a blog because he never asked and so he'll never read this. He also doesn't know I'm never, ever going out with him again. I just told him I had to go home almost right after we walked away from Francisco and the other dude.

Bryan? Totally stuck up jerk. Francisco? Hmm, interesting! :-))) I'm glad it's all over with Bryan. Because next week I turn 15 years old!!! Yay!!! I think Dad is planning something but I don't know what. But I do hope one great birthday wish might come true - because then I'll get to see Francisco again really soon. I'd like to go some place totally fun with him the first time like maybe Riverwalk or Las Olas. Wherever. Yes, blog amigos, I think Dad may just be right. This really will be a "No-Bummer Summer" - for sure! TTYL!!

July 2: Up!

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:18:08 -0700

Ok, so there's this new Pixar flick called "UP!" right? Haven't seen it yet but friends say it's pretty funny. But it's also the best word to use about my most incredible adventure of the summer so far. Most deff, I was totally "UP!"

Hi again, blog buds - it's Isabella back to finish the story I started in my last blog. Remember I was talking about all those exciting things I was doing with my BFF Juliette? Like scuba diving and riding the Water Taxi. Remember that? But we also went parasailing together. Which was completely amazing.

Oh ... yeah. I guess I should tell you something else, since we're friends, ok? I also texted Bryan back this week. I still think he's lame but we're going to get together anyway around the 4^th of July. Just so I can get him to stop bothering me. ;-)) More about all that in a sec. Because now I want to tell you how cool parasailing really is.

So Juliette and I took the Sun Trolley to the beach. We saved up our allowances and everything so we could do this special thing. We just go to this one place and pay our money and pretty soon there we are. In the middle of the wide ocean on a fast boat. Well, not really in the middle of the ocean but it was exciting anyway. Then we both get strapped into this thick harness thingie that holds us to the parachute. We'll be floating way up in the air soon. And we're looking at each other like, "Is this REALLY a good plan??!" Gulp.

If you've never been parasailing, it's just this huge, huge parachute that lifts you into the sky, right off a moving boat! You go flying around in the air as the parachute keeps you up, up, up! But the parachute is still hooked to the boat so it's really great because the boat pulls you all around. Like water skiing 300 feet in the air! LOL.

So Juliette and I are all strapped in side by side. Then the guy driving the boat really hits the gas and - woo-hoo! Before we knew anything else, we're taking off into the clouds. It's a major thrill ride when the wind grabs you and carries you straight up totally fast! I think we both screamed, kinda, sorta. Maybe... a little. :-)

But then we looked around at the beautiful scene everywhere. It was Fort Lauderdale, way down below us! I never saw this city look so totally amazing before. Always beautiful, but not like this. Because there we were, blog amigos, hanging under a parachute in the blue sky, just some straps keeping us from falling into the sea. And the beach and the shops and the hotels all were sparkling so bright in the sunshine. Wow! Major rush.

You get to stay up in the sky a long time as the boat buzzes around, pulling you behind it on that rope. The wind blows through your hair and you see the tiny people below you swimming in the ocean. Scary? At first, yeah. But you get used to it pretty fast. J and I were talking and laughing like crazy up there. You know, like, "Whoa! Look at that big old ship out there! It looks so small!" And, "This just makes you feel so totally free, ya know?" Stuff like that. Finally, we had to come down and they reeled us back in to the boat on that rope. When we landed on the boat deck, J just says, "Awwwwwwe-some!" She was right.

That same night, I got another (!!) text from Bryan. I guess this guy won't ever quit. It said, "Plz, pleez, pleeeez! Meet 4 ice cream? Pleeeeeez! :)" So this time, I texted back. "OK, OK! Whatever. When?" Then it seemed like we had about 50 texts back and forth. Anyway, we're going to get ice cream on the beach this Sunday. No biggie, right?

I just hope I like Bryan better this time. He was such a major jerk at the mall. But I have to admit, he is kinda cute too!! LOL!! Next week I'll tell you how it goes and everything, ok? Stay tuned, blog-o-buds. Believe me, I don't think I'll be falling in love or anything, ya know?? The only fireworks I'm going to see will be the ones they shoot off at the beach this weekend for the 4^th of July. Hahaha!!!! See ya next week!!

June 26: Exciting Week!

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:41:33 -0700

Hi again everyone! It's your faithful blogger Isabella. Back for more adventure. And I really really DO mean adventure, blog buds! Last week was the best thing so far this whole year. I've already done so much this summer even if the summer has hardly started at all. So listen to this because everything I did last week was all on the water. Or way high above it.

Or under it. The week started when Dad took Juliette and me on a morning scuba diving trip out in the ocean. He can't dive but he can snorkel. (There's that weird word again that always makes me laugh. Don't know why. Snorkel!! ROFL!) I'm sure you remember that J and I are official certified scuba divers now. Dad was so nice. He just says, "I want you and Juliette to get some practice. So I'm taking tomorrow off work and we'll go on a dive trip, ok?" Like, YES! I texted Juliette and she was so excited too, just like me. My dad even paid for both of us. He really can be pretty cool even if he gets a little uncoordinated sometimes like on that Segway a couple weeks ago. Remember that? Haha.

The dive boat took us to this way beautiful coral reef near the coast of Fort Lauderdale. We put on our scuba tanks and all our strange equipment and stepped into the deep, clear blue sea. Cool! Once you're underwater, all that equipment feels lighter than a feather. And it lets you stay under there for the longest time to watch everything really close up. Big rays and schools of small pretty fish going by. And then this huge monster grouper fish swims up near Juliette and so J just looks over at me like, "Can you believe this??!" We only went down about 30 feet and Dad was snorkeling above us anyway. It was totally safe. But also totally amazing. Definitely worth getting out of bed at 6am to do this.

The very next day we took a ride on the big yellow Water Taxi! Not Dad this time but just Juliette and me. And ... unfortunately, J's little brother Spencer had to come with us. But it was ok and still lots of fun. We all walked over from their house together because the Water Taxi stops near the gigantic 17^th Street bridge and that's pretty close to where we all live. Then we just hopped on and went everywhere around town. In a boat!

The guy on the boat talks about everything you see along the way. About all these awesome mansion homes owned by these famous rich guys and some movie stars live in some of them too. There's even this big old white house in the middle of the Intracoastal Waterway and it looks just like the real White House in Washington where the Obamas live. Well, not just like it - but a little like it anyway. :-)

We stopped on Las Olas and walked to Kilwin's for ice cream. All I can say is that it's the best! Mmmmm. Luckily, Spencer was too busy texting all his friends to make his goofy, dorky eyes at me like he's in love or something. (I also think he's mad at me because I don't talk to him that much or whatever. Yeah, right! He's 12 and I'll be 15 next month. Get real, Spencer!!!) After we hopped back on the Water Taxi, I got this lame text from Bryan too. It's about the third time he's texted to tell me all this pathetic stuff about how beautiful I am and everything. I totally deleted all his texts and SO barely even read them.

But the very best, most amazing and totally awesome part of my week was still ahead, blog amigos!! I'll have to save that part of my story for the next blog, ok? Sorry! But I won't keep you in suspense either because that's not fair. So I'll just say that we went parasailing ... Up, up in the sky on a real parachute, hanging high above the Atlantic Ocean!! So I sure hope you'll want to hear all about that next week, all right? Can't wait to tell you about one of my most exciting, scariest adventures ever!!! BFN! :-))

June 19: Butterflies, Birds and Tweets

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:10:23 -0700

It all started with a tweet. Well, ok, really it was a RT. This is what it said: "mailto:RT@visitlauderdale Piano key butterflies in Ft Lauderdale! Awesome!"

That was Juliette's tweet and I read it early in the morning. So I clicked on her "visitlauderdale" link and then clicked again for some blog. I started reading about these beautiful butterflies and guess what? They're at this place called Butterfly World. I went there two summers ago with Juliette and her dorky brother Spencer. But we had a great time even if he was with us. The blog talks about "piano key butterflies" and hummingbirds and other totally amazing things at this totally amazing place. So I tweet back: "Butterflies and hummingbirds too! Gotta go back to Butterfly World with my BFF!! ;-)" Yes, this was how it all started, blog buds.

Two days later, Juliette and I were riding on our way to Butterfly World again. No Spencer this time! Yay!!! Her mom dropped us off and went shopping for a couple hours so we could be alone. Big thanks to J's mom for that one. Except here's what happened.

We get there and go straight to the Paradise Adventure Aviary, which that Fort Lauderdale blog talks all about too. This is like a huge, huge garden surrounded by screens so the butterflies and hummingbirds don't fly away. There's a waterfall and ponds and this rock tunnel thingie that sprays a mist of water when you walk through it. And butterflies! Thousands of butterflies, flying and floating all around you like beautiful, colorful angels. They also have hummingbirds buzzing everywhere with the butterflies and it's so amazing that I can't even really describe it. You just have to go to Butterfly World if you want to find out what it's really like.

But listen to this. J looks at me and goes, "Let me borrow your cell, ok? Mine just died. I need to text my mom something." That's all she says so I'm thinking like, sure whatever, right? But instead of texting, she starts reading - MY texts! She walks away for a minute like she's texting, then starts laughing so hard. So I say, "What's so funny? Your mom?"

Then I have to admit I got pretty mad about what happened next. Because Juliette says, "You texted Bryan! I knew you would! I knew it!" I mean, she's my best friend ever but that doesn't mean I want her reading all my texts. You know what I'm saying, don't you? Wouldn't you be angry too? I was for sure!! :-{{

You probably remember Bryan from my last blog. He's that really lame guy who actually kissed me in the Galleria Mall the first time we met! And who I only texted to tell him what a total loser he acted like. Here's all I texted him: "Your SO rude!! & SO lame!! Can't believe what u did!!!" Even if I did misspell "you're" - not good for someone who wants to be a famous writer. LOL. Anyway, I had to let him know that he shouldn't treat girls that way. That's the only reason I texted. I mean really that's the ONLY reason!!

But J wouldn't believe me. "You like Bryan! I could tell at the mall you liked him," and then she's saying all this other stuff about me and this dude who I don't even know. Oh yeah, right - as if!! No way do I like this guy and no way do I want to see him ever again!! That's what I even wrote in my last blog, remember? But Juliette just had to read my texts and then start saying all this goofy stuff.

I won't even tell you what I said to Juliette, except let's just say she knew I was really, really, really mad. But Butterfly World still was totally amazing. Even after our fight. Because J said she was SO sorry and then we both cried and made up like the sisters we almost really are. "Julibella" again, right? But when we went home, I couldn't help writing this blog. Sorry J. I just had to write it down so I don't stay all angry and everything, ok? Hope you understand. And then I posted a special tweet just for her too. It's just some quote from some guy I never heard of before. I found it in one of my dad's books at home. This is what I tweeted, "Special words I found 4 someone special: ‘The only way to have a friend is to be one.' Ralph Waldo Emerson. Still BFFs, ok??" This Emerson guy must be a pretty smart dude, whoever he is. Don't ya think so, Juliette?? :-)) See ya next week!!

June 12: Is He Serious???!

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:10:12 -0700

Remember I told you I'm writing my first book? About my life growing up in Fort Lauderdale. This blog is for my fun writing that I'm doing just for you. My blog amigos! So I guess I should tell you all about my latest adventure, even if I wouldn't even mention this person in my book. Ever! Like, never, ever!! His name is Bryan and this guy thinks he is just SO cool - even if he is really one of the lamest guys I've ever met in my life, ok?

And if you think I'm getting all weird about him just listen to this. I met him at the mall yesterday for the first time. And he kissed me!! Right there in front of everyone!! Eeeww, so totally and completely gross!! I wanted to take a shower or jump in the ocean or something to wash it off.

Here's how this bizarre, strange thing happened to me. I guess it's not surprising since I told you this was going to be a big "summer of adventure." I just didn't expect adventures like this! LOL! My best friend Juliette and I rode the bus to the Galleria Mall. We both love it there. Great places to eat in the very cool food court that looks like it should be near a canal in Italy. Great stores too with lots of summer sales right now. I can afford to buy some things, even with my pathetic allowance from Dad. ;-)

So then J and I walk around the mall for a while and then decide to go for some gelato in the food court. (I call Juliette just "J" for a nickname pretty often when we're together, as you might remember if you followed my old blogs.) Anyway, there's this dude standing there waiting for some chocolate gelato or whatever. I hardly notice him but he keeps staring at me. Eeew again, right? I'm totally ignoring him, just talking to Juliette. And he goes, "Hi beautiful! Let me buy the gelato for you and your friend here, all right?"

Huh? Or maybe I should say, "Duh!" Like, "Uh, hello!! NO! Duh!" I just say hi to be polite and we order our gelato and pay for it. But this guy keeps hanging around. "I'm Bryan." Like I care. And then he says, "Let me taste that flavor, would you? I've never had green gelato before!" He's all smiling and acting cute like I'm supposed to be really totally impressed. J looks at me and just rolls her eyes and we both laugh and walk away.

Except there's old Bryan, who must be in high school because he looks older, and he won't quit hanging around. He keeps bugging me about where I go to school and he wants my phone number and everything else. Why can't some guys take a hint? Now you won't believe this part! Because Bryan writes down his phone number and shoves it in my hand and then he puts his own dirty spoon into my gelato to take a taste. Can you believe this guy?? Then ... you probably won't even believe me for sure this time. But yes, he really kisses me!! Half on the cheek, half on the lips!! I wanted to slap him but my hands were holding the gelato and I didn't even know what to say or do or anything anyway!!! :-O

O ... M ... G!!!

Then Bryan does that phone thing with his hand like, "Call me!" and then walks away. Juliette just laughed and laughed. "He's so totally cute! You've GOT to text him," and that kind of stuff she's telling me. All the time now. I just got a text from her while I'm writing this blog: "Text Bryan yet??! LOL!!!" Very funny. There's NO way I'm going to give this crazy guy my cell number, even if he is pretty cute like Juliette said. I hope I never see him for even one second ever again!! Come back next week, blog-o-buds, because you'll find out I'm not kidding, ok? I might want a great "summer of adventure" in Fort Lauderdale ... but definitely not with totally creepy Bryan!!! BFN!!

June 4: Speed Demons

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:11:04 -0700

Ok, so I'm still too young to drive a car. :-( You too, right? I can't wait til I can go wherever I want to go all by myself. BUT we're old enough to drive a Segway, blog amigos. And believe me, these little things totally boogie right along. I'm not exactly sure how fast, but it feels so really fast that it's almost kind of scary. And fun!!

I hope you remember my last blog about those wacky Segway thingies. They're like these really weird and wild scooters with little engines and they move when you stand on them and lean forward. So now we're in Birch State Park, remember? And Dad finally learned to drive his Segway and my BFF Juliette and her little brother Spencer and me are all on them too. And the guy who rents them out, Brent, is just starting to take us all on a long drive around this beautiful park.

Now the first thing we see is iguanas - these huge, huge lizards. I felt like we were living in some movie preview for "Land of the Lost" or something. There must have been 10 or 15 of these strange creatures, big and dark green and just standing around in the sun. They look sort of ugly but sort of cute too. They live in South Florida but I've never seen so many in one place before. So all five of us just slowly roll our Segways through this field of mini dinosaurs. I didn't want to laugh and scare them away but I couldn't stop smiling.

Now we get on the road for the first time. It's this long, winding path all through the park. This is where we really start to hit the gas. Spencer is the first to speed way up, of course, then Juliette. Then me. We all just start shooting straight down the road like race car drivers or something. It feels so free and exciting to roll over this path with the wind in my hair. I'm just totally leaning as far forward as I can to make the Segway really take off. Wow, this is another "awesome" moment for sure.

But now it gets tricky for us, blog buds, because Brent takes us off the road again and on this really tiny, skinny, bumpy dirt path. It was like walking through the woods without doing any walking at all. The tricky part is going slow enough to stay in control. But the Segway just rolls right over the rocks and big tree roots and stuff with no problem at all. Pretty cool, really, until ... guess who falls off?

Who else, right? My dad! He's so, like, uncoordinated sometimes. Duh! So I just hear this, "Whoa-whoaaaaa!" Almost like he was on a wild horse or something. Then I look back and there's Dad getting up off the dirt! I have to admit Spencer was pretty funny right then. He just looked at Dad and goes, "Oh cool, are we going fishing after this? That's why you're down there looking for worms, right?"

LOL! Even Dad had to laugh. It seemed pretty funny at the time anyway. But my dad just brushed off the dirt and got back on his Segway and didn't talk too much for a while. I think he felt really stupid maybe. Poor Dad! ;-)) But I know he had lots of fun anyway because he said so when we were done. Dad just says, "I really loved that - even if I did fall off."

We all loved it too, Juliette and Spencer and me. It was another adventure for us in this whole summer of great adventures. Next week I'm moving on from middle school and then our summer seriously starts for real. No classes at all for over two months and lots of time to do more amazing things around this amazing place. Fort Lauderdale really is the best and I absolutely, completely love living here. I don't know what my next big adventure will be. But I hope you'll want to come back for another visit with your faithful blog friend to find out! Because I know it will be something "very cool" as we start this "very hot" summer!! Haha. See ya next week!!

May 29: Wild Wheels

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:16:01 -0700

Where do I start this blog? I don't even know where to begin this week. There's SO much going on, blog buds! Next week I graduate from middle school. Big, right? And I'm writing my first book because I want to be a famous writer some day. Also pretty big, I guess. I work on the book almost every night and I'll even let you read the very beginning now. This is how my story starts: "Sometimes I feel like I want to be someone else. A different person, all grown up and away from childhood at last. But I never feel like I want to live somewhere else. So this will be a book, my first book, all about growing up as a teen in Fort Lauderdale."

Hope you like it! I'll share more with you in some other blogs, ok? But this week I have to tell you about two things for sure. Because my best friend, Juliette, and I are officially certified scuba divers now. You remember everything in my other blogs about our great diving experiences, right? We both feel really proud about making it. Now we can go scuba diving whenever we want. Very cool.

Then we tried something else for the first time in our lives. I even wrote a little about it in my book. It's what I really want to blog about this week. We went riding on Segways. Woo-hoo! :-) At Birch State Park in Fort Lauderdale, there's this place that rents out Segways - and lots of other stuff like Rollerblades and bikes.

So what's a Segway, you ask? It's ... well, SO totally weird! But in a really fun way!! My dad took us to the park and rode the Segways with Juliette and me. And Spencer. Eek! Remember him? That's Juliette's goofy younger brother, as my regular blog buds know. Can you believe that he still acts like he's completely in love with me or something??! He's 12. I'll turn 15 in July!! OMG!! Get real, Spencer. It's almost a little creepy sometimes. LOL.

Anyway, we all go to this really pretty park to rent our Segways from somewhere called M.Cruz Rentals. It's this business right in Birch State Park. Then the owner Brent shows us how to ride them. That's when we got to the weird part. These strange little machines are like scooters, kinda, sorta. But not really. LOL. They have really fast motors and two wheels and they move forward when you lean forward. Then they slow down or stop when you lean backward.

Sounds easy, huh? It is. But not for the first few minutes. As my dad soon found out. I tried it and I have to say it went pretty good for me. Same with Juliette and even Spencer figured it out. But Dad? Hahaha. Too funny. I guess that's what happens when you get old or something, right? Because he stands on the thing and can't get it to move. Then it moves and starts spinning in a really fast circle. Around and around. Brent has to turn it off so Dad doesn't get dizzy and fall off in front of everyone.

Then Dad finally makes it move forward but he goes too fast, then too slow, then too fast, then too slow. Over and over. You get the idea. Like I said, totally too funny. Dad was like, "How do you drive this thing?" And I said, "Daaaad! You're the one who drives a car. And you can't drive this easy little Segway thing? Duh!" We're all laughing, even Brent, though I think he was worried Dad was going to crash the Segway or something.

But finally my dad found the secret. He was fine after that. Well, most of the time after that. Because this is when our fun little adventure began. Brent took us on a tour of the park for a whole hour and we got to ride the Segways as fast as we wanted. We saw all kinds of wild Florida creatures and beautiful huge trees and - but you know what? There's too much to tell you about. So I guess I'll have to wait til next week to finish the story. Come back then so you can hear about the great time we had. Including laughing even more at my poor old klutzy dad! ;-)) See ya then!

May 21: Coral Rocks!

lauderblogger@sunny.org — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:04:44 -0700

That's exactly what Juliette said right after our first scuba dive in the wide, deep Atlantic Ocean. We were both down there together, with the rest of our scuba class. In a world of water. And the only word I can think of to describe that experience? "Awesome!" Really, for once that's totally the right word. So we're down there underwater for a long time and then come to the surface together, Juliette and me. And she takes the scuba tank regulator out of her mouth so she can talk and pulls up her dive mask. She's smiling like the widest smile. And Juliette just says, "Coral rocks!"

I started laughing so hard I almost choked on all that sea water! ROFL. Except there was no floor - just the ocean. :-) Really I know you know what my great BFF meant by "Coral rocks!" But it's just that some coral really looks like rocks, even though it's really tiny creatures that are alive and everything. But - oh anyway, I thought it was so funny. Like my dad says sometimes, "I guess you had to be there." LOL.

Oh yes, I should tell you again that I'm Isabella, your faithful blogger bud. In case you're new to my weekly blog or something. Remember last week I told you Juliette and I were going on our first big ocean dive? Well, wow - it wasn't just "awesome." It was a totally, totally amazing thing for anyone to do!! Because once I put on my mask and fins and jumped in for the first time, I couldn't believe how I felt. I wasn't scared at all, like I expected to feel. No, I felt all calm and very happy to see this strange new place for the first time in my life.

When you're underwater, everything seems really peaceful and pretty. I've watched all those YouTube videos and TV shows about diving under the ocean but you have to see it yourself to really understand. But I'll still try to describe it for you a little bit. Remember, I want to be a famous writer when I grow up anyway, right? LOL.

The first thing you notice is how light you feel. It's like being in space or something, I guess. Astronauts on the space shuttle even train underwater. Somehow it's different when you're in the ocean instead of just practicing scuba diving in the little pool. Then you start swimming under all those waves and you know it really is a whole new world. Big schools of purple fish and yellow fish and tiny white fish floated by, right past Juliette and me and the rest of our scuba class. I really have to just say "awesome" again.

Then our instructor, Bob, took us to see some of the coral that's just off the coast of Florida. It's even right here off the famous beach in Fort Lauderdale. That was the most beautiful thing of all. Some of the coral looks like colorful plants waving in the wind. And some of it looks like cactus. Kind of. And some of it looks to me just like ... rocks. Hahaha. Just like Juliette said, right? "Coral rocks!"

But she's really right, even if I like to tease her about that. Coral DOES rock - and so does scuba diving! I can't wait to go into the ocean again on another dive and Juliette feels the same way. And best thing of all, guess what? We both passed all our tests so far and we're now almost officially certified scuba divers! Next week we do some more ocean diving with Bob and and our class. And that's it. Certified! How cool is that, right? For sure I'll tell you more about some of the other underwater adventures we'll definitely have later this summer, blog-o-buds. Ok? But next week, I think I'll have something new to talk about. Ever heard of a Segway? I'm going to try one for the first time in a couple days. I just hope it's half as fun as scuba diving. Then maybe in the next blog I can say, "Segway Rocks" too! TTYL! Have a great week!!!