It's Official! Trader Joe's Is Coming To South Tampa in 2014!

Excellent news from the Tampa Bay Times today!  

They are reporting that Trader Joe's will be opening a location in South Tampa on Swann Avenue near Dale Mabry.  Read more about it here.

Make A Difference on August 6

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers -

A reminder about making a difference today August 6th to honor fallen police officers and first responders!  I originally wrote about this cause on July 30th, read more here.

Thank you for reading!

My Favorite Dog

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

Happy Friday Everyone!

Thursday morning, I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and was very happy that I still had 2 hours more to sleep.  As I fell asleep I had thoughts about Charles "Sparky" Schulz's comic strip "Peanuts" and its star Snoopy.  The weirdest things pop up in my head while I am falling asleep.  But perhaps this wasn't such an odd coincidence.

When I was in Jacksonville last month, I went to Jacksonville Landing for some sightseeing and shopping.  There was an adorable toy store called "The Toy Factory" that had the cutest merchandise.

In the corner was a charming duo that caught my eye ...

Snoopy, Woodstock and My Attempt At Folk Art

Old School Snoopy and Woodstock!  And when you squeeze them they play the "Peanuts" theme song.  My sister's paternal grandfather always sent her Peanuts cards for holidays.  Peanuts creator Charles Schulz is also from my home state of Minnesota.  So to me, Snoopy means family.  Although I live in a house of cats, Snoopy will always be my favorite dog.

The National Cartoonists' Society posthumously gave Charles "Sparky" Schulz a Lifetime Achievement Award.  On Saturday, May 27, 2000, a large group of comic strips all featured Peanuts or Charles Schulz in their comic strip.  (See them here.)  I had never seen these comic strips before so looking at each one was like a trip down memory lane from my childhood days reading the Peanuts comic strip.  I wanted to include a link to them here on my website for others to enjoy as I did. 

Happy Friday, Readers!
LilyOnTheLam 

Why Is Florida So Weird?

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

Whenever I hear some outrageous news story, I always brace myself to hear that it happened in Florida.  And it seems like 7 out of 10 times, it did happen in Florida and many times only a stone's throw from my home in Tampa Bay.  My friends from other parts of the US and beyond question me on why I live here.  Growing up in the Midwest with its hellacious winters and mosquito-laden balmy summers, I can only point to our glorious beaches and beautiful water as to why I live here.  Plus honestly, this crazy redneck city of Tampa Bay just feels like home to me.  I work a stone's throw from the water and watch sailboats and crew teams rowing while I am on conference calls.  

Despite the serial killers, sad courtroom verdicts, Silver Alerts (think Amber Alert about the elderly) and our propensity to run over any pedestrian that moves; I still choose to live in Sunny Florida's Gulf Coast with many other Midwestern transplants fleeing snow and cold temperatures.  

Craig Pittman, of the Tampa Bay Times, has been writing a series of articles for Slate.com.  His final article is entitled: "Why does Florida produce so much weird news?" and is an excellent recap of Florida and its insanity.  Check it out!