Visiting Miami and not seeing it from above is a big mistake, I believe. Living in Miami and not seeing it from above is a sin, no lessJ.

Over the years I took numerous helicopter rides in Miami and Fort Lauderdale and enjoyed them all, but now I’d like to brag about one particular tour that wasn’t simply nice. It was Awesome!

Sometimes I forget I live in Miami. In daily routine I forget that the breathtaking turquoise ocean is just minutes away from my apartment. I forget how great it is to feel the waves with your bare feet, to inhale salty air and to enjoy the touch of hot sand on your skin… Days like yesterday bring so much joy and happiness and remind how lucky we are to live in such paradise!

What most people dream of having once a year during their two weeks’ vacations – we can have every day just a few steps away. Isn’t that amazing? I think so! Being originally from Siberia (yes, it is cold there, very Very cold), I’ve always had a dream of living somewhere in the South, with palm trees instead of pine trees and vines on the walls instead of icicles on the roofs. I guess my dream came true – I live in Miami and I love it here! Don’t get me wrong though – I love my home town Tomsk likewise. It’s just that kind of love which prefers a long distance relationship :)

I have always loved my birthdays. I love being the center of attention for that one day and feeling special. I love birthday wishes, presents, flowers and balloons and fun birthday cards. As far as I can remember, I always wake up happy and excited on the day of my birthday anticipating something magic to happen, almost like on the New Year’s Eve (which for Russians is the biggest holiday of the year, when Ded Moroz brings presents to kids, like Santa Clause does on Christmas).

When you get older, I’ve heard, birthdays tend to become less exciting and even depressing. It’s the day when you get one year older and it’s not that fun anymore as it was in your 20’s. I’ve been waiting for this to happen with a sinking heart for a couple of years now. Yet, I didn’t feel sad or depressed on my birthday this year, just like the last year or the year before that. I turned 32 on Friday. “Yeay!” I told my boyfriend, “I was born today and I am so happy that I did!”

Life is beautiful, when you live in Miami and the weather is gorgeous all year round. Life is especially beautiful, when the summer semester is over and you have the whole month just for yourself (work doesn’t count if you are a freelancer and work from home at your own convenience, as I do). So, once I stopped being ecstatic and got over the happy thought that there will be no more classes for a WHOLE month – naturally followed the question “What do I do with my free time?”

So that you better understand what kind of person I am, I probably should mention, that I love saving money and experimenting with living on tiny budgets. Not because we are struggling with money, but because there is always something useful you can do with it, instead of carelessly throwing it away. Anyways, here’s how we spent two awesome evenings for a total of $40.