Every Friday I’ll indulge my order-crazed brain in a list of randomness. Welcome to my Friday Fives.

Don’t worry. I’m not going to take a month to tell you about my Miami trip, complete with all of my sunny, beach-laden photos. Not taking my BGC and only using my “purse camera” and phone makes it a lot easier to cull through all of my photos. Lucky you me. I hope to have everything up by tomorrow.

But, let’s start the conversation now about just how wonderful Miami is. Turns out January is THE. BEST. time to visit. I was overwhelmed by everything and everyone I saw. Julisa will attest to this when I freaked out upon seeing my first palm tree. I was a bit like the kid who never gets to watch TV that’s suddenly at a sleepover and camps out in front of the tube all night. You know the one. I wanted to OD on Floridaness.

I’ll fill you in on all of that Floridaness soon enough (and how much I missed being there again without Joe by my side), but I thought it was interesting that in almost all of my conversations with old friends and colleagues the theme ALWAYS turned to Utah v. Florida, Logan v. Miami. “How do you like Utah?” “Is is better than Florida?” “How much do you hate snow?” It was fun sharing about our new mountain-dominated life, especially watching their faces contort in confusion when describing the temperatures and the months of cold that are now our new reality.

So let’s set the record straight. Place your bets on this geographical showdown of the two most unlikely places. It’s Logan vs. Miami…in five categories, of course.

5. Good Eats

I’ll start with the no-brainers and this is the no-brainiest of them all, especially if you read this earlier post.

The winner is…

There were several times on my trip I wanted to faint with glee over what was on the plate in front of me. There were some serious swoon moments where I needed to stare and appreciate the culinary delights that I can never find in my new home. People of Utah, there is life beyond Chili’s and Olive Garden. Let me show you the ways!

4. Sound Factor

Another no-brainer for anyone who knows me. In this scenario, Simon and Garfunkel had it right.

The winner is…

While I love the hustle and bustle of city life, I do not miss for an instant the constant rattling of noise that comes with it. I can’t write enough about how my quality of life has improved once I lived in a quieter setting. Hearing horns blaring and sirens wailing past my bedroom window all last week (at all hours of the night) was enough to make me run home and whisper thank-you to Utah.

3. Fashion Police

When it comes to my clothing, comfort is king. So sorry, style capital of the world…

The winner is…

I appreciate Miami’s clear fashion-forward nature, but it’s not for me. Clothing in Utah is not only modest, but it’s allllll comfort driven. Warm sweaters, boots, wool socks, flannel shirts. I can’t get enough. I took a pair of wedge heels with me to Florida and then spent the next six days texting photos of disgusting blisters on my toes to my husband. #truth & #truelove.  I was missing my fuzzy socks and sweatshirts the entire time.

2. God Bless America

This was THE MOST asked question. Mountains v. Ocean? “From the mountains (check)….to the prairie (hi, Oklahoma)…to the oceans, white with fooooooammmmm (check)…”  There’s room for it all in this country…and in my heart.

The winner is…

I love living in the mountains just as much as I loved living next to the ocean for the five years before it. They are both equally beautiful and wonderful in my mind. The real difference should be in the air — dry vs. humid, but even then it would be a draw. Visiting Miami in January makes you forget what that 110% humidity feels like in August when you can’t stop sweating, but it still had enough moisture in the air for me to forget my dry, winter skin for a few days. Seriously, we should all buy stock in lotion companies while I’m in Utah.

1. Friend Factor

Leading a nomadic life requires introverts like myself to make new friends quickly. It’s not always easy, but it helps to be surrounded by amazing people all of the time. So…

The winner is…

This was a hard one because we have incredible friends in Utah, especially Chris and Chilali, but I can’t describe how much I love, love, love my Miami friends. Just thinking about them, our shared history and our laughter-packed week, makes me tear up. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. This is the very best, funniest and most talented group of people I’ve ever met, much less worked with. I was on such a high after visiting–my face muscles sore from smiling, feeling the overwhelming comfort of being able to be my dry, sarcastic, deadpan self without judgement or feeling the need to censor myself in any way. It was glorious. I can’t wait to show you our most recent shenanigans.

When it all adds up, here’s what we get…

Surprised? I’m feeling pretty lucky to get to enjoy the best of both worlds.