Over the weekend I picked up an interesting and lovely couple who insisted they were not, in fact, a couple. Erin and Aaron are best friends who are visiting the area and staying (alone) at Aaron's parents' home on Fort Myers Beach. Erin grew up in Buffalo, NY where she earned a degree from the University of Buffalo. After graduation she moved with her family to Atlanta, Georgia where she now works for a marketing company. Her good friend, Aaron, received his master's degree

Last night I had the pleasure of meeting Melek (Mel-eek) and her two friends, Michaela and Brooke. Melek is from Indiana but is beginning a collegiate career as a freshman at Florida Gulf Coast university. She currently plans to study biology but does not have a specific job in mind after graduation. She loves to travel and had the opportunity to visit several European countries when she went on a whirlwind tour for her 15th birthday. Italy was her favorite destination! Her u

Rebecca was a recent passenger with an interesting story and an unusual medical condition. Orignially from Long Island, NY she has lived in Florida for about 6 years. She has a boyfriend, Zach, and a two year old daughter named Zoey Bree. Last year Rebecca was in a freak auto accident. She was in the front passenger seat, wearing no shoes, and with her foot up on the dashboard. (I know...doesn't sound good, does it!) Upon impact, her foot went right through the windshield! It

Maximo was a recent passenger headed to work at Chili's in Cape Coral. He is a diligent man who actually works two jobs! Not only is he a cook at Chili's but he also works part time at Lenny's Grill and Subs. Originally from New Jersey, Maximo grew up on Long Island and eventually came to Southwest Florida with his family in 2006. Although he looks much younger, Maximo is actually 32 years old. From the age of 16 he has worked in the restaurant industry. He has held just abou

Jeffre was a recent passenger that I picked up late one night in downtown Fort Myers. Because I typically see the name Jeffrey spelled with a "y", I was curious to know if it was a typographical error, or, if that was the correct spelling; J-E-F-F-R-E. He explained, with a chuckle, that at birth his father wanted to name him Mel, as a play on words. You see, his last name is Lowe. And his dad wanted a Mel Lowe! As you might expect, his mother rejected that idea and suggested

I met Jack on a bright sunny day in August. He entered the car carrying a small plastic trash bag and a backpack. Almost immediately he announced, "Today is the day! I'm leaving Fort Myers and heading to Los Angeles!" Apparently Jack had been thinking about a move for a while, but the timing never seemed quite right. But today he was ready: he grabbed a few clothes and his father's ashes, purchased a one-way bus ticket, and was rready to go! He explained, "To get something yo

Yulianela was a friendly and joyful passenger. As I struggled to pronounce her name, she explained that in her native country of Cuba the "Y" is pronounced "J". Therefore her name was Julie-a-nela. But some people just know her as "Julie". Yulianela came to the United States with her family when she was 17 years old, as her parents had the good fortune of being selected in a visa lottery. For Cubans this was equivalent to winning the "golden ticket", as in Charlie and the Cho

Ozella and her sister-in-law, Terrie, have been visiting SW Florida from Texas. I picked them up from the Edison-Ford Winter Estate where they had just completed a tour. Her name was extremely unique and Ozella stated that she had never met another person who shared her name. Ozella was named after her father, Ozell. Although I searched diligently to find the meaning of her name, I came up empty. I do know that it is very rare. There are possibly less than 3800 people in the

As an Uber and Lyft driver I depend on my cell phone to stay in business. But after three great years with my Motorola Droid Turbo I was finally ready for an upgrade. At the Verizon Store across, from the Edison Mall, I had the pleasure of meeting Jonathan who helped put me into a new Moto Z! It was a slow process so I spent a lot of time with my salesman. Although Jonathan was a young man, on several ocassions he stretched his arm and twisted his neck, trying to get more com

Recently I met Jagger and Chelsey who just moved to Fort Myers from New Hampshire. They have been in the area for about a month and are getting a fresh new start in life. Jagger will be attending FM Technical Institute studying the HVAC trade, while Chelsey will be taking on-line courses from Aspen University. She'll be working toward a degree in Psychology and Addiction Counseling. Both Jagger and Chelsey were high school athletes and they are both snowboarders. Jagger comes