This town is, being modest, college football insane. It could be a Southern thing, maybe it has to do with a mid-size town with no pro sports teams to cheer on… whatever brings the draw, there is much love for the local FSU football team. Which is great. There is something to be said for the excitement of a crowd of 80,000 people cheering on, well, anything.

Even as a non-alma mater, I get swept up in the hype and entertainment of it all. It has become a big deal for me too.

It’s been an up-and-down year so far for the Noles. But the downs are few in this town, as even in an off-year, it holds one of the best teams in the country. Here are a few shots from the first half of the season.

I’ll freely admit: I was scared.

growing up in the Midwest, I had never dealt with a hurricane. I really had no idea what to expect. When I heard that I’d be driving into the most likely place for Hurricane Hermine’s landfall, St. Marks, Fla. to watch her arrival- I had my reservations.

Though Florida is filled with things that want to kill you, a price you pay for the beauty that you see when you get past the fear of facing said things. There was beauty in the storm, and there was beauty in the reactions of our community to get back to everyday life after she passed. Here’s a look at the 24 hours I spent with her.

Been plenty of local sports, portraits and fun Florida-y stuff to go around, here’s a small sampling.