Between this awesome spring weather that we’ve been having and keeping up with my brackets for March Madness, I’m finding it hard to miss the winter we’ve left behind.

The snow has melted away, the birds have come back from wherever the heck they vacation during the winter (I think somewhere outside Orlando), and the world finally looks alive again. If you can’t tell, I’m a huge fan of the warmer seasons, with summer probably taking the cake as my favorite. I have nothing personal against the snow or the blistering cold (that’s a lie — I hate it), but I’m just not a winter person. That’s what makes this day an extra special one for me.

The first day of spring brings with it a few other reasons to celebrate. One of them is that we’re another day closer to the big cardboard bin of watermelons making an appearance in my local grocery store. Over the winter, there’s always an empty space where the bin usually sits, and it reminds me of the days when the sun was shining and the watermelons were plentiful.

Now that spring is here, it looks like smooth sailing from here on out. Before you know it, we’ll be sitting by the pool, soaking up the sun and trying to keep our dog from eating our watermelon beach ball. So, happy first day of spring, everyone. Only 91 more days until the start of summer!

UP NEXT: A “cheesy” New Year’s Resolution update

I’ll shed no tears over the passing of the winter. Nope. Not a single one. That’s because anyone who knows me knows that I’m a warm weather person. I enjoy getting outdoors (without having to wear eight layers of clothes), I enjoy baseball (not played as a video game in December), and I enjoy watermelon (which I can indulge in year round, but particularly enjoy this time of year and into the summer).

Of course, it’s always spring and summer in Hollywood, even in the middle of January. A friend who knows about my love of watermelon, passed along a story about a non-alcoholic watermelon mojito served up at Hollywood sushi hotspot, Katsuya. That’s a shot of the drink on the right.

I checked out Katsuya’s website and found the recipe for this tasty beverage, which I’ve included below as seen on their beverage menu.  The “13” indicates the price – as in dollars.

In case you’re curious, the cost of dinner at a trendy Hollywood hot spot like Katsuya isn’t as much as you might think. A bowl of Miso soup (you’ve gotta have Miso soup with your sushi) is only four bucks, and a nicely sized sushi sampler (say that three times fast) will run you $30. If sushi isn’t your thing, you can chow down on some chicken teriyaki for about half that price. Whether or not you’ll find a seat or be able to get reservations is another matter altogether.