17 Oct 2017, 20:38 CDT

Our daughter came home and surprised us on leave from the Navy last week. We were so excited, and somewhat in shock that she was home, as it was completely unexpected and quite a surprise.

With this in mind, and given the state of one side of the family and holiday celebrations for the past year or so, we have considered going to the beach for Thanksgiving. Why not? It’s the perfect time to go to the beach as no one else is traveling. We really thought about it, and then I realized I could combine a bucket list item along with a weekend beach trip to St. Augustine. Why not!?!

I’m a Florida Gators fan. I have been for a while now, and I love to watch their games. I even wore my Gators shirt to the Arkansas-Florida game last year, sat in the Florida section, and cheered and chomped my way along with the rest of the Gators faithful. It was the best day of my whole year last year, just about. A true dream come true.

This Thanksgiving weekend, it will be even better – at the Swamp, at the Florida State game the hated rivals, and it’s 1.5 hours from the OCEAN, which I love. So we are going and it will be fabulous.

I can hardly wait. I’m almost more excited to go there than to go to Australia in February for our big spring vacation. I get to see Albert and Alberta. I get to wear my orange and blue and truly fit in. I get to chomp and hear the songs and Tom Petty during the third quarter break. It is truly a bucket list dream come true, and I am so exited I can hardly stand it.

Getting Sweetie to wear the orange will be easy. He hates Florida State, too.

GO GATORS!