traci in the swamp

Oregon crushes USF...

The above headline says it all.  What a bad way to end the year! 

One last team to hope for:  Go Gators!!

Here's hoping for next year...

Matt and I drove down to Melbourne (Florida, not Australia) to visit with his friend, Jace and Jace's wife Araceli this weekend.  Jace, Matt and I are all UCF grads and wanted to enjoy the game together.   Well, I can't say we totally enjoyed the game, since UCF lost, but we did enjoy our time together.  You can tell in the picture our happiness level, early in the game UCF was winning - then at the end of the game, well....Matt and I have finally recovered.   On an interesting note, the Gainesville Sun today discussed the lack of UCF excitement for their second bowl game, I wish the reporter had been at the Hooters watching us watch the entire game!

Here's hoping for USF today in the Sun Bowl and UF tomorrow in the Capital One Bowl.

Great, big branch and Superwoman

(Note:  Sorry for the poor quality photo, but it's all I got)

Thursday night when I came home from work, this is what I found.  Thankfully, I don't pull my car into the driveway on Thursdays since Matt doesn't get home till after me and then.... (blah, blah, blah).  Anyway, I talk so much about the trees here in Gainesville, but I never thought I'd see such a big part of one laying on the ground. 

So I did what any 5'0, 28 year old - Superwoman would do.  I got my camera (had to have proof for my blog), took a picture and then (struggled) to move it.  After all, Matt would be home after it was dark and it would have probably broken his car (or at least hurt it) had he driven over it.  Well, I succeeded, albeit covered with sap and out of breath, and it is now waiting for us to decide how to cut it (we only have an electric saw that will cut something half its size).

Thoughts of my (short) time here...

I haven't lived in Gainesville long.  But I have learned a great deal during my five months here - today being the anniversary of our big move.  So please allow me to enlighten you a bit, with some observations:

• Just a short trip outside of the Gainesville city limits, will bring you out to farmland, cattle roaming free and the greenest land I've ever seen.  You can see hay/feed stores, tractor suppliers, and horse farms every few miles.
  
• They actually have places where you can go "mud trucking".
• It's cheaper (and probably tastier) to buy produce from the guy selling it on the side of the road, than at Publix.
• There are actual (albeit small) rolling hills here. 
• Driving with my window down when it's in the low 70's, with the radio off, feeling the weather changing and watching the farmland as I pass, is one of the most relaxing things I've done in a long time.
  
• On two lane highways, when an ambulance drives by, people actually slow down and pull over quickly....shocking.
• On two lane highways, sometimes you do have to pass someone and although it's scary, you do survive it.
• When the Gators win, it's a good day.  When they loss...
• Gainesville is serious about their trees.  Gainesville is actually one of the southernmost cities, where deciduous trees populate and often times there are rules that won't let people cut trees down.
• And finally...I've met some of the nicest, most approachable people since I've been here and am looking forward to meeting a lot more.

It's gonna be a nail biter...

It's been an exiting time reading the newspapers and blogs in anticipation of the USF v. WVU game tomorrow night (USF won last year).  I've seen more and more people wearing their green and gold, even here in Gainesville.  Last week, Matt and I stopped for pizza at Tony and Pat's and a saw a table full of people with USF gear.  We shared the bulls sign and a "Go Bulls" conversation ensued.  And I felt part of something.  I could finally tell how Gator fans feel, since they have been "part of something" for a long time.  Not saying you only become part of something when you're team is ranked, but things do change - people have more feelings of pride and excitement, and display it with honor, like people wearing USF stuff here in Gainesville and not only wearing it 10 miles outside of campus.  Even the mayor of Tampa declared Friday - "Green and Gold Day" and will be displaying the colors in Tampa.

I'm looking forward to Friday night and will enjoy the game with a bowl of chips and dip in the comfort of the living room.  While we can't go to this game (the first sell out in history) we'll hopefully be heading down to Tampa for the great new rivalry - USF v. UCF - October 13!

Once again, 3 for 3!

I'm keeping my toes crossed as I write this, so I don't jinx myself or the team, but USF keeps moving up in the college football rankings - this time moving up from #23 - to #18.  This is such a great deal for USF and one of those important moments in their history.

The only thing that did annoy and offend me, is the fact that the St. Pete Times replaced the news about USF's win against UNC with the Gators' win over Ole Miss on the Times' website.  Now I know the Gators are the 2006 National Champions (I'm a fan too), but they are not the home team (last time I checked University of Florida is in Gainesville, I drive by it every single day - I should know!  And the University of South Florida is in Tampa- the same general place the Times' is located - geez!).  Anyway, I'm stepping off my high horse/soap box now - just had to vent about that.

UCF also beat Memphis Saturday - 56-20 (ouch!).  I must have missed this story, but apparently there were no water fountains built in the stadium, until just this week.  President Hitt was kind enough to help pass out water bottles to fans and new water fountains were installed before the Saturday's game.  This didn't keep fans away though, and 42,153 people came to see UCF win again! 

I continue to remain very proud of three Florida teams.

The Football Gods are smiling on USF

Matt and I met some of his friends at Ale House here in Gainesville.  We waited until the last minute to leave as we were watching the Auburn vs. USF game and somehow USF was winning.  (It was only the first half, so I was trying not to get my hopes up).

We got to Ale House and thankfully the game was on (not sure how it couldn't be, since Ale House does have about three dozen televisions).

Somehow USF managed to do, what many thought was impossible.  They beat #17 Auburn - 26 to 23 in OT.  Quarterback Matt Grothe once again showed his talent throwing a 14 yard touchdown pass in overtime.  USF could have won this game in regulation, if Delbert Alvarado could have actually made any field goals. 

Regardless, USF beat Auburn and I have a sore throat from screaming at Ale House!

Go Bulls!!!

There's No Place Like Home

Matt and I went to Orlando this weekend because his parents, brother and his girlfriend came down for a visit from New Orleans.  Matt lived in the Orlando area (he's a double UCF grad) for almost ten years, but lived in Altatmonte  Springs - which is clear on the other side of the famous attractions such as Sea World, Universal, and (of course) Disney World. 

We had a great weekend and did several things in just a day.  We enjoyed dinner at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney.  We visited Sea World and watched the Dolphin and Whale Show.  We also fed the sea lions and watched their show also featuring sea otters, and a walwrus.  We also had a wonderful lunch at the Shark's Underwater Grill and had a great view of the sharks swimming around.

Something very intersting dawned on us while we were Orlando.  Even though Matt and I have only lived in Gainesville for about two months, we missed it while we were in Orlando.  Gainesville has everything we need.  Shopping, entertainment, culture, nature, good restaurants, and great sporting events.   Without the unnecessary hustle and bustle, such as excessive traffic or too many people  (granted we were at an amusement park).  But still we realized this weekend that we have a wonderful new home here and although it is nice to visit Orlando, there is no place like home.