Solivita Wildlife
While stopping to check the mail on our way back from pickleball, we saw a momma and her baby deer walking between several of the houses in our neighboorhood. J. R. also ran across a turtle in one of the neighborhoods while out on a run and asked it to slow down to take a picture.
Kappa Alpha Theta Executive
Rebecca was elected as Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Delta Omicron chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority at the University of Alabama. She will serve on the Executive Board for the 2023 calendar year.
Mardi Gras
We attended the Mardi Gras street parade at Solivita Village Green where clubs decorated golf carts and threw beads. We had a drink from the bar and sat and listened to music for awhile afterwards.
Valentine's Dinner
We did a pre-Valentine's Day dinner at Moor at the Gaylord Palms. After struggling to find the parking deck, we wandered the hotel gardens for awhile and checked out the alligators before going to their sports bar for a drink. The waiter messed up our drink order and ended up bringing us two sets of drinks for the price of one, so we had nothing to complain about. Then it was on to dinner at Moor, where we were seated in the replica sailboat. The food was good, especially J. R.'s rock lobster seafood stew. We split a slice of key lime pie and then drove home.
XFL Orlando Guardians
Missing NFL football, we decided to try the XFL. We had a disappointing lunch at Firebirds in Mills50 where the food was either underseasoned or overcooked. Then we drove to the stadium. We were surprised the renovated Citrus Bowl, where we had been twice before for Georgia Tech bowl games, had no real parking lots, just grass fields. We wandered around the 'fan fest' for awhile but it was not interesting, so we entered the stadium. All of the seats were on the east side, staring right into the sun, so we stayed under the bowl until game time. It was a hot day and the poor play of Paxton Lynch showed us why the XFL is just a minor league.
Theta Parents Weekend
We drove to Tuscaloosa in October for Theta Parents Weekend where we spent time with Becca in downtown Tuscaloosa at a mixer and attended the Alabama vs. Tennessee game where the Crimson Tide came from behind to beat the Volunteers. On the way home, we stopped for two nights at Panama City Beach.
Becca at Bama
Rebecca was finishing up her last fall in Tuscaloosa where she was DEI VP at Kappa Alpha Theta and served on the board for Greek Ambassadors and Beat Auburn Beat Hunger. She got to go to Montgomery with Big Al to meet the Governor and traveled to Atlanta to yell "To Hell With georgia" as the Crimson Tide taught the bulldogs how to behave.
Gasparilla Bowl
We had Thomas and Rebecca with us at home for Christmas. Georgia Tech made its first bowl game since 2018 and it ended up being the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa we drove down to Raymond James Stadium for the game. The Jackets fell behind early but staged a comeback to pick up the victory.
