Florida: The Last Trip To Gainesville
As I write, my boyfriend is currently in the process of moving to Baltimore from Gainesville, Florida. Hallelujah. The novelty of taking mini trips to Florida got old pretty quickly in the face of not being able to see my SO for more than a few days at a time.
In honor of my relationship transitioning from a long-distance one to a normal one, I figured I'd write about my final trip to visit him several weeks ago.
We didn't do anything too new, but we did do everything that redeems Florida for all its Florida people -- the beach, Disney World -- even though these are the things Scott generally hates doing. Yay for good boyfriends.
GAINESVILLE
As we generally do around Gainesville, we took many a stroll even though the mosquitoes devoured me. We spent a morning in a Petco, showing off Scott's foster dog Mack in order to get him adopted. And we visited the very chill nearby First Magnitude Brewing Company for some happy hour sips accompanied by live outdoor music. Big fan of their cider -- it tasted like a green Jolly Rancher. We also made one last stop to my favorite coffee shop in GNV, Maude's.
ST. AUGUSTINE
Last year, Scott and I spent a day at Crescent Beach and then the evening exploring St. Augustine, and it is one of my favorite days...of all days. This year we went to St. Augustine Beach for a truly PERFECT beach day before having dinner with his dad. I guess since it wasn't summer proper, the beach wasn't particularly crowded, but the temps were perfect, and the water was crystal clear.
DISNEY WORLD
I think you probably all know by now that Jen and I both love Disney World and come from families of Disney fools. After finding out that he has Florida resident/teacher/military discounts into several of Orlando's theme parks, we weighed our options -- Disney World, Universal, Busch Gardens (was I the only one who didn't know there was a Busch Gardens in Florida)? Wanting to make the most of our time there, I dragged Scott through three parks -- Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and the Magic Kingdom. We hit all the best rides and got to sample some really great snacks and drinks throughout Epcot for the Flower and Garden Show. Honey wine, anyone?
And since he was such a trooper, I treated him to dinner at Chefs de France, where I basically stuffed my face with French baguettes and French cheese until I questioned whether anymore thrill rides would be advisable.
It was the BEST way to say goodbye to Florida for now.
-Staci
