Thanksgiving in Florida

This past Thanksgiving I spent my time with an old friend from high school since my family wasn’t having our usual big get-together. Another high school friend of mine that still lives in Oxford came with me and we had a nice little drive. The notion of leaving Mississippi for the first time since July was enough of a hook, but going to see EA was a big added bonus.

            EA is an incredible person. He was always one of the smartest kids in my grade. He did all of the honors and advanced classes and played sports. He’s very enlightened and can talk intelligently about almost anything. Even having lost his father in middle school and his Mom just this past summer, he’s still never changed who he was and he’s someone that I look up to. Oh, and did I also mention that he’s freakin’ hilarious. He’s full of witty/nerdy/awkward humor and we always seem to be on the same page whenever he’s making a joke... even if it’s about me.

            Anyway, the drive was fine. NN and I both love Arby’s and since we are deprived of it in Oxford, we both jump at any chance we get to eat there. Yeah, yeah, make fun of us for perpetuating the Mississippi stereotype. We just can’t help ourselves when it comes to Arby’s. That sweet, succulent roast beef piled high with lettuce, tomato, bacon, and melted cheddar cheese between two buttered and toasted sourdough buns is undeniably delicious. Well, we stopped at one of those old fashioned ones on the way is Podunk, Alabama. Everything on the inside was contemporary, but the sign was the old fashioned type. Being that we were in Alabama, I wasn’t surprised to see a bunch of wife beaters, mullets, and possibly inbred children running around. Nah, just kidding. It wasn’t THAT bad, but it WAS kind of bad. Once again, though, not surprising given our geographic orientation (sorry Alabama MTC’ers, I’m just a messenger).

            After making fun of the people in Arby’s, we eventually made it Florida. While there, we watched football, went to different sites and shops around Gainesville, had an incredible Thanksgiving dinner with everything you could possibly hope for, and went to Tallahassee to see the Florida Gators get stomped by the Florida State Seminoles.

            All in all, the trip was so much fun and such a great escape from school. Now, of course, it’s almost Christmas and EA will be making his way back into Oxford, so it will be nice seeing him again.