Snowbirds

We’re sitting here in Madison, Florida not Wisconsin. If you’re wondering why we’re in Madison, a town of 3000 nestled along the Georgia/Florida border you’re not alone…the people we met at church today who have been here their entire lives asked the same question. The reason is simple, we’re heading west and Madison is along the way. But to be honest, I’m super glad we ended up here. The RV park is serene, a newly built modern campground situated amongst the pines and some beautiful water features (just ignore the two adolescent alligators hanging out there). Today we met a lot of folks both at the RV park and church, all of which shared their stories with us, one of which actually knew my brother personally (SMALL WORLD). And to cap it off, we had Southern BBQ with all the ‘fixins’ at Smok’n Pig BBQ, the parking lot was packed and the Sweet Tea was flowing- no GF, Vegan options here! Such departures from the main highway invariably produce memorable experiences.

Our last three weeks in Orlando were a blast. We had a great visit with my Uncle and Aunt who were able to come up from Naples, FL and spend some time with us. We did a short hike in a local state park (Lake Louisa), hung out at the camp site, and they rescued us when we had some car trouble.  Ally enjoyed the dim sum they scrounged up and Daniel was fascinated with the astronomy stargazing app that pointed out all the constellations in the night sky. We’re so thankful for the time with them and the opportunity to catch up. 

Of course, what would a trip to Orlando be without a trip to Disney? Thankfully the military provided super cheap tickets and I told the kids they had to fast whenever we went into the parks in order to save money. We did manage to stay at the Disney’s RV park for 3 nights which was insane (both in price and amenities)— I mean, they had a stainless steel sink around the sewer connection, what on earth for I don’t know but it looked immaculate compared to some of the ‘interesting’ and ‘rustic’ places we had been… It was anything but roughing it. The biggest plus, however, was that Nikki’s folks surprised the kids and joined us for some of our time there. With their lodging in the shadow of the Disney complex, we had lots of quality time doing overnights, family dinners, and trekking around the park. (There was another visitor that surprised us, literally ran into us at Disney world, but that’s something you will have to ask Nikki about directly, mums the word)

One of the other memorable visits, especially for me, was to the National UDT/SEAL Museum at Fort Pierce. Located along Central Florida’s East coast, it is the place where the original Frogman of the Navy received their training. It meant a lot to be able to set foot on the site where it all began for the SEAL community and to learn more about the history of the teams. There is so much unspeakable value in making these connections with your past… it humbles you to know that you walk on the shoulders of so many people that came before you. Thank you to Hal and the rest of my teammates that were there keeping the legacy fresh for us “new guys” to appreciate.

With so much going on, it is miraculous that Nikki managed to keep the kids on track with school over the past few weeks- super mom, super teacher. Tomorrow we head west, along the I-10, to Pensacola…strange how a familiar freeway sign can bring a smile to your face. I trust that all is well,  it’s been great hearing from you throughout this trip …may the roads we are traveling intersect soon.