Big week ahead. Yeah… it’s Thanksgiving.  Yeah… it’s our anniversary.  But, let’s get serious… This Saturday is the game.  THE game.  THE GAME!  FSU vs. U of F.  Big rivalry and what I expect will possibly be an ugly loss for FSU.  Boy, I hope not.  Irregardless I will remain a devoted fan and still look down upon those that don’t have enough sense to not be cheering on the Gators (i.e. Dana).  We have a divided household.  Dana, no matter how hard I’ve tried, has yet to come to his senses and pull for a decent football team. 

Last year UF won.  It was one of those games where I saw a pass that Chris Rix threw within the first few minutes of the game and I knew immediately…. this is not going to turn out as planned.  I chose that moment to pick up the knitting and accept the inevitable: Rix and a fast asleep offense were going to hand this game over to the Gators.  The outcome of this year’s game is really a toss up at this point.  Anything could happen.

The game is actually being played on Saturday, which is also our 8th anniversary.  We usually try to do something like go away for the weekend, etc but with all the chaos in our lives I wanted to stay home.  Then I found out about the game and I really wanted to stay home.  I have it all justified.

Dana and I had our first date on November 30, 1996. That year the GAME was also played that same day (FSU won!).  Here’s the twist.  I watched that game with the person I was currently dating…. who wasn’t Dana.  I knew I had a date with Dana that night.  I had been  seeing someone for two years who moved to Wichita, KS for their "dream job" (are we seeing a pattern here?) and after I traveled back and forth Dana thought that it seemed I’d been chasing after Philip enough and he asked me out.  I wasn’t really sure what to do but a friend of ours suggested I go, have a good time and not read too much into things.

So, on November 30, 1996 I watched the game and then sweated bullets as Philip started changing his plans, wasn’t heading up to see his folks as he said he was, seemed to be wanting to hang out for the rest of the evening…. He left my apartment about 30 minutes before Dana arrived!  Dana and I hit it off.  I waited a few weeks and then ended things with Philip for good.  The following August Dana asked me to marry him.

In 1997, the GAME was played the Saturday before Thanksgiving (November 22, 1997)… which was also the Saturday before we got married.  We watched the game together and then were listening to it on the radio, on headphones, any way we could as we went back and forth to the airport picking up wedding guests.  (It was a close one that year, but… sniff….FSU lost.)

So, I think I can make a good case for watching the GAME together on our anniversary.  Next year, however, somebody better be taking me somewhere…. GAME or no GAME.