Gobles Visit - Chiefs vs Jaguars Game

Amanda, Ryan, and Graydon flew in from Kansas City for the weekend. It was their first time visiting us since we sold our house and moved in to the rental, and since we are a bit tight on space they stayed in an Airbnb in Dolphin Cove. 

Saturday morning Ryan drove all of us to Tallahassee to see Connor and we met him at McAlister's Deli for lunch. We all went to campus to see Connor's dorm and what it's like living at his place. 

In the two weeks since we visited him, it was a little surprising how much his place could fall apart. He still had food in the fridge from our previous visit that was spoiled, empty containers and boxes everywhere, clothes on the floor, and some of his posters had fallen off the wall. He's happy in his dorm, and that's what counts, but Andrea spent quite a bit of time tidying up during our visit. 

We all walked over to the bookstore and did a little shopping before Connor had to depart for a fraternity function. 

We walked around for a while and went over to his frat's satellite house, but it was a frat only event and we decided that we had seen what we wanted and would be better off heading for home. 

We had originally intended on staying to watch the football game, but the tickets were pricey. Especially for 7 tickets together. We enjoyed watching the game more from home, and we're glad we headed back when we did.

On Sunday, we considered going to the beach, but it was a little rainy and we just stayed around the house. We went on some walks, watched NFL football on TV, played basketball in our cul-de-sac, took naps, and relaxed.

Monday was a work day and Paige went to school as normal. We went to Barbara Jeans with Amanda and Graydon for lunch, and then left as early as we could for the Jaguars stadium when Paige got home from school. 

Driving through downtown was miserable, and thankfully Ryan did a great job getting us there safely and found a spot near the stadium where we could pay cash. 

Our seats were on the visitor's side of the field, and were down near the end zone where the Chiefs were warming up. 

We snapped some pics during warmup and before the game started, and got some snacks to enjoy before it got too crazy crowded. The game was entertaining and although the Chiefs started off strong with two touchdowns and a 14-0 lead, they managed to blow it in the end. Although it wasn't the result we were hoping for, it was an exciting game to see in person and was quite the experience. 

Paige's friend Kendall was at the game and came to sit with us for a little while. 

Leaving the game was a bit of an ordeal, as the Jaguars fans were inebriated and mouthy with us in our Chiefs gear. I'm sure we were featured on multiple social media posts as we left just before the final desperate hail mary throw of the game, when it was certain that the Chiefs were going to lose. There were fans video recording us and taunting us as we climbed the stairs, and more abuse on the way to our vehicle. Ryan got us home safely in record time, and although it was uncomfortable leaving when we did, it certainly saved us a lot of time.

When we got home, we said farewell to the Gobles, as their flight was early in the morning on Tuesday. It was a bit of a disappointing end to their visit, to see our beloved Chiefs humiliated on a national stage, but other than that we had a nice time with them and enjoyed seeing them again.

Family Weekend at FSU - Football Game vs Kent State

 

Last weekend was family weekend at FSU and we all went to Tallahassee to see our guy. We were happy to see that he has settled in well in his dorm room, and although he doesn't interact at all with his suite-mates, he's comfortable. The dorm is always super cold for whatever reason, but otherwise he's got a great setup and we love that he has his own room. We brought him food, school supplies, and some tape to try and get his decorations up on the walls. We used painter's tape when he moved in, but the blue tape didn't hold up at all. Hopefully the contractor's grade duct tape will work.

After walking around campus and visiting the bookstore, we went to the apartment complex where we already signed a lease for the next school year. For whatever reason, it's typical for the good apartments to get snatched up for the next school year already. Connor and five of his friends signed up for a six-person unit next year and we got to look at a similar unit. 

For dinner, we waited forever for some pizza, which was delicious but perhaps not worth the wait.

Saturday morning, we slept in a bit, and then Andrea and I went to lunch at McAlister's Deli. Paige stayed in Connor's dorm with him, and Connor had to leave fairly early to help the Fraternity that he's pledging, to setup for their big Family Day event. In the afternoon, we texted him to meet up and he discouraged us from coming to his Frat's event. We ignored his text and sure enough they had an event that was set up specifically for families, although it was certainly adult entertainment. We enjoyed watching Connor handing out drinks to everyone and seeing everyone drinking from the pool noodle. 

Connor eventually was excused to go to the game and he met with up outside the stadium and we all went in together.

Our seats were decent, and thankfully I'd checked to figure out which sections would possibly be in the shade. Even in the shade we were melting and all through the stadium you could see people fanning themselves and baking in the heat.

The game was extremely lopsided and we enjoyed watching FSU scoring multiple touchdowns in the first quarter. Towards the end of the second quarter we could see some dark storm clouds off to the north and shortly before the second quarter ended they made an announcement that lightning had been detected in the area. The game was stopped and everyone went inside to wait for the storm to pass. Andrea and Connor rode a pedicab back to the dorm room, while Paige and I stuck around. Paige went to watch the game with some friends, and I watched the game for a bit after it resumed, before eventually heading back to the dorm with Paige.

We had intended to stay the night, however Connor had more work to do with his fraternity on Sunday, and we didn't have any other plans for the weekend. So, after Connor dropped us off at the hotel, we gave him hugs and kisses and then we drove home.

It was a memorable weekend with our boy, and we are so proud of Connor for doing well at school. He's made good grades, gone out with friends from high school, made new friends, went through the rushing process, and started the pledge process with a fraternity. He's already done a lot and we love to see him experiencing so many new things, just like we always hoped he would. We love you Connor!

Skull Surgery Update - 6 Weeks Post-Op, Fully Healed?

September 10th, 2025, was my six week anniversary of my surgery for my skull and nose repair. The pain has mostly subsided, although I'll get a painful twinge from time to time. The bridge of my nose feels a little off at times, hard to describe, but almost like the feeling you get before you need to sneeze. Uncomfortable, but not a big deal. The skin on my forehead is still a bit numb and my right eyebrow is a bit droopy. Hoping it "wakes up" or something eventually.

I took a series of pictures each week. The first was just after my injury, then before my surgery when I buzzed my hair. Next is the day I got home from the hospital after surgery. The following pics in the second and third rows are all one week apart, so weeks 1 through 6. I still get a little surprised when I see myself in a mirror with my buzzed hair. The scar is mostly covered now and isn't nearly so noticeable.

I worked out, did the elliptical, and went on some long walks with Millie Mae. I have an appointment with the plastic surgery department in the morning, hopefully they agree that I'm healed enough to resume all the normal things I like to do.

Looking forwards to playing tennis this weekend for the first time in a couple of months. 

Homework and Guitar with Paige

 

Paige is a pretty independent woman, and too often we hardly see her when she's up in her room. We jokingly refer to it as her apartment since it's huge and she has pretty much everything she could want or need upstairs. With school in session, she has been doing well in her classes, although she did need a little help the other day with Chemistry homework. We went through significant figures and some other concepts together. Andrea caught Paige "resting" her eyes and "visualizing" the concepts while I was reading it to her. Millie was very helpful too and also studied with her eyes closed.

Andrea and Paige in Orlando - Evermore Resort with Payton, Keira, Kendall, Leni

 

Andrea and Paige went to Orlando with some of Paige's high school friends. Andrea rented a Honda van to haul everyone and they left on Saturday morning. The resort was awesome for a big group and even though they had four bedrooms in their villa, all the girls ended up sleeping in the fun bunk room that slept five which was perfect. 

At the resort, the girls played volleyball, pickleball, swam, and did stand-up paddleboarding. They made friends with a couple of high school age boys and played soccer and manhunt throughout the resort.