Sweet Sunshine & Apron Strings

I really love my life!

Trey and I had a great day today. After sleeping late (which was really needed after such a long, stressful week), we headed to the Gainesville Raceway to watch the 2011 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series qualifying. We had a blast looking at all the cars, watching the races, and enjoying the sound of the engines and the smell of rubber burning. Since 1970, Gainesville has been home to one of the fastest tracks in the NHRA. It's kind of amazing that we have such a famous and important raceway in our own backyard. Anyway, the weather was gorgeous and sunny. It was so nice to be able to wear shorts and a t-shirt and feel the sun beating down on us. It was certainly a great day for the races. 

After we left the raceway, we headed over to Paynes Prairie to enjoy the lovely afternoon. On our way there, Trey made a quick detour to Boulware Springs Park and Historic Waterworks.  You know, I've lived in the area my whole life and had never even heard of Boulware Springs. It was so neat to see the historic building and learn the history behind the waterworks. I had no idea that it was the city's offer of free water forever that convinced the University of Florida to settle in Gainesville instead of Lake City.

Did you know that UF still receives free water, even though the springs have long since been closed as the city's water source. Crazy, huh?!

After the quick stop at the waterworks, we headed to La Chua Trail at Paynes Prairie. The weather was perfect to walk the trail and see all the wildlife there. There were alligators everywhere, much to our delight. It is a truly amazing sight to just walk around and see gators of all sizes banked and enjoying their sunbath. Along with gators, we saw all kinds of birds, cranes, and a bison. Apparently there are somewhere around 70 wild bison roaming the prairie. It was awesome to see one up close and personal!

We really had an amazing day! It's days like today that make me realize how very lucky I am. I am blessed to spend my life with my very best friend, and it doesn't matter what we do or where we go, whether it's the races or just a state park, we are going to have a blast spending time together. It's days like today that remind me just how much I really love my life!