Georgia vs. Florida Games

One of the reasons that my family and I go down to Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island is because of the Georgia Florida Football games. Most of my family attended the University of Georgia, so they are die-hard Georgia Bulldogs fans. My father has had the same season tickets at Sanford stadium for over 40 years. The biggest game of the year is the game against the Florida Gators, which is held in Jacksonville. My Cousin Jason lived on St. Simons and worked on Jekyll and met his wife there.  I cannot remember how long we have been staying there, but it the most fun trip we take each year.

One of the places we would stay on St. Simons was at an apartment that we would rent for the weekend. My parents check me out of school at 2 on Friday afternoon to try to beat the overwhelming traffic. It takes about five and a half hours to get there. One of my favorite things is car trips when I was young because my dad would play rock n’ roll music from the 50’s through 70’s like Same Cooke and ray Charles to the Allman Brothers and Eric Clapton.  My mom makes some kind of cookies and there is always a big box of Cheezits somewhere around my dad. When first starting to leave, my mom has to ask my dad a million questions such as “Is the iron and stove off?” or “ Did you feed my fish?” My dad answers no and my mother accuses him of using a tone. I sit there and snicker and eventually we all laugh about it because it’s the same ting every trip. My mom and I take a couple of naps and in between I look at the towns we pass through.  

Driving on to the island is the most exciting part of the trip. I anticipate seeing my family and getting to spend time with my cousins. The island has a very comfortable relaxed southern seaside feeling that leaves you happy no matter what. Driving through the streets is magical with the trees covering the road and the Spanish moss tangled in their gnarly branches. The land is flat which makes it the perfect place to go for bike rides. The game is always on Halloween weekend so the weather is always wonderful. It is always the perfect temperature; not hot and humid, comfortable and the sun always seems to be shining. We usually rent a house or a condo for the weekend close to the shopping area so we can walk and ride bikes. Each year is almost the same in many ways, but is always better than the year before.

When my parents and I walk in the door, the first smells are of my Aunt Nancy and her friend Sheryl in the kitchen boiling local fresh caught shrimp and salty peanuts, which is the first meal we always have on any vacation we go on. The sounds are of the loud and cheerful chatter of my talkative family. In the living room, my boisterous Aunt Ginny is watching sports, yelling her coaching advise. My family loves music even though we are not very musical. Our staples are Motown and southern rock n’ roll. Another thing I notice is that the condo is covered in Bulldog paraphernalia and Halloween decorations. The first thing I do is hug my aunt and greet Sheryl and then head for the backdoor where my cousin Jason and his wife Brandi and my other cousin Jill and her husband Ty are hanging out. I walk out the door and there is the soulful guitar of Gov’t Mule playing and the smell of chicken and steak on the grill that Ty is preparing. 

My cousins and I have a special bond. They are my support system. Without them I wouldn’t be the person I am today. My favorite time is Friday night because I have long conversations with Jason and Brandi. They tell me their stories and share their experiences and wisdom well into the night. I have learned so much about life from them and it helps me not to make some of the mistakes that they have. The best bit of advice that they have given me is to be whatever I want to be and never get intimidated into doing something that can be harmful for me. I know that sounds kind of cheesy but I really needed to hear that because I let myself get pushed around all of the time because I am quiet and sometimes too nice. I have to remember that to help me get out of those situations as soon as possible because the longer I wait the more trouble it will be. I love my family deeply and I enjoy every moment I spend with them, whether good or bad—because we all know you eventually get tired of family or anyone for that matter when you spend too much time with them—and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

Saturday is Game Day and that morning my dad, cousins and their father leave for the game. It is a tradition to tailgate to any event we go to even the American Idol summer concert. For the GA FL game, my dad’s famous bratwurst marinated in beer and onions is cooked. For those who stay back, we ride our bikes and walk around downtown and along the beach. Over the years I have traveled all around the island. It is the best place for bicycles. The sun is always shining and the warm coastal breeze is always so refreshing. The salty air blows through your hair and brings you to total relaxation. I like riding bikes on Jekyll the best because there are far less cars and people and there is a lot more to see.

I am an artist, so I am constantly looking for inspiration. I love photography. There is one spot on Jekyll that I spend the day at. The locals call it driftwood beach or Roots. It is a beach that is hidden from the road and the rest of the beaches on Jekyll. There are trees that have come down over the years do to the tide and erosion. They are giant and absolutely stunning. Each tree is different and their branches are gnarly. The bark is striped gray from years of weather and tourists, but they are still beautiful and pristine in my eyes. My favorite tree is actually two trees that fell over together because their roots had grown together. It forms a “C” shape and makes the perfect place to sit and look at the sea and all of the freight ships that pass by. I took a picture of my friend sitting in it and entered it into a photography contest. I did not win anything for it, but I got a lot of positive comments on it.

Another really cool spot on Jekyll Island is the Millionaires mansions district. The mansions were built in the early 1900’s by a group of rich New Yorkers, which included J.P Morgan and William Rockefeller. This group privately owned the Island and built the Jekyll Island Club. Their families would vacation there for the winter months. The houses are amazing. Some of them have Tiffany’s stain glass windows and each one is completely different. My cousin Jason and his wife had their wedding reception at one of them. They got married when I was 12, so I remember some of it. The building was one of the ones that had been restored. It was a Spanish inspired design with the exterior being a burnt orange color and the Spanish style shingles. The reception was amazing. I don’t remember who the band was, but the lead was in a band with Brandi’s dad when he was alive. My Cousins groomsman cake was of course a giant UGA “G”. That’s all I really remember besides it being really cold.

One of my favorite things to do now is go to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. I love going with my cousins Drew and Garrett who are 9 year old twins and their little brother Harrison. I love watching them have fun looking at all of the turtles and learning how they live and nest on the beaches. At the center, they have a room behind the building where they treat sick and injured sea turtles.

This past Halloween weekend, I brought my boyfriend. It was the first time he was meeting my family. I was worried that he would think we were kind of crazy, but instead he loves them to death and they love him. It was the best trip ever because he had so much fun. He didn’t think there was anywhere really special in Georgia until he saw the sky at night. There are no major cities around Jekyll so at night you can see all of the stars at night. It is one of the most amazing sights to see. We stayed outside for a long time just staring at the stars with Jason. Jason has always been the most important man in my life besides my dad. So it was crucial for Omid to like Jason. It turns out that Jason is now one of his favorite people now. All in all St. Simons and Jekyll Island are full of memories for me. They are the best places in the world.