Meet Josephine, the first alligator to steal my heart. (Chances are, she’ll be the only alligator to steal my heart.) The 7-year-old gator is a farm-reared pet at Swamp Fever Airboat Adventures, where we got the opportunity to hold her. I was surprised by the rubbery feel of her skin and the soft texture of her belly. The handler said Josephine loved being held, especially on cold mornings. After all, as a cold-blooded reptile, Josephine can’t produce her own heat. She must have felt pretty toasty by the time our gang was done with her.
My sweet BGF (best gator friend), Josephine.My brother, Mike, and his crew.My sister, Kate, and her crew.My sister, Megan, and her crew.
The cuddle session was the culmination of our airboat adventure on Lake Panasoffkee, a 4,820-acre lake in west central Florida, on Dec. 29. Our tour started at 9 a.m., a bit early for the swamp’s reptilian sun seekers to make an appearance. Captain Kyle maneuvered the airboat through the backwoods of the Withlacoochee River system, pointing out natural springs, explaining the cypress swamp root system, and identifying wildlife.
Our view upon arrival.Ready to go!
As our airboat zipped through the lake, we saw little black birds that seemed to pop up and run across the water to escape. Captain Kyle said the coots have lobed feet that create little paddles for pushing away the water while they dash across the surface of the lake. We also saw moss-draped trees filled with cormorants and anhingas, wings outstretched to dry in the morning breeze. Those birds dive into the water to catch fish, but they lack the waterproofing oil that other waterbirds have, so they must dry out on land between dives or risk being unable to fly. Other sightings included bald eagles, osprey, herons, wood ducks, hawks, and a few turtles.
We didn’t see any big alligators, but Captain Kyle steered into a little cove, where he pointed out the silty swirling water at the entrance of a gator den. He said it took about six months for him to pinpoint this location, where an 8-foot mama gator hangs out with her babies. Several toddler gators dotted the shoreline.
a lucky young survivor
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, “About 1/3 of alligator nests are destroyed by predators (mainly raccoons) or flooding. The average clutch size of an alligator nest is 38. For nests that survive predators and flooding, an estimated 24 live hatchlings will emerge. Only 10 alligator hatchlings will live to one year. Of these yearlings, 8 will become subadults (reach 4 feet in length). The number of subadults that reach maturity (6 feet in length) is approximately 5.”
Speeding through the swamp was exhilarating, but I also loved the peaceful moments when the boat slowed to a crawl with stunning reflections in the still water.
Zipping along Lake Panasoffkee.Cypress trees with root “knees” that aid in respiration and provide structural support.
After the boat ride and our date with Josephine, we gathered around a big fire pit and snacked on treats from the resident food truck while the kids played cornhole.
I now officially have Swamp Fever, and I hope to visit this place again!
Christmas Day 2022 started much like every other day in recent memory. I got up early and fed the horses, who were all dressed in toasty blankets because of the bitter cold snap pounding Florida. I sent a few texts to friends and family. I colored my hair, read my book, surfed social media, DIY’d some lotion bars to give as gifts, and took care of random housekeeping tasks.
Warm and stylish!
Later, I drove to the Villages to bake cookies and hang out with my mom and family friend, Bev, who whipped up a late lunch of fettuccine alfredo. My sister, Megan, who was in town Christmasing with her in-laws, popped by with her kids for awhile, which was fun. I can’t believe I didn’t take any photos at my only Christmas event!
Tony and I generally try to talk most days, but our Christmas Facetime call was especially fun. He dug out old passports, and I slogged through photos, Facebook posts, emails, and even old Christmas letters (written by hand on paper!) to figure out how we spent our 30 years of Christmases since we got married. Of course, there’s no digital footprint from those early days. Photos taken with film cameras and printed at an actual Fotomat are buried in our storage unit. Maybe someday, I’ll unearth them to finish our list.
Here’s the rundown (with some additional travel notes).
1992: Newly married and living in Lawrence, Kansas, we most likely split Christmas with my family at our house and Tony’s family in Sedalia, Missouri. Not sure.
1993: Again, not sure. Probably Lawrence and Sedalia? At some point during the holidays, we traveled to Weston, MO, and visited friends in St. Louis.
1994: My parents and sisters moved to Saudi Arabia this year, where my father worked as a contractor with General Dynamics. We all met up for Christmas in Germany and Austria.
1995: My parents bought a house in Lawrence to use as home base while they were abroad, and Tony and I moved in. No record of Christmas. Lawrence and Sedalia?
1996: My family came back from Saudi Arabia for Christmas, so I’m assuming we spent some time with them at our house in Lawrence and some time with Tony’s family in Olathe. I traveled to Switzerland for my sister, Kate’s, graduation from high school earlier that year.
1997: Tony and I joined my family and Dickinson grandparents for Christmas at Disney World in Orlando. Also that year, I traveled to the former Soviet republic of Georgia with my job at the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Dickinsons at Disney
1998: Tony’s mother, Catherene Ann, died this year, so maybe we spent Christmas with his family in Olathe, or maybe we went to Michigan, where my parents were living after moving back from Saudi Arabia. We bought the house in Lawrence from my parents, and I went back to school to get my teaching certification. We traveled to Italy in the spring after my sister, Megan, graduated from high school in Switzerland.
1999: I spent Christmas with my parents and sisters in Michigan, where they were playing host to the daughter of their Sri Lankan driver from the Saudi days. I can’t remember if Tony was there. Maybe he spent the holidays with his family?
2000: Another Christmas mystery. I finished my teaching certification, so we prepared to move overseas.
2001: After landing jobs in Istanbul, we sold our house and moved to Turkey. During our four years there, we didn’t get a Christmas vacation, so we spent Christmas with our friends from school.
2002: Another Istanbul Christmas. We spent the summer in Germany, where my brother was stationed with the Air Force.
2003: Another Istanbul Christmas, but we traveled to Thailand in February.
2004: Another Istanbul Christmas. However, we made a weekend pork run to Cologne, Germany, in early December; traveled to Egypt in January; and enjoyed a Carnival Cruise and time in Miami before the February job fair at the University of Northern Iowa.
On the cruise.
2005: We moved to China and celebrated Christmas in Phuket, Thailand. Tony also started work on his master’s degree this year.
2006: We traveled to Malaysian Borneo with our friends, Scott and Amy.
Kapalai Dive Resort – spectacular!
2007: My family met in Germany and gathered at the home of my brother, who was deployed in Qatar. He surprised us by returning for the holidays. Other fun trips that winter were to the ice festival in Harbin, China, and Bangkok for my 40th birthday.
At a Christmas market in Germany with Summer.
2008: We spent Christmas in Yangshuo, China, followed by the Search Associates international educator job fair in Bangkok, and Chinese New Year in Cambodia.
YangshuoYangshuoYangshuo
I started my blog the year we left China, so I’ll add links to my old stories from here on.
2009: We moved to Laos this year. Tony and I spent Christmas in Krabi, Thailand, followed by a visit from my sister Megan, who traveled with me to Cambodia and Luang Prabang, Laos.
Railay Beach at Krabi, Thailand.
2010: Our friends, the Hossacks, spent Christmas in Laos with us, and then Tony and I took off for the Search job fair in Bangkok.
The Hossacks at our house in Laos.
2011: We moved to India this year. We met up with my family for Christmas in Garmisch, Germany. Really, there’s no place like Germany at Christmas! It was my dad’s favorite place to spend the holidays.
Hiking the Partnachklamm in Garmisch.
2012: For the first time since moving abroad, we spent Christmas in the States, specifically to meet my new little nephew, William, at my parents’ house in Michigan. On our way back to India, we celebrated New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam.
My dad with baby William.
2013: Tony and I traveled to Korea for Christmas with my sister, Megan, and her family. Her husband was stationed there with the Air Force. This was the visit when baby William called me Shasha for the first time, melting my heart, and giving me my forever auntie name. On our way back to India, we enjoyed a little downtime in Koh Chang, Thailand.
A crazy exhibit in Seoul where kids could pose with taxidermied animals in wacky settings.
2014: One of my all-time favorite trips took us to Jordan for Christmas.
Entering Petra in Jordan.
2015: We traveled to Florida for Christmas to hang out with my parents and my sister, Kate’s, family. On our way back to India, we explored Dubai.
The manmade Dubai Marina, carved out of the desert.
2016: This year, we moved to Chile, where winter was summer and summer was winter, meaning our long “summer” break from school occurred from December to February. Rather than head to North America for Christmas, we spent the “summer” holidays discovering our new host city of Santiago in the warm sunshine.
Christmas brunch in Santiago.
2017: Just a red-eye flight away, we traveled to my parents’ place in Florida for Christmas. This year, my sister, Kate, drove from Michigan with her family to celebrate with us. Tony then flew to Kansas to visit his family, and I went to Del Rio, Texas, to see my sister, Megan, and her gang. We returned to Santiago for the rest of our long semester break.
We spent a day at Kennedy Space Center during our Florida Christmas.
2018: This was a very busy seven-week break from school! My family gathered at Megan’s house near Destin, Florida. Then Tony and I spent a few days in Chicago before preparing our Michigan lakehouse to go on the market. We sorted, packed, gave stuff away, and cleaned. Back in Chile, Tony played tourguide for his two sisters.
A Polar Vortex post-Christmas in Chicago.
2019: My father died this November, so Christmas felt a bit melancholy at times. The family (minus my brother, who was living in Abu Dhabi) met at Megan’s house, where Tony and I stuck around for an extended vacation. After a short time back in Santiago, we flew to Ilha Grande, a fabulous tropical island in Brazil.
Post-Christmas paradise in Brazil.
2020: Deep in the bowels of the pandemic, Tony and I spent Christmas alone at the Villages in Florida. My mom went to a party, but after experiencing strict social-distancing rules in Chile, we weren’t ready to risk it. After a short visit with Megan, we returned to Chile for the rest of our break.
Back in Santiago after an uneventful Christmas.
2021: We spent Christmas in Michigan with my sisters and mom, and then Tony traveled to Kansas to celebrate with his family. Later, we headed to Florida for some beach time, followed by a few petsitting gigs, including at the farm where I’m spending this gap year.
Before the Christmas Nerf War had even started, we had our first casualty.
2022: That brings us to this year. I’m in Ocala, Florida, attending Equine Studies classes and caring for 15 animals at a little farm, and Tony is in Bangkok, Thailand, teaching middle school English at KIS International School. Here we are Christmas morning my time, Christmas evening his time.
A very Facetime Christmas!
After compiling this list from scratch, I discovered that we had already done this twice before in 2012 and 2017. See why I need to document my life? I can’t even remember stuff that I already blogged, much less parts of my life that I failed to record. Sigh… note to self: Next time you want to remember all your Christmases, just open The Guide Hog and search “Christmas.”
