UF is Hot!

Newsweek ranked 25 hottest schools and of course, the University of Florida was one of them. UF made the list as "Hottest for Sports Fans." Check out the clip below.

Hottest for Sports Fans
University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.

Winning the national football championship, as well as two consecutive basketball titles, is clearly a draw. Applications to Gatorland are up 15 percent in the last two years, nearly twice the national average. But high-school counselors are discovering it has more to offer its 35,000 undergraduates than just a great excuse to hit the sports bars. The university attracts more students from the International Baccalaureate program—the most challenging courses in American high schools—than any other college. The average Gator freshman had a 3.99 GPA in high school. Freshman Robin Prywes, a Maryland resident, says the only thing those sports championships taught her was that Florida had great school spirit. She says she liked the school's "academic reputation, student involvement, great weather and friendly atmosphere." But her mother says it was mostly the weather.

Seven Wonders of Pensacola

I just got a copy of the Pensacola News Journal that our engagement announcement was in and read the front page of the Life Section. Above the fold was a story about the seven wonders of Pensacola. (Unfortunately, the online version doesn't do the article justice since it doesn't have all the pictures.) I thought this was such a neat representation of my hometown. It's not flashy-- it's just something that someone who grew up there could appreciate. But if you are heading down to Pensacola for the wedding maybe you'll catch sight of a few of Pensacola's wonders.

Engagment Announcement

Our engagement announcement was in the Pensacola News Journal today. Here is the link.

Blame it on the Bossa Nova

We booked our honeymoon last night! We had decided to go to Playa del Carmen at first, but upon some whimsical internet browsing discovered that Rio de Janeiro was actually in our budget. Albeit, we are staying in two different types of hotels and the although we have more spending money in Rio, the cost is higher. But, how many times will you ever have a chance to go to Rio?

One of the best parts of the deal was a direct flight from Dulles Airport. Our first foray into the flights had us traveling for 25 hours and 3 stops.

I would say we owe this fabulous trip to two wonderful websites: 1) Expedia.com and 2) Tripadvisor.com. We caught a discount at expedia booking our hotel and flight together and we knew the quality of the hotel through Tripadvisor--a 4.5 out of 5--pretty good for the picky people who post on that site.

We are super excited and wish that we could go on the honeymoon first. But in the meantime we have a wealth of songs to listen to in order to prepare. Post your own favorite songs or movies about Rio in our comments page if you are so inclined.

1. Copacabana - Barry Manilow
2. Rio - Duran Duran
3. Blame it on the Bossa Nova - Johnny Lion and the Jumping Jewels
4. The Girl from Ipanema - Joao Gilberto