Proud Gator

It all started when I went to Walgreens to pick up some pictures I was having printed. I took Zachary along with me to give Zena a break. When we got there we met Terrence at the photo center. He noticed Zachary was wearing a Gator shirt and asked if he was a big Gator fan. Zachary sheepishly nodded yes. Terrence then asked Zachary what would he say if he told him he had a class at UF with Tim Tebow! Zachary replied, Really?

Terrence then offered to take anything like a football, shirt, hat, etc. in to class and have it signed by Tebow. Of course, that really got Zachary's attention. So, relentless as Zachary is, we soon went to Sports Authority and bought a football. We took it back to Terrence and he wrote our name and phone number on the football box and said he would call when he had it signed.

About a week later, when we hadn't heard from Terrence, I was beginning to worry that the whole deal had fallen through and I was going to be out a football and have one very disappointed boy on my hands! I took Zachary with me to Walgreens to inquire of Terrence where things stood. He assured us that it was still in the works, it was just taking longer because Tebow kept the ball to pass around to some of the other players on the team! Of course I told Terrence no problem, let him take as much time as he wants/needs!

I then let a couple of weeks pass, before I made contact with Terrence again. When I did make contact, Terrence was really relieved because the football came back to him without the box and hence without our name and phone number! Soon Zachary and I went to retrive the football from Terrence. Was that one proud Gator! I don't think he has stopped smiling since then.

From the time all this started, I have insisted that Zachary must do something to thank both Terrence and Tebow. So we decided Zachary would write a note to both Terrence and Tebow and include some pictures of Zachary with the signed football. Zachary and I went yesterday to take those pictures at the stadium. As we were leaving Zachary asked where the Gators practiced, so I took him over to show him but we were shuffled along because it was a closed practice. I saw that they were huddling up and the practice was ending, so we went back to the car and grabbed the camera and waited for Tebow to walk by. When we saw him, Zachary started toward him, but then turned back quickly when he saw he had to walk in front of some hugh linemen. But with encouragement he dashed out again and asked if he could get a picture with him and he graciously complied.

Zachary beamed and beamed all the way home. He said he didn't know why, but the whole time he was waiting for Tebow to come by, that he was shivering!

Talk about excited!