On November 9, the day after the election, I left the stunned, zombie-like DC and headed to Florida. Yes, that Florida, whose electoral votes in the red column caused the aforementioned zombie apocalypse in DC and elsewhere around the world. But the timing and location of my trip had nothing to do with the election: my cousin was getting married.

So friends and family from all corners of the world (including Alaska and the UK) descended upon the Orlando area for some miraculously beautiful and bug-free weather to celebrate love–and why America is already great, and will continue to be. Take the wedding party: my cousin, Navy brat, grew up all over the world, spent several years in Kentucky providing legal support to low-income residents and founded a non-profit to help former sex workers move on with their lives. Her husband is a West Point grad who served in combat roles overseas, was Hillary Clinton’s deputy national security advisor, and is Black. The bridesmaids and groomsmen included current and former members of the military and American-born children of refugees. Additional friends and family were Japanese-American, Alaska Native, Latino, Liberal, Conservative, Libertarian, Manhattanites, and farmers. No matter who lives in the White House at any given time, this America of diversity, inclusion, and love is what will always prevail.

Some other highlights from the trip:

Lynn and I had an enormous amount of fun with the sparklers. (And yes, I did take that flower from the centerpiece.)

After the wedding, Elliott and I spent a day at New Smyrna Beach, taking in the Supermoon and finding washed up treasures like this natural sponge. On the way back to the airport, I noticed a sign for Black Bear Wilderness. Ummm ok! Alas, no bears (or manatees, or alligators, and I wonder if the park’s name was aspirational), but we had a fun hike through the mangroves.