A Southern Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has ALWAYS been my favorite holiday. Not so much for the food, although I must admit that the "feast" is one of my favorite meals; but, because I looked forward to visiting with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I have fond memories of spending the holiday at G'ma and G'pa Davis' home in Timberlake, Ohio (Cleveland). We always lived far away from family and Thanksgiving was one of two times a year that we were able to spend time with Mom's side of the family. Quite often, Mom's cousin and his wife would join us traveling South from Ontario, Canada. I always looked forward to spending time with family during the Thanksgiving Break and am happy that we can carry on the same tradition for our boys. Each Thanksgiving, we travel South to Hilton Head to spend the holiday with my parents and aunts and uncle. This year was no exception.

My parents live in a retirement community just off Hilton Head Island. The outside pictures are ones taken in their backyard. Their yard is so peaceful and I'm always amazed at the amount of wildlife visible so close to the house. The deer came the first evening we arrived. Egrets and Blue Herons frequent the lagoon behind their house and if you're lucky, you might even spot an alligator. The turkeys were not present on Thanksgiving, but did appear the following day--quite smart, eh?

Dad carving "Tom" for our Thanksgiving meal

Mom and Dad's new kitten, Chau, wanted to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner too, but he was banished to the bathroom--safer for "Tom" with him closed away.

Miss Laura Lee (sitting in chair), Uncle Len and Aunt Gilly chatting before dinner.

My hubby and me

I'm so happy to have this picture of my Mom, Beth and I--I don't remember the last time the three of us "posed" for a picture (thanks Trey!)

Rather than hit the stores on "Black Friday" we decided to take the boys to Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head. We arrived at South Beach Marina and enjoyed walking around and visiting the Salty Dog Cafe. The boys purchased shirts and a bandana for Miss Sophie. I LOVE Hilton Head--to me, no trip to HHI is complete without a visit to South Beach Marina and Harbourtown.

The infamous lighthouse welcomes tourists to Harbourtown. For as long as I can remember, I've been taking pictures of the boys with the lighthouse in the background. Dad asked a lady to take a picture of all of us together--so fitting that it was in front of the lighthouse.

After leaving Sea Pines, Alexander made a special request to have lunch at the "Crazy Crab". It's another tradition and the boys thoroughly enjoyed their lunch. The picture below is another picture that I take every trip. It's fun to look back through the years and notice how much the boys have grown!
Thanksgiving is about spending time with familyand friends. We left my parents' home Friday evening and headed North to Atlanta for a visit with Jim, Kathie and the boys. We returned to our "old" neighborhood--each visit is a little easier, although we still miss our friends dearly! The boys, especially Noah and Evan, were so excited to see one another. Noah camped in Evan's room and we could hear them chatting away Friday night although they were supposed to be sleeping. Kath and I wish we could have been a fly on the wall to know what they were discussing so intently.

Jim, Kathie and the boys have a new addition to the family--Riley.

Kath and I

Lauren and I

While living in Atlanta, we developed a habit of frequenting Mexican restaurants with Jim, Kathie and the boys. We decided, for old times sake, that we should enjoy Mexican Saturday night. Frank, Tina and the girls joined us too--just like "old times". The kids had their own table and the adults had their own table--much easier to talk with the adults if the kids are together at a separate table!

Alexander and Colin

Best buds, Evan and Noah

Alexander's friend, Chris, came over to the house to spend some time with Alexander.

Jim and Kathie; Trey and I; and Frank and Tina

We had a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving and are thankful we were able to spend time with our friends and family.