Thanksgiving 2014

Our Thanksgiving in Sarasota was fantastic, as always! My mother-in-law always hosts a beautiful gathering that includes some of my all-time favorite food,but it was the people who obviously made Thanksgiving extra special. Now that Ryan and I have to drive 11 hours to see my in-laws, we’re finding ourselves appreciating what little time we do have together even more.

I feel lucky to have married into a family who has always been so incredibly kind and welcoming to me and I could easily sit down and chat with Ryan’s mom Diane for hours… which is what we did most of the weekend!

We arrived in Sarasota Wednesday evening and spent the few hours before bed eating a late dinner and chatting on the couch.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving began with a little activity! Before bed on Wednesday night, I convinced Ryan to join me on a 5-mile run with Sadie Thanksgiving morning, so right after we woke up, the three of us headed out and completed a loop around town. We lucked out with the weather (Thanksgiving can still be quite hot in Florida sometimes), but the temperature during our run was in the upper 50s which was ideal.

(Sadie’s paw placement is like a dagger to the heart — I think I’ve officially given up my attempt to claim the coveted spot as Sadie’s favorite.)

We arrived home ready for a shower and walked in the door to find my mother-in-law had already prepped a hot pot of oatmeal! Sweet!

We spent the rest of the morning getting ready for the big Thanksgiving feast that kicked off around 2 p.m. Everyone started arriving at 1 p.m. and we spent the hour or so before turkey time eating appetizers and drinking my favorite sangria that Diane makes every year. (I think it’s a Paula Deen sangria recipe?)

The spread at this year’s Thanksgiving lunch was packed with old favorites and I filled up my plate, excited to dig into so many delicious dishes.

And Thanksgiving totally warrants seconds 30 minutes after you’re done eating, right? Don’t mind if I do…

Once our bellies were full, we headed outside to spend a few hours in the backyard where we played corn hole, mingled and messed around with Sadie who had a blast chasing shadows, light reflections and the occasional ball when she could coerce someone into a few rounds of fetch.

Eventually it was time for dessert and I loaded up my plate with Aunt Elaine’s apple pie and pumpkin pie, both of which were made from scratch and absolutely fabulous. On Friday night, Diane actually used the leftover apple pie and turned it into an apple crisp that we enjoyed with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream and it was heavenly.

Dinner was leftovers which we ate again for lunch and dinner on Friday night as well. I can’t get enough of Thanksgiving leftovers and would gladly eat them for three meals a day until they’re gone!

Friday

On Friday morning, Ryan and I had the pleasure of spending the morning with my father-in-law who met us at Station 400 for breakfast followed by a long walk at the marina. We’ve been to Station 400 a number of times in the past and it never disappoints!

I ordered eggs with sausage, fruit, tomatoes and mushrooms and split an order of the banana pancakes with Ryan as well.

Plus a cappuccino!

Our walk along the marina was just what I needed that morning — moving my legs and enjoying the beautiful Florida sunshine!

We had fun looking at the boats and chatting as we walked for an hour or so.

It was lovely and we finished our walk with a picture in front of the Unconditional Surrender statue.

Kiss Kiss

The rest of the weekend was spent with family, catching up over trips to the dog park with Sadie, yummy homecooked meals and some Black Friday shopping! It was such a wonderful trip to Sarasota and we left feeling happy and sad, with our fingers crossed for a January visit!