North Carolina

Thanksgivings past

I don’ know about you, but I love to look back at pictures or blog posts from exactly a year (or two.. or three..) ago. Looking at old pictures and blog posts helps me to remember fun times and emotions that I felt.

Because Thanksgiving is on Thursday, I decided to look back through my blog and my Facebook and try to find one picture that perfectly describes Thanksgiving that year.

I found pictures on my Facebook from 2008-2012!

Thanksgiving 2008

This picture makes me smile.Hannah and I both painted our bedrooms rooms lime green over the Thanksgiving break. I remember this moment so well: None of Hannah’s furniture was moved back into her bedroom yet, so we decided to have a dance party. We plugged an iHome into an outlet and blasted music while dancing around her empty lime green room. We took this picture while we were dancing.

Thanksgiving 2009

My mom, sister, and I went Black Friday shopping in 2009 and I guess I was really excited about coupons! When I look really closely at the picture, I can see that the coupons aren’t for clothes or electronics. The coupons are for McDonald’s coffee. LOL. We shopped a good bit and had a ton of fun out in the craziness that is Black Friday.

Thanksgiving 2010

My family visited the Outer Banks in North Carolina for Thanksgiving in 2010. It was the most amazing (and totally weird) thing to be by the ocean and eat seafood instead of turkey for dinner. My parents wanted to take a picture of my brother and I standing in front of the ocean but he surprised me and picked me up before my mom took the picture. I remember that he didn’t put me back on the ground right away. He spun me around and around until I was dizzy and pretended to throw me in the ocean. I remember screaming and laughing so hard.

I also had started my blog by 2010! Here and here are my Thanksgiving posts.

Thanksgiving 2011

For Thanksgiving in 2011, my brother was living in State College, PA and had dinner with his girlfriend (now fiance!). My parents + Hannah went to New York to visit my aunt and uncle. I stayed home and hosted Thanksgiving dinner for Jimmy’s family at my house. We all had dinner, watched Pupmkin Chunkin, and played Twister. I remember being so nervous before the dinner and feeling so relaxed afterwards!

My Thanksgiving blog posts from 2011 are here and here.

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This post was so much fun to write and I absolutely loved looking back in time and remembering all of the fun Thanksgivings I have experienced with friends and family.

For Thanksgiving 2012, my aunt and uncle + 3 cousins are coming from NY to Pittsburgh to stay with my family for a few days! Last time I saw my cousins was for Easter in 2011. I’m really excited to see my family again! I know it’s going to be crazy and fun to have ten people (plus two dogs and two cats) living in my house for a couple of days!

What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

Rough trip home

Hello. I’m home from North Carolina! Jimmy and I left NC at 3:50AM on Saturday and made it home by noon.

My parents, sister, neighbor, grandparents, and uncle were not so lucky. They all left in our rented (from Enterprise) GMC Yukon at 10:00AM and made it to Maryland, with only a little bit of traffic and 3 hours left in the trip.

Then the trouble happened.

The transmission straight-up died in the Yukon and they were stuck on the side of the road in the 103* heat. My dad called Enterprise and they said a replacement vehicle would be sent out to them in 60-90 minutes.

No luck. The person bringing them the vehicle couldn’t find my family. It wasn’t until 6 hours later that they got a replacement and could finally drive home. No one had any food or water all that time. My grandparents had an especially tough time because they are in their 70’s and in poor health.

My family arrived home at 3:00AM and everyone had to sleepover. It was crazy trying to fit everyone in bedrooms, on couches, and on the floor.

I’m just so happy that no one was hurt or seriously harmed. We also got fully compensated for the rental — woo!!

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A few more vacation pictures….

Mini golf and the beach!

Sand dunes and out to eat.

Cheerios, raw oysters, and salmon + shrimp salad

4th of July cookout with the fish we caught!

My gift to Lola… a new leash!

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Have you ever had any crazy traveling troubles?