Thanksgiving Adventures...

As promised...our Thanksgiving adventures deserved a post just to themselves. This year for Thanksgiving, I was lucky enough to get to head back east and to get to take Tristan with me. We spent 10 days spending time with family and a friends in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Part 1

Part 1 of our trip was a 4 day stay in Marathon Key in the Florida Keys. We spent time with family, kayaked, fished, swam, soaked up the sunshine, and ate our weight in Key Lime Pie. 

When we left Ketchikan it was a beautiful sunny but cold day. In Seattle it was raining. In Chicago we had snow and just beat out a blizzard. When we landed in Charlotte there were beautiful fall colors. And when we stepped off the plane in Key West almost 24 hours later it was 80 degrees! After we got off the plane we explored Key West with the family who picked us up at the airport.

On the second day we went kayaking through the mangroves. It was a beautiful day. I played with some fish, was devoured by mosquitos, and watched some amazing wildlife! While waiting for the kayaks to be delivered, Tristan and I hand wrangled and played with some cute pipe fish. Once we were in the water and headed up the channel I was in the back because I like to take my time and get distracted by the wildlife. This payed off when in between Tristan and my kayaks a spotted eagle ray leaped out  of the water! As usual I was super excited...because these are one of my favorites!! There was so much wildlife to see...and I loved sharing it all with Tristan. We saw egrets, iguanas, osprey, upside down jellyfish, jumping mullet, pelicans, and a beautiful Frigate bird!! One other treat that I got by being slow in the back was a cute little sea turtle greeted me! 

Tristan enjoying the Florida Sunshine

Tristan, Sarah, and Preston

Kayaking through the magroves

Cute little Pipefish

The next day we took a fishing trip out of the resort. We caught mangroves, yellow tail snapper, and lots of blue runners. Tristan hooked a big barracuda early in the morning but it cut the line right when we got it to the boat. Adam had a big cobia on too but it broke the line as well. We had a great day looking at all the pretty fishies and then we got take them home to eat too! Sarah and I had a couples massage for some sisterly bonding time that afternoon for her birthday! 

Preston fighting the King that got off

Adam trying to bring up his Cobia

Tristan and his Yellowtail

Preston and his Mangrove

My Yellowtail

We saw lots of wildlife just hanging around the resort! There were manatees everywhere!! They would come right up to the dock. There were also iguanas everywhere. 

Tristan playing with a spiny lobster head from a spearfisherman

Manatee

Iguanas everywhere!! 

Along with the wildlife the food was amazing!! I enjoyed wonderful fresh fish everyday...from hogfish to snapper. I ate my weight in Key Lime Pie and discovered Key Lime Butter. We also had some amazing Cuban food on the last day while we hung out with Sarah and Preston in Key West waiting for our flight! 

Adam and Jessica

Sarah and Preston

It was a great trip and a wonderful way to spend time with family. After those 4 days we headed back to Savannah. 

Part 2:

We spent Thanksgiving at my moms house near Beaufort, SC. She lives right on the marsh and it is beautiful. We started the day by baking and cooking with my sister, then heading to the festivities. That evening Ann drove down to spend some time with us. 

The dock took on a little damage from the hurricane...but it was still a beautiful place for sunset! 

So on Black Friday Tristan, Ann, and I opted outside. After Tristan made all of us wonderful pop-overs coated in cinnamon sugar we headed out to Donnelley, a Wildlife Management Area in SC. We spent a beautiful 70 degree day with Alligators, Spoonbills, and Woodstorks! After Donnelley, Ann headed back to Myrtle and Tristan and I headed to Edisto and ended our day with a walk on the beach! 

Alligators

At Edisto

On Saturday we spent the whole day with Sarah, as it was her Birthday. We decorated her apartment for Christmas, including Preston's first live Christmas tree. We had amazing Mexican food for dinner. And then ended the night with a Kareoke celebration! 

Tristan helping to decorate the tree

Sarah and Elizabeth rocking at out

Mother dearest and the birthday girl belting Dolly Parton!! 

On our last day in SC, we spent it with Dad and Paula! They drove down to visit with us for the day. We ate at our favorite restaurants around Charleston! We had breakfast at Harvest Moon and the lunch at Jestines...getting to eat all they yummy southern food! 

After eating all the yumminess we also visited the Aquarium! We had a fantastic time! We got to visit the new shark and stingray touch tank...which was cool for Tristan because he had never touched one before. The Lego exhibit was also taking place, so there were cool Lego statues of all the animals everywhere! The SC Aquarium is one of my favorite places...so it was awesome to get to show Tristan all of the exhibits and the local SC wildlife! 

Tristan and I at the aquarium

We found a giant isopod!! 

All the awesome Lego designs! 

We happened to be in the lobby when I spotted one of my former Sea Turtle Team Volunteers from Edisto, Jacquie. She also volunteers at the aquarium doing sea turtle hospital tours. Lucky for us she said no one had signed up for her tour and asked if we wanted to go down to see the hospital. I was so excited. The SC sea turtle hospital does amazing things for these animals and it is one of my favorite places to visit. We got our own private tour and Tristan got to see all my beautiful sea turtle babies up close!! I am so thankful to have all these wonderful people in my life! 

A beautiful juvenile Green Sea Turtle

Our Thanksgiving trip was so wonderful! It was filled with friends, family, love, adventures, and wildlife! I am so thankful that we got to have this opportunity this year! If we missed you on this trip we are sorry...but hopefully we will catch you on the next trip home whenever that may be!! 

But for now I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere...That's the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place!