For 2022 we celebrated Thanksgiving in Wild Dunes and we were thrilled to be joined by the Goble Family and Grandma and Grandpa Vernon.
Andrea rented a house that was over near the Grand Pavilion, a bit closer to the ocean than we have been in the past. It was a nice location on a cul-de-sac and it was also near the market and the tennis courts.
The house was a great size and we had three king sized beds downstairs, a king sized bed upstairs, and a kids room with a bunch of smaller beds. Grandma and Grandpa stayed upstairs in the king bed and the kids stayed in the kids room, while Griffin and the rest of us were downstairs. The house was super cozy with a nice comfy couch where we could enjoy World Cup soccer games, football, and movies together. The kitchen was large and we also had an enormous dining table which was big enough for all ten of us.
We spent most of our days enjoying the nice cool South Carolina weather and all the fun amenities of the resort. We biked (or triked for Grandma) around the bike trails and through the neighborhoods, and we all enjoyed pickleball. The kids weren't interested in tennis and preferred to sleep in, but Andrea and I were able to do the "Peak Performance" clinic on three of the mornings. We'd planned to do a fourth, but got rained out one of the days.
On Thanksgiving day we went to the parade and it was more lively than in some previous years. The kids were excited to get a bunch of candy and Griffin was pumped to see Santa in the parade. Our Thanksgiving meal was in the restaurant Coastal Provisions, in the Boardwalk Inn. Our family ate there for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago and we all loved the turkey dinner. I was worried that everyone wouldn't enjoy it as much as we did, but the meal turned out great. Most ordered the turkey except Ryan who opted for the pork belly tacos and Grandma Alice got soup as her tooth has been bothering her. It was nice that there were options other than Turkey on the menu. The turkey dinner was just as good as I'd remembered. Amanda, who can be a bit picky at times, said it was not only one of the best turkey dinners she's had, but one of the best meals. We were happy that everyone enjoyed it. For dessert, we all had some pumpkin and apple pie back at the house, which we got from Costco. We've tried pies from all kinds of restaurants over the years and the Costco pies are not only some of the best, but are priced amazingly as well.
We had the house through Sunday, but in the afternoon on Saturday we all decided that maybe it would be better to drive home in the evening instead of Sunday. Rain was in the forecast on Sunday, and the drive down I-95 can be treacherous on a normal day. We'd been very comfortable in our rental house, although the beds seemed to retain moisture, possibly because of waterproof covers. We thought we'd sleep better in our own beds so we all departed in the afternoon on Saturday after we finished our last pickleball session.
We all talked, laughed, and played a lot together over the week. It was such fun to spend family time together and I'm thankful that we all had the opportunity to come together and celebrate this year.
