Thanksgiving 2025 - Wild Dunes with Millie Mae and the Goble Family

This year we drove to Wild Dunes South Carolina on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to celebrate the holiday together. 

We weren't sure if anyone would be joining us this year so we bought a medium sized house which would have been decent for our family of four, with the Gobles it was a little tight but it worked. The fact that there were only two bathrooms was really the only issue at times. Otherwise, it was a cozy house with a comfy couch and it was in a different area of the resort where we hadn't stayed before.

We did the morning peak performance tennis clinic on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Paige was tired on Wednesday, so she didn't do tennis, so she took a few pictures and videos for us. The tennis this year was a great level on Sunday and Tuesday when it was just our family of four in the clinic. We had some amazing points and it was awesome to see everyone playing their best. Wednesday was a bit of a disappointment. We were on a court with some fairly beginner players and it's interesting how everyone's level of tennis drops in those situations. We had some enjoyable moments, but came away a little frustrated afterwards. 

The Gobles joined us on Sunday and they are always game for Pickleball. We played quite a bit with them in the evenings and they've improved dramatically since the last time we all got together. Graydon especially was playing great, and the weather was perfect for our outdoor activities. The house came with four bikes, which we used to get to pickleball, to the beach, and to just ride around the area. 

We ate at Mcalister's Deli a few times as well as one of our all time favorite restaurants Page's Okra Grill.

The most special part of this trip was that Andrea found a house that allowed us to bring Millie Mae. 

We were worried that Millie would be a little high maintenance, especially if we had to leave her alone at the house, but she actually came pretty much everywhere with us and she would just stay in the car when she wasn't allowed in a restaurant with us. Millie behaved very well, enjoyed plenty of treats, and got a lot of exercise and playtime with us.  One afternoon, I went out to the point on the far east side of the island to hunt for shark teeth, and Millie came along with the kids for the adventure.

It was great to have a lot of time with Connor. He's been away at college, and has been super busy with his frat and with his schoolwork. It's been so nice having him around, and he even mentioned to Andrea that as he's gotten older he appreciates our family time at places like Wild Dunes over the years. We're happy that he enjoys it with us, and thankful that Andrea was able to get us all together again this year.

Paige was in a great mood for the trip, was a good friend with the Goble boys, and she played her guitar and sang for us. I think she had fun, and she always brings a lot of silliness and humor to our gatherings. Paige was the one this year that started off the "What's everyone thankful for this year" discussion during our Thanksgiving meal. Paige also had a nice surprise to find that one of her friends from camp, Evie, lived very close to where we were staying. They met for lunch together one afternoon and had a nice time catching up.

Since we aren't planning to see the Gobles over Christmas, Andrea brought their Christmas gifts early for them. Graydon's gotten taller and grown up a lot since he moved back to Kansas City. 

Griffin's gotten much more independent and he used the potty on his own a few times. He is chill at meal times and I enjoyed watching him carefully eat his lunch at Page's Okra Grill. He got the ketchup bottle and squeezed himself a nice amount for his chicken, and his outfit was spotless afterwards. He's such a big boy.

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, we slept in instead of doing tennis, and we all went to watch the Thanksgiving Parade. The floats were creative and different than years past, and we ended up with a couple balloons and big bag of candy.

Our Thanksgiving "dinner" was at noon, so more of a lunch, which we think is the best way to do it. Most of us got the turkey, and although it was different than a couple of years ago, it was still tasty.

We wrapped up our stay on Friday with one last visit to McAlister's Deli and then we bid South Carolina and Gobles a fond farewell before heading home. Happy Thanksgiving!