The Thanksgiving That Taught Us About All of Our Blessings

There was bound to be a vacation or holiday that didn’t quite measure up, and Thanksgiving 2018 turned out to be one of them. The trip started out well enough, with a smooth drive and beautiful weather on Sunday, followed by a nice round of golf for Larry and Tim on Monday morning and a fun lunch downtown for all of us.

On Tuesday morning, the five of us woke up early and headed to Universal Orlando, where we had tickets to experience both of the Harry Potter worlds. The above photos are proof that we were there. Unfortunately, after just two rides, Clare came down with a stomach bug for the first time in 10 years! We tried to sit it out for a bit, but it was soon apparent that we needed to go home. It must be said that Danny and Laura were incredibly understanding about this!

We made it back to the condo, and Tim took Danny and Laura to Siesta Beach to salvage the rest of their day. Fortunately, Clare woke up feeling better on Wednesday, but we needed to lay low. So Tim and the other two went with Ryan, Brian, and Larry to the aquarium. All nine of us were able to enjoy a nice dinner at Philippi Creek that evening, which turned out to be the highlight of the week.

Unfortunately, Danny started throwing up very early on Thanksgiving. By late morning, he seemed stable, so Tim and Larry went out for a round of golf. Eventually, however, they got called off the course because Karen was headed to the hospital via ambulance for back pain. She and Donna spent several hours in the ER, but made it home in time for dinner (much of which Donna had wisely prepared ahead of time). Danny had to stay in the other condo, and Clare pushed herself too much at dinner, so Friday morning dawned a bit grimly for them.

Given that Laura stayed healthy, and Ryan needed an outing, the four of us headed to the Sarasota Jungle Gardens. Reptile fun for all!

We did manage to pull off one last meal all together, and I suppose ultimately that’s what we came for, right? 

Halloween 2018

It was inevitable, but admittedly a bit sad for the Seymour and Franco adults: The kids went separate ways this year, so the adults didn’t get to hang. End of an era. This meant finding new plans for Danny and Laura, too, but we ultimately lucked out by way of our soccer family/neighbors!

Although the Coach Bobby soccer era ended for Danny, his daughter wound up on Laura’s team this fall. So they invited us to join them for the festivities, which worked out well because it’s really close, and both kids had a trick-or-treating buddy. While Danny totally phoned it in on his “costume,” he was still very eager to gather goodies.

Laura, meanwhile, took her role as Hermione from Harry Potter very seriously. I had a serious deja vu moment from my high school days as I braided her hair the night before, prepping for the crimped effect. She was very pleased with the results.

Clare spent the evening with Abby over at SJ’s house. They reported a delightful time of pizza and trick-or-treating. They made very cute cats, too!

We couldn’t have had a more gorgeous evening, so Tim and I enjoyed strolling behind Laura and Neve while sipping beers. (Danny and Ewan were on a more accelerated pace.) Best of all, we were home by 8pm, and since it was a school night that worked out well. We did grumble a bit at the Francos for not delivering any pulled pork, but they claim they didn’t make any. That may be reason enough to reinstate Halloween with them next year, but overall we considered this year a victory!