Thanksgiving 2010

I spent this Thanksgiving weekend in Miami with my mom, grandparents, uncle, and assorted cousins. My mom and sister had gone there for the past four or five Thanksgivings while I stayed in Memphis with my dad, brother, and then-husband and siblings-in-law. This year, my dad and brother left on Thanksgiving Day for a hunting trip, and my sister was with her in-laws, so Miami was the only option if I didn’t want to be alone.

It was my first Thanksgiving in Miami since I lived there, and a difficult one not only for my obvious reasons, but also because it was the first one without my great-Aunt Betsy, who died suddenly in June. I’m told she used to rule the roost and prepare everything on Thanksgiving. So it was a subdued holiday for all the relatives, but we were glad to see each other. My grandfather ordered a turkey from an (awesome) Italian grocery, and other relatives brought all the side dishes, so I didn’t have to prepare anything. I tried to see it as a nice break, but it felt so wrong not to be cooking on Thanksgiving!

I was able to spend some time on a boat, thanks to my cousin Kim and her family!

(my distinguished-looking grandfather)

I got to have lunch with Kristi, who’s been my friend since kindergarten. We’ve kept in touch all these years and she might visit me soon!

One night we were invited to the apartment of one of my uncle’s business associates. She lives on the 29th floor of a building near Hollywood Beach, with a full view of the city on one side and the ocean on the other! It was amazing, but I had to stay back from the railing – heights are making me more nervous as I get older.

On Sunday, my mom, uncle, and I went to Hollywood Beach (my favorite beach as a kid) to ride bikes! I felt Severely Irritated at not seeing the ocean after several days in Miami, so finally getting to the beach was a huge relief. We rode several miles up to Dania Pier and then back to Hollywood. It was a satisfying ocean communion time.