A Thankful Thanksgiving

I can't believe Thanksgiving has passed and it is almost December! Florida has me all confused what time of the year it is because the weather doesn't change! It was rainy before Thanksgiving though which I liked because it reminded me of Thanksgiving growing up in California. It was a different Thanksgiving though because it was my first in Florida and my first away from my family. It was still a wonderful Thanksgiving though and I have gained new family and it was great to spend it with them. Jeff and I couldn't go anywhere for Thanksgiving so Jeff's parents came down to us and we celebrated together! We cooked all the food in our apartment and then we took it down to Siesta Key where we ate with our little old lady friend, Jane. She is the sweetest lady you will ever meet! Her health is not very good and she was going to be all alone and we couldn't let that be so we went to her. I had never done a Thanksgiving meal before myself but thank goodness for Jeff's mom! She is a machine and knows how to get it done! I would have been lost without her!

The table

Did you ever make these? My mom used to make these little turkeys for us so I decided to do some!

Our spread of food

The gang!

It was a great Thanksgiving and as always on Thanksgiving, you have to say what you are thankful for! There are many, many things I am thankful for but the thing that I am most grateful for this year is the ability we have to communicate and travel. Being away from family has made me realize how grateful I am for cars, planes, phones, computers, even texting! I know it may sound silly but it wasn't too long ago that I wouldn't have been able to communicate with my family the way we can today. I can hop on a plane and see my family in a day if I wanted although they live thousand miles away! Jeff's parents were able to come down here and be with us and we were able to drive to be with Jane. It truly is a blessing in my life and I am grateful people are willing to come and visit us too! :)

I also learned something else this Thanksgiving. I was missing my family terribly and wanting to cry but as we were sitting at the dinner table and Jeff was next to me with his arm around me, a wave of comfort came over me and I realized that all I need is him. Although I wished my family could have been there and wanted to be with them so bad, I was ok because he was with me. I have always known you are to "cling unto your spouse" and that all I need is him but this was a true testament of that to me and I am so thankful I have him to "cling to." He is my rock!


Well, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and I guess it's time to pull out those Christmas decorations! Happy Holidays! :)

Company!

I don't know why I have the hardest time keeping up with blogging but back in October my mom and sis came to visit us here in Florida and it was so fun! It was good to have them here and for them to finally see where we are living and everything. I wish they could have stayed a little longer but we tried to squeeze in as much as we could! Here is a quick overview of what we did...

We went to a USF football game

We went to the beach. The first time we went it was a little too cold so we didn't stay very long but we went again and the weather was much better!

We took them to The Old Salty Dog of course...

We went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. There were no lines so we were able to cover most of the rides and I was so proud of my mom. She went on every ride despite the outcome of her hairdo haha. I love her.

Some of my favorite pics :)

We ate tons! We tried some new restaurants and some Jeff and I had been to already. My mom loves key lime pie so we tried many different kinds of key lime pie, humongous cookies from Universal, multiple desserts from Berns Steakhouse dessert room (which were actually a disapointment), and fried chicken and pies from Yoder's (another restaurant from Man vs Food). My family has an incredible ability to eat haha and this doesn't even cover half of what we ate.

Dinner at one restaurant...

on to dessert at the next!

The time went all too quickly though and I had to say good-bye. It was so hard for me! It was almost harder saying good-bye then than when we moved! After I dropped them off at the airport, I literally cried all the way home. I felt like a part of me had been taken away and I haven't felt like that in a long time or not since Jeff and I had gone through our break-ups. I think I felt so sad because I have everything here in Florida I want except my family. It is easier for me to leave Utah because I am going back to Jeff but this time they were leaving me! To help ease my pain, Jeff told me to plan a trip home so I bought a ticket after they left and I'm going back in January! I wish Florida wasn't so far from them but I am thankful that they were able to come and that I was able to spend the time that I did with them! I love my family!

The Old Salty Dog

Jeff and I have been very busy exploring Florida and we have loved pretty much every spot we have gone! Recently, with the help of Man vs. Food, we found another great place! I don't know if you have ever watched Man vs. Food before but it's a show on the Travel Channel and we just randomly started watching it and love it. The host travels to places all over the country to try foods that have become "famous" in their area and also competes in different food challenges. It's crazy some of the things he eats. I don't know how he does it! Anyways, he went to Sarasota, Florida to try a few restaurants there and that is how we discovered the "salty dog." The salty dog can be found at the Old Salty Dog restaurant and it is a beer battered hot dog. Those of you who know Jeff know that he loves his hot dog so this added a whole new element to it! Sarasota is one of our favorite beach spots so after a great day at the beach, we headed to try this famous salty dog. I wasn't quite sure about it but it was actually pretty good! I have to admit though it's not the salty dog that will bring me back to this restaurant. It's a waterfront, literally on the water restaurant and the view is amazing! Florida has all these little restaurants on the water and I love them. It is the most relaxing thing to just sit and enjoy the beach while you eat. Yes, I am spoiled but very grateful to live in such a beautiful place!

Front of the restaurant

The Salty Dog (this is from the second time we went...we forgot to take a pic of it the first time!)

Isn't the water just amazing

Ahh...I love it