Naples, FL
November 2004 Every year at Thanksgiving we get together for our family reunion in a different city. This year we were in Naples, Florida and I think it's my new favorite city for reunions. :)
This is me in Florida
This is Everglades State Park
Stef & Charlie
My uncle took us out for an airboat ride (classical tourist, but still fun). It was pretty loud so we all wore ear muffs.
Dad and Mom
Stef and I enjoy the sun
We got to see lots of birds... like this pelican that landed on our boat right next to us
We also saw wild boar (the tour guide said they were brought over to America by the Spaniards)
Of course, aligators were the highlight of the trip. They came up nice and close to the boat!
Tom, Jon, Grandpa, and Marge enjoy their ride
Colin, Meghan, Vince, Brian, and Kandy also enjoy the ride
Other than the airboat ride, we stayed in Naples, opting to spend most of our time at Tom & Linda's house enjoying the great views!
Their house is waterfront and the decks have a perfect view of sunset
The pier is right next to the house and people go there to fish, watch dolphins, or just enjoy the view
I guess having sharks would deminish the charm of the beaches, surfers, and dolphins
I forced myself to put down my drink at happy hour to take a walk during sunset. I'm looking a bit tired, probably b/c our flight was delayed in Houston. We didn't get to Naples till around 3:30am, and were awake for the airboat ride by 8am (which would be 5am my time). Made for a long day!
Marge and Grandpa aren't great with walking and they opted to relax at happy hour
Dad and Mom did too
The photo is a bit blurry, but the house is fantastic with all windows opening to the waterfront!
The Annual Gift Exchange
We celebrate Christmas early every year and do a white elephant gift exchange and a regular gift exchange...
Meghan was the unlucky reciepient of her own pencil sharpener... her parents wrapped it and gave it away as one of the white elephant gifts.
Stef got all kinds of random gifts (like a magnifying glass), that continued to be stolen from her time after time.
Eventually she ended up with an apron that she really quite liked.
Jon on the other hand ended up with a used dish rag with a ruffle on it. Don't let the smile fool you... he was not amused.
The kids table at Thanksgiving
Even when we're in our 20s and people are married, we're still the kids table. :) Jon commented that our dinners were much more fun than they used to be, and I have to concur. I think the alcohol might have something to do with it, but I'm not sure. I think most of all things have just loosed up a bit in recent years and that's a good thing in my book.
Peggy with Aunt Linda and Uncle Tom
We were drinking frozen cosmos all night and Jon, Stef, and I were going to toast. We weren't coming up with anything fantastic and we asked my aunt Linda to help. She did a toast to her son/my cousin Jim, who died almost two years ago. Our families don't talk about his death, or how it affects any of us, but I think about Jim all the time. Linda did a quick toast in his honor which made me immeadiately start crying. I miss him so much...
I hadn't seen my cousin Meghan and her husband Vince since this summer (though it's true that they only live a mile away). There are holiday parties coming up so I suspect I'll see them again very soon.
Stef, Charlie, and I smile for a self portrait. No fighting for us this year (though I hear there was a painful attempt at political discussion earlier in the weekend before I arrived).
Grandpa has brought his lady friend Marge to all family gatherings for the past 10 years or so. They're fantastic and their generosity helps make the whole gathering possible.
The end!