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Weekend Snapshots: Sister in Harrogate

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The weekend is over but, to be honest, it doesn’t really feel like my vacation is over because Sister is still in town. She leaves tomorrow and then the harsh reality will sink in. But, for now, I’m just going to soak in the last two days we have together!

The past few days have been so much fun and I’m happy Sister got to experience Harrogate in all it’s glory. Let’s do a picture recap of the past few days! (Although, if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, these pictures will look familiar!)

Thanksgiving Day:

We started Thanksgiving morning with a hike at the Fitness Trail. We figured it was necessary to start the day off with a little sweat before cooking our Thanksgiving feast!

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Our Thanksgiving dinner was small but satisfying. We had stuffing with ground turkey, pumpkin pasta, sweet potatoes, and squash and quinoa. Dessert was Sister’s warm brownies topped with ice cream! Not your typical Thanksgiving meal, but we were feeling rebellious.

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We also wanted Thanksgiving to be a little on the lighter side since we knew that Friendsgiving on Friday would consist of a lot of food and drinks!

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Friday:

We were, again, determined to work up a sweat before diving head-first into the Friendsgiving feast. Ankur and I had heard of the Sand Caves in Ewing, Virginia but had never been. Since we had all day, we figured a 10-mile hike was in the cards for us. (I started complaining after Mile 7. Partially because I had rolled my ankle. And partially because I was hangry).

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I don’t think we expected the hike to be very difficult, so we packed very little water and no snacks whatsoever. Luckily, we ran into an older man on his way down who gave us his extra waterbottles. He said he always carries a few extra because he runs into ill-prepared hikers that have no idea what they’re getting themselves into. (AKA us).

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The difficulty of the hike wasn’t so much in the length or the incline. It was because the path was covered in SO many rocks that were hidden by leaves so, at any given point, you could just slip and fall.  (Which happened to me at least 5 times).

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But, eventually, we reached the Sand Cave and all was worth it. It wasn’t an actual cave like I was expecting, but an enormous rock-shelter carved by the erosional forces of wind, water and ice. Pretty unbelievable.

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By the end of the hike, we were all exhausted and ready to dig into some food, so we went and got sandwiches from Dutch Treat – even though we had our Friendsgiving feast a few hours after that. I think a 10-mile hike means I could eat all the things. Sandwiches. Turkey. Stuffing. The works. Right?

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Friendsgiving:

Katy and Gentry hosted Friendsgiving at their place and we all brought a couple things to contribute to the dinner.

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There were food and drinks and games (and shots of vodka).

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But my favorite thing of all was the company.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The people I have met here have become somewhat of a family for me and I wouldn’t have been able to successfully survive this transition without them. I’m so grateful for their friendship.

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Saturday:

Despite the fact that my legs were sore and I was sportin’ a slight headache from Friendsgiving the night before, Sister and I went to Step Aerobics at 9AM. There was no way I was going to let Sister leave Harrogate without experiencing Brenda.

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After class, we quickly showered and ran out the door to meet Julie in Maryville for a hometown date! Sister met Julie in DC at their book club. They bonded over Eleanor Roosevelt and became fast friends. Julie grew up just outside of Knoxville, so when Sister made her plans to come here for Thanksgiving, she also made plans to visit Julie, her family, and, of course, Subs and Such.

Julie and Sister

Sister and I had never experienced “steam” before. But, apparently, Maryville is big into steaming their sandwiches. And Subs & Such does it best. The thing about “steam” is that you gotta eat your sandwich right then and there. Because, if you wait too long, it’ll get a bit soggy. So, Julie, her parents, and Sister and I ordered our steamed sammies and started our tour off with the best tasting sandwich north of the Mississippi.

Subs & Such

Julie then took us to see all the things. Her elementary school-turned-Boys-and-Girls-Club, her middle school, high school, funeral homes, nursing homes, the whole shebang.

Then, we went back to her childhood home and got to see where she grew up. And hang out with her family. It was the only – but best – hometown date I had ever been on. And Sissy and I walked away firm believers in the power of steam.

Subs & Such

Sunday:

Sissy and I parked it on the couch for most of the day to watch the Gilmore Girls reunion. We were unimpressed. But, like most Gilmore Girls fans, we had to watch it. To witness the back-and-forth banter and the terrible acting. Still, it was fun to see where people ended up and how some people aged far more than others.

Peggy 2016 Christmas Tree

We also cooked a bit for the week and Sister gave Peggy a slight makeover. Instead of rope, she’s got garland and, suddenly, she’s become a lot prettier. We’re on the hunt for a tree topper that lights up without looking too over-the-top. Walmart’s got nothing. And, unfortunately, that’s my only option out here. So if there’s something online that you know of, send the recommendations my way!

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Questions of the Day:

  • What did you do for Thanksgiving?

  • Have you ever experienced a steamed sandwich?
  • What’s on the top of your Christmas tree? 

Comments

  1. Is it wrong that I read this, reread this, was jealous of the hike, and yet still ended up back at this question:
    There’s still step aerobics????

    Reply

    • There IS. And I LOVE IT! And it’s on planks of wood. FOR REAL. Turns out you don’t need a whole lot of fancy crap to get a good workout!

      Reply

  15. Oh Friendsgiving – is that a thing! That sounds so much more fun than with just family! And a Thanksgiving day hike sounds so awesome – way to work out the carbs!

    Reply

  19. Good for you for getting up and hitting that 9am class! I got up early on Friday as well and hit the gym. Thursday morning my and my parents did our local 5K to benefit the Rescue Mission. Gotta stay fit and active if we’re gonna eat all that delicious food!

    Erica – http://www.lookingtothestars.com

    Reply

  22. Looks like you had an amazing holiday weekend. All of that food looks so good. Love the shot of your tree in the background.

    Reply

  26. I love simple celebrations because they’re more intimate! You dinner looked so good! That’s an awesome idea, to hold a Friendsgiving celebration! That’s really nice!

    Reply

  30. Looks like you had a fun filled weekend with hubby, sissy and friends.
    Our Thanksgiving was Friendsgiving too ………i.e. at a friends place.
    Feel Blessed!!

    Reply

  31. Lovely post & lovely day. As for your questions…
    What did you do for Thanksgiving? I cooked dinner for my mom, her husband, and my husband. It was small and nice. Not like our usual 30-40 people.
    Have you ever experienced a steamed sandwich? no, I can’t say that I have.
    What’s on the top of your Christmas tree? right now, the tree is up with no topper. Once the topper goes on, it’s a silver star fish (not a real one!)
    Have a lovely holiday!
    Debi at Life Currents recently posted…Gift Giving with American Diabetes Association Gift of Hope ProgramMy Profile

    Reply

  39. I would also be one of this ill-prepared hikers haha. Once I brought my tripod as a walking stick. Yeah, I should just stay indoors! Our tree topper is a quilted star 🙂 Our tree is very shabby chic lol.

    Reply

  41. Your places to hike look amazing! I spent much of y time with my grand children, they keep me very busy. I also was able to snag a few good deals online shopping.

    Reply

  42. I want to go there also.. The place looks so refreshing, quite and relaxing.. Seems that you really enjoyed your thanks giving.

    Reply

  46. Thanksgiving was amazing for us and sounds like you had a great one too. Going for a hike should have been so much fun and your Thanksgiving dinner are looking absolutely delicious. The Friendsgiving party looks great too with all those exciting pictures!

    Reply

  48. The garland is pretty. And hurrah for hikers who carry extra water for those who might not know what they’re getting into. 😉

    Reply

  49. I don’t think I have ever had a steamed sandwich, but now I think I want one.
    Thanksgiving was pretty low-key, but it is nice to see that yours was full of fun and friends. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

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