Weekend Snapshots: Sister in Harrogate
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!
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.
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!
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).
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).
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).
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.
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?
Friendsgiving:
Katy and Gentry hosted Friendsgiving at their place and we all brought a couple things to contribute to the dinner.
There were food and drinks and games (and shots of vodka).
But my favorite thing of all was the company.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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????
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!
Wow. I’m tired just reading all of this! That was certainly a jam-packed weekend!
It looks like it was a lovely place to walk. I have no sisters, but can relate to the enjoyment of spending time with a sibling as my brother used to live several states away.
I live in Florida and have never had a steamed sandwich … but I’m going to be on the lookout from now on!
Going light if you know you are going to indulge the next day is smart. We weren’t smart like you were. Great to take a beautiful walk to enjoy the day
That hike to the sand cave and the steamed sandwiches sound awesome. What a fun and action filled long weekend!
Looks like you had a great Thanksgiving and weekend!
That hike looks awesome. The leaves are just beautiful but I can see why they would make seeing where you step a problem. But the cave makes it so worth it. WOW!
Looks like you had a wonderful thanksgiving with your family!
One Awesome Momma
Looks like you all had a fantastic holiday weekend!
Looks like you all had a really good time. Friends are very important and your meal looked very tasty.
Well my plans fell through but I still got stuffing and napped like a rock star! I love the Friendsgiving idea.
Everything looks like so much fun! That hike looks awesome! Is that a cave in that one pic? The food looks amazing and how fun is your friendsgiving!
Your Thanksgiving meal may not be traditional, but it looks delicious! I love delicata squash!
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!
Awww, sounds like such a lovely Thanksgiving (and Friendsgiving–LOVE!!!). Awesome that you went hiking day of AND those pictures look incredible. GO YOU with the aerobics class! I made it to the gym twice this weekend. I feel like that’s a huge accomplishment 🙂
XOXO
It sounds like you had a great weekend! I like the idea of a friendsgiving as well as a standard family one. It allows even more celebration!
It’s so nice to have friends to celebrate with when family is not an option. We have done this for years.
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
This looks like a great place to go! I love holiday pictures and outdoor too.
Looks like an amazing weekend. Those woods look so beautiful too. 🙂
Looks like you had an amazing holiday weekend. All of that food looks so good. Love the shot of your tree in the background.
Looks like you had a fun Thanksgiving weekend! And your dinner looked delicious, even if it wasn’t the traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Such cute photos! Looks like a great weekend!
xx, Morgan
http://www.liliesandlambs.com
Looks like an awesome Thanksgiving weekend! That trail is really pretty! You have more willpower than I do, getting up to go to your step class!
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!
The food looks so delicious. It looks like you had a great visit. It is always hard to say goodbye.
What a fun weekend! I love the idea of a Friendsgiving 🙂 Also, that cave (that’s not really a cave, but is totally a cave) looks really cool. I LOVE NATURE! Squeeeee
What a yummy menu Divya glad you made a pasta and that squash and quinoa looks very appetizing. Great you had a good time.
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!!
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!
What a great few days – good food, plenty of exercise and fun with friends and sissy (close friends and family call me sissy 🙂 ). I’ve never had a steamed sandwich before, but not I’m intrigued by it!
You sure had a Thanksgiving to remember and cherish for a long time. Great walks, good food and best of all great company.
Looks like you had a lot of fun! I love that photo of you by the cave – the scenery is surreal! 🙂
What fun-packed weekend! Sand Cave looks super interesting, love discovering new places!
That’s a lovely celebration for Thanksgiving! I love the hikes, the sights are just beautiful! I love that friendsgiving party, it brings people closer together!
Looks like you had a great weekend! We too had gone to a Friendsgiving! We had such a blast!
Looks like a wonderful thanksgiving weekend!
Rachel | The Confused Millennial
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.
I have eaten steamed bagel sandwiches, and they are wonderful!
Yes, a 10-mile hike entitles you to eat all the things! 🙂
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.
I want to go there also.. The place looks so refreshing, quite and relaxing.. Seems that you really enjoyed your thanks giving.
The foods looks so delicious and tasty. Find this a great dishes for parties. The places is so beautiful.
This looks like it was such a great time. The setting and food is all so great looking.
You – busy and productive. Me – napped for three days after turkey and wine. I WAS in sweats but not at the gym…
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!
Sounds like you had a busy and enjoyable weekend. I’m a little jealous of the hike, that looks beautiful.
The garland is pretty. And hurrah for hikers who carry extra water for those who might not know what they’re getting into. 😉
Seriously! He was an angel in disguise <3
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.