Each year my family and I go to Williamsburg, Va from Wednesday until Friday and this year Timmy gets to experience it for the first time! Usually my family doesn't allow us to bring anyone or really talk to anyone outside the family that whole time because it is all about family time but next year at this time Timmy will be officially part of the family and we need to warm him up to some of the traditions our family has.
Every year, no matter if we say we aren't, we do the same thing at the same times every single year.
Wednesday Morning: Leave for Williamsburg - mom, Caroline and myself - stock up at Bojangles and hit the road. The car ride is usually pretty miserable because we usually have 3 dogs and between my mom and my sister the music selection is awful..Caroline is wanting to play One Direction and my mom is ALREADY playing Christmas music - this trip starts the Christmas music for her.
Wednesday Lunch: We check into our hotel and sneak our dogs in (no dogs allowed) and then walk right next door to Cracker Barrel (yes cracker barrel is amazing and we praise them but after this trip I am done with Cracker Barrel for awhile and you will see why).
Wednesday Afternoon: After lunch we hit the stores in downtown Williamsburg. Especially the Lilly store, the peanut shop and the candy store.
In front of the Wythe Candy Store in 2009 - yep that is me with BLACK hair. Thank goodness I grew out of that phase.
Wednesday Night: After a little shopping, we head back to hotel, freshen up and go to Olive Garden for dinner. After dinner- go to hotel and go to sleep.
Thursday Morning: My grandparents insist on getting up at 7:30AM and going to breakfast at Cracker Barrel at 8:15AM. They usually only have about 1/2 of my family there (we go with 9 people usually - my grandparents, aunt and uncle, 2 cousins, my sister and my mom) - and its usually only my mom, grandparents and my aunt that make it to breakfast. So my mom brings my sister and I back some eggs and hashbrowns.
Thursday Lunch: We do Thanksgiving lunch. We get all dressed up and go to the Williamsburg Lodge - we have been going there since I was little - even when I wouldn't eat anything but french fries and my grandmother had to pay $50 for french fries. We love it there. We get there about an hour before our lunch reservations and sit inside by the fire drink cider and take family photos. We also celebrate my grandparents wedding anniversary during lunch and we are always excited to see what my grandfather has gotten my grandmother - always a piece of jewelry that is stunning. Then it is time for the food! Even the dogs get to enjoy some of this delicious food - yes my mom was one of those people that brought a plastic bag for the dogs - this year I have no idea who will take on that because I was always so embarrassed!
Caroline, Mom, Papa and I at the Lodge before lunch in 2009.
My mom and I drinking our cider with our pinkies up in 2010- she made this picture a tradition and I am not sure why.
The pearl necklace Papa gave Mama in 2010 - aren't they just presh?
The three of us and my grandparents at the Lodge in 2011.
See there is that cider picture again in 2011.
Lunch at the Lodge in 2013.
Thursday Afternoon: After we have all stuffed ourselves with as much food as we can handle, we go back to the hotel put on our stretch pants and venture back to downtown Williamsburg to walk around. We used to ride bikes through downtown but then one year we had the bikes on the back of my grandfathers car and they fell off and got ran over so we decided not to take them anymore. But we take the dogs with us and they get to enjoy some outdoor time and see all the other people and horses in downtown. We typically walk down to the King's Palace and hang out in the open field for awhile to give the dogs some exercise.
The three of us taking the dogs out in 2011 - not sure where bailey is.
There's Bailey in 2013 and you can see the King's Palace in the distance.
Sister time in downtown in 2013.
Thursday Night: One of our favorite adventures happens after we have rested a little bit from all of the Thanksgiving activities - we take on Kmart as a family! Not sure why we always go there but every year we go and always end up buying a whole bunch of stuff. But not before we act like total mental patients before - Mom, Caroline and I love messing with the staff and love messing with my grandparents. My mom used to go around changing her voice to this hilarious voice asking "Where are the light bulbs?" I can hear it in my head right now. And then last year we put this CD pretty much of a naked lady in my grandfathers cart (he is very conservative and religious) and his reaction was priceless. After we have taken on Kmart we go back to Cracker Barrel for a late night dinner/snack and then hit the bed because we are getting up early for Black Friday!
He is ready to take on Kmart. My grandpa in 2010.
My mom and I waiting for a table at Cracker Barrel on Thanksgiving night in 2010.
Friday: We used to get up early/in the middle of the night and go shopping on Black Friday but we found out it wasn't worth it all the same deals are going on all day where we shop. We shop at the Premium Outlets in Williamsburg and I love it! The past few years it has been empty pretty much - I think the longest line we have had to wait in was like 20 minutes. We shop and shop and shop. We start at like 8am and my mom, Caroline and I usually stay until about 4. Hopefully this year I can convince Timmy to stay that long!
I love my families Thanksgiving traditions but this year it won't be the same. I probably won't go to Kmart and I probably will have to go to breakfast early on Thursday morning since this will be my first year without my mom there and my sister only comes every other year because she splits her holidays between our family and her dad. So I am so thankful Timmy has decided to spend Thanksgiving with my family this year instead of his own because I don't think I could have handled all the sadness by myself.
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4 comments :
What fun thanksgiving traditions! I love seeing how everyone spends the day!
I love learning about other peoples holiday Traditions! Super cool!
Looks lie you guys have a lot of fun! I love it!! I too am a Black Friday shopper :)
Such a good fiancé :) Your grandparents are too cute! I hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful this year, just think about all the happy memories and new ones you get to make with your soon to be hubby.
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