It has been a long time since we traveled for Thanksgiving or Christmas. As long as the church has existed, to be exact, so that means ten years! Don’t feel bad for us though. After many, many holidays of traveling (to PA, SC, FL), we were thrilled for an excuse to stay put for a good long while and make people come to us.
This year we felt different. David’s brother Joe and his family have been coming south for a few years now, so we offered to celebrate with them in Pittsburgh. But then someone had the idea of us all meeting up in the mountains so it would feel like a little vacation for everyone.
David’s parents found an Airbnb at New River Gorge big enough for 13 people, and we hit the road Wednesday morning.
We forgot what holiday traffic is like. But other than that, it was lovely to spend Thanksgiving somewhere else this year. Between the two drives, we listened to all of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and some of The Three Musketeers.
There was a moment when the women of the family thought we may lose our minds trying to reproduce the traditional Thanksgiving dinner in a vacation rental — along with the various family allergies (gluten, dairy, tree nuts). But we did it. Everyone pitched in with both food prep and clean-up, and it all tasted delicious.
West Virginia was cold but beautiful. We were able to hike both Thursday and Friday. We also enjoyed the hot tub, football (playing and watching), and sitting around the fire pit.
And now we’re home, safe and sound, in time for church tomorrow. A lovely time was had by all.
a wide place 
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