Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Thanksgiving in Boca! Part I (Lots of Pics)

I just got back from spending a week in Boca Raton, Florida! (My in-laws live there). The husband and I went there to celebrate Thanksgiving with the family and it was such a great week!

We flew to Fort Lauderdale from Washington Dulles on the afternoon of Tuesday the 23rd. Before we boarded our flight, we had to go through TSA security where I was promptly given a 'lovely' pat down! Take it from me, wearing a 1950s long line bullet bra infused with metal is not a good idea for travel. The two ladies who performed my search were very nice so the experience was not too bad. The only thing that sucked was the gawking and staring from my fellow travellers!

After enduring the pat down, the man and I had a quick lunch in our terminal and boarded our plane. We were in the air for about 2.5 hours.
Here is the view outside my window. Fort Lauderdale International Airport.
Here is the man, trying to look tough! lol
After getting a bite to eat with family, the man and I went home to his mom's condo. We unpacked, settled in, and I changed into my new 1950s unworn pajamas! The picture above is me the next morning. The temperature was about 77 degrees (it was 82 in the afternoon and the average temperature for most of the week) and the sun was shining.
This is the view from my mother-in-law's screened in patio. The condo overlooks a canal that leads into the Atlantic.
Here I am, finally dressed (I was being so lazy that morning!) and ready to go to lunch. The view in the distance is the other side of the patio. Love those palm trees!
Here is one of the oyster platters at lunch at the Whale's Rib in Deerfield Beach. The Whale's Rib has an amazing raw bar, wonderful seafood, sandwiches galore, and pitcher beer. I do not eat oysters. The man and the rest of the family loves them though. I had a tuna sandwich and it was good!
After having lunch, the man and his dad went shooting while the mother-in-law and I started the prep work for next day's Thanksgiving dinner. We had our Thanksgiving at the man's cousin's house in Boca. The above picture shows her screened in patio. The entire pooldeck is screened in so no bugs or palm fronds can get in or fall into the pool.

Here I am hanging out on the pool deck after spending most of the morning chopping celery and onions and making pies. I wore a lot of snoods this trip! The humidity was wreaking havoc on my hair! Also, snoods make styling quick and easier to do.
This is me and one of the cousin's cats, Sophia. We are chillin' pool side as we work on our tans.
Pretty flowers on the pool deck.
An orchid on the patio.

I have no idea what these flowers are but they are gorgeous!
Another one of the cousin's cats, Yawner. There are three cats total: one mama (Sophia) and her two big baby cats, Patches and Yawner. I am going outside the patio to the backyard to admire the tropical flowers. The shoes I am wearing are my brand new Re-Mix wedges in the Veranda style.


The left side of the backyard.
My favorite flower of all time! The hibiscus! This lovely girl was just too pretty! The cousin has several varieties of hibiscus on her lot! I was in total floral heaven!
The Thanksgiving table on the patio! Even though the sun had gone down, the temperatures were in the 70s! A gentle breeze could also be felt coming off the nearby ocean (it was three blocks away!)
Dinner time! The meal included stuffing, cranberry chutney, mashed potatoes, turkey, veggie protein (for me), cornbread stuffing, sauteed green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, gravy, and rolls!

Here is my plate! Instead of turkey, I had a veggie patty and the mother-in-law made me my own batch of sausage-free cornbread stuffing made with chestnuts! After dinner, we all had apple or pumpkin pie. Everything was so good! I felt "fat-n-happy" after dinner and reflected on how I was truly thankful for being so lucky to be with family on this day.
Here is the man hanging out apres-dinner with Sophia and Yawner. After dinner, me, the man, and the in-laws went back home to sleep off all that good food.

I will post more pictures soon in another post! This one is long enough as it is!

I hope all of you gals had a fabo Holiday!

14 comments:

  1. Looks like you had an absolutely FABULOUS holiday! How lucky you are to have in-laws in Boca. Are you going to spend Christmas there? What a wonderful break from the cold.

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  2. Kim,

    It was a fabulous week! I have more pictures coming soon. The weather, except for one day, was amazing. The average daily temperature was about 82 degrees! I was such a shock to come back to reality with rain, wind, and 50 degrees! After the storms we had, it got colder this afternoon.

    The in-laws will be here in the DC area for Christmas. The husband and I will more than likely visit Boca again in the winter months.

    I hope you had a great holiday! I saw your blog and the food looked good! I also love your home decor! Talk about vintage-tastic!

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  3. Thanks! Coming from you and Mary, I am flattered!

    You really need to think about Viva one of these years. You will have a blast and the shopping in amazing.

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  4. Lady B: Glad you had a great time. My wife and I love Boca. We live in St. Augustine, and I have relatives in Boca. We can't visit often enough.

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  5. Kim,

    I really do need to go to Viva! I love Vegas and I think meeting other vintage folks would be fun! Also, Vegas and shopping is just too good to pass up!

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  6. JJ,

    I have been to Boca many times since I married the husband in '96! I love it there! Me and the family went to the beach, hung out by the pool, went out to eat, and simply enjoyed the weather. My in-laws moved back this year. The husband grew up in Palm Beach Gardens and missed "living by the water." Overall, it was neat to have Thanksgiving outside in 80 degree sunshine!

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  7. Great photos! Looks like a fantastic time! I can't believe the weather is that good in November! I'm moving there. Good weather and Harry Potter world! What more do you need!? You look adorable also
    :)

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  8. Trixie,

    Thanks for the compliment! The temperature can range from 78 to about 83 in the fall and average 74 to 80 in the winter. The sun shines a lot and the humidity is lower. That is cool that you are moving to Florida. My in-laws and husband are from there and my in-laws moved back this year after living in the DC area for 27 years.

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  9. Ooh, is hubby Army or prior service Army? I recognize that hat! ;)

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  10. Erin,

    The man is indeed prior service Army! He was Infantry! He served over 9 years. He often misses it and I know will be an integral part of him for life.

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  11. how lovely and sunny..looks like you had a great time..the food looks so good..love the flowers and your sunnies..you always so classica bella.

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  12. I love your p.j.'s and sunglasses! You look too cute in them. How awesome would that be to wake up every morning and have that same view from my patio, rather than 4 ft. cement, some dirt and weeds. Amazing! One can wish! ;-)

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  13. Muchas gracias, La Dama! The comida was excellente! I ate too much but it was worth it! The flores in my husband's cousin's yard are to die for! I was in tropical flor heaven!

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  14. Crafty Doll,

    Thanks! The Pjs were indeed a great find!They were still new in the package from the 50s! They fit like a dream and are so cozy to sleep in! The sunglasses were found on Etsy and I had them fit to my prescription. I have an obsession for vintage eyewear!

    As for my mother-in-law's condo, it is gorgeous and the view is awesome! It is great to sit on the patio and watch all the boats go by. I wish I had the view too! I live in a suburb in Northern Virginia and my "view" is just cookie-cutter houses, a few trees, and my neighbors' fences. Boring! Oh well. If I need a change of pace, the man and I can just go visit his parents again!

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