At Sunlake, many of the students and faculty members are already getting into the winter holiday spirit. However, people tend to ignore the less festive but equally important celebration that has only recently concluded: Thanksgiving. The underappreciated day of the turkey is known for being centered around food and family, two of the greatest things! Not to mention, students get an entire week off from school, and in that time Sophomore Ashlynn Lawson partook in a variety of activities with her loved ones. “During Thanksgiving break,” she starts off, “my biological father flew from California to visit me. Since we don’t get to see each other very often, the trip already felt special before it even began. We stayed in Clearwater for five days, giving us plenty of time to explore and catch up. He arrived on Thursday afternoon, and after settling in, we went out to eat at Carrabba’s for dinner. It was simple, but it was a nice way to ease into the visit and spend some time talking face-to-face.”
She continued on, “On Friday, we spent the morning volunteering at the Metropolitan Ministries Thanksgiving Holiday Tent.” “I worked in hospitality, which meant greeting clients, serving food and drinks, and making sure everyone felt welcomes as they came in. My dad, on the other hand, was working behind the scenes, delivering food to be restocked and helping everything run smoothly from the back end. It was a meaningful experience and something we were both proud to do together.”
“Some of the most memorable moments,” Ashlynn reminisces, “came from the activities we did together. We attempted an escape room at The Escape Games FL, which turned out to be more intense than expected but really fun. We also went axe throwing at The Hatchet Hangout. Even though my dad beat me overall, I still managed to land two bullseyes, which I’m definitely not letting him forget.”
Later on in the week, Ashlynn’s dad returned to California, and she spent the actual Thanksgiving day with the rest of her family. “We went to my aunt’s house, where we had turkey, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and all the classic holiday foods. I stayed over that night, and the next day my aunt, uncle, my three cousins, and I all went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The VelociCoaster was our final ride of the night, but it kept breaking down while we waited in line, almost doubling our wait time. Even so, it was worth it once we finally got on.”
“The day after that was my stepdad’s birthday lamb roast, where they cooked a whole lamb and invited a ton of friends and family over. Later that night, my aunt took me to see Wicked: For Good. While I didn’t cry, I did glance over at one point and saw my aunt absolutely bawling at the emotional parts, which made the moment even more memorable.” Ashlynn’s holiday break was packed with exciting events, as were plenty of our other students Thanksgiving breaks. However, what stood out most to her of all her experiences was getting to spend the holiday with those closest to her.
