With our son stationed with the Navy in Pensacola and our daughter in a new job in Florida, we were looking for a way to have a family Thanksgiving away from our home in Virginia. We especially wanted to bring our three big dogs because our son was so homesick for them since leaving for bootcamp..
We were so excited to find Danâs home because it was a clean, well-equipped real family home and he was very cool about us bringing the dogs. I wanted to clear it with him first that our intention was to get together as a family, but invite any homesick Navy buddy of our sonâs who may not be able to spend Thanksgiving with their own family. Dan was not only okay with it, he insisted that we use his fine china for dinner without worrying if anything got broken. He was an awesome host.
The house was very comfortable, clean, and well-equipped. The beds were comfortable, and I wish my own home had the great shower pressure that his house has. We played air hockey, foosball, and darts, and spent a lot of time in the fully fenced back yard and deck. The dogs could run and be safe without fear of them needing to stay on leashes. Even when my obnoxious dogs barked at the neighborâs dog in their back yard, the neighbor couldnât have been nicer.
All this allowed us to feel at home and have a real family Thanksgiving. There were a lot of houses to choose from when we were looking, but not many took dogs (especially big dogs) and most of them had so many heavy rules that we felt like we wouldnât be able to relax. Dan allowed us to be at home away from our own home. It was just what we hoped for.