I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I have been very busy since Brandon and Amy's wedding and have been getting organized for the holidays. Thanks to everyone who continued to visit my blog and submit such sweet comments while I have been on hiatus. I have such great blogging friends and, at this time of giving thanks, want to say that I am soooo thankful for each and every one of you!
My son's wedding was truly beautiful! I am looking forward to sharing photos with you of Amy and Brandon's special day on November 5, 2011. As you will see, it was a magical event....a story book wedding that we will all remember and keep in our hearts forever.
Thanksgiving came quickly after the wedding. My son, Elliott, came home from University of Washington for the holiday. Always a pleasure to have him back with us. As many of you know, I don't have any family here in Washington State so it was just my husband, Elliott and myself for turkey day. We have a tradition of going over to a place we love to visit during the holidays....the Alderbrook Resort.
The Alderbrook Resort is located on the Hood Canal, and it is about a 45 minute drive or so from our home. The drive is nice as you meander down along the Hood Canal, and there are many homes right on the edge of the water. They prepare a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner in the restaurant of the Resort each year. While dining, you can view the Hood Canal from the many windows in the restaurant. Here is a photo of my husband, Mark, and I at dinner...
You can see the delicious food on our plates. We always have the best service at the restaurant. As soon as you are seated, they bring out some delicious bread...
We had a choice of a couple of different salad selections or pumpkin soup. I had soup which was delicious! Love pumpkin soup!
I also had a mojito cocktail which was very refreshing before dinner along with my ice water.
Here is my son, Elliott... He chose the salmon selection for his main course.
My husband and I chose the traditional Thanksgiving dinner...
As you can see, you do not leave hungry when you have dinner at the Alderbrook Lodge. Everything was delicious and the waitress was very attentive. For desert, I selected a chocolate creme brulee...
My son, Elliott, is not a big sweet eater so he selected some ice cream with chocolate sauce...
Our server was nice enough to make this photo of us together....
Each year, the Grinch makes an appearance at the restaurant. Sometimes, he is sitting at the bar on one of the stools. This year, Mr. Grinch was relaxing on the couch as you enter the restaurant of the Lodge....
We asked Mr. Grinch if he would pose with us, and he was happy to oblige....
The Alderbrook Lodge is always beautifully decorated for the holidays.
Each year, the Alderbrook hosts a gingerbread house event giving area children an opportunity to be creative and have fun...
Guests are invited to vote for their favorite gingerbread house...
The house above had a note about Hansel and Gretel....Here is what it said...
While we were exploring the gingerbread house creations, a little friend appeared....
The resident cat decided to join us for our tour of the gingerbread houses created by the local children...
There was a candy cane tree next to the gingerbread houses so my husband and I posed with the Christmas tree for a photo...
By the way, children are not the only ones who enjoy making gingerbread houses. Take a look at this large gingerbread house in the main common area of the Alderbrook Lodge....
Every year, the Alderbrook Resort makes and assembles a couple of gingerbread houses that are large enough for a small child to enter....although they are for display only. Yes, the entire house is made of real gingerbread...
The windows that were cut out had parchment paper or something similar behind them and a light was put behind the windows. Really looked pretty!
The main lobby/common area of the lodge always features the gingerbread house and some fabulous holiday decorations. Each year the decorations are different.
This year, the Lodge focused on a winter white theme....
We always enjoy seeing the creative and beautiful holiday decor at the Resort each year....
We always bring our camera so that we can make lots of photos...
There was a train on display at the Resort this year...
Every year, Santa's mailbox is at the Lodge so that children can write a letter to Santa Claus and drop it in the mailbox. Let's see, Santa, what do I want? Hmmmmm......I've been very good this year! :)
My biggest wish, Santa, is that my family and friends be safe, well and happy in the coming year....and that God continue to bestow his blessings on each and everyone that I love. Here is Elliott, relaxing next to the fire in the Lodge...
A view of the ceiling at the Lodge...
A canoe hangs from the ceiling by the stairway...
They have a sleigh set up each year in the lobby of the Lodge. We always make a new photo with the sleigh. Here is a photo of Elliott and my husband, Mark, together...
And my husband and I....
Elliott and I...
While at the Alderbrook for Thanksgiving Day, we always take a photo together. Many times, these photos become our holiday photos that we share with others in our Christmas cards. Sometimes, we choose them for photo ornaments for our tree...
While we were having our photo made by the tree, the resident kitty came over to join us...
The cat is so beautiful....each eye is a different color!
There is a deck behind the common area of the Lodge. Even though the weather was a bit chilly, we stepped outside to make a couple of photos there. The deck looks out at the Hood Canal, pool area, and grassy common area. There is a very large tree in the center of the common ground area that the Lodge decorates each year...
You can see the decorated tree behind me in the photo above. Each year on the day after Thanksgiving, Santa comes to the Alderbrook Lodge by seaplane or boat and walks up the long dock to the lighted Christmas tree to greet the many Lodge guests and local visitors who are awaiting his arrival. The Resort offers hot chocolate to everyone while they wait. Santa is usually accompanied by a band as he makes his way down the dock toward the excited children and their families. Santa hands out treats and poses for many photos. It is fun to book a room at the Resort so that you are there on Thanksgiving and also for the events the next evening.
We had a rainy day on Thanksgiving this year, so we did not go out to the dock area. But, so that you may see the dock that Santa walks down, I am sharing a photo of me with our dog, Sadie Mae, taken on a previous year. You can see the Hood Canal in the background...
The Alderbrook Resort is a wonderful place to spend the holidays in the fall and winter....or in the summer. It is on our list of our favorite places to visit in our area. There is a spa at the Alderbrook Resort where you can get massage treatments, manicures, pedicures, and relax for a special get-a-way. In the common area of the lodge, there are games and tables set up for families to have some fun gametime by the fire. Maybe sometime you can visit Alderbrook Lodge and enjoy all the wonderful things it has to offer. You will see why we love it!
Thank you for visiting my blog today and for sharing our Thanksgiving memories at the Alderbrook Resort. I will post a link to the Alderbrook at the end of this blog. I hope that you had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving with your family and wish you a great upcoming holiday season!
Have a beautiful day today! xoxo Kim
Here is the link: Alderbrook Lodge
