Monday, November 23, 2009

A Thanksgiving To Remember

Ever since I was 18 years old, it seems like my biggest Thanksgiving tradition is actually traveling for Thanksgiving. It seems like I'm always somewhere different!
*When I was in college at BYU, I would travel home to San Diego for Thanksgiving.
*Last year, we visited my grandparents in Phoenix.
*Two years ago, we went to Utah to visit Stephen's family.
*Three years ago, I had a very unique Thanksgiving going to Nauvoo for my cousin Brittany's wedding. Stephen had to stay in Seattle for work, and the day I flew back there was a MASSIVE Seattle snow storm. I was stuck at the airport for hours, and then we were on the freeway trying to get home for hours! I will never forget that Thanksgiving.

So where will be this year???

HERE, at our house, in Seattle!!!

I love to travel, but I'm so excited that we're not traveling for Thanksgiving this year! My family is coming to us instead! It's going to be really nice to just stay here, and get to show off Seattle to my brother Jakob, who's never been here before. He's also never seen Natalie before, and she's seven months old now!

Since I am the tour guide extraordinaire (you better believe it. . . it's true!), I've been busy planning our itinerary because we're going to do this right! Everyone will be wishing they could spend Thanksgiving in Seattle with us every year!!!

Our awesomely exciting plans include the following:

*Kick off the Christmas season by visiting the Teddy Bear Suite and the Festival of Trees at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel downtown. I've never seen these before, but heard great things about them and they're free!

*Visit Pike Place Market. If you've never been to Seattle before, you've got to experience it!

*Eat dinner at the Sky City Restaurant on TOP of the Space Needle on Wednesday night! It's pricey, but the food is really great and the view from the rotating restaurant just can't be beat!
(I don't think we'll get any snow. . . but isn't this a gorgeous picture?)

*Cook and eat our delicious Thanksgiving dinner. I can't wait for turkey, fresh mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and ORANGE ROLLS. Oh my gosh, orange rolls are the most delicious things on the planet. My grandma has been making them for every major holiday of my entire life, and they are THE holiday food that I can't live without. My cousin Tammy took this amazing picture of the ones she made, and this picture looks almost as delicious as they taste.

*Go see the new Christmas Carol 3D movie on Thanksgiving. Jim Carrey really freaks me out in the previews, but hopefully it will still be a good movie. Bonus: Since we're seeing it at the IMAX theater at the Pacific Science Center, our tickets are only $3.50 each! Thank you, Microsoft Prime card!
*Black Friday! I really like shopping on Black Friday, as long as I don't have little kids with me. I think it's fun! I've never gotten up at 4 or 5 am and stood outside in lines to get into WalMart or anything before, but maybe I'll try it this year. Who knows? I hope to find some great deals wherever I go!

*Go see Snoqualmie Falls (definitely one of my favorite Seattle places!) and eat the famous breakfast at the Salish Lodge at the top of the falls. My grandparents and parents have been talking about this breakfast ever since we moved here, and I've never tried it, so I'm looking forward to it!
*Experience some more Christmas magic. . . walk through the Garden d'Lights at the Bellevue Botanical Garden! It looks really great and starts on Saturday! Then we'll hit up the Snowflake Lane show in Bellevue. . . they decorate the whole street with animated snowflake lights, and they have a big parade with drumming toy soldiers, holiday characters, Santa Clause, and lots of fake snow falling from the sky!

I don't know. . . do you think we'll have enough to do this week???
OH, and I decorated the house for Christmas today! The Halloween decorations finally came down. . . three weeks after Halloween ended. So we will also be spending time in a Christmas-adorned, cozy house!

I'm SOOOOOO excited!!! This year's Thanksgiving will be spectacular!
Who wants to come spend Thanksgiving with us next year?

16 comments:

  1. Enjoy - hope your stomach has room for all those yummy places. I barely remember eating at Snoqualmie.

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  2. Wow! That sounds like so much fun! I am so excited for you guys. I think I want in next year :)

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  3. Wow, sounds fun! Thanksgiving is at my place this year too, so we're not traveling either. I'm excited to play hostess even though it's just my immediate family and one friend.

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  4. Sounds like a fun time! Enjoy your holiday!

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  5. Another personal favorite was travelling to Gpa Mann's with you! So fun to family on the holidays. :)

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  6. Another personal favorite was travelling to Gpa Mann's with you! So fun to family on the holidays. :)

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  7. That sounds like a really fun time! I haven't done some of those things, but I'd like to! You'll have a great time.

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  8. ok..i want to be FIRST in line to spend Thanksgiving with you next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  9. Wow! What a busy, fun packed holiday. I think I'd collapse from exhaustion. :-)

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  10. You don't know me, but i'm fransescas friend. I'm from Olympia and your post really makes me wish I was home right now. I love seattle and the pikes place market

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  11. what a great plan!! I think it's great you're a planner who makes stuff like that happen.

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  12. Wow, what an itinerary! I'm sure your family will have an awesome time in Seattle. I'm glad you get to stay home for Thanksgiving. It takes a lot of the stress off not having to fly or drive far. Happy Thanksgiving!!

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  13. Sounds like a great plan!
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    We saw Christmas Carol movie in the evening in real-D!!!!
    It was really fantastic!!!!!
    Enjoy the company and have a great feast!
    Love always,
    Lisa

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  14. Oh my goodness what awesome Thanksgiving plans! You ARE the tour guide extraordinaire! :) I can't wait to hear all about it!

    Jared is from Olympia, and I love visiting Seattle whenever we see his fam. Pike's Place market is so fun!

    You'll have to tell me how the new Christmas Carol is - I love the old 80s George C. Scott version so much that I don't know if I even want to see the new one! :) And the book is even better.

    The orange rolls sound amazing - do you share recipes? :)

    The Bellvue lights sound like fun too! We just saw the Temple Square lights this past weekend!

    You're brave to go out on Black Friday! I think you're right, though - it is fun w/out kids!

    And way to have your Christmas decor up already! You inspire me to get mine up!

    I can't wait to hear all about your fun-filled week! Can we come spend Thanksgiving with you next year? :)

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  15. Looks like a fun Thanksgiving!! SO FUN!

    How could I convince you to do a review of my photography blog?? You've obviously got lots of followers, and a great writing style - how do I do this?? I just need some 'traffic' seeing my site to hopefully start a business. Thoughts???

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  16. ok, we're coming next year!! ;)sounds like SO much fun!

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