Giving Thanks.
It always gets difficult this time of year living far from our families. Because it's just too far to travel home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, we try to get creative for how we spend our Thanksgivings. This year was pretty great -- we made a mini-feast at home and then took off for the
Alderbrook Resort in Union, Washington, a little town located on the Olympic Peninsula. It was out in the middle of nowhere, but boasted some of the most picturesque views we've seen since living in the Pacific Northwest. We got blissful massages on Friday morning and Santa flew in by seaplane on Friday afternoon. We ate at the on-site restaurant on Friday evening and felt like real adults when we said "Charge it to our room!" Here are some shots from Alderbrook...
Not that you care, but our room was on the third floor, the third from the left. :)
The view from our room, the Olympic Mountains in the background.
Our view at dusk...
Now...to start thinking about Christmas! Three short weeks and I'm headed home to Indianapolis to start WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING with my sister Betsy who got engaged on Thanksgiving! Congratulations Betsy and Ryan!
The happy couple.
Sea Lions and Tiger Sharks and Beer, Oh My!
Last weekend we traveled to Newport, a not-so-little town on the Oregon coast. We spent much of our time in the "Historic Bayfront" part of town where fishing boats dock and unload their daily catch. We watched as fishermen -- weathered from battling the wind and salt water day after day -- handed off their daily catch to two women that fileted the fish with such skill and speed. We walked on the beach, which we shared with just a handful of other folks who braved the 48 degree coastal temps! But our favorite part was the sea lions -- right there, out in the wild. We saw several sleeping, right underneath a pier we walked out onto, and then there were probably another 50 out in the water sunning themselves on some rocks. They're such huge, blubbery creatures and we were so close!
Not sure what they're saying to each other, but boy do they bark!
We visited the famous Oregon Coast Aquarium and and loved seeing this exhibit, Passages of the Deep. Sharks swim all around you...even underneath of you...the glass floor plates make you feel a bit uneasy!
We ate dinner at the Rogue Brewery -- I (admittedly not a beer lover) actually found a beer I (kind of) like -- the Hazelnut Brown Nectar.
All in all, a great trip. And we fit it in right before the rainy season began...
