Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Some R&R to remember: Thanksgiving at Gateway


For this Thanksgiving holiday we {ACTUALLY} relaxed.  
No cooking for this Mama!  ...no house to clean and sparkle,  no company to prepare for,
or stacks of pretty dishes to wash.
We ran away to nearby Gateway Canyon!   
Gateway is a secret whisper, tucked into a quiet canyon,
full of majesty and oozing with PEACE!

 
Our hotel room was a cozy sanctuary,  perfect for the November's chill, with a corner fireplace, lots of space, and our own private hot tub!

 Three very excited boys checking out their special Thanksgiving "home". 

To encourage relaxation, I packed along some Thanksgiving library books for the boys to read.  



 This is a classic "Cameron look" as he always has his adorable nose in a book!


Our hotel room had its own little entrance, which the boys just loved!


Kotah at the back door...


 Kotah outside the room...

 Before our turkey dinner, 
we took a wagon ride with beautiful Belgium draft horses.


For our holiday feast, we dined at the resort's restaurant.  




They even had a miniature buffet set up for the littles!  
Corndogs and french fries on silver covered platters. ;)  

 


The chocolate fountain was the boys' favorite part.


Show me your FULL Thanksgiving tummies!


Literally RIGHT after dinner, 
we went to their park and played: 
wrestling, tree climbing, flips, 
and even Chris did a few cartwheels.




Ready, set...


...jump!


 Our team 2011

Before sunset we roasted some s'mores 
at a pretty s'more bar the resort had on the patios.


 Kotah wanted us to *kiss* for a picture...
and I am not such a great s'more cooker-upper.  ;)


 We went back to our COZY hotel room and did what we came for: RELAXED. 

 nearly bare branches give hint to the upcoming winter

  There is overlooked value in the simple relaxing activities while being with the ones we hold closest to our hearts.   This was one of the highlights of our trip!

Chris read right outside our room...


I worked on a Christmas stocking I'm knitting.  
(I'm a brand new knitter and loving it even though it's so hard for me)


And the boys played in our own little private hot tub 
(though I think they wished it was a giant pool) ;)
 

The views of Gateway from every angle are simply spectacular. 


 
We relaxed until the sun went down then we went inside and read by the fire and did our traditonal Thanksgiving hunt
I am a lover of traditions!  Every year we buy the boys Hallmark tree ornaments to add to their personal bedroom tree ornament collections.  I hide them in paper bags and lead them on a treasure hunt.  My grandparents did this for me when I was growing up, and I'm passing it along.  


Discovering their treasures



We also huddled around and each told
  7 things we were personally thankful for
and 3 facts about the first Thanksgiving. 



We later walked to the game room for late night fun of 
poker, pool, darts, and shuffle board.





We also toured the auto museum there. 
Chris always carries my purse.  ((awww)) 
At least I provide super Kool bags for him to carry. haha


After the auto museum tour, the boys were given new hot wheels! 


 We took advantage of the blue skies and enjoyed some hiking at Gateway too!






 Wow, this tree is incredible!



Extreme fence shadow walking...



Gateway is certainly a place of peaceful solace.  
If you are needing an escape from the rush-rush of life, 
explore your own nearby peaceful secret spots 
as an alternative to a traditional holiday. 
It may be your best holiday yet.  


Holding on for the busy ride of life.

  
Thank you Chris for taking us 
on a Thanksgiving trip to remember!  
We are thankful for YOU.

This post is linked to: DIY Fall Festival, Under the Table & Dreamin, Think Pink Sundays, Seasonal SundaysMet Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff,   Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up  DIY by Design

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow that looks like an amazing time.

Jane said...

What a special way to spend Thanksgiving! You have so many wonderful traditions (thinking ornament hunt) that your sons are going to carry with them always.

I'm going to have to check out this place. Maybe Marty and I will one day be able to share it with our growing gang. Or better yet, go by ourselves!

Blessings to you and your gang...
J

Jenny said...

Lisa! What a beautiful trip! This looks like so much fun!

You need to hand that camera to Chris more often, though. I rarely see pictures of you with the boys!

Anonymous said...

Wow...that is a fun trip. Beautiful place.

Nancy said...

That last picture is AMAZING! You should enter it in a contest or something! And as always you look beautiful. I'm glad you had a relaxing weekend to enjoy with your sweet family.

So Many Little Things said...

Great pictures! I looks like you had a great time. I think celebrating the holiday this was is a perfect idea.

Tricia @ SweeterThanSweets said...

Wow, looks like you had an amazing time. The room looks SO cozy, that fireplace!!

Thanks for sharing over at TT&J. If you have a minute, check out what we did for Thanksgiving/our 10-year anniversary: our cruise to the Bahamas.

Marigene said...

What a beautiful place for a few relaxing days!

Anonymous said...

I'm thinking you have the right idea, and the boys probably had a blast. Who cares where you eat turkey!