On this Thanksgiving, I untied my apron, ran out of our home sweet home, and drove away with my family for a getaway! It was a lil bit of luxury time, which I am entirely thankful for.
Our family loves to take quick "zip trip" vacations scattered throughout the year, packing our itineraries full of fun and activities. (click here for my vacation ideas) , I am quite skilled at finding ways to push many things into only a handful of days. It's a golden talent. ;)
But recently, I've forced myself to add variety into our travels with restful, do-nothing, vacations. They didn't sound appealing to me until we tried it last year and I fell in love, head.over.heels.in. love. with R & R getaways! Last year we vacationed at Gateway, Colorado, for Thanksgiving. It was dreamy.
So, we did it again! We wandered away for a couple days over Thanksgiving holiday for some R & R at Sorrel River Ranch in Utah, with clear schedules and ready to relax.
Sorrel River Ranch is located just outside famous MOAB, UTAH!
Sorrel River Ranch is a luxurious resort of peaceful solace in the middle of the Utah desert. It is the quintessential destination for rest and relaxation. The quiet red cliffs and the long ranch fields are a desert harbor for busy minds. It is the ONLY luxury resort in the Moab area, with a full spa, room service, and valet parking. Roughing it suddenly isn't so rough. It's the unlikely marriage of rustic living with polished class.
In November the new beginnings of winter whisper to our eyes. Only a few brave leaves cling onto bare branches. The full trees are cleansed and transformed into rustic lace branches in the sky. The otherwise green grass is muted back to the peaceful colors of earth, with blades humbly nestling down until their spring dance begins again. The winter sun in the desert is clear and clean, lighting a quiet canvas that encourages peace and rest.
Sorrel River Ranch was first settled in the early 1900s by strong pioneers.
This farm settlement was established in a pristine and perfect landscape, with incredible views of the red rocks and the wide running river. The original home and barn still stand at the resort.
There is still a garden lining the historic buildings. Titus discovered a lone tomato still hanging on!
We were excited to learn the history of the ranch and experience the beauty! This is our getaway experience at Sorrel River Ranch told in story by pictures...
We were so excited to arrive at the ranch!
We stayed in a family suite cabin right on the river!
When we arrived, the resort had plates of special Utah cheese assortment, crackers, and fruit with sparkling water.
Our family cabin:
The boys were very excited to discover stairs that led up to their own room!
They were all smiles as they bounced up the stairs with their luggage.
My VERY favorite part about our stay was the sound of the river by our cabin. It was literally footsteps away from us. Here is the view from our front porch of the river!
I actually took this photo in the very early morning the next day as the sun was rising. You can see the fog lifting off the freezing waters.
We kept the door open most the time to hear the river.
We started relaxing and getting cozy as soon as we unpacked. I brought a stack of books...
The kids were able to walk over to the lodge and choose board games to play. We did a lot of reading and game playing.
We did some "front porch sittin".
The boys also watched Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movies!
We spent some time with the horses and at the beautiful stables. Maximus is a wild mustang who lives at the ranch now. He was so fun to "visit".
We spent a lot of time outside, exploring and walking (oh and posing for pictures too!).
I walk up to find Titus sitting perfectly still like this. I ask him, "Titus, what are you doing?", his response in a monotone flat voice, without missing a beat, "meditating".
Later that afternoon we walked over to the lodge for our gourmet Thanksgiving meal! Earlier this week our family celebrated with a simple, traditional Thanksgiving dinner that all five of us cooked together. This meal, however, on Thanksgiving Day was... ooh lala, NICE! Sorrel River Ranch restaurant applies the "farm to table" approach to their meals. Food is grown on their ranch and prepared fresh. Their menus are adapted to seasonal fruits and vegetables.
It was such festive experience. The meal was served in courses and we brushed up on table etiquette lessons between courses. Collectively, our favorite part of this incredible meal was the homemade frozen custard!
Happy turkey/feast/Thanksgiving Day!
After our satisfying feast, the boys bounced off some energy. (See the entire photo collection of our vacation in my album here to see the boys big JUMPS!)
We walked back to our cozy cabin for some holiday traditions. Dakotah is such a true sweetheart. He volunteered to let his brothers break the wishbone since only two kids could participate.
I LOVE the look of Titus eying his opponent!
Another Thanksgiving tradition we share, which I've shared about before, is giving a Hallmark Christmas ornament on Thanksgiving. Ever since I was little my grandparents gave me a Hallmark ornament on Thanksgiving. My Grandpa would sometimes write clever riddles which led me on a chase to find my hidden ornament. When I had kids, they started giving them to the kids! Well, my Grandma gave them ornaments this year and I wrapped them and prepared them for the ornament hunt! To be eligible to participate, each boy must answer some Thanksgiving history fact questions.
Ready, set, hunt! The timer is going...
And, one by one, they found their ornaments!
It was such a festive, relaxing, and memorable Thanksgiving Day! We ended it with a walk to the big firepit by the lodge. The resort gave the boys cute lanterns to use to lead the way, which made it extra fun.
We huddled around the fire, just to hang out, our family 5, and talk. We chatted about girls (Shhh), our favorite trips, school, and just other fun stuff that friends talk about.
Then it was off to bed so we could rise early for outdoor adventure! This is the kids' upstairs room at the cabin, beds quickly emptied as the morning sunlight sprayed in.
Water bottles grabbed and shoes tied as we prepared for a little hike in the red sand.
Making desert discoveries along the way.
Trying not to fall off a cliff.
obviously.
Then repeat, repeat, repeat of above.
That's a wrap on our vacation timeline!
We have more photos of our vacation on Moore Minutes Facebook page. Click on over to see the entire set.
I hope you had the happiest of Thanksgivings.
Do you travel for the holidays?
Where should our family go next year?
Share, share.
*The government makes me say that I was compensated for this post but all thoughts and opinions are my own and always will be!
This post is linked to: Under the Table & Dreamin, Nifty Thrifty, Seasonal Sundays, Made by You Monday, Met Monday, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, HOMEWORK: Be Inspired, Tasty Tuesday, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, Works for Me Wednesday, Organize and Decorate Everything, Celebrations at Home,Transformation Thursday,Tablescape Thursday, Strut Your Stuff, 36th Ave, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, eighteen25, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up sew many ways Six Sisters Saturday