Thanksgiving 2016 in Portland, Eugene and Great Wolf Lodge

Talk about a jam packed extended Thanksgiving weekend.  Our plan had been to drive to Eugene on Thursday morning but as Wednesday rolled by, a random thought came to me.  I had been wanting to go to Portland with the kids so why not knock half the trip to Eugene off Wednesday night.  We booked a hotel, picked up Skyler from gymnastics and said what the heck!  We rolled in to town at 10:30 at night with tired but excited kids.  Once they saw the hotel room, they got a second wind and no one was asleep before midnight.  What a cool hotel it was!  They even greeted Leif and I with a craft local beer…much needed after the drive! 

We slowly rolled out of bed on Thursday morning and made our way down to the hotel restaurant for an incredible breakfast.  I had planned on going for a run but it was pouring rain outside and the mimosas just looked too good.  We started having a conversation with the kiddos about what Thanksgiving is all about and decided together that we would randomly select a table in the restaurant and purchase their meal…in secret.  The concept of giving without expecting anything in return was not lost on the kids and they loved doing it!  After breakfast, it was on to Eugene.

We got to Eugene just after lunch time and were greeted with the huge smiles of Mary Ellen and Keith.  I love “exposing” the kids to Eugene and to Keith and Mary Ellen’s good energy.  To me, Eugene represents a slower way of life, a hippy lifestyle to some degree and an environment that feels really peaceful.  Keith and Mary Ellen had made up their bedroom for Leif and I and what a treat that was!  The kids loved their set up in the living room with sleeping bags, tents and all.  We went to the skateboard shop, explored the compost pile, took walks, shopped at the local ski shop, took a run along the river and had a wonderful, traditional Turkey meal.  So much fun!

The original plan had been to go to Hood River after Eugene but the weather was really getting in our way.  So, we headed back to Seattle but not before making an overnight stop at the Great Wolf Lodge.  I can’t say this is somewhere I would be dying to go back to, what with the crowds, the slimy pools, and the chaos, but I can also say that all 5 of us had a blast (how could you not when your kids are having so much fun).  Highlights were sending Presley down the waterslide by herself, sneaking Skyler onto the scariest ride and videoing it, and sending the (older) kids out to do the wizard search by themselves in the morning.

We returned to Seattle ready to be home.