Our lakefront view

The final destination of our Pacific Northwest road trip was just outside of Olympia, Washington where we stayed with our good friends, the Bresees. They moved away recently and we decided it would be good to visit them over Thanksgiving. For the majority of our trip, we stayed around their place where Abigail and I spent far too much time on the internet shopping the Black Friday deals while Andrew and Adam binge watched the IT Crowd. Adam and Andrew had some more quality time together when Abigail and I caught a screening of the Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and we were also able to squeeze some board gaming time in. We definitely didn’t feel like the trip was lacking anything though because it was just fun to hang out and let the kids play with Eden. Our trip was made complete with a visit to Seattle and a memorable Thanksgiving dinner.

Pacific Science Center

Andrew and I love Seattle. We visited with the kids years ago and we’ve been wanting to go back ever since. (Our last visit documented HERE.) This time around, we knew exactly where we wanted to spend our day in Seattle. We decided to take the Bresees to the Pacific Science Center. Of all the science museums we’ve been to these last several years, this one has been my favorite by FAR so I was very excited to go back. The butterfly house is my absolute favorite and I was so happy to see that we could walk right in. Jadon even had a butterfly land and stay on his shirt for so long that we eventually asked an employee to help us get it off. With all my love for this museum, I was not disappointed in our return visit.

Maneki Restaurant – Super blurry, but this was one of the best meals we’ve ever had.

We stayed at the Pacific Science Center until they closed then we headed over to our dinner reservations. Andrew decided ahead of time that we would take the Bresees out to dinner in Seattle to thank them for having us so we had reservations at a highly reviewed Japanese restaurant called Maneki. We browsed some local shops beforehand where Andrew bought himself some japanese style split-toe socks to wear with his beloved flip flops. (Andrew does not buy souvenirs without me coaxing him to, so this was a very rare occasion. And yes, he’s the dork that works socks with his flip flops.) If you’re ever in the Seattle area, you MUST eat at Maneki. It was seriously the best Japanese food we’ve ever had and we’re still craving it months later. We’re definitely going back here.

Thanksgiving with the Bresees

The big event was Thanksgiving day of course. Abigail was super amazing and had all the sides pretty much done by the time the rest of us woke up then it was up to Adam to prepare the turkey before putting it in the oven. Watching Adam do this was definitely a highlight and Andrew was able to get it on video somewhere. It involves discovering a hole in the turkey bag and the use of a hair tie, wire, and duct tape. Obviously none of this stuff went into the oven, but it made for a hilarious beginning to the evening. After our amazing meal, we had early-Christmas and exchanged gifts with everyone. With our tradition of exchanging gifts in person still alive, we had a great time spending the holiday with the Bresees.

Farewell dinner in Portland

Thanks to the Bresees for having us and for extending our time together by following us to Portland to visit Powell’s. It is always so much fun to hang out and I’m so glad we were able to make the trip.