A Great Way to Spend a Day Off

I took these photos on the day after Thanksgiving. For the first part of the day, we went and took a swim at the Semiahmoo Resort and Spa but I forgot the camera at home. We had a full house here for Thanksgiving evening so The Walla Wallians got to stay at the hotel, therefore giving the entire family free access to the spa. :) We got to relax in their huge hot tub and swim in their indoor/outdoor mineral salt pool. It was so relaxing! The atmosphere is very nice there, and it's pretty fancy. In the future we will have to remember that they have great specials at Thanksgiving, and most likely during other holidays too!

Later in the day we went to Fairhaven. This is one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon. It is an area filled with old buildings, lots of culture, boutiques, toy shops, bead shops, pottery shops, cafés and bakeries. We ate lunch at Avenue Bread, which is a great little place that serves espresso, numerous different kinds of yummy breads, pastries, twists and muffins that they bake right there, breakfast sandwiches, soups salads and huge creatively filled sandwiches on their fresh breads. We visited a few shops including a specialty toy shop where The Walla Wallians purchased one of our favorite games called Settlers.

Huge metal flower at a great little gift and plant shop/nursery.

A loaf of bread at Avenue Bread shaped like a turkey. The old bank building, which now is home to "Three French Hens" which is advertised as a "boutique for Chicks." Clever marketing!

L's coffee cup at the café we stopped at. The coffee shop marks the cup with your specialty order, making it look like one long word. Fairhaven was busier than I had ever seen it before. It is a wonderful place to find special gifts.

We also visited our favorite pottery shop calle Mud In Your Eye. They have so many amazing designs and styles to look at. Later on in the day, The Walla Wallians completely surprised me with a gift from there, which was something that I had my eye on for a long time! It was a handled mixing bowl. Their pottery is earthenware, so it doesn't dull, chip, break etc like normal pottery tends to. The handled mixing bowl has a very neat design. You hold it a certain way without touching the rim or the inside of the bowl so you can stir and whisk easier. You can whisk eggs in the bowl, add seasonings and salsa if you like and then microwave it right in the bowl and it comes out clean. I was so excited to get one. It is so beautiful and looks great in our kitchen (thanks you guys!)