An engagement.
A wedding anniversary.
A first Thanksgiving in America.
An eleventh Thanksgiving in America.
A post-Harvey gathering.
A Thanksgiving birthday.
Thanksgiving memories are more than parades and pumpkin pie around here. They are a collection of snap shots in time—some recent, some experienced many years ago, but they are as special as the people who share them.
This blog is a tradition, one we look forward to all year long. When life dishes out difficulties and disappointment, it’s sometimes easy to forget the good stuff—health, travel, quiet times with those you cherish and laughing with those you love. We offer these recollections in hopes you too, have glimpses of gratitude to share during the Thanksgiving season.
Traditions come in all kinds of configurations, so whether you’re enjoying (deep fried) turkey or salmon, running a 5K or celebrating on a beach, we hope your Thanksgiving is full of moments worth sharing.
Happy Thanksgiving,
The Alexander Group
John Lamar, The Alexander Group, Founder & Managing Director
Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays as fall is one of my favorite seasons—can you say football?
The colors of the vineyards are all lit up in amber and gold and yet the weather is still temperate enough to eat outside, and, of course, the highlight is dessert by the open fire. I’m not sure we’ve had a best turkey day yet, but last year was pretty epic as we had our friend, and fine artist, Eloin Rivera, join us from Cali, Colombia.
Faith admired his work on Instagram and hired him sight unseen to paint two murals in our dining room in Mexico. It was risky yes, and I thought she was crazy, but six weeks, and many hours of scaffold commitment later, our walls were covered in life-sized, perfectly rendered palm groves —just spectacular!
Jane Howze, The Alexander Group, Founder & Managing Director
In November 2005, my husband, John, and I took our annual anniversary trip to the big island of Hawaii. We were married Thanksgiving week 1980 and it was our usual trip, which is to say, it was wonderful.
On the actual day of our anniversary, John kept rushing me to get ready for dinner saying that he didn’t want to miss the sunset. I still didn’t think anything was unusual when he suggested I put on a little make up and do a little more to my hair before we left the room. When we arrived to the beach side restaurant, a minister awaited us to renew our vows with an ancient Hawaiian wedding ceremony on the sand in the middle of a heart created by an array of orchids. I don’t think I have ever been so surprised, and so moved.
This year you will find us again back on the big island celebrating our 43rd wedding anniversary. Count me grateful and loved.
Amanda Brady, The Alexander Group, COO/Managing Director
There’s always something special about New Orleans, but celebrating Thanksgiving in The Big Easy elevates the holiday in a way only the city and its unique energy can. Amanda Brady tapped into that energy Thanksgiving 2020, marking the holiday with these iconic New Orleans images.
