A Gift From A Friend

Bryan’s mother, Lita, lives down in Washington and is just the most wonderful person! Right from the beginning, she has accepted me into her family circle with love & friendship. She is a joy to be around! 

I got a surprise from her in the mail the other day, just in time for our Weekend Get-Away in Girdwood: a book called The Unwinding, by Jackie Morris. Below is a sampling of the artwork to be found inside. 

I have a feeling this is going to become my place to go to find peace.

Valentine’s Day Flowers

Bryan surprised both Mother and I with some beautiful flowers!

I got a dozen red roses.

Mother got 3 Red Roses, 3 White Roses, and some curly Lilies.

Finally Got To Ski!

We have not had the best of luck on our Weekend Get-Aways this year, when it comes to weather – and this one didn’t start out very promising. The ride from Palmer to Girdwood was horrible! The snow was mostly a mixture of slush/rain, the roads were a mess, and it was later than usual for us so we had to deal with oncoming headlights. On top of all that, the wind was really whipping it up out on the inlet. I kept my head down in my book while Bryan kept a white-knuckled grip on his steering wheel the entire way.

We managed to make it to our cabin without any real problems, though, but we heard later the next day that an avalanche had occurred after we’d passed, blocking of the road for a good 10 hours or so. Thankfully they got it all taken care of so traffic was back to normal by Saturday.

Our cabin this time was a let-down. The pictures on-line made it look quite roomy, but in reality we barely had room to turn around. We did have a “well stocked” kitchen – however, their idea of being well stocked is not even close to ours. They had 4 frying pans and one pot big enough to cook soup for two weeks. The oven was dirty inside and one of the burners did not work at all. The kitchen table had one leg broken off so it was perched precariously on it with no attachment. And they only had one mug. Thankfully, I always bring my tea mug with me, so Bryan was able to drink his coffee in that mug.

The bedroom was nice enough, with a huge king sized bed and a very comfortable comforter on it. The only TV in the place was mounted to the wall in the bedroom, so I set up my crafting table in there while Bryan set up our DVD player. Honestly, while the place was small – we made it work.

The kittens came with us this time, so both cats had fun exploring the cabin. Viktor had two of his favorite toys with him to keep him occupied while he wasn’t busy opening all the kitchen cabinets. Naldo fell in LOVE with the bed. She’d stretch out as long as she could get and just roll around with a huge blissful smile on her face. I think the only time she ever got off the bed was to go potty and grab a quick bite to eat on her way back.

Bryan spent most of Friday out on the slopes while the kittens and I hung out in the cabin, making cards and watching disaster movies. When he finally had to call it quits for the day, we treated ourselves to dinner at The Double Musky! For those of you who are not familiar with this iconic restaurant, they are a World-Class Cajun restaurant featuring their famous Pepper Steak: 16-20 oz. New York Steak, crusty with cracked pepper and covered with a spicy burgundy sauce.

We had some Peel & Eat Shrimp as an appetizer, then Bryan ordered the Pepper Steak while I had the Garlic Seafood Pasta with shrimp, halibut, and salmon. To drink we each ordered a Margarita, and for desert we shared a piece of their home-made pie. All in all, it was a great meal – Bryan sure loved his steak!