Whittier, Alaska

I’ve been searching for the perfect words to describe this past weekend. I’ve come up with many --blessed, content, thrilled, togetherness-- but the perfect word that trumps all of the above would have to be, full. It was full of love. Full of laughs. Full of memories. Full of just plain ol’ having a good time. I believe it’s safe to say, it’s a weekend that we’ll carry with us always.

Since my mom and uncle only flew in for the weekend, we decided that the best bang for our buck -time wise, that is- would be to take a scenic drive to Whittier, Alaska.

This is one of our favorite views in Alaska. On your right hand side you’ll see mountains that meet the winding road with miniature cascading waterfalls and lime green foliage. On your left you’ll see the ocean --sometimes bright blue, sometimes emerald green-- with mountains that kiss the clouds and run into the sea. And if you’re really lucky, you’ll see a bald eagle soaring through the cerulean blue sky and an elk perched on the ledge of a mountain. Pure harmony.

As unfortunate luck would have it, the closer we got to Whittier, the windier, grayer, and colder it got. My clothing attire of sandals, a sundress, and bare legs was not ideal for nearly freezing temps, but I rolled with the punches.

 *Not to Self: Wind that blows off of glaciers and snowy mountains is super freezing. Wear jeans and a hoodie, dollface.

Moving on…

We enjoyed ourselves, and Greg LOVED the boats. He’s a boat kind of man, so seeing the harbor turned his eyes to the size of quarters.

Truth be told, I think there are more boats than people in this town. Just sayin’.

We ate lunch at one of our favorite joints, Swiftwater Seafood. If you ask me, they have the best halibut in Alaska and it’s fresh off the boat. Of course we ate our lunch outside (in the cold) overlooking the harbor and mountains --I like to torture myself like that, but it was well worth it.

Continuing with our theme of getting the best bang for your buck, we stopped at a river where my girl and handsome guy skipped rocks together. Krysta was frustrated that it wasn’t “perfect” but we’re getting there. We’re going to make a rock-skipping-pro out of her yet!

It’s not an Alaskan adventure without getting up close and personal with nature. I pulled my sandals off and dug my toes into the black gritty sand and wobbled my way over smooth oval river rocks to the water where I dipped the tips of my feet into the extremely cold fresh glacier water. If you haven’t tried it, you should. It’s soul rejuvenation.

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Sunday we headed to the Farmers Market where we scooped up souvenirs for ourselves and loved ones. My cousin, Kelly, and I now have matching mermaid necklaces that are hand carved out of bone. We’ve been obsessed with mermaids since we were babies.

photo to come

We also got wild and bought $10 strawberries. No words can describe the sweetness that came out of these steroid-strawberries -seriously; everything is bigger in Alaska, right down to the produce.

And when you have $10 fresh strawberries, you add $1 shortcakes to the mix for the ultimate taste bud explosion.

I’m beyond blessed in more ways than one. This has truly been an adventure of a lifetime and I’m so glad that I got to show my mom and uncle the best parts of it.

We ended the trip with a, “next time we see you, we’ll be in Oklahoma!”

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In less than 48 hours our movers will be here to pack our life into sturdy brown boxes. Pardon me while I prepare for Thursday…

Have a great week!

Em

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