Wedding, Food, Dancing, Fun!

Happy Baked Good Tuesday, friends!

I have every other Monday off, so my Monday posts won't be all that regular.  Plus, I was out enjoying the 70+ degree weather we've been getting for the last several days.  Clear blue sky, warm weather, and long days; that's what Alaska in the summer is supposed to be, right? 

So it was another busy weekend in my house.  Friday night we had our friends' wedding and it was beautiful!  My dear friend Michelle designed much of it on her own with her fabulous new husband acting as caterer/chef.  The carrot cake was divine, the food spread was amazing, and the wine/champagne was delish!

My all-Vegan plate of artisan French bread, watermelon, antipasti salads, melons, and a jalapeno.  Yum!  Oh, and don't forget the Barefoot wine!

Michelle was my first friend when I moved to a new elementary school in the 6th grade.  Needless to say, we've been friends for awhile.  So I was surprised a bit when my pansie-ness came out and a cried through the whole ceremony - her walking out, vows, and all!  I am so excited for her and her man!  And get this, they are going to my favorite place in the whole world for part of their honeymoon. WOO!

After the wedding and the fanfare, some of us went to SubZero Micro Lounge in Anchorage for some drinks and celebration.  I took MEH's car and exercised my right to car dance. 

Cue blurry picture of me getting down with my bad self (while seat belted in!) through downtown ANC.

Of course, I was spotted by more than one person and met with encouragement by several bikers on the sidewalk.  What to do when caught by people on the street?  Dance back.  And give them thumbs up.  Because really, to be a poor sport when caught being a total dork, is just kind of silly.  They enjoyed it, thoroughly. 

Do you car dance?

Saturday was my dear friend DMsS's birthday (yay!) party and we celebrated with Apples to Apples, wine, and song.  No pictures here, but know that when we all get together, it's a shit show a party to behold! 

Do you have any favorite party games?

On Sunday MEH and I decided to give Bear Tooth Grill's brunch menu a third-time's-a-charm chance.  Verdict:  Excellent. 
MEH and I split some Garlic Cilantro Fries (he got the half with the cheese):

Garlic Cilantro Fries are a staple whenever we go to Bear Tooth.

MEH got Biscuits and Gravy (blech, I can't stand the look of them, though apparently they are quite tasty!) and I got the Potato Burrito with ala carte Black Beans and Cilantro Jasmine Rice:

The Potato Burrito usually has cheese in it, but the server was so wonderful that he asked if I'd like to note no dairy period in the meal just to be safe.  Yes.  I so appreciate it when servers help out vegan diners.  It's really a rarity here.

OH! And we got the French Press:

We love good coffee.  And Bear Tooth, I must say, had quite a good French Press.  Enough for 2 people and the cups are so cute!

We were very happy this time around.  The service was helpful and attentive to the needs/requests of us, the food was well prepared and timely, and the wait was non-existent (another rarity for this place).  I can definitely see us trying it out again and hoping for good service.  If we don't get it, though, I will nix this place from our "where to go for Sunday Brunch" options. 

Yesterday we took the pooches hiking up Arctic Valley.  I love Arctic Valley; it's close to us, nice and away from the city rush, and has lots of different trails you can go off to.

Credit to Douglas Gates with Greatland of Alaska
http://www.greatlandofalaska.com/pictures/mountains/Chugach/index.html

KayKay had a bit of a brush in with her brother, though, and bit her tongue in a high-speed collide.  She lost absolutely no steam, though, and kept running, spattering blood all over her face.  I insisted that she needed to be washed off before we even thought about taking her to the car, though, because really, what would you think if you saw this dog coming at you in a parking lot?

She looked terrible! My poor sweetheart!  But after washing off, she was good to go, and seems to be feeling no pain because she has all the energy you could imagine!  Running up and down a mountain and all!

Where are some of your favorite places to go hiking/ get away from the rush?

Mantra of the Day: OM. Tryambakam yajamahe


Sugandhim pushti-vardhanam

Urvarukamiva bandhanan

Mrityor mukshiya mamritat

This is known as a death-conquering mantra.  Happy Birthday to me, right?!  There are many translations, none particularly accurate, from what I was reading, but it is incredibly powerful and deeply rooted in meditation and a search for vitality.   Considering that tomorrow is my birthday, this is my gift to myself and to you.  It is not a mantra for immortality, but more one to increase the value of your life here now, and to celebrate it.  Go! Celebrate life!

Question of Gratitude Who, or what, are you thankful for?:  I am still thankful for this sunshine!  It's been incredible to have a whole weekend and then some of absolutely beautiful weather and greatness!  And it's so appreciated!  Thank you, Mama!  And thank you to all of the wonderful people in this state/city who have enjoyed and shown their love for it, too! Yay Sun!