When in Alaska, Stay in a Cozy Cabin

Grandma Opal's flower seeds from Brigett, the perfect housewarming gift!

The past week has been really great! We came to the conclusion that staying at the hostel with all it's challenges and lack of amenities, we needed a space to call our own while working and waiting for our apartment to be ready. It was getting difficult shuffling back and forth between the hostel,  the gym to shower, not eating fresh cooked meals, and not getting good solid rest at night. So, we rented a cabin for a week in hopes our apartment would be ready to move into today. But after talking with our landlord last night, our apartment still has a few more days of work until he feels comfortable with us moving in. However, as I'm still learning, everything works out perfectly. Our landlord is going to pay for each night of housing until we can move into the apartment and there is vacancy in this cabin for another week. That means, one more week of cabin bliss for us!

(The Petersen Cabin aka The Perfect Cabin)

This place is an oasis of peace and comfort. It's situated about 5 minutes from the main part of the town of Seward, away from the noise of traffic, back in the woods. Moose sightings are pretty regular now and the sound of the rain falling on the tin roof is so tranquil. On my days off from work, I have absolutely no problem with not leaving the cabin all day. It's actually been a really amazing experience having so much free time. I'm only working 3-4  nights/week right now and so I've got lots of time on my hands. Most days, David is at work so I get this place to myself. It's been such a change for me and helped me to see how busy and stressed I let myself get sometimes. It's been quiet the experience getting to know myself more and more and letting go of the need to "do, do, do". Because right now, the only thing I have to do is to enjoy myself and go to work when I'm scheduled. This experience is helping to show me that life doesn't have to be all business. It's been nice to learn that life is more about enjoying the experiences you are in and loving them! I still have times where I feel like I need to "do" or be productive and busy, but I just remind myself, when it's time to be busy or work, I'll know and I'll do it. But for now, while given this gift of peace and stillness, I am letting myself enjoy it!  If I get too cooped up inside, I just make my way to the to cute for words, porch swing for an afternoon soak in the sun (if it's out) with a good book.  It is still a little chilly, even during the day, so I just bundle up and enjoy the vitamin D. 

(I feel like someone should be playing the banjo while I sit here...)

This cabin feels like exactly what I needed after traveling, living out of the car, and eating subway for 2 meals a day. Last night I finally got back to my culinary passion and made stuffed mini peppers with home made tomato creamy sauce served over grilled asparagus and wilted spinach (sorry forgot to take pictures)! MMMMMMM!! I don't know if they were as good as I thought they were or if it's been so long since we've had a really good hearty home cooked meal. Probably a bit a both, but we stuffed ourselves! It feels like it had been so long since I cooked and it felt so good to be in the kitchen. It makes me miss my job at Magdalena's where everyday felt like some culinary adventure! But it also makes me look forward to getting into our new apartment and starting back up cooking there! There is a lot of things to learn here with cooking. My goal for myself this summer is to become more familiar with cooking fish (it's everywhere!) and other meats (moose, deer, etc). I've heard also that blueberries grow wildly here in the summer and you can just hike up and pick them! So looks lie jams, pies, and other treats will be in our future once snow melts! I also would like to start a garden of some sort here in the summer. We've got a small deck at the new place and it would be so awesome to grow our own veggies. I've got a lot to look forward to on the food scene here and this foodie is happy! 

(where the magic happens...)

On Monday, I was in Anchorage (2 1/2 hours north of Seward) for some errands. It was a really fun day, I ate the best seafood chowder I've ever had, spent hours at a used bookstore, and got a pedicure! I spent the evening with my second cousin Brigett and her husband Eric who are the sweetest! They are like big kids! Brigett made an amazing chicken pesto dish while Eric and I got all caught up on the show, The Voice. Then we all watched the new episode. Brigett gave me the sweetest and most housewarming heartfelt gift. She'd harvested flower seeds from my great grandma Opal's (who passed away last year & was so dear to us all) and planted them in a hanging pot for me. They'll sprout soon and it'll be a little piece of Grandma Opal with me here in Alaska. Then I got a good nights sleep, had some hot coffee, and was back on the road south to Seward. It feels comforting to know the I've got family close by who always make me feel so welcome and right at home. I look forward to when we've got our own spot where we can have them over and return the favor! 

Beautiful drive to Anchorage from Seward

Seafood Chowder that will change your life! Wash it down with Oatmeal Stout! Glacier Brewhouse.

This week I only have 3 nights of work. It's a pretty great schedule right now. Since it's still slow season (for about a month longer), they just have one server on during the week. It's great, I go in at 3:30 and stay until about 9. I work one week night and then 2 weekend nights.  I work Friday and Saturday night and have the bar section so it should be a good money making weekend for me! David thinks he has Sunday off which would be great since we haven't had a full day off together in a while. He is working for a company called Kenai Fjords Tours and as an employee perk he gets to go on the tours on his day off at bring me as his guest on his days off for only $20! There's a couple different tours and one includes an all you can eat seafood buffet! Our mouths are already watering for that one! Right now the whales are migrating and there is tons of other sea life to been seen including sea otters, seals, and porpoises! So maybe if he does get the day off on Sunday, we'll be out on a tour getting more familiar with Alaska and it's amazingness it has to offer! Or maybe we'll make our way to Homer and play tourist before the season gets in gear! So many things to do here and I can't wait to do them all! But for now, maybe time some more coffee and to curl up with a good book while the rain serenades me as it pours on the tin roof of this perfect cozy cabin! Happy Thursday!