a few faces

finishing up our round of alaska pictures with a few faces from the trip.

because we are narcissistic and put pictures of ourselves up here.

don't worry about it.

on a side note,

we're just about to leave to trek the 8 hours from provo to denver.

i told you i wasn't kidding when i said we were going to be gone the whole month of july.

is it weird that i love coming back to provo now?

have a great weekend!

unintentional matching. claire and i showed up to dinner with navy stripes and red lips. matching is a common occurrence for us.

meant to be sisters? obviously.

Alaska: the scenery

Alaska was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

my whole life i've thought of beautiful scenery as sunny beaches, white sand, hot rain forests, powdery slopes, and humid harbors.

this trip changed my perspective for the better.

mountains constantly covered by mysterious fog surrounded us everywhere we turned,

complimented by damp and chilled rain forests filled with coniferous pines.

the rustic history of the native Alaskan indians added an atmosphere of peculiar and mysterious history, hidden in the stories of totem poles and the wildlife of the forest.

and as i'm writing this i'm realizing how lame i sound.

cheeeeeeeeee-sy.

to be frank: alaska rocked scenery-wise.

i loved the small towns filled with multi-colored buildings and shops,

and the harbors that were filled with dark, cold water and trading and fishing boats.

it was certainly not warm by any means,

but i still felt as though i was in an exotic, completely different world than any one i had ever been to before.

Lake Union, Seattle

Ketchikan, Alaska

The Alaska Fish House

Totem Poles in downtown Ketchikan

Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska

Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska

The Trail to Reid Falls, Skagway, Alaska

Reid Falls, Skagway, Alaska

The Sunken Garden at Butchart Gardens, Victoria, British Columbia

Butchart Gardens in B.C. was filled with 50 acres of roses, hydrangeas, hyacinth, peonies, japanese maples, lily pads, and all sorts of foliage.

more than i had ever seen in one place.

the aromas and colors completely enticed us as we walked through the mazes of flowers.

i wish we could have spent all day at the gardens exploring.

Pike St., Seattle, Washington

my toes at the Pike Place Market, Seattle

Seattle Skyline from the top of the Space Needle, Seattle, Washington

Seattle quickly became one of my favorite cities.

all walks of life and eclectic tastes filled the city, and i soon found myself in awe of the huge, modern buildings and the rolling hills that filled downtown. 

we were blessed with days of sunny skies as we explored Pike Place Market,

and being surrounded by beautiful harbors didn't hurt.

if you're not sick of hearing about our trip yet,

you're in luck.

i still have one more post to finish up our trip.

and if you are sick of it...

well. hang in there.

an Alaskan food diary

and we're back...

from alaska!

we had an incredible time.

alaska was one of the most uniquely beautiful places i have ever seen,

and i had an especially great time getting to know members of Christian's family that i hadn't met or didn't know very well.

thanks to the wonderful girls who blogged for me while we were away, thank you thank you thank you!

also, i hope you had a great fourth of july and ate yourself sick with barbeque, ice cream, and chips and soda.

speaking of food,

while we were on the cruise i tried to make a conscious effort to keep a food diary of all the delicious foods we devoured.

i seriously have not eaten so much in my entire life.

and that's not an exaggeration.

so to start out my description of our trip, i thought i'd share with you the photo diary i kept...

and i blatantly hope these pictures make your mouth water.

new york cheesecake

flourless chocolate cake with cream and berries

carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

the "Princess Love Boat Dream"

devoured breakfast in bed?

in Ketchikan, Alaska, we went to the Ketchikan Fish House and enjoyed hand-breaded fish and freshly cut chips.

crispy-cod sandwich with cajun fries

halibut with thyme, potatoes, and lentils

chin's "Surf & Turf"

raspberry-chocolate cheesecake

every morning they served belgian waffles at the Ice Cream Bar on the ship. they changed my life. i'm kicking myself that i didn't ask for the recipe.

fresh cod topped with prosciutto and served with grilled vegetables and pasta in tomato sauce

breaded chicken marsala

post-shelled lobster tail with rice pilaf and grilled asparagus

baked alaska (appropriate right?)

assorted goodies

chocolate souffle with vanilla cream sauce (half-eaten)

while in Victoria, British Columbia, we enjoyed strawberry and biscotti gelato at Butchart Gardens (more on that later). 

i'm still full.

more details of our trip to come.

hope you all had a great week, i missed you!