Thank you so much for all your comments on my Finding Happiness post.

I was truly touched by those who reached out to me and offered their advice!

I know some of my posts can be quite depressing. It’s true, I don’t like it here, and while I want to be “real,” no one wants to read post after post about the negative things in my life.

I realize that some of you have probably been offended by all the negative comments I have made towards Alaska. It is not my intention to directly insult you, but by default I do because Alaska is something you care about. I am sure some people have stopped reading my blog because of all the negativity, and so I offer my apology.

Anyway, I do appreciate all my readers, and I want to be real, but not write about the negative things in my life because I am fortunate to have:

- a wonderful, loving, and caring husband,

- family and friends who care about me (even from 3000+ miles away),

- good jobs and an income that allows us to be able to save money and do things we enjoy,

- my running and good health,

- and by golly, right now there isn’t snow on the ground and it is summer vacation!

~~~~~~~

Now onto less depressing things. . . .

A visitor arrived in Anchorage today to spend two weeks with us: my aunt, Sue

I picked her up from the airport this morning.

We spent the rest of the day being tourists around town.

First stop: the Wells Fargo Alaska Heritage Museum

My aunt works for Wells Fargo, and she wanted to go and see the museum here in town. I had no idea this place existed!

If you are interested in seeing a wide variety of Alaska Native artifacts, for free, you should definitely check this place out!

Next we ventured downtown.

We walked the iconic 4th Avenue, past the shops, and admired the sights.

One thing I didn’t even realize was how many flowers there were downtown.

Our next stop was to a sight even I had never been to: Potter Marsh.

Potter Marsh is a freshwater marsh area often filled with birds and other wildlife.

The boardwalk takes you around the marsh so you can view the birds.

For dinner, I made one of my favorite dishes: Asian Noodle Salad.

I love this dish—it is so fresh, flavorful, and perfect for summer!

After dinner, we went on a moose hunt.

We drove to Kincaid Park and found them eating their dinner.

From Kincaid Park, we walked down to the “beach”

Not your typical beach, but you can’t beat the views of the mountains off in a distance.

Another moose was spotted on our way back!

It was fun doing touristy things today—things I never do when living here!