Parties galore

Happy Friday, happy weekend. My workplace holiday party is tonight - 775 people signed up! I'm going to scoot home a little early and then help with setup this evening at the hotel. Our party is so big that we rent all four of the Sheraton's ballrooms. I helped my coworker shop for door prize gifts this week and am crossing my fingers that I will win something because our prizes are seriously awesome (camera, flip video recorder, coffee cards, gift cards, lift tickets, ski resort overnight stays, etc.) D is off the hook for this party and has decided to go snowmachining and critter-hunting up north with a buddy instead. Aren't I a nice wife?

Speaking of holiday parties, we attended the Carpenters Union event last month and I ended up winning a $50 certificate to Club Paris downtown, which is one of THE BEST places to get a steak in Alaska. It's very Alaskan, which means you can go there and drop $150 on a fancy meal but not feel out of place wearing Carharts and XtraTuffs.

The Carpenters party was held at the Captain Cook and I got a fantastic parking spot just steps away from the hotel (there's my lucky streak again - my friends call me the luckiest girl in Anchorage!). We took a little break from the party to check out the hotel shops and came across an art gallery, Stephan Fine Arts. D and I both fell in love with a gorgeous print by Alaskan artist Charles Gause.

It is HUGE (44" x 14" unframed) but coincidentally we have open wall space above our dining room table that would fit this perfectly. D and I spend a lot of time in Prince William Sound and we both love how this evokes memories of special days spent out there. Isn't it amazing? At the gallery the print was matted beautifully with a thick dark wood frane that matches our home decor. It's a wee bit expensive though - $450 unframed and around $825 framed/matted. Ah well, we can dream.