So I went to work this morning, but only for a couple of hours. After checking my work email, and making sure there were no immediate fires to douse, I scooted out the door and called today an official addendum to Wednesday and Thursday's holiday status.

Hubby had the whole week off, and since his plans for the day fell through - he was pleased to see me bounding through the door around noon. Keep in mind that I, like the foolish imp that I am, hadn't ingested anything at all aside from a 20 ounce triple-shot hazelnut latte at 9:30 this morning. The bad thing about that is it gives me a false sense of fullness, and so...little miss low-blood-sugar thought nothing of heading back out the door with hubby and dog in tow, to go for a winter romp around Blackbird Island in Leavenworth.

Hubby had gone for a walk there a day earlier, and fell in love with the place. It's a haven for cross-country skiers, but it also has a good packed trail for those of us who just want to stroll through a snowy wonderland. Here is an ariel shot (in the summertime obviously) of the island:


So we set out with Griffin pulling hard on the leash as he always does, going buggy eyed at the prospect of getting to go for a walk. We crunched over the hardpack, peering up at the utterly stunning blue sky through the bare limbs of the trees. The December sun kept its silvery light on us the whole time, and we chatted away about how fascinating it is that duck's butts don't freeze in the icy water they swam in. I'm still fascinated by it! I don't care how many science teachers it takes to 'splain it to me, I'll always marvel that those little critters don't become insta-icicles after dipping UNDERNEATH the frigid high-mountain water in search of something to eat. Cripes, someone get those mallards a sweater.

So anyway, we followed the trail, and greeted the families who were tugging their childlings along on sleds behind them. A few dogs were silly enough to come leaping through the snow at Griffin, but were greeted with a mouthful of teeth and a spit-flinging snarl. Griffin's a teddy bear... but not with other dogs. I had to laugh when he continued to walk on, all chuffed at having chased off the 'enemies'. He's a real chest-thumper.

About 3/4 of the way around the park...I started to feel peculiar. A sudden euphoric feeling hit me...slightly woozy, as if someone had just forced three shots of Tequila down my gullet. It was suddenly very difficult to lift one foot in front of the other, and I was swaying a bit... probably looking like I was totally sauced.

"Hon...I feel reallly weird. Really weak...I think I need to get some food...."

Understatement of the year. It was obvious I was having a MAJOR low blood sugar blowout. When asked what I'd eaten that day, I had to fess up about my coffee... and was met with the frustration of a man who knows me all too well.

I managed to plod along the last quarter mile back to the Jeep. Leavenworth was crowded this morning, as bad Christmas Eve - and I knew if we tried to find a parking spot anywhere closer to a restuarant, we'd be searching for ages. I suggested we just leave the Jeep parked in front of Blackbird Island, and walk up the hill to the main street. I knew Hubby was concerned about me, but I insisted I'd be fine...and he took Griffin to the Jeep while I started the climb up the hill.

We got to the top and crossed the street - by which time I could no longer feel my legs... both from the weakness and the cold. It was frigid out today! There's a delicious mexican restaurant called Los Camperos there, and luckily it is on the same block. The funny thing is, the doors are very heavy to open, and I got them ajar just enough to wedge myself between...and duly got myself stuck. I heard the snicker of confusion behind me as Hubby reached over and pulled them open for me, then placed a helping hand on my back to steady me as we walked up the stairs to the restaurant.

When I finally fell into the booth, I was GIDDY... literally giggling with weak exhausted relief to be in a warm place, *not* walking. My whole body tingled. If I had focused long enough on the feeling, I could have easily slipped right into a faint. When the waitress brought our chips and salsa to start us off, I wolfed them down with little finesse. Hubby just chuckled and chided me for being silly and not eating a proper breakfast. I promise...I will try my hardest not to do that again!!

I orded Chicken Carnitas - no refried beans, just extra rice... and a side of sour cream. Flour tortillas. Water with ice. Oh my gosh, when it arrived....it was the best tasting Chicken Carnitas I'd ever had. I'm sure I've had better, but the extreme hunger amplified the flavor tenfold. I hardly talked through the whole meal - quite unlike me. I just ate and ate and ate....and felt my levels all filling back up to normal. Thankfully Hubby has total empathy for this. He's experienced the same thing, numerous times. So, we ate in pretty much silence, just letting our eyes roll back in our heads with the joy of it all. If I were a cat, I would have been all fluffed and fat and purring with happiness.

Once we'd stuffed ourselves, we decided that a wee bit of dessert was in order. So - feeling much lighter on my feet and ready for a walk, we strolled down main street of the Bavarian Village, to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. They greeted us at the door with a sample of German chocolate cake Fudge - which tasted SO rich and good. I peeked over at my favorite case, the Truffle case...but was dismayed to find they didn't have any amaretto truffles today. So...I ended up with getting an Almond Turtle. A big gooey piece of caramel rolled in whole almonds and smothered in milk chocolate. Hubby got a big coconut haystack in dark chocolate. We stood outside under the dripping eaves and nibbled our confections... it felt like a mini-vacation. Definitely a fun day... low blood sugar attack and all.

Driving home seemed a fete in itself. Full of fantastic food, and high on pure winter oxygen - we wasted no time in climbing the stairs to our living room, throwing off the cushions of the couch to turn it into a sort of day-bed, snuggling up on it with the ottoman pulled close so Griffin could join in on the nap-fest, and pulling a soft wool blanket over the whole tangled mess. We napped for close to two hours, and never budged a muscle the whole time.

Ahh - what a day. :D