Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Kyria's Visit

We had a great time with Kyria last weekend! We hadn't seen each other in over 3 years but we have the kind of friendship where you pick up where you left off! She landed on Friday night and Paul came with me to pick her up from the airport since he was so excited about our visitor! We had take-and-bake pizza when we got home from the airport. I stayed up a little bit past my bedtime since we were having so much fun catching up after the boys were in bed. 

On Saturday morning, we headed to the zoo. We had tickets to the dolphin show at 10:30. Paul has been talking about it for weeks so he was especially excited. He had fun showing Kyria around the zoo. Will was even interested in holding Kyria's hand at one point. 



Waiting for the dolphin show to start.

The dolphin show completely exceeded my expectations. The dolphins were so very adorable and they did lots of different tricks for us. I would like to go again and get better seats. We couldn't get there too early as I knew Will would be very squirmy so next time I'd like to go on my own with Paul. 

Phil made a Spanish tortilla for lunch. Once we'd digested our lunch, we headed out for a 4 mile run and then hung out at home for the rest of the day. I made chicken tikka masala with cauliflower and peas for dinner that night. 

Reading books with Kyria

We had a slow morning on Sunday since we didn't need to leave until around 9am for our snowshoe race. Kyria ended up doing a 4 mile run before the race (she has a marathon next month so needed some extra miles). The snowshoe race was really well organized and the weather was very nice for Minnesota! Our snowshoes were not designed to be run in so we mostly walked. The course was really pretty - we crossed a lake and walked through a big nature preserve area. We talked the whole time, especially about careers/work topics! We work in similar industries so really understand what each other does. 


Walking across a lake at the start of the race

On the way home from the race we stopped at a new-to-me GF bakery for some lattes and treats and then had a quiet afternoon/evening at home. I made seared ahi tuna, asparagus, and Asian rice for dinner. 

Monday was my birthday! After sending the kids off to school with Phil, Kyria worked for a bit while I read in front of the fire in my bedroom. It was so cozy and delightful! 


My shins/calves were very sore from snowshoeing - it definitely used different muscles! So we did a shorter run that morning that ended at Starbucks so I could get my birthday latte which I enjoyed on the walk back to the house. For lunch, Kyria treated me to a meal from this cool food hall that has lots of different places to order from. We shared a grain bowl, a dosa from an Indian place, and kimchi coleslaw from an Asian place. Then I dropped her off at the airport and got a massage at a lovely spa by my house. 

The boys got home around 5. I had thought about getting Indian take out but decided to have it belatedly next weekend since I had lunch out earlier in the day (eating out twice in the same day is a bit much for me). We had leftovers for dinner and I enjoyed a bowl of ice cream for my birthday treat. 

Now we need to visit Kyria - maybe next spring or summer! The last time we visited her was 2016 so we are overdue for a trip out west to visit her! But I'm grateful that she was willing to come to us, especially during our cold winter season! Having her around made my birthday weekend extra fun and festive! 

14 comments:

coco said...

sounds like a perfect reunion with your friend. I only have friends like that... pick up where you left x years ago - now that we live in different places from time to time. sometimes it makes me sad that I don't like with my friends in the same city to share daily musings, but I feel grateful to keep some of those good ones despite being far away from them.
happy birthday again!

Elisabeth said...

This looks so fun, Lisa! I'm so glad she was able to visit so close to your birthday. And all the fun exercise looks amazing - from running to snowshoeing. And a dolphin show?!

Yay. I'm just thrilled you got this time together and that you had such a great weekend.

Nicole said...

How wonderful that you got to spend a weekend together! This sounds delightful. Snowshoeing is something that I would like to take up!

Laura said...

This sounds so cool! I have never been snow-shoeing. Maybe I'll put it on the list. Happy birthday!

NGS said...

Yay for spending time with friends! It looks like such a fun time and how exciting that you had enough snow for snowshoeing. I don't think we've had enough all winter long.

Sarah said...

This sounds so fun-- and a massage-- what a cherry on top.

Life of a Doctor's Wife said...

This sounds like such a fun weekend! Love that you did a snowshoe race -- I really enjoy snowshoeing, but I feel like racing would be difficult for all sorts of reasons.

Adding your tikka masala recipe to my list for upcoming meals...

And YAY for doing your massage!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

I had a lot of fun last weekend and I don't even feel like it was too cold! My favorite part was probably reading with the boys in front of the fire, but as you know that is right up my alley! I also liked the zoo, especially the penguins and the dolphins, and the boys were so cute, running around trying to show me all of their favorite things. My other favorite thing was the GF biscuits and gravy! I am going to be on a mission to recreate that now, and I even looked up the test kitchen flour recipe!

Jeanie said...

What a terrific visit -- nothing like having a visit from a dear friend and doing so many fun things together. The zoo/aquarium sound especially fun and I love that the boys loved it too.

Grateful Kae said...

This looks so great! I knew she was going to be there, but I forgot about the snowshoe hike thing- I got an alert on my watch that "Lisa had completed a workout", and it said you had done like a 7 mile walk or something! And I was like, JEESH Lisa, a 7 mile walk?! haha! Now it makes sense. ;)

Glad you guys had a great time! The zoo sounds like a perfect place to go, and what a great sport she was reading and playing with the boys! I know some people aren't that into hanging out with other people's kids! lol. So it's so sweet that she was really into it. :)

Jenny said...

This sounds so fun!!! You really packed a lot in- the trip to the zoo, a snowshoe race, and your birthday sounds like the ideal way to spend the day. I love the fact that you got a massage.

Amber said...

I know I never comment anymore but I just had to pop on to say how great it was to see pictures of you and Kyria!! Love that you guys made this visit happen and it worked out for your birthday weekend to boot.

Stephany said...

I am so glad that Kyria got to visit and it was such a fun time! A snowshoe race sounds INTENSE.

San said...

So happy you two got to spend time together <3