Tuesday, December 21st, 11:30am
Phone rings
Mountain Man: "Why don't we look into going to Leavenworth and spending the night on Thursday."
I don't think I heard anything else.
Tuesday, December 21st, 2:38pm
My Email
"We are booked for a romantic stay at the lovely Granite Hills Inn in Leavenworth for this Thursday evening, December 23rd. We will be staying in the cozy Willow suite."
Thursday, December 23rd, about 5:30pm
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| Granite Hills Inn |
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| Cozy welcome |
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| Front door welcome |
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| Coffee/Tea bar (with hot homemade cc cookies) |
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| Festive living area |
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| Kitchen (and Paula's salon through the far door) |
The three bedrooms are upstairs and Bill & Paula, the owners and fabulous hosts, have a room over the garage.
That evening, we night-skied at Ski Hill and then headed to town for a lovely dinner at Pav's, highly recommended by Bill & Paula.
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| Pav's |
Coming straight from the trails, I felt a little under-dressed, but quickly forgot about it. Their recommendation did not disappoint! We shared Osso Buco and then had a delicious crepe dessert.
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| Banana, Hazelnut & Nutella crepe |
We were so full, but I convinced MM to take a stroll around town with me. I love Leavenworth!
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| Sledders in downtown Leavenworth |
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| Nutcracker shop |
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| Pretzel shop |
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| Toy shop |
When we got back to Granite Hills, I wanted to get some photos of the B&B.
As I was photographing some ornaments, I heard a scratching noise. What was that?
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| Sumo playing with ribbon |
It was SUMO, the cat! He was playing with the ribbon of a gift underneath the tree. He was so cute! So we meowed and he agreed to a photo shoot.
Once he was tired of that, he wrapped himself up in my purse. I think he was trying to crawl in so I could take him home!
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| Playing with Sumo |
Then we played. I reached out and put my finger on top of his paw, then he put his paw over my hand...and said that I was his. Maybe we weren't playing, but pledging. I have a feeling Bexar may have something to say about this...and it starts with a W and ends with an OOF!
I retired to the bedroom and quickly heard the answer to my thoughts...Mountain Man was sawing some BIG logs! What's a girl to do? I ran a hot tubby in their extra-large tub, added some bath salts, and snuggled up to my iPhone!
After a cozy night in the Willow Suite, with the toasty fire, comfy mattress and with lots of pillows - just like I like it - we sauntered downstairs for breakfast. Who wouldn't get out of bed knowing that this was waiting for them?
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| Breakfast (It was better than it sounds, if that's possible!) |
Breakfast was the bomb! (I was too busy eating to take any pictures!) Their homemade apricot, strawberry, black raspberry jellies and blackberry wine was the star of breakfast! We enjoyed chatting with Bill & Pauala and some other guests, originally from Israel, who were also headed out to do some Nordic skiing. It was a great start to a great day!
It was also the beginning of a memorial day for Bill and Paula, our incredible hosts. They were picking up their nephew, who was coming to live with them indefinitely. They were very excited and we were excited for them.
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| Bill & Paula, Hosts/Owners |
Bill & Paula grew up in the Leavenworth area and Bill helped his parents run a B&B while he was growing up. They are both extremely knowledgable about the area and its history. Bill has a green thumb and Paula has a salon (in the B&B). I was sad to not have the time to take advantage of her services (massage, mani, pedi)! They were wonderful hosts - personable and friendly, yet not intrusive. They answered all of our questions, and opened not only their home but their lives. Surprisingly enough, Bill & Paula had attended the introductory class at Antioch Adoptions (different location than we did) a while back. Isn't it a small world? They decided to take a different route, serving others with a bed and breakfast, and they indeed offer service with a smile! The love of Christ shines through them as they serve others with kindness and love. We had a wonderful stay at Granite Hills Inn and I would love to return one day!
