What we have so far of...

Alaska!!!

Marty and I wanted to travel as much as possible before Brynn turned two (so we'd only have to pay for two plane tickets), and we have been looking forward to AK for SO long! I didn't know if we could actually make it happen, but my amazing and generous brother and sister-in-law gave us a plane ticket. Thanks so much, guys!

I used Helen's camera during the trip, so here is what I have so far of our trip.
And Justin and Helen, I know you guys are going to make fun of me for saying this, but I DID have a TRUE Alaska experience. I can't believe how much you guys spoiled us (especially Brynn), and I am so grateful to call you my fam!

Alaska Fireweed Jelly

These fireweed flowers grow wild in Alaska, so we picked some and Helen showed me how to make jelly out of them. It was SO delicious!

Cook-out with Reindeer Sausage!

You heard me, I ate a reindeer. Among our other AK delicacies were lots of lingonberry dishes, BISON burgers, the most delicious salmon I've ever had, yummy sushi...what am I forgetting, guys?

It was so good to spend time with my brother.

Although, sadly it's made me start missing him again. Which is unfortunate because, let's face it, he lives in ALASKA. Probably not going to see him more than a couple times a year, if that.

Apparently, I'm the only person on the planet who makes a mess when I eat roasted marshmallows. Thanks for making me so aware, guys. :)

Like mother, like daugter. Although this is Brynn's usual look when she eats choc chip pancakes.

Fishing is an Alaska "must-do"


First life-jacket

It made her cheeks bulge out :)

Denali National Park

Can you see the famous Mt. McKinley?

Neither could we, and neither can anyone else about 80% of the time (it's usually hidden behind clouds). But we saw some beautiful scenery, unlike any I've ever seen before. We also saw a bunch of moose, including one baby moose that was so cute! PLUS we got rained on, which on happens to me a handful of times a year here in AZ, so I was happy.

The frigid 40 BELOW room!

In Alaska, some days it gets to about 40 degrees below zero, so this is a room that simulates that for the tourists all year long.

Check out the ice crystals forming on our eyelashes and nose after just a couple of minutes in that place!

They gave us a cup of boiling water to throw up in the air. The water will actually freeze mid-air before it even hits the ground.



Of course we didn't bring the baby in with us. We apologetically handed Brynn over for them to baby-sit yet again, but then realized they probably didn't mind so much when we found them literally dancing in the street later. Brynn is a lucky girl to have the aunts and uncles that she does.

A cool big boat. Really just a picture I think is cute, I guess.

Anderson Bluegrass Festival

I'm so proud of my big bro! He is an amazingly talented bass player and does quite a few gigs when he's not busy at the Musk ox farm, his ridiculously brainiac research job, and earning scholarships from the physics department at UAF. (SO sorry, Justin, couldn't help myself).

Brynn was his biggest fan. Here she is standing way too close to the speakers, but dancing really cute, so we let it fly. I think we'll win the good-parents-award for that one.

This is one of Justin's jobs, and a big highlight of the trip for us. We got the private tour of the Musk Ox and the Caribou. Which meant we got to break the rules and feed them.

The baby musk ox was cute, too!

Oh, and Brynn totally got charged at, which was awesome. Don't worry, they're behind a fence.

North Pole

No, not the North Pole, obviously. North Pole, Alaska.

I thought I had said my goodbyes to my beloved hot cocoa 5 months ago. :) I think I like this town!

Can you say bizarre? For anyone who sentimentally thinks to themselves on Dec. 26th, "Gee, I wish Christmas was all year 'round," you may want to think twice about that. Every lamp post in the town is painted like a candy cane, every store is called something like, "Santa's RV park," they do their best to remind you that everything you mail here is mailed to "Santa's ZIP CODE!" BUT, I do have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my one afternoon of Christmas in July at a place where they offer you hot cocoa the second you walk in the door (anyone that knows me well realizes what a dream come true that is for me).

Date Night

One night, Justin and Helen kicked us out so we could go and enjoy ourselves without the baby. They told us they made reservations for us somewhere, then dropped us off at a beautiful park where a gourmet picnic had been set up, complete with sparkling cider and games to play (again, for anyone that knows Marty and me well - include games in anything for us and its a paradise). They also gave us a map of Fairbanks and marked all the hot date spots.

Botanical Gardens

Here to prove that it is indeed possible to grow colorful garden in AK.

FYI Justin, Helen, Katie, and Bennish: This date was so badly needed after all of the stress of the big townhome/new home MESS, it was so hard for me to hold the tears back when I saw all the work you had gone to for us. Thank you so much!

After that we checked out the town, and a lot of things were closed already so we ended up doing something we planned to do in AZ, but I'm so glad we didn't put it off, because it was

SOOOO AWESOME!

This Batman was the BEST Batman ever, hands down...infinity. Plus one. Super disturbing....but incredible. And I'm picky about Batman, having been a loyal fan since I was little.

Anyway...

11:00 PM....Still light

It's so hard to make yourself go to bed at midnight or 1:00am when you are still hanging out in broad daylight. And the fact that Katie and Bennish, our new friends in AK were so fun, didn't help matters either.

Beautiful Ballaine Lake

What would a long post be without a naked picture of Brynn?

Brynn was looking like a true Alaskan, I'm told

Sugar rush

Brynn misses Uncle "Duh-Dih"

New Best Friend

This is Katie, Helen's sister who became Brynn's new friend after being kind enough to take Brynn outside almost every time she asked for it, which was basically everytime Brynn suddenly
realized what a sucker she was for being inside. It's just too darn hot here in Mesa to go outside much, so Brynn took advantage of every minute of the nice AK weather. The first thing she said when she woke up was, "Sigh? Sigh? Sigh? Sigh? Sigh? Sigh?" Which is Brynn for "side," meaning outside.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but yes, there is actually still more to come! Thanks for bearing with me!