We Had Fun!

Thanks so much to all the friends and family who showed up to celebrate with us! We had such a great time. The food was so tasty. Snow City nailed it. 

But where we failed:

1. We forgot to write "no gifts" on the invitation. We are, of course, grateful for the lovely gifts received. But because we were not prepared, things were a little chaotic. If you are the person who gave us a bottle of Bordeaux, we'd love to thank you.... It's just a mystery to solve.

2. We completely forgot to take photos. This is the only one we have, thankfully sent by our friend Nan. I think lurking somewhere out there might be one of us together. But perhaps not. When you're having fun, you don't always remember to document it. And that's not a bad thing. 

~Lucy

Happy June!

(or as our friend Autumn put it...."I believe it's pronounced Pride".)

We've been back in Alaska for seven weeks, and it's been a whirlwind. Which is a little odd since we're still spreading out social events with rest time. But getting home made us realize just how many loved ones we have here, and how nice it is to spend time with them.

We've spent some time with our medical providers, trying to get a handle on my Long Covid symptoms. There's still so much we don't know, and there aren't any clear solutions. Which means I get to have a heart monitor strapped to me for another two weeks. So itchy!

I'm back to my regular walks, which translate to casual bird-watching. Today's culprits were a single bald eagle, a whimbrel, two sandhill cranes, a grebe, and many pintail and mallard ducks. The big birder news is that a Western tanager was spotted on my parents' street. This is only the third recorded sighting in Anchorage, so the birdparazzi were out in force. I am never going to be that committed, if only because I could barely lift one of their ridiculous cameras.

Because we can’t guarantee my energy levels on a regular basis, we aren’t committing to a schedule. But we have opted for one-off volunteering days. So far we’ve taken part in picking up trash in the local park, and are slated for traffic control at a triathlon next weekend. We'll be pulling double duty of cheering on our friends at the same time. Win-win.

Today is also National Donut Day (or Doughnut - both are acceptable usages). So my walk with Rachel was extended to the Kobuk Coffee Company, for a glazed old fashioned. Don't let the photo fool you, we each got one.

 

Donuts with Rachel

Poor Quality Photo of a Sandhill Crane

 

 

Back in Alaska! Now What?!?

First, opening 6.5 months of mail. Lots of holiday cards. Two of which had glitter on them. One from my side, one from Brian’s, so the blame is evenly cast. Now we get to add the new decorations to the fridge.

 

Second, celebrating my dad’s 80^th birthday! We had a family gathering, ate tasty food, and joked about niece Kayli missing her April 15 due date – to the relief of her CPA spouse. And we're still waiting on our new family member's arrival.

 

Third, after a mere 3.5 days home we already booked two trips. One to Fairbanks to celebrate godchild’s high school graduation, another to Hawaii for a massive family Thanksgiving gathering. Other trips will surely appear soon. Oops, yes. I forgot a camping trip in August. Does that count?

 

Fourth, as a gift to both of us, I went skiing with Dad. I haven’t had the energy to even put my boots on for the three years I’ve struggled with long Covid. So enjoying a bluebird day on the mountain with my dad was pure magic. He continues to act as the action photographer.

 

The fabulous view over Turnagain Arm

Muscle memory is a beautiful thing

Still stuck to the cruisers

Plus one bowl run

An awesome day

 ~Lucy