Day 2 with Mom and Aunt Linda

The second day of Joan and Linda's visit began VERY early. We took the train from Anchorage to Seward, and then went on a Kenai Fjords Cruise in Resurection Bay. We had to check in at the train depot in Anchorage at 5:30 AM. That meant leaving the Valley at about 4:30 AM. You can do the math to figure out when Ed and I had to roll out of bed. The girls stayed home for this trip. They got to sleep in. We got home around 11:45 PM or so.

Linda and Joan on the train, ready for a great adventure!
We passed some great scenery that you can't access from the road.
It's hard to see, but there are a bunch of Stellar Sea Lions on the rock, basking in the sun.
Thankfully, near the end of the cruise, a humpback whale popped up to say hello! It put on quite a show for a while.
On the way home, we followed Turnagain Arm, and were welcomed back to Anchorage with a beautiful sunset.

What a long, fun-filled day! Stay tuned for day 3 pics and postings.

Tagged, Revised Edition

Dawn tagged me. However, she neglected to mention that I needed to answer with a single word. So...here are my NEW answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? nightstand
2. Your significant other? sleeping
3. Your hair? bun
4. Your mother? dead
5. Your father? somewhere
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? DDP
9. Your dream/goal? Happiness
10. The room you're in?bedroom
11. Your hobby? many
12. Your fear? lots
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
14. What you're not? Tall
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. One of your wish list items? car
17. Where you grew up? Alaska
18. The last thing you did? Blogging
19. What are you wearing? clothes
20. Favorite gadget? phone
21. Your pets? four
22. Your computer? laptop
23. Your mood? content
24. Missing someone? tomorrow
25. Your car? blec!
26. something you're not wearing? shoes
27. Favorite store? open
28. Like someone? Yup!
29. Favorite color? green
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? Saturday

I will tag....everyone I know has already been tagged!!!

I was tagged!

Dawn tagged me. Here are my answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? on the window sill
2. Your significant other? sleeping
3. Your hair? ponytail
4. Your mother? Both have passed away
5. Your father? good question!
6. Your favorite thing? my family
7. Your dream last night? don't remember
8. Your favorite drink? diet Dr. Pepper
9. Your dream/goal? live, love, learn everyday!
10. The room you're in? dining
11. Your hobby? I have to have just 1?
12. Your fear? Again...I can only have 1?
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
14. What you're not? Tall
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. One of your wish list items? A new car
17. Where you grew up? Alaska
18. The last thing you did? logged on to my blog
19. What are you wearing? tan shorts, rose colored Hard Rock t-shirt from Cabo
20. Favorite gadget? Cell phone, I think
21. Your pets? Max, Layla, A.J., and Tom (or Jerry...it's a fish...one died)
22. Your computer? laptop
23. Your mood? content
24. Missing someone? every 2 weeks!
25. Your car? blec!
26. something you're not wearing? shoes
27. Favorite store? The one with a big SALE sign
28. Like someone? Most of the time
29. Favorite color? kelly green
30. When is the last time you laughed? earlier today
31. Last time you cried? Saturday

I will tag....Ester!!!

Day 1 of Mom's AK visit

The whole crew went to the airport Saturday night to greet Joan (Mom) and (Aunt) Linda after their long flight from New Jersey. Since it was about midnight East Coast time, we took them to their hotel to rest up before the VERY full week of activities that we have planned.

We began our Sunday with a trip to Portage Glacier. We spent a little while there. The girls climbed on the rocks,we checked out the exhibits that were inside the Begich-Boggs Visitor's Center, and we took in the beautiful scenery.

An ice berg floating in Portage Lake

Caitlyn, Riley, and Haley climbing on the rocks

After we left Portage Glacier, we drove back down the road to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC). I recommend this side trip to anyone, even lifelong Alaskans! There was a variety of wildlife, obviously, but the really neat aspect of the AWCC is that they are trying to rejuvenate the population of Wood Bison in Alaska. They have 65 acres for the wood bison to roam. These are big animals that look similar to the plains bison which the AWCC also has.

A wood bison. He was scratching/sharpening (?) his horns against the tree to the left just moments before this picture was taken.

When we had had our fill of wildlife and tourists, we went to Alyeska to visit the Jade Shop. Well, not just the Jade Shop, we went to Girdwood to celebrate Mom's birthday at the Double Musky. As we were driving to the Jade Shop at Alyeska, we saw a black bear on the side of the road. That was very exciting for our car full!

A black bear coming to the road to meet and greet!

We got there shortly before 4:00 in order to be in line when they opened at 4:30. We sat in the car for a while and ended up being the 4th party in line. I can't believe how long the line was to get in! With our bellies full, we began the long ride (ok...about an hour and a half) back to Palmer for cake and presents!

Mom's birthday cake

Mom showing off the scarf I knitted (it took a year!...don't ask...) Aunt Linda is looking on.

It was a great birthday. We got to see beautiful country and wildlife, eat good food, and most importantly, spend time with each other!

Frustration has set in!

Ok. So here I am, trying to be a good blogger, and I can't get any of my photos to upload! My goal was to post each day that Ed's mom and Aunt were here. Alas, I hit a roadblock of epic proportions, when you consider that this how I have chosen to share updates with friends and family. At any rate, the week went well. I would love to show you how well. Has anyone run across this problem? Let me know how to fix it, please. Gracias!