Virginia is for Lovers (and Washington DC is too)

We had a late spring break this year, probably because school doesn't get out until the end of June - yuck.  Last year, Cody and I were in Alaska getting married over break, and the year before that I was visiting my sister in Hawaii.  So, as you can tell, breaks tend to be kind of a big deal around these parts. I think it might be a teacher thing.

My sister (the one I visited in Hawaii) recently got relocated by the military from Hawaii to Virginia. As sad as she and her family were to leave Hawaii, this was a BIG exciting change for our family because it meant we'd all get to see each other more than once every two years.  I was super excited to have the opportunity to go visit her, my brother-in-law, and their three kiddos over break this year. I was excited to see them, but also super excited to get to visit them in an area of the country I've never been to before.  Visiting Washington DC, which is close to their house, has always been a bucketlist item of mine, so this was an awesome opportunity to visit family and cross something off of my list.

Early in the week, we had a girls day out (me, my sister, and my oldest niece) and headed to DC for the day. We went EVERYWHERE. We saw the White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, two of the Smithsonian Museums, WWII Memorial, and a few other places too.  There was so much to see and do that we managed to walk eleven miles without even realizing it...well, at least not until none of us could walk the next day, but at least we did it! It was such a blast.  I was amazed too at how easily accessible DC is.  It's a really well maintained city in terms of cleanliness and was easy to navigate for non-locals.  I'd highly recommend a visit if you've never been.

The rest of the week was spent primarily in Virginia. My sister and her family live in a nice little suburban community outside of DC.  There were lots of parks and historical sites nearby to hike and explore. We also spent two days visiting Fredricksburg, which was a super cute town with great food and shopping. We did a lot of eating and antiquing there.  Everything was so quaint, historical, and interesting.

However, my favorite part of the trip was hanging out with my family! My nieces had all gotten so big and playing with them in the afternoons was a blast. I got to see their schools, watch soccer practice, jump on the trampoline, and snuggle on the couch in the evenings.  It was some pretty serious quality time.

It was a much-needed trip for me.  Hanging out with family is always something that I cherish because Cody and I are constantly living so far away from everyone. In fact, I haven't lived near my family since 2008 and Cody since 2012.  I hope to have a repeat of this fantastic visit this summer. Here's to hoping!

Your turn...What did you do for spring break this year?
Currently listening to...Buddy Holly - Weezer

An Island Thanksgiving

Yesterday marked the first time that Cody and I have ever hosted a holiday at our home.  We've spent so much time traveling and moving around over the last few years that we've never hosted anything, and we haven't spent very many holidays even together. Typically, Cody heads down to southern Illinois to visit his family and I head to northern Illinois and/or southern Michigan to see mine.

This year, my mom and her boyfriend, Mark, volunteered to come visit us for a rainy, island Thanksgiving. It was soooo nice to not have to travel and worry about packing, booking flights, or renting cars.  Instead, we worried about planning a meal.

We opted to forgo the turkey this year because they were nearly $40 on the island, and 1/4 of the people attending our meal were vegetarian. The carnivores made a batch of homemade chicken and dumplings. Then, for everyone we made green bean and mushroom casserole, rolls, potatoes, and giant Greek salads.  We wrapped up our wonderful meal with two pumpkin pies for dessert.

It was a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. Our holiday consisted only of relaxation, doggy fun,  and baking, which was perfect for the rainy holiday. And, as much as I love to be a bit of a traveling nomad, it was extremely nice to be at my own house, enjoying a holiday free of airports, hotels, and vending machine food. 

Your turn...How was your holiday? 
Currently listening to...Flapper Girl-The Lumineers

Traveling off Beaver Island

So, while I am still kicking around Beaver Island for the next few months I thought it would be fun to profile a few aspects of life on the island.  There are lots of semi-strange things about living on a remote island.  One of the strangest things (in my opinion) is traveling off of the island.

Asleep on the deck of the ferry. 

The island is only accessible by boat or airplane (much like Juneau).  However, the ferry only runs for a handful of months out of the year.  From November to April it is pretty unlikely you'll be making any sea voyages.  Rough waters limit travel greatly. That leaves flying as the main mode of transportation to and from the island.

My boys looking out the airplane window.

There are only 500-ish people that live on Beaver Island.  A full-scale airline service just isn't happening.  We basically fly in bush planes similar to the ones that they use in remote Alaska villages.  You can fly with Island Airways or Fresh Air.  I usually use Island Airways because they have a contract with the school.  It just makes life easier to always fly with the same company.

Views from the airplane in late October. 

One super tough thing about being limited to air travel for most of the year is obtaining a car when you're off Beaver Island.  Unfortunately, Cody and I haven't hit the legal car rental age yet.  This means we can only fly off of the island if someone (like our parents) is willing to drive 4+ hours each way to pick us up.  Things get a little inconvenient.  Many families choose to just own a second car and pay to keep it stored at the Charlevoix Airport.  I think if we were planning to stay on the island long-term we probably would have done this. It would make life so much easier.  We must really like living in difficult places though…Juneau isn't on the road system either.

Your turn…Have you ever lived somewhere off of the road system?

Currently listening to…Two Weeks- Grizzly Bear

Quality Time

Cody is going to be leaving for Alaska sooner than I am.  We've been trying to make the most of our time together before he leaves.  This means that all of our free time is being spent trying to squeeze in a little quality time.  We've been cooking meals (breakfast, lunch, AND dinner), hiking, snowshoeing, snuggling on the couch.  All of our time is spent together these days.

It's been bittersweet.  I love spending so much time together.  I don't love that it means we will be spending the next several months apart.  I know that it is a means to an end.  Cody going to Juneau early means that we have the financial stability to move back to Alaska.  It means we will have a house secured.  It means that we will be settled.  It means things will be easier in the long run.

Until he leaves we will continue to pack in as much fun as possible together.  Enjoy the pictures while they last.  I have a feeling that Netflix binges will rule my life once he leaves…and nobody needs to see a picture of that.  Hah.

Your turn…Have you ever spent any significant time away from your spouse?

Currently listening to…Midnight City- M83

New Beginnings

As many of you know, I am moving on and creating a new blog.  It is finally up and running and I'd love it if you'd stop by and check it out! You can find it here…

The Middle(tons) of Nowhere 

This is our new beginning.  Cody, Specks, and myself are living in our most isolated destination yet. Life is full of new adventures.  Join us on one! 

An Alaskan In Hawaii

Aloha! I am one lucky girl. My dad and step-mom invited me to go along with them to visit our family that lives in Hawaii. So, The past eight days of my life have been spent lounging, tanning, beach-combing, and just generally living the island lifestyle.

My sister, Sara, lives in Hawaii with her three children and husband.  They were stationed there with the USMC two years ago and have been living the island lifestyle ever since.  They are incredibly lucky to live only a ten minute walk from two picturesque beaches.  We had incredible weather the entire time so we were essentially glued to the ocean.  When we weren't swimming we were checking out lava fields (on the beach), building sand castles, and looking for creatures in the tidal pools.

Our other (non-beach affiliated) explorations took us to a true Hawaiian luau at Paradise Cove.  We danced, laughed, ate, drank, and experienced the beautiful Hawaiian culture.

 We also checked out North Shore Marketplace and all of its shopping glory, which was pretty exciting for an Alaskan girl who hasn't seen a mall in two years.  Another cool place we stopped was Waimea Falls and Botanical Gardens.  Definitely worth the hike if you are ever in Honolulu!

Towards the end of our trip we visited the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites.  We toured the museum, USS Missouri, and the USS Arizona Memorial.  It was such a sobering feeling to stand over the USS Arizona.  Not much can compare to this historical landmark.

This trip was one for the books! I am happy to be back in Alaska but I will certainly miss being with my family in paradise.  Perhaps we will have to make it a tradition? A girl can dream!

Questions:
Have you ever visited Hawaii?
If not, what was your favorite vacation?

Midwestern Holidays: Part One

I'm baaaaack!! That's right folks, I am finally back from my Midwestern adventure.  I spent my Christmas Break down south.  Part of my time I spent in Illinois and part of my time was spent in Michigan so I figured I would break this post up into two separate portions.  Let's start with where I was first….Illinois!

Ahhh…I missed those Midwestern sunsets.  Seriously, the sun setting on such an open space is breathtaking.  I can't believe how different the sunsets look back in farm country!

I spent my time in Illinois with my mom and her side of the family.  What an amazing time we all had!

I got to meet my niece, Ember Violet, for the first time during this trip.  I just couldn't get enough of her! She is so adorable.  I loved meeting this funny (and very serious) baby.

I also spent time shopping, eating at my favorite restaurants, chatting with friends, playing with LOTS of babies, and lounging around my childhood home.  It was so relaxing and I left feeling refreshed!

Sadly, the weather was pretty awful.  As many of you know, that part of the country is having a TOUGH week for weather.  It's been anywhere from -10° all the way down to -40° in some areas.  Yikes! I ended up stranded in a hotel in Chicago one night thanks to this nasty weather.  Oh well, that's the Midwest for you!

Overall, I had an amazing time in Illinois.  I can't believe my trip is over.  I wish I could have stayed another week and spent even more wonderful time with my mom, my sister, my niece, and all of my amazing family.  They were all so wonderful and made my trip really incredible.

Questions:
Are you in the Midwest? If so, how are you battling the weather? 
What did all of you do for Winter Break? 

Family Adventures: Part Two

So, you've seen the beautiful pictures that my family and I shot at the beaches last week.  As I mentioned in the previous post, the weather was phenomenal.  The sun was shining (almost) every day and the temperatures were super toasty.  I actually ended up with a serious sunburn and sun poisoning on the third day of our sun-filled adventure.  Yikes!

To ensure the true "Alaska Experience" we spent a ton of time hiking while my dad and stepmom were in town.  We ventured to a few tourist-oriented places but for the most part we took them off the beaten path for the real, authentic experience.  We started out their first day in town by heading to Mendenhall Glacier.  This is typically a tourist-type area during the summer but we managed to get a day with very few cruise ships in town.  That coupled with the cloudy weather (it looked like it may rain any second but it never actually did) made for the perfect day to venture to this popular locale.

My parents were in awe of the amazing sights at the glacier.  It is truly one of those places that you have to see in person to understand its scale and magnitude.  I've always felt that being near the glacier made me feel somehow smaller, but more aware of the nature around me.  Cody, myself, and my parents definitely walked away feeling amazing.

We took a few detours to see the glacier from different angles throughout the week.  Each was breathtaking!

We even hiked to the infamous Mendenhall Ice Caves.  Sadly, we couldn't find them.  It was a 7-mile hike though and we got to see plenty of amazing sights that made the trip worth it.

One day we did some hiking at the end of the road.  This is generally a VERY unused area because it takes anywhere from 20-40 minutes to reach and the locals are the only people willing to make the drive.  It is so worth it though!

We watched the salmon run start and it was amazing.  Hundred (maybe thousands) of fish were flopping through the water! We also had a bear encounter while on this hike.  While tromping through the woods we ran into one and scared it away.  But, less than five minutes later we realized it was hiding in the bushes and watching us! Eek! We were scared but made lots of noise and made sure to NOT look like food (ha ha).

Other hiking excursions for the week were equally as beautiful.  I would venture to say that we walked/hike close to 20miles in the week that they were in town.  My legs got quite the workout! The views made it totally worth it for all of us though.

Eventually, the trip had to come to an end.  I was incredibly sad to see my family leave Juneau.  They had an amazing trip though and by the time they left they were already planning next years trip!  I hope that they inspire other friends and family to make the trek up to Alaska.  It is a once in a lifetime experience.  Not to mention, Cody and I are fantastic tour guides :)