Beautiful Alaska

My feet are now on the ground. I emerged safely from the plane, feeling good about how I handled it and again I am in control of my own fate.

Jason's mom carries Kenny, Jason grabs the bags and car seat, I have the carry-ons and yes, another smoke as we walk to the parking garage to pile into the truck. Kenny is so excited! He has had a major adventure and in his eyes, it looks like there is more to come. Jason is happy that he is in his home state and babbles on and off as we are heading out of Anchorage towards Wasilla. I am gritting my teeth as again I lose control over my destiny. You see, I am not driving. It isn't that I don't trust other people behind the wheel, I just don't trust other people behind the wheel when my son and I are in the car. This is something that has plagued my existence since I started driving at 16. Yep, I got some major issues.

I try to focus on the scenery as Jason points out things here and there. Alaska is truly a beautiful place. We saw a moose climbing the hill off the side of the highway. That was cool. The only moose I ever saw before was behind bars in the zoo. We talk about the tsunami that hit years and years ago and Jason points out the evidence of that. Cool again. Passing through Wasilla I see a sweet growing town with beautiful mountains in the background and start to ponder what it would be like to live here.

We arrive at the house, unpack our gear from the truck, head upstairs and settle in to our room. After a quick sand which I put Kenny down for a nap. He fell asleep quickly. This angel boy has had so much excitement in the last few hours I was surprised he had stayed awake as long as he had. I go downstairs, check in with Jason then head out for a smoke. When I got back I went straight upstairs and took a little nap myself. I too have had enough excitement for the day.

Our week in Alaska was nice. Nothing too exciting happened. We visited with Jason's brother, drove around town, shopped for trinkets, ate at the cutest little diner and simply relaxed. I was hoping to get out and see more sights, really get a feel for community and the state in general, but we stayed close to the house and honestly, that kinda bummed me out. I didn't expect for the family to bend over backwards to convince us to move here, but I was hoping to at least absorb some info, maybe get to check off the good and bad and how they fit into my criteria for choosing a place to move to: opportunities for the kids, fun for the family, etc etc.

Kenny and Daddy walking up
the drive to me-ma and me-pa's
house.

Jason and I took every moment alone to discuss some of the pros and cons that came up. The weirdest thing for me was trying to get used to the daylight, or lack of. Alaska is only an hour behind Nevada, still it was strange to wake up at 7 am and find that the sun didn't rise until 10 or 10:30. Not to mention that the Sunday before we left was daylight savings. Talk about screwing up that internal clock!!



We had fun for the most part. The nieces and nephews enjoyed playing together. Kenny loved all the attention rained upon him. Jason liked being home and with the family. I spent a lot of time outside thinking. I feel guilty about it now. I should have enjoyed the moment more, but my brain was in "save the children" mode. I couldn't stop analyzing, wondering, planning, making mental notes of this and that. I was bored sitting around the house. I wanted to experience more not just talk about the fishing and camping promises of the summer months.

Jason and I were getting nowhere in our discussions. Neither of us were sure this was the place that would fulfill our goals. We decided to wait to talk about it when we got home. Instead, the talks turned to the upcoming plane ride. Here we go again. Me on a plane. Somehow though, I didn't get so worked up. I handled the ride here, right? No body got hurt. I didn't really "sound" off in my usual smart ass manner to anyone. The trip home should be a breeze.