Weekend Adventures

We moved back to our beloved Alaska at the end of December and we've decided that we won't miss a single second of this amazing opportunity. When we lived here before (as a military family, 2010-2013) we didn't really do anything. We went to the Saturday Market once or twice a year and watched Netflix. We hiked the most basic, most popular mountain, Flattop, once. Once in three years. We both worked and then when Caden was born I felt like we couldn't do anything because we had a baby. We still did a few things, such as the Conservation Center, Bear Paw Festival...and that's all I can think of. We didn't waste time here before, we just didn't spend it they way we should have. But we were so young (it's only a two year difference, yet we've changed and grown so much. I would hardly recognize my old self if I happened upon her) and were new parents and it's ok. We've been given another chance and we're seizing it😊

In the last seven months we've done so much. We've been on some fun adventures together! Now, our adventures aren't anything compared to stepping foot in the Arctic Circle or attempting climb Mt. McKinley (Mt. Denali now. But I think I'll probably always call it McKinley!) but we have so much fun. We find the parks and kid friendly hikes and eat. That's my kinda adventure😋 I wanted to talk about the fun things we've done and kind of make a series out of it. The summer's halfway over so I have some backtracking to do (as usual😉). 

So Nathaniel was gone for five weeks in April and May but as soon as he got back we got started on our adventures. First we went to the Anchorage Market and Festival (we've always just call it the Saturday Market), which is always fun. 

 

 

We went to the reindeer farm out in Palmer. Nathaniel ended up with a four day weekend the weekend that he came home so we had a couple days to explore😊

It was cooooooold!! Even though it was May, it was frigid. 

Petting a cute little pig!

This adorable pup became Caden's bestie. I wanted to take him home so bad!!

Hanging out with Bruce Wayne. The bunny version, not the superhero/multibillionaire/secret identity of Batman. Too bad 😂 

Feeding Dolly! She liked to eat sticks

Feeding the reindeer!! Their lips felt so cool and they have no front teeth! Their antlers are very sensitive and we were asked to be sure not to touch them. 

The reindeer were so sweet. I loved them. We also fed elk. They were adorable! 

I scored this beauty. I'm pretty sure I bought this sweatshirt on the way home but now I can't remember when I got it!

The next day we drove to Talkeetna. I ❤️❤️❤️ Talkeetna. It's such a cute little town!! That's one place we actually did go to when we were here before! We went before I was even pregnant with Caden. 

We went to an awesome park just outside of town!

We walked into town and walked around for a couple hours. It's such a cute place! 

Lunch at Mountain High Pizza Pie! So yummy! Nathaniel had green chile chili. In Talkeenta, Alaska. So weird haha we sure miss green chile on everything!

We walked this little historic trail. Super short but interesting.

We walked down to the river. Caden got to do his most favorite thing on earth: throw rocks in water 

The oldest building on Talkeenta!

This is outside of Talkeetna but it's gorgeous. 

So that was one weekend! We had a blast. I'm so glad we're getting out and exploring! 

May&June

So before I pick up where I left off last time I need to head way back. In March Nathaniel got me a new car! Yay! It's a Chevy Traverse and I love it. It's basically my old car (a Chevy Equinox) but with third row seating. We had to sell my previous car due to our move back up here. Another exciting thing is that my paci girl isn't using a paci anymore! She weaned herself from it. She chewed holes in her pacis and I didn't replace them. She had a week of rough nights but really, it wasn't that rough. She just stayed up later that usual and was a little grumpy but it only lasted a week. I'm proud of my girl! 

So May and June were full of adventures. We did so much stuff! I'm going to blog about them separately though. If I put everything in here it would take like an hour to read! We started May out with Isla's little cast finally coming off and Nathaniel coming home. We missed him while he was gone! I finished my classes for the semester and celebrated my final class with a trip to Thunderbird Falls for a nice hike :) we had a family picnic for all the May birthdays, including my own birthday and Nathaniel's. The weather warmed up and we've spent every day outside! It's been sooooo nice! 

On May 29, Nathaniel's Grandma Buck passed away. She battled emphysema for 20 years with grace and strength. She was a wonderful woman who is missed very much. She loved her family more than anything and was so proud of all of them. I didn't spend nearly as much time with her as everyone else but I felt just as loved and I loved her. This last Wednesday her ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Southern California, just as she wished. Her final resting place is about 100 yards Southwest of this buoy. I love this picture because you can see the seal and the bird on the buoy. She took us to see the seals on the beach once and she loved birds (specifically, loons, but I thought this was nice) and it's just a beautiful place. She is and always will be so loved. 

Nathaniel and his Grandma❤️❤️

So thankful that they got to meet Caden and Isla! This picture is from August 2014. 

In June my mom had her mastectomy. She is healing so well and I am so glad. We had hoped and prayed that she wouldn't need further treatment but she does. She started chemotherapy last Monday and will have it every Monday for 12 weeks. She is the model of strength, grace, dignity, and beauty and I am so inspired by her. I have some amazing women in my life to look up to. She still needs prayer, as often as you think of her. 

In the early summer months we had bbqs and picnics. We played outside all day and spent rainy days inside together. Nathaniel left again for more training and then came back home (so he was gone twice). We had fun with friends who came to play every day (I watched my friend's daughters for a few weeks). We explored and ate and shopped and hiked mountains and threw rocks in rivers. We had ups and downs. We cried together, we prayed together, we grew stronger together. This year has really done its best to bring us down but we haven't let it. I'm glad we have each other and that our families are so awesome because we all have needed love and support these last few months.