As an Alaskan, spring is not my favorite. The only green it delivers is in the form of envy when I see others basking in sunshine and sandals. Sometimes it’s hard to believe we live on the same planet, let alone the same country. Alaska’s spring is all about mud, Xtratufs, and squishing around the yard cleaning up everything that’s revealed as the snowpack recedes. … Continue reading Spring Fling
Spring Break 2024: the year we went to Vegas, didn’t gamble a cent, and still hit the jackpot! The odds were in our favor thanks to two different school calendars that shared a single week for spring break. Las Vegas provided a central(ish) location to meet between Alaska and Nebraska, and the perfect springboard for a road trip through the American Southwest. Our flights were … Continue reading Canyon Country
We’ve been blessed to visit the Hawaiian Islands a number of times, but this January we enjoyed our first trek to Kauai. Most of our Hawaii trips go something like this: sleep in a bit, board a late morning plane in Anchorage, endure a bit of de-icing, and happily land in Maui six hours later. This time we flew on a red eye flight to Portland, hung … Continue reading Kauai Love
This winter break our family embarked upon an eight day, 800-mile road trip from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco, California. We only booked lodging for the first and final few nights, giving ourselves plenty of flexibility along the way. Armed with Spotify and Google Maps, we hopped in a rented Ford Explorer and hit the open road. The four of us are rarely under the … Continue reading Enjoy the Journey
In the past year we have embraced long weekend getaways and mini-vacations. It is exhausting to fly in and out of Alaska for these quick trips, but I have yet to regret a single excursion. I guess we are still playing catchup from all the travel we missed during Covid? I especially love when our long weekends overlap with family visits. This year I got … Continue reading Girly Getaways
Today she drove away. Not for good, thankfully. She was off to soccer practice, followed by an 8-hour shift at work. She’s a busy kid, between sports, babysitting, her job at Subway, and hanging out at the horse barn. Throw in a knee surgery and weekly physical therapy appointments, and let’s just say this girl’s shiny new driver’s license brings as much freedom for her … Continue reading Sweet Sixteen
Our family has many special memories in Hawaii, so we were thrilled when my sister announced she was getting married on Maui. Even better: the wedding would take place in February, which guaranteed a respite from another dark, frigid Alaskan winter. We would wake up in snowy Anchorage, and a mere six hours later land on the shores of a tropical paradise. Getting there wasn’t … Continue reading Just Mauied
‘Tis the season for travel once again, so we hopped down to Nebraska for Thanksgiving this year. It was a whirlwind weekend filled three family dinners, two birthday cakes, and one painful football game. There’s not a lot of photo documentation, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Except for the painful football game. We did manage to capture that! This is the … Continue reading Thanksgiving 2021
Earlier this month, my parents celebrated 50 years of marriage. They’ve never been ones to make a big hoopla about their anniversary, but this one warranted something special. There was no way my siblings and I were going to let fifty years go by without a celebration. A party was out of the question. Our folks would never go for it, there’s still this whole … Continue reading Silver & Gold
For me, Mexico was a brief intermission to a bigger show: after 18 long months, I once again had a ticket to Nebraska. Clark and the kids wouldn’t join until the following week, after the state soccer tournament. I was headed home. Alone. So much had changed, yet everything felt the same. If that makes sense? First up: a new family member to meet. My … Continue reading Home Again
Profoundly Ordinary 