Almost Naked Alaskan Adventure - Day 1

So, if you know me at all, you know I HATE being cold. So what on earth was I thinking taking a trip to Alaska?  Well, 2 things:

1.  It's not that cold in late June

2.  My husband's family planned the trip in honor of a very special aunt that passed away last year. 

Thus, here I am. And this, ladies & gentlemen, is my trip journal. Follow along if you will. 

Wednesday

3:00am:  why am I awake?  

4:00am:  why am I still awake?

5:00am:  go to sleep!

5:45am:  forget it, time to get the day started. 

Fast forward several hours and we have witnessed Cayden's first flying experience. 

We made sure she knew how to use the barf bags -- just in case.  She loved the flying. She narrated every takeoff as though it were a NASCAR race. She hated the waiting in airports. Eric would repeatedly have to race her down hallways. 

Ashton, of course loved it and probably has already exceeded the storage limit on her camera. 

Me?  Well, with legs like a grasshopper and a torso like a garden gnome, I don't fit the seats too well. And with the lack of sleep I've already documented, I'm sure I was less than pleasant. Poor Eric did well as trip leader, entertainment committee & peace maker.  I feel like I've been stuffed in a suitcase & manhandled by those baggage handlers all day!

The trip was well planned with plenty of layover time for stretching & making connections. Insert chaos -- Something went wrong with the baggage loader on our plane in Dulles. The bags had to come off, something had to be disconnected to keep us from catching fire, the bags had to be re-loaded & we had to get a waiver from the FAA to fly. (Still, better than catching fire)! What should have been a 3 hour layover in Denver evaporated into a 5 minute panicked sprint through the airport.  We made it just before the doors closed but I was certain our clothes wouldn't. This was about to be our "Naked Alaskan Adventure!"  Miracle of miracles, our bags magically appeared on the luggage carousel when we arrived in Anchorage. 

The in flight scenery was beautiful coming in. 

We've already seen Polar bears. 

And guess what else?  The sun doesn't set until after midnight & rises around 4am. Weird!  Also a bit annoying for someone who uses the sun as a cue for when it's time to rise & shine. Coffee anyone?  See you tomorrow!