Outside Alaska- CA

We rent another car to head towards Cali. This time we upgraded to a Chevy Malibu. Still a small car compared to what we are use to, but a HUGE improvement from the teeny, tiny Aveo we spent so much time in. Even the kids were remarking over the space. We didn’t get the same cheap rate as the Aveo though. Cars are cheap in the Midwest. This is not the case on the west coast. Especially when picking up at one location and dropping in another. At $83/day our 4 days with the Malibu cost about the same as our little Aveo did for two weeks…yeah it hurt!

We hit the road and made it into CA by about 3pm (about 500 miles). On the way we hit 117 degrees. Seriously, why did we decide to travel through AZ and CA in Aug??

We got to LA and stayed at March ANG base. This base is closing so it has the abandoned feel to it. The billeting is very Spanish inspired with terra cotta roof tiles and heavily textured white stucco walls. Large palm trees were in the center of the courtyard with a trickling water fountain. Absolutely GEORGOUS!!

About 2 years ago I helped my mom find some relatives she had never met and some she had lost contact with. While looking for her family I also decided to try looking up a long lost best friend from my childhood. Hours and hours of frustration and several dead ends later I was finally able to contact her. We had spoken over the phone and emailed, but had not yet made contact in person until today. Even though I had not seen her in 17 years I so could have picked her out of a line up. She was always beautiful and now, as a woman, has only perfected her look. She has the squeakiest of voices so Mickey Mouse was a nick name through school. Wanna talk about flash backs. We had a great time. She lived just 2 houses down and we were attached to the hip for many a year. She has 2 daughters that are the same ages as mine so they got along great. And meeting at a Dave and Buster’s was a great decision according to Zac. How quickly time passes. We are hoping next time to plan a vaca together.

A friend, Tina (Jason’s wife), who grew up in LA told me to watch out for the traffic in LA. I was confident in all my travels and growing up in a large city I could totally handle a few cars driving beside me. She informed me of the 70 mph posted limit and the ACTUAL driving speed and how I would be sitting still. Speeding ticket, hello! Ok Tina, you were right!! I am cruzin at 80ish :) and cars are flying past me and pissed that I am in the way. Oh and locking up the brakes during morning rush hour in the fast lane, 6 lanes in is probably not the best choice. Oh and FYI a Chevy Malibu will shut off IMMEDIATELY when the brakes lock up. Laughing now with slight residual twitch.

The next day we headed out up highway 1. We spent some time on the beach and the weather was awesome. It was sunny and high 70s the short time we were there. When we pulled out of the parking lot of the beach I got pulled over again! The police came to the window and asked if I knew why I had been pulled over. I was speeding. NO! Well I might have been, but that wasn’t the reason I was getting pulled over. I guess I had run through a stop sign in the park. Lucky for me I got a warning. He was a little confused though. I have an AZ driver’s license with a CO address but we reside in AK. Another interesting fact about AZ driver’s license is the expiration date. Mine is not set to expire until 2041, seriously! Now the kids think they have some dirt on me. “Look out mom, there’s a stop sign,” or “Are you supposed to be going that fast?” HAHA funny stuff!

We got to Travis and stayed in the TLF there, another 400 miles. WHOA!!! I felt like I was in the Ritz or something. Our room had 2 bedrooms and a full kitchen for $43 a night. What a deal. The next day we drove through Napa Valley and the surrounding area. It was absolutely beautiful. Zac wants to move to CA when he is an adult. He loved southern CA and he saw upper on our trip to AK. We turned in the rental car after 1400 miles in 4 days and spent the next day at the Travis terminal awaiting a flight home. The USO has a family lounge that kept the kids and I busy to kill time. We were able to catch another C-5 for the return trip. With 3 ½ weeks and over 6000 miles under my belt I needed a rest. It sure was great to see lots of friends and family. We missed a few but will definitely try to catch them next time. Never know when we will make a trip.

The flight home was uneventful. The landing was a little rough but we landed in one piece. We bounced a few times and the face masks were falling out due to the molding coming off the plane.

All in all we had a great trip. I HATE flying!!!

Outside Alaska- AZ

Now it is a straight shot to AZ. Just as we are approaching the AZ boarder my cell phone rings. It is my mom calling from her neighbor’s cell phone. She locked herself out of the house when she took out garbage…in her jammies. My dad is the only person with her spare key (my divorced parents are best friends, adds to the craziness huh?) so here she is on her back porch, without her cigarettes and her soda, in the middle of August in AZ, and we would not be there for about 2 ½ hours.

I think I jinxed myself as I made a stupid comment a while back about how I WAS NOT going to AZ anymore! Since Brad and I moved away in ’99 we have been back to AZ NO less than 3 times a year. One year we went 6 times! I am an AZ native, born and raised. I am done, no more, seen enough for now. Since my stupid comment I have been back 3 times in less than a year. I even said once we moved to AK I was not going to visit anyone for a long time. I made it 4 months before heading down to see our family. Something is really wrong with me!

In AZ we have my dad’s station wagon to crusin around in. Talk about a pimpin ride. It used to be my grandparents and my dad bought it off of them.

Zac and Kenzie spent most of the 4 days in AZ visiting their daddy Jason. Luckily we get along great. Yes, just like my parents all 4 of the kid’s parents hang out. Normally Jason and his wife, Tina, will join Brad and I and my 3 parents for dinner. So it is our 5 kids (my 2 with Jason, Brad’s 2 with Julie and Brad and I’s daughter) and my dad, mom and step-mom, Jason and Tina asking for table reservations. I also get along with Jason’s family and visit with them. Crazy as it seems it works out great. The kids think it is great. When Jason comes to visit them, he stays in our house and he and Brad get along. Jason’s wife and I get along. I just wish it could be like that with Brad’s ex.

Before we left, the kids took some photos with their Grandpa Chuck (Jason's dad above), Jason's mom and Jason's Grandfather.

While in Tucson we did just over 300 miles in the 4 days. Of course we hit our favorite spots. We were even able to see my sister’s land where they are planning to build a home. On the 3 acres they will also build a stable and coral to board their own horses and maybe even take in some to make some money. This has been a lifelong goal for their family.

I was ready to be home. I am a spoiled Air Force wife. Brad has never deployed and in almost 9 years we have never been more than 3 weeks apart. We talk on the phone several times a day, but not having the face to face conversation really wears on me. We also spent the past 3 weeks on a couch, living out of suitcases, which is more than enough for me. I know everyone thinks we are crazy for living in an RV, but as much traveling as we do it sure is nice to have your own bed and ability to cook your own meals where ever you are. Don’t even get me started on having your own restroom. People are nasty at rest stops!

I was hoping a flight would be leaving AZ to AK but no such luck. We are now headed to CA to try and catch a flight from there. No guarantees we will be able to do so, but that’s our best chance to get home. Who knows how long our stay in CA will be. This is a great advantage to homeschooling. We don’t have to worry about making it back for “school”. This is "school"!

Outside Alaska- MO/OK/TX/NM

We follow my dad to Rolla, MO and stopped for the night after 600 miles. This is the small town Brad’s grandmother lives in. The area is beautiful. Got a kewl pic following behind just past St. Louis, MO.

The next day I made good on my promise and ate at the Bob Evans before dropping off the car. I turned in the rental car after 3600 miles in 2 weeks and full of white sand from Lake MI. We now cram into my dad’s car. My dad is driving, Kenzie is in the middle, and my step-mom is in the passenger seat. The second row consists of Zac, Mikaela and me. It is a station wagon with two useable seats. The third seat and back are filled with luggage and pillows.

Remember this is the end of August. There has been an unusual heat wave plaguing the Midwest and 6 people smashed in a car for about 1300 miles. The A/C would freeze up so the vent would circulate the hot, humid air. It felt as if we were being slow cooked. The windows would get crack so the sound of 70 mph wind would deafen us. In my childhood music would be on in the car, in the house, everyday. I don’t remember my dad ever watching TV, ever! Well something happened as he has aged. The entire trip to AZ is without the radio… and this vehicle actually has one! For those who do not know my dad (great guy) this ’88 Olds station wagon is his newest vehicle he owns. His daily driver is a ’67 Ford p/u. Or a ’64 Pontiac Catalina, or ’64 Pontiac Bonneville…all without FM radio.

We make it through OK and are on the outskirts of TX and it is late. We are in search of dry ice for the 20lbs of MI blueberries my dad is bringing home with him. Every year he brings them to AZ. They are the biggest, juiciest, sweetest blueberries known to man. As the minutes pass the dry ice is evaporating so the hunt is on. A small town in TX at 10pm = no dry ice. We drive on and still no ice. We make it into Tucumcari, NM and finally stop for the night after almost 900 miles. We have the blueberries in front of the A/C unit for the night. Blueberries just hold on please don’t let go. We made a stop in the morning at a local store to get dry ice. Score! They will make it to AZ without completely thawing. I thought there for a while we were gonna have to eat 20lbs of blueberries in NM.

Outside Alaska- MI

We made it into MI late that night, just about 600 miles. We headed over to the Foster’s house. They are like second parents to me. Mr. Foster and my dad have been friends since young teen years and Mrs. Foster has been there just as long. We always spend some time with them. They have a beautiful spread out in rural MI. A few acres with a flowing stream cutting across it, a nice home and a HUGE garage where we spend most of our time. Mr. Foster had just had surgery on his hand so he was home the entire time we were there. Their youngest daughter was there too. She was just about to start her senior year of college and was spending a few days at home. It was so nice see them. We just hung out and relaxed.

We met up with my dad the next day. He had car problems that stopped his progress from AZ to MI. Luckily they made it just short of their final destination. So Mrs. Foster and I grab some of Mr. Foster’s tools and headed off to help my dad and step-mom. By the time we got there someone else had stopped to help out. My dad had neck surgery the year before and here he is under his car trying to drop the fuel tank. I swear to you I want to smack him! With all of us helping we were able to drop the tank, replace the fuel filter/pump and raise the tank again. Oh did I forget to mention this is at a gas station parking lot and my dad had just filled up his gas tank. Of course it always could be worse. There could have been a heat wave floating through MI at the time of our visit…oh wait there was one. Well we got it done and headed to eat. Wouldn’t ya know it there was a Bob Evan’s on the way back to the Foster’s.

We made the trip to my grandparents to see how they were doing. We got lucky at the beginning of the year when we went to AZ to drop off my Jeep. They were there so we got to see them twice this year. I have a huge family in MI. My dad is 1 of 10 kids and of course everyone has married and had children. My family is a little sick and twisted and if you can’t take a joke you might not wanna come over. Sarcasm is a prerequisite to join the family. Now you see why Brad fits in just right. Montgomery and Gentry have a Xmas song that paints the picture perfectly Brad says.

This year the family reunion started at a bowling alley. There’s nothing like a bunch of Benkerts invading a bowling alley. We all look the same (all 10 kids have brown hair and blue eyes) and have A LOT of kids between us. So here are all these hillbillies bowling. It’s amazing we are all in shoes!

I am blessed to have the craziest family. My children are never at a loss for people to talk to or play with and Zac can build ANYTHING with the supplies at my uncle Bruce’s. My aunts have creative ways to play games and have fun toys for the kids. This year all the kids got screaming, flying monkeys! Yep, you heard me right, screaming flying monkeys. You pull their sling shot arms back as far as you can, aim at your target and let it fly. Through the air sails a streak of brown fur until it hits something and then you hear a LOUD shrieking scream from this thing. Lotta fun for another 5000 miles in an itty bitty car! I will find revenge ladies. Just you wait and see.

So we spent a week in between the Foster’s and my grandparents. Got some great photos of the MI scenery, just wish I had a better camera. Brad, listening??? HINT...HINT....

My grandparents live right next to Lake Michigan so one of the days we drove to the beach and walked around. We walked through the museum of transportation. There were so many amazing model ships. They were so small, but had every little detail. Talk about patience. The kids got to do some swimming and build sand castles.

I am trying to plan my return trip home. Not being accompanied by Brad I am only allowed to fly from any base going straight to Elmendorf. Most flights out of the Midwest are not heading straight to AK, so the plan is to try and head to CA where the most flights going directly to AK originate.

We say good bye to my family and the Foster’s. My dad heads out with us as he is our ride to AZ.

Outside Alaska- IL/IN

We left that night heading onward to IL. IL and IN were the same as the several times we have been through there before. Lots of construction, truckers and impatient drivers. I was so distracted in thought about Brad deploying. I was trying really hard to joke around with the kids but found it was hard to focus my attention.

Don’t forget, Chicago has tolls, lots of them and you need change :)

Outside Alaska- IA

We are trucking right along and hit IA by late afternoon. I am talking on the phone with Brad (hand slap I know) while driving through Des Moines. Now mind you, I am always the passenger or Brad is in the car with me. This is my first time passing through IA without Brad. So we are cruisin right along. I keep asking Zac how much further for our pull off. He keeps telling me the mile marker which is still a ways up the road. We are driving into the darkest, heaviest cloud I have ever seen. I mean I could almost stand on top of the car and touch the sterling black cloud drooping down from the sky. We then hit the rain. And I mean sheets of pressurized water slicing through the sky. It was raining so hard and so fast, semis were pulling off the side of the road. I am looking for an overpass as I am certain we’ve got a tornado sweeping through the corn fields. I pull off as I cannot see and the road has completely disappeared. I call Brad to remind him of my love for IA and the interest I have to participate in a tornado experiment in a match box car. It was raining so hard off the plastic car he could not hear me or I him. That was a great puzzle piece to add to the mix. I finally begin to drive again as the rain has lightened just enough to actually see the center line maybe 5 feet in front of me. This was the case for about 40 miles. Well we lost a lot of time as we could only go 20 mph at best. Next thing you know we are out of it. As quickly as we entered we were out. The sky was bright blue ahead of us with a beautiful double rainbow and a black wall behind us.

Well I pass another mile marker and ask Zac how much further as we should be turning off by now. He again gives me the mile marker for our exit which is still way off considering we have been driving for a while. I pull off the road to look at the map. Come to find out while I was busy talking on the phone to Brad the road I was on forked while I wasn’t paying attention and I had headed 70 miles North when I should have been heading due East. I know I know that’s what I get for talking and driving on the phone, even with hands free. Guess I got a little cocky as I have passed through Des Moines at least a dozen times in the past few years, remember Brad was always there though. So I look at the map and realize I need to back track to make it to his parents. I can either head ALL the way back down to the original interstate 80 or cut through on farm roads which are more scenic. I choose the scenic route. Hello black wall, here we go again.

I have now driven about 800 miles, 2 hours of sleep the night before, 5 shots of coffee and a few Pepsis. I am pinging and hallucinating and reentering the black wall of fiery. We get about half way through the storm when our exit appears. SO we turn off the interstate to begin our travels on 2 lane farm roads. Guess what… the storm is heading due east and we are in the middle of it. Had I known that before I would have gone down to 80. We had the same sheets of rain and black out conditions but now have cars and trucks coming at us inches away. Every time a vehicle would pass the car would get doused with water. We are in such a POS car that the entire car would shake from the force of the water hitting the car. Did I mention the high winds, lack of street lights and no cell phone service???? Fun times or the making of a horror flick, you chose.

We are crawling along, my hands are crushing the steering wheel cuz every time we hit a pocket of water the car wants to hydroplane into the other lane or down into the ditch I can’t see. About another 80 miles of that had me a bit on edge. We make it into Cedar Rapids by 10pm. Yeah, I am familiar with this city, I can get dinner for the kids as they are about to pass out from starvation and I can get right to Brad’s parents with my eyes closed from here. That was BEFORE they had construction and detours into areas I have never driven. And I think the guy who put up the detour signs forgot a few important signs. We finally make our way out of the maze known as Cedar Rapids and find a fast food place that is still open. Remember these are little towns. Being away from them for so long makes me forget how nice some of the folks are. The guy was super sweet. He even gave us a military discount even though the restaurant does not offer one and sent a message of thanks on to Brad. Small town hospitality is AWESOME!!!! We made it to Brad’s parents’ home just after midnight. I am totally fried. I think we ended up going over 200 miles out of our way. That makes over 1000 miles from CO to IA in 1 day. All because I thought I could talk and drive.

Brad’s dad got home from work shortly after I got there and explained that the storm was only a 10 mile wide corridor that headed east. So the entire time we were in the storm I could have dropped down to another farm road (IA is like a grid of farm roads) and I would have had clear skies and smooth sailing. Oh well lesson learned.

We spent the next day with Brad’s family. I got to share our photos from the trip to AK and many more we have. The kids love Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Fresh cookies, baked ham and a 52” TV, they never want to leave. We even got to eat lunch at Happy Joe’s. While eating lunch with Brad’s parents Brad calls to tell me he is deploying to Afghanistan in Jan for at least 4 months. After a few choice words I explain he could have waited to deliver the news as I was driving 600 miles after lunch so I had plenty of time to think about it. It was great timing on his part. I tried stopping in to our friends, the Schwenkers, but they were hanging out in TX while we were there. I’ll catch you next time guys.

Outside Alaska- NE

I am so lucky that the kids are used to traveling. We have a routine. We only stop at gas stations or fast food restaurant to use the restroom. Guess I have heard too many horror stories and with me and my 3 kids I want to stop with more people and possible video surveillance. We also learned after a potty break, slap a sandwich together and eat while driving. Zac has mastered sandwich assembly on his knees in the passenger seat. The girls bag up chips and I refill water bottles before hitting the road.

NE was same ol same ol. We have made the trek across NE more than I would like to admit. Living in AZ and CO with family in IA and MI, ya kinda have to either go through KS or NE. YEAH!!!!

Outside Alaska- CO

By now most of my friends in Colorado Springs have received a phone call that we are on our way to visit. I was offered by several friends a place to crash, which is a courteous offer considering my bunch o’kids. My friend Jen has a huge home that she opened up to us. We had become close friends while living in CO. She has 2 children, the oldest being one of Kaela’s best friends, Hunter and Autumn Marie (I take some credit in that kewl hippie name:)). Kenzie prides herself in being Autumn’s awesome babysitter. By the time we got there I was exhausted. Add another 500 miles to the total. It was about dinner time so we headed over to Monica’s Taco. The BEST fish tacos around. We even called Brad to brag…. I mean share the experience with him. We only spent 2 days there but we were able to see most of our friends and eat at all our favorite restaurants: Bird Dogs, Monica’s Taco, and Josh and John’s Ice Cream. As we went into our old hang outs the employee’s immediately recognized us. Yes, even at the Starbucks! We even got our Blue Moose salsa from Whole Foods.

I got to head over to Archivers and catch up with my old co-workers. Should have seen their faces as I came strollin in with my old Archiver’s apron on. Some of the customers were surprised to see me back in so soon after the move. Archivers was such a great place to work because of the people. I always had a blast going into to work. I could always count on Mel to crack me up every day. I was able to control myself and I only bought a tiny bit of stuff, for me any way.

We also spent some time with our good friends the Herbelin family. Both of our families home school and we became great friends while running Girl Scout troops together. Their girls and my girls are the bestest of friends (as Kaela says). While hanging out with them we stopped in at the RV Park where we use to stay. Ron and Yogi are the host and took us under their wing while we were there. We only had a few minutes to catch up with them as they were on their way to OK, but I’m glad we got to say “Hi” before they left.

Beth stopped in over to Jen’s. She is my comedian friend. We worked together at Archivers until she ditched us for another job. We even took a class together in college. Luckily for me, she paid more attention than I did. She was very helpful come homework time.

We headed out of Colorado Springs early. I mean WAY early for me. Five A.M. early. We had about 800 miles to drive to make it to Brad’s parent’s house in IA. Of course I had to stop and get me some go-go juice at Starbucks. So I am wired and we are on our way.

I was cruisin right along through Eastern CO when a police officer saw a shiny little blue Aveo fly by. I really had those hamsters purring (Great analogy Jen!). I ended up with a speeding ticket for 12 over, $60. Lucky for me, I guess I had slowed when he clocked me as I thought I was going faster. Needless to say, the trip took a more leisurely course from there. Nebraska here we come.

Outside Alaska- KS

Oh, how I've missed Kansas. Zac wanted to capture my emotional reunion on film.

While driving, I start making calls. The first call is to my best friend. I get her on the phone and ask, “Hey, whatcha ya doin tonight?” Casually she explains her work schedule and plans for daycare for her son. Then she asks “Where are you?” I say “On my way to see you!” We both start screaming back and forth. Once all is calm she asks when we will be there. I told her we should make it there by tonight and by the way, can we stay with you? She screamed of course of course. She lives in Manhattan, KS where her husband is stationed at FT. Riley. He is in Iraq currently. That is the great thing about best friends; you can fly a couple thousand miles and crash at their house short notice. We lived together back in the day for a couple years so she is like a sister to me. We got there and checked out her beautiful house. The solid wood doors, beveled glass windows and hardwood floors even had the kids taking notice. We got to catch up together. I missed her wedding due to our PCSing to AK so I got to see the pictures and ask questions face to face. The next morning she showed us around the post and then it was time to head off. I grabbed a Starbucks and hit the road.

Did you know that an Aveo with a 12 gallon tank can run quite a while with the low fuel light on?? I finally found a gas station and fueled up 11 ½ gallons. That would have been fun in the middle of KS. That’s just less than 300 miles for the 1st day.

Outside Alaska- MO

We are about to land so we begin cleaning up our stuff. I am ready to be off the plane by now. We had made friends with the other mom with 4 kids. Turns out they live on Ft. Rich and home school too. Once she knew she could fly on this flight she retracted her daggers.

With a few hops and skips we landed in Springfield, MO at the city airport. The temps in Alaska have not reached above 79 ALL year. Humidity is high but low temps make it pleasant. In MO in August the humidity is high and just about matching the outrageous temps. I think the kids had forgotten what hot, humid weather feels like cause they acted new to the scene. Even after almost all their lives living in AZ, IA, TX and CO.

Luckily the rental car place is in the airport so I was able to pick the car up right there. I walk up to the counter; gave my confirmation code only to discover I have no reservation. WHAT??? I am in Springfield, MO with 3 kids and no car. The rental car agent is doing everything he can to look me up. I ask if l can just rent another car for 2 weeks. The only thing they had left were Hummer 3’s. Yeah, I don’t think so. I was planning to do about 3000 miles in 2 weeks in a compact, not a thirsty SUV. I’ve got one of them at home. Turns out when I made the reservation and I told the rental place that ‘I needed a car tomorrow for 2 weeks” He put me down for pick up on the 16th. In Alaska the time was 10pm the 14th. Wherever the reservation department for Hertz is obviously a few hours after Alaska so I learned when I say tomorrow, I need to give the date. Easy fix, add a day to my plan and car was ready to go. So guess what kind of car you get for $185 a week with unlimited miles?? You guessed it a Chevy Aveo! It was a miniature compact car. If Brad had been with us it never would have worked. Zac sat up front and the girls got the back seat. Our one duffle bag, pillows, and backpacks filled the trunk. It got about 33 miles to the gallon so “being close” saved us big.

It is so hot the A/C really didn’t work and the one arm rest for Zac and I to share proved to be a constant battle. It was a whoever got it first type thing. As I was signing for the car I asked about a Bob Evans. If you read any of the earlier post you will have read about our love for Bob Evans. It is kind of like an IHOP but with AWESOME biscuits and gravy. It is in no way healthy, but damn good. It so happens there is a Bob Evans 5 miles from the airport. First stop in Missouri is Bob Evans. We walk in the door and we are greeted by the hostess. She asked how we were doing. “Well, it is his 13th birthday and we just landed ½ hour ago from Alaska just to get some Bob Evans sausage gravy,” I explain. Once we are seated I gave Zac a few gifts we saved from the party until his actual birthday. When they bring out the food a candle is perched in his biscuits. A quick little song and we dug in. I go up to pay and his meal (the most expensive) was not on the bill. I just wish everyday was his B-day as that boy can eat. As we left to begin our asphalt journey I told the hostess we would be back when we dropped off the car too.

We pull out of BE in search of a Starbucks. Yes I needed my 5 shots of espresso to wake up. We found it and we were on our way.

Zac is my navigator and he began looking for the shortest, quickest route. He trimmed 100 miles off our original plan (forget MapQuest). We start cruisin’ down the country roads in MO which consist of rolling hills of waving grass and jagged rock formations. There are trees scattered here and there and small lakes are filled with the cattle trying to stay cool from the overbearing sun. I know why too!

August in Alaska

So we are now back to being 5 /7 of the Becker Bunch and we are missing the girls (sigh). The weeks following a visit are kinda tough. For a couple months we get use to them being here and having them with us really changes the rhythm of our family. The same is true when they return to Arizona. It has been rainy and dreary which adds to the somber mood. Living in Alaska, we know quick trips to AZ are out of the question. We use to make the trip at least 3 to 4 times a year plus them coming to see us.

Temps have cooled some to about the high 60s. The days are beginning to get darker so now it starts to get dark around 10ish. I have no idea when the sun rises as we are still sound asleep. You’ll have to ask Brad because he is up and gone to work early in the morning.

We are still hosting at the FamCamp here. We are preparing for the winter to stay in the RV. House hunting is not looking too hopeful at this time. Strangely enough there are other crazy people like us that brave the Alaska winter in a house on wheels. And not those fancy mobile homes either! We have tossed base housing around and have also thought about staying in TLF (temporary living facility) if the weather gets really bad. Our house hold goods were released and dropped off at a storage unit we rented. The boxes all look ok but we won’t know about the contents until we get a house. Brad found a shelf and one of his speakers that did not make it here in one piece, but he needed new speakers and the shelf is a Wal-Mart cheapy.

My family holds an annual family reunion which we have attended the past few years. Well, this year I decided to attend while Brad was at the NCO Academy. Turns out after I made plans to attend the reunion Brad’s Academy dates changed and Brad will be attending the Academy in Sept-Oct.

So I began working on going outside (term Alaskans use for heading to the lower 48) towards MI. Brad has told me, in no certain terms, that he has no intentions of letting me drive through Canada by myself, so I looked into hopping down. Hopping is flying on a military aircraft to the lower forty-eight somewhere and catching a flight back from a base flying directly to Elmendorf. If Brad were coming we could fly in and out of any base with enough seating available.

I began looking at flying into Travis, near Sacramento, CA. Because of security after September 11th, they will only give the flight schedule 72 hours prior to departure and all flights are subject to change without notice. This is really fun when trying to plan a trip. Hey, the flight is free so I will definitely play their game. The plan was to fly into CA, rent a car, and head towards MI visiting everyone I could along the way and return to CA 2 weeks later to fly home. Well, the storms and evacuations in HI diverted all planes I would’ve taken. I walked into the terminal on Aug. 14th around 7pm to sign up for a flight to Travis. That flight had been canceled because of the storms in the HI area. But they did have a flight heading to Springfield, MO that night. Roll call was at 1am and the plane was leaving around 4am. OK, I was not planning on flying into MO but quickly started making calls about a car rental and a return trip. I went home to work out the details. At about 10pm I got the car booked and the bags were packed. My dad offered a ride from MO as far as AZ if needed.

I had known for about 2 weeks that I would be trying to fly outside in the middle of the month so I made an appointment to get a prescription for “happy” pills to fly on the plane. Since Brad works in the pharmacy he said he would just bring them home after the prescription was filled. So the night of the flight is at hand and I ask Brad for my “happy” pills he picked up from the pharmacy. He began to search through the medicine cabinet looking for the pills. They were not there. He keeps looking all around to no avail. I am beginning to panic (the last flight I took had a similar story). He is asking if I knew where they were. Excuse me??? He had told me not to worry. Once someone filled the script he would bring them home. The week earlier I asked if he had picked them up and he said yes. Well he decided to run up to work to verify they were filled and picked up. He forgot his badge in the race against the clock and the call person had left for the day (2 hours before suppose too). Luckily the security officer knows him well and let him in. Guess what… he never picked them up. They were there waiting for me.

So he rushes home we load the truck and head towards the terminal. Military hops are stand-by. Depending on whom you are and the reason for travel will determine what category you fly in. Being an unaccompanied spouse going on vacation I am at the bottom of the food chain so to speak. The flight we decided to hop on had 7 seats available with no one else inquiring about them. We got to the terminal and found the roll call time had been bumped up and they were boarding the plane in 45 minutes. Great! We were the only ones there and ready to go. Within the minute we got into the building and began the process a woman and 4 kids came looking for the same flight. Then came a family with 3 kids… and a single guy…and so on. The daggers were flung in our direction but the staff was able to fit us all in on the flight. Guess there were other seats available after all.

I pop ½ of a pill to knock out the nerves but remain conscious for the kids. This will be their first flight EVER! They had stepped foot on a plane in TX for cub scouts, but that was pre 9-11 and lasted maybe 10 minutes.

We boarded a C5 cargo plane. WOW! These things are huge. It was dark and kind of raining out so as we approached the plane the light is reflecting off this ginormous beast, like a super sized beached whale would look under the full moon. We climbed off the bus and up the stairs to the upper deck.

Well it is now 12:30am August 15th, Zac’s official 13th birthday. What could be a better gift than an 8 hour flight in a kewl military plane? He had wanted to fly for years but his paranoid mother refused to let him. Living in Alaska has changed my thought process a lot.

We got situated and ear plugs in place. Take off surprised the kids. “Better than a roller coaster ride,” Mikaela said. I was so skeered I clinched the kids to hold them in place. The ride is pretty bumpy and everything rattled but it was free. The seats were able to recline and the arm rest came off so we were able to sleep some. The only complaint from the kids is there were no windows to look out. Kenzie found a small emergency exit that the window covering had fallen some so she could peek out but no real views.

Another flight under my belt. Did I mention I HATE flying!!!!!

July in Alaska

Happy 4th to all!!

I have something to add to my list of “firsts.” For the first time in my life I have spent the month of July NOT in hot weather! We have not hit above 75 this month. Even at night the temp only drops a few degrees. For the entire month I think the low was in the 50’s? We are now watching the sun set around 11:30pm.

We have had a few rainy days that set the tone of a lazy summer day. It’s perfect weather for sippin’ cold lemonade, or ice tea for Brad, listening to the buzz of the air conditioner. Yes, at 75 degrees we run the air.

We purchased a large screened tent so we could eat outside with worrying about mosquitoes eating us or carrying the kids away. They are plentiful up here! Surprisingly, the Famcamp area is not too bad, but if you go hiking in the woods without spray you will never be heard from again. They will engulf you from head to toe, no lie. Just ask the kids about taking pictures outside. They would swat away until I would tell them to stay still for the picture. They would freeze and give me their best smiles under the circumstances and resume swatting after I lowered the camera.

Brad has been a barbequing fool. Salmon, Halibut and Reindeer sausage are some of the favs he has been grillin’ up. In Alaska you don’t get dinner without a show. While eating the grub we are able to view the local moose, Herseys (Momma) and Kisses (calf), as they stroll by. It is a nightly event right in our front yard. Most of the moose we have seen are cows, but we have even seen our first bull with nubs.

We spend most of the day and evenings outside. We are directly across from the playground and the kids have made some forts to hang out in. All of the camper kids come around. With 5 kids there is someone for everyone to play with. Imaginations come alive when you’re that close to nature. Brad spent many of summers with his brother doing the same thing.

We have been meeting a lot of people coming through the FamCamp. That is one of the perks being hosts. It is fun to talk with people from literally all over the world. We have even exchanged some numbers and will stay in contact with some campers.

Brad’s pharmacy hosted a picnic. It was a great chance to meet his co-workers and their families. Lots of games were played but the water gun fight was most memorable.

We are still looking to buy a home but had to kick our realtor to the curb. Guess when we told him our price range he decided he would not be making a large enough profit to work with us. Houses are made of gold in Alaska. So far that has been the biggest drawback.

The girls and I were driving around waiting for dance (imagine that we were early) and we happened to find a motor-cross track in a city park. Now we just need some four wheelers and go carts! Are you listening Santa?!?!

In the state of Alaska teenagers are able to test for their drivers permit at age 14. You should have seen Ashley’s eyes bug out when she heard that. We gave her the study guide and she read through it front to back. We began taking her out to get some miles under her belt on base. So picture this. Ashley is a 14 year old girl maybe 5’2” and about 100lbs soaking wet, driving a 4ton Excursion or long bed, crew cab dually. Brad told her if she could drive these, she could drive anything. She did great! She gets that from me :). Being on a military base it is not uncommon to have random checkpoints set up to check military I.D’s for security reasons. While we were out on one of our drives we happen to drive up to one. She had to stop and talk to an SP (military police) while driving. Again, Ashley’s eyes were bugging out and she was nervous as all get out, but we talked her through it and again, she did great! We took her in to test and Ashley got her permit just before she headed home to AZ. Brad will never forget how excited she was. We are all proud of Ashley, but Daddy was the proudest by far.

Because Michele and Ashley were flying home July 31st, we decided to celebrate Zac and Michele’s 13th B-day before they left. So following our family tradition, the b-day kids get to make their cake and decorate it. They both got Carhartt pants as one of their gifts. Living in Alaska these are a must.

Ashley took a babysitting class on base while she was here too. She baby-sits a lot in AZ and now she has specific training to add to her resume. This class is mandatory for teenagers that baby-sit on a military base, so now she can advertise on DM in Tucson if she wants.

Because I am not working 2 jobs or running a couple GS troops, I have a little extra time to catch up on old unfinished projects. I am working on a crocheted purse with wool yarn. I will wash it in hot water to felt it to 1/3 the original size. Because I like large messenger bags the thing looks like a sleeping bag, no lie. I will keep you posted on how it turns out. The kids keep kidding me that it will make an awesome sleeping bag if it doesn’t shrink down enough. Gotta love the support that family gives.

We are taking advantage of the great hiking trails and extended sunlight. Our latest conquest was a 10 mile hike in Girdwood which is just south of Anchorage. This area is heaven on earth. The scenery was too much to absorb so we will have to go back again and again. We even got to take a hand cart over 100 feet above a rushing river. Fun Times for those with a deathly fear of heights! We have been told this a well known grizzly hangout, so next time we will have bear spray and maybe a sidearm.


We also wrote another chapter in a mother and son tradition. Zac and I camped out to await the new Harry Potter book. It all began long ago in Texas when a friend, Lafawn, suggested a book for Zac. He was still learning to read so I began to read him this adventurous series that so many have grown to love. We joined the crowds and wait at Barnes and Noble to get our hands on the saga of Harry and his friends. We got there early and Zac almost made it on the news but a cute little brunette caught the news reporter’s eye and away flew the camera. I told Zac to get used to that. Inside there were lines and lines of people. There were games and activities while we waited. Then came the countdown, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. We waited over an hour after midnight to get our hands on this book. Zac had it finished in just a few days.

I have been attending crops at the local scrap booking stores and meeting other scrapbookers. Yes there are other freaks that like scrapbooking as much as I do. It’s like a cult. Must worship paper, stickers and stamps.

The summer ended with Ashley and Michele heading back to AZ on July 31st. They are going back to triple temps. Not sure how well they are gonna readjust to the 40 degree swing.