Life: It Goes On - June 25

Happy Sunday! We are back from our great adventure, although we're on day two of recovery - not much energy yet. We're happy to be back in shorts and sunshine and our own bed, but already planning our next visit to Alaska. 

Last Week I: 

Listened To: Lucy Foley's latest, The Hunting Party. See below about my reading. 

Watched: A Man Called Otto and Amsterdam on the plane rides. 

Read: Some of Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America and some of Caroline O'Donoghue's The Rachel Incident. Honestly, I thought I'd do a lot more reading on those long flights; but I found that I was better distracted by movies and I slept a good chunk of the time on the way up. 

Made: Nothing for a full week except some toast for breakfasts. 

Top Row: Eagle River Nature Center, moose we saw 15 minutes from Mini-me's house, Matanuska Glacier (we did get closer later); Middle Row: Ridge view from above Eagle River (we could faintly see Denali 240 miles away), Alaska Sea Life Center sea lion exhibit, Hobart Glacier; Bottom Row: Aialik Glacier (it's 1 mile across and there was a massive amount of ice in the cove from calving), sea lions seen on our boat ride, and the Anchorage Museum (really excellent museum we'll see again when we return)

Enjoyed: Spending a lot of time with my kids (and grand-animals!); a concert by one of Alaska's up and coming bands; seeing a bull and female moose, bald eagles, reindeer, sea otters, sea lions, 3 kinds of puffins, jellyfish, and 3 humpback whales (checked that off my bucket list!); seeing five glaciers (we are a quarter mile away from the glaciers on the water); lots of hiking and so many mountains and incredible views; visiting a fantastic museum; and some really great food and beer. Your girl here even tried a yak burger and reindeer sausage! 

This Week I’m:  

Planning: My while-we-were-away houseguests left my house in excellent condition and we're fully unpacked and laundry is caught up so I'm ready to get back to projects around here. First up is The Big Guy's great-grandmother's table, which needs some sanding and then just some oil or wax. Project Clear Out The House will also get back up and running. 

Thinking About: All of the little details of our trip. I meant to journal as we went but just didn't find the time so I'm writing like crazy this weekend so I can get it all down before I forget things. 

Feeling: Tired but so relaxed. A week away from home was exactly what I needed. Also, sad. I don't know when we'll get to see Mini-me and Ms. S again and it's always a little depressing to be done with something you've looked forward to for so long. 

Looking forward to: Haven't even looked at my calendar for this week, so I don't know what's on the horizon. 

Question of the week: What's your best tip for getting back in the swing of real life after a big trip?