The Accidental Olympian

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

My little sister is moving back to California after five years of living in Oregon. She graduated from the University of Oregon last summer and has decided after a year of working to return to school, this time to a culinary program. 

Her decision to return coincided perfectly with the fact that my parents' renters were moving out. 

Emmaly will move back into the house where her and I met. The little two bedroom house in Santa Barbara where my parents lived first as a married couple, and then as new parents, and then four years later as young parents to two children. 

While painting the house for my sisters arrival I was sent the picture above. On the back of a door are my heights from 1987 to 1989. My parents said it's one of the things they love about the fact they still own this house, they will forever have these early records of my life. Memories of their first child. There have been so many various renters that have lived in our first home, and yet through each house painting they refuse to paint over these markings. That door will display my young years as long as they own it. 

This June my sister will finally live in the same state as my parents for the first time in five years. She'll be a short 45 minute drive away. Able to pop in for Sunday dinners, meet my mother in downtown Santa Barbara for lunch, hey, let's meet up for coffee. I realized I haven't had that luxury for nearly ten years.

As they embark on this amazing new closeness I'll hold onto the fact that I'm with them right there on the back of the door. All they have to do is open it up and take a look. Maybe soon we'll all be together once again in person. But for now I'll hold onto these precious markings. 

MAY!

May. It's finally May. 

I've been twiddling my thumbs waiting for May to arrive since last October when the first snowflakes began to fall. 

May is the one year anniversary of our move to Alaska. May is the first time I get to use the vacation time I've been hoarding  since last September (!!!). May means another trip to Seattle. May in Seattle means seeing friends, gardens in full bloom, warm days downtown, dinner with friends, meeting with coworkers. May means playing co-ed softball. Stepping on the field again for the first time since I was 16. May is the arrival of my parents in Alaska for a three week adventure. May means crossing, "Visit Denali National Park" off my Alaskan Life List. May means halibut fishing with my parents, hiking with my mom. May is the first time living in Alaska where I actually KNOW what to expect from this crazy state since I've lived here a whole year. May is the start of the Alaskan summer. May is my gateway to an amazing new set of adventures.

Welcome May. I've been waiting for you. 

ONE YEAR IN ALASKA -- FROM NEWBIE TO "SOURDOUGH"

One year. I have lived in the wild and weird state of Alaska for one year as of today. 

A year ago today I'd spent days upon days in a dirty car filled with way more things than we EVER should have road tripped with and FINALLY arrived in Anchorage, AK. We'd been traveling with two dogs, two people, more jerky than is probably healthy, and two fancy goldfish in a 5 gallon bucket. There are quite a few people in my life that still give me shit for that whole road tripping for 5+ days with two goldfish thing. To them I say, SUCK IT. 

Goldfish not pictured. People frown on bringing them backpacking. 

I knew that moving to Alaska was going to open me up to an adventure of the likes I was unable to predict. I knew that living here would enable me when I was old and grey to begin stories with, "When I lived in Alaska..." waxing on and on about wild Alaskan adventures. What I didn't realize is that after only one year of living here I'd already be brimming with stories, adventures and sights.

Here are a few:

• I drove from WA to AK on a road trip to end all road trips. Part 1, 2, 3, 4 (this was the night I was so tired I washed my hair with body lotion, and was too tired to rewash my hair. Fun!), 5, 6 & 7
• Fished on the famous Kenai River, catching nothing, but loving every second
• Experienced a midnight sun
• Fished on the longest day of the year and caught my very first wild Alaskan salmon. Later I caught more! 
• Went on my first backpacking trip
• Went halibut fishing and caught a plethora of tasty, yet ugly looking fish
• Saw orca whales in the wild and cried like a little girl at the beauty of mother nature
• Hiked, hiked, and hiked some more
• Had a humpback whale swim directly under my kayak and scare the living crap out of me
• Hiked next to a glacier 
• Met my first blogger friend in person! (ok, this has NOTHING to do with living in Alaska, except that it happened here, and it was amazing, and yes I think of this as a milestone in my past year. Deal with it.) 
• Experienced my first Alaskan winter -- AND survived, with the help of some happy pills
• Had my first white Christmas
• Cross-country skied like there was no tomorrow -- see also, more cross-country skiing
• Went to a tailgate with 200 other strangers on a frozen lake. Didn't die!  
• Watched the kickoff of the Iditarod on a frozen lake. High fived mushers and took many pictures of puppies
• Saw a TON of moose
• Rented a cabin in the middle of nowhere for a winter weekend getaway. Skied on a frozen lake and wondered how in the hell I got so lucky. Same trip? Saw the northern lights from my hot tub -- died from all the beauty
• Survived and THRIVED during the snowiest winter on record EVER in Alaska

 

There was more, I know there was, but these are just the highlights from things I blogged about. In one year I've done and seen more than I think I ever managed to do and see while living in Washington for nearly 8 years. 

Even better? This summer is already looking epic. This summer I'll go to Denali National Park, go on three different halibut fishing trips (looks like I'll need a second freezer!), have my parents and Adam's parents visit, backpack and hike with friends in and around Anchorage, fish, fish and fish some more, spend the 4th of July in Seward with friends, and those are just the trips I have booked! I have dreams of so many other adventures. Fly in trips to see grizzly bears, girls weekends at mountain cabins, white water rafting, kayaking next to glaciers in Valdez, there's so much I want to do!

 

 

So in conclusion, this place is very far away, takes some adjusting at first, but being here is the greatest adventure I've ever had. 

Put this place on your bucket list. 

You won't regret it. 

TULIP THURSDAY

It took me nearly ten years but I finally made it to the Skagit Tulip Festival. If you're ever in the Seattle area in the month of April head north to Mount Vernon to walk among an insane amount of tulips. Bring your camera, wear rain boots, and stay for the funnel cakes. 

STANDBY

When I heard about people flying standby it sounded sort of romantic to me. At the mercy of the airlines, flying off here and there, all without a care in the world because your tickets were free!

When a friend of mine offered me two standby tickets to fly anywhere Alaska Airlines travels of course I said yes and then hugged her over and over and over. Flying in and out of Alaska is more expensive than I could have ever dreamed, and here someone was just offering me a chance to wave the worst part of traveling. The cost.

What I didn't know about flying standby is that there are rankings and I'm not sure how the rankings officially shake out, but what I do know is that me and my ticket, we're at the back of the line.

But fine. I mean, who's trying to fly out of Alaska at 2:30am on a Thursday?

Apparently EVERYONE!

They are also trying to fly to Seattle at 6am, 7am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, and for the rest of your life.

To get to Seattle I had to fly north to Fairbanks, then from Fairbanks to Seattle. Turning a 3.5 hour flight into a 12 hour travel day.

But whatever. I got there, my ticket was $60 AND the very burly, super Alaskan guy I was sitting next to whipped out a self help book about improving your marriage and better understanding your wife AND he forgot to lock the bathroom door so I also walked in on him! It's a win win.

 

 

After realizing how not easy flying standby was I extended my last minute long weekend trip to Seattle. Originally I thought I'd leave on Sunday night, but quickly realized that was an insane idea and decided I'd try for Monday after work. The real bonus to this all is that when it comes to getting stuck in Seattle I'm set. Can't leave until Monday? Well I'll just go into the office Monday and work, no need to use vacation days! Need to stay another night in town, hey friend, can I crash another night at your place?

Seattle really is the best city in the world for little o'l me to find myself stuck.

I was sure though that getting out Monday was going to be easy. How many people are flying to Anchorage from Seattle on Monday afternoon?

A LOT!

Nearly 100 people on standby it turns out!

100 STANDBY PASSANGERS FOR ONE FLIGHT!

Can you imagine what happened to my heart rate when I walked to my gate and watched the screen as name after name after OMG THERE ARE MORE NAMES flashed and I finally located my own?

Considering my general anxiety levels one might assume I'd just burst into tears. Instead I wandered the terminal like a lost child. I wasn't selected for one flight, watching lucky passenger after lucky passenger find a seat, and then was skipped over for another. After a quick pow-wow with a gate attendant it looked like I had two options.

Option #1 was stay in the airport all night missing flight after flight, hoping and praying eventually that something came my way. Most likely Tuesday would look like Monday. Me, in the Seattle airport no closer to home than I was the day before.

Or Option #2, buy a flight home.

I chose option #2.

I then promptly headed to the airport bar where I drank copious amounts of beer, read my book, found myself drunk in the airport, bought the latest smut at the airport bookstore (Fifty Shades of Grey, I'll tell you how it is) and when they called our names to board nearly five hours after I'd arrived at the airport that day, I'd never been so happy to spend $400 on a ticket home. I had a seat! It was mine! No one could tell me I'd have to sleep in the Seattle airport thankyouverymuch!

Sure, I got the middle seat and spent 3.5 hours with my thighs touching two strangers, but considering we all were basically sitting on each others laps they were lovely women. And the children behind me who kicked my seat violently the entire 3.5 hours home weren't exactly a dream to sit in front of, and even though they chattered on and on and on and OMG THEY'RE SINGING NOW, they were speaking another language so eventually it all faded into white noise. Plus, I had two bloody Mary's and watched a lovely movie.

Even better?

I made it home to my very lovely bed. 

 

So in conclusion, flying standby is a ride and a half and I only recommend it if you like airports a LOT and have 2-3 extra days available to just sit around and hope you make it from point A to point B. 

Also? The airport bar is your friend. Never forget this.