Welcome to Talkeetna!

I am almost done with all my updates on the summer up in AK! I know many of you just don't care to read about our many adventures, however this is for my records! Thus I will keep plucking away at the keyboard until I am caught up. Seems like a never ending task! Bare with me(:

Like I said in my last post, my parents came to visit us in Alaska, and we were able to do a little site seeing!! First we had gone to Whittier on a wonderful Glacier Cruise Tour. (last post) After we came back to Anchorage, we decided to tour a little bit of the city! Since being in Alaska for 2 summers, MacKay and I tried everything possible to avoid the too-big city. My only experience with Anchorage has been too stressful, too busy, too big, too hard to find things, too easy to get lost, too......infuriating! Both of us being county folk, stayed clear. However with my parents we got to see a little bit of the historical side of the huge city, and I found I was caught up in the little tourist shops! We decided to take a trolly tour of the city, it was about an hour long, and it was so fun! Learned a lot of cool facts about the early Anchorage to the Modernized Anchorage! Here are some pics:

Yes, This is what my dad does on the Tour....read maps. (;

After the trolly tour, we took the rental car and found the LDS Temple! It was tiny, we didn't go in, but it was fun to see! (And hard to find!)

After Anchorage, we headed north, made a long detor to Matanuska Glacier, and back, went to a baptism for our good friend Billy Linder, who we met in Alaska, and home to Talkeetna! Here are some pics!

 The Matanuska Glacier: Northeast of Anchorage, about 3 hrs. One of the biggest inland glaciers!

Mom & Dad with "The Sign"...you HAVE to get a pic with The Sign. (:

The sign right at the start of Main Street in Talkeetna! Also, the Sled for the Mushers

Kiss a Moose! All a part of the "Alaska Experience"

Dad was a little harder to convince to take this picture....anyone who knows my Dad...this picture is pretty much a miracle! (; Guess he gave in to my spill about "The Alaska Experience"!!! 

However, he would NOT budge getting on the ancient snowmobile! Oh well!! (: Mom did great!

And I couldn't miss my chance at getting yet another picture with the snowmobile! (;

Down by the Susitna River!

Susitna River right before it forks off into the 3 rivers; Susitna, Chulitna, Talkeetna. On a clear day you would see Mt. McKinley straight behind us in the background! Unfortunately, my parents didn't get to see the Mountain come out the whole week they were there! My dad was discouraged, that was one reason he was most excited to come! About 3 hours after they left Talkeetna, the Mountain decided to make an appearance! Sad! They will just have to come back! (;

Our favorite place to eat EVER. Latitude 62. Favorite Dish is the Beer Battered Halibut! YUM!!

 Oh, and you can't forget to look at MacKay's truck...with his own body work done to the talegate....Emblem and all! (; We fit right in with the Alaskans!!!

My parents also took a trip to Denali National Park. They saw some wildlife, but no Mountain! We loved having them come to our second home! It was so fun to show them around, and have them experience Alaska with us! Thanks for coming Mom and Dad! (:



XOXO-Shanna

Glacier Cruise with Mom and Dad

This summer, while we were in Alaska, my parents took a trip up to see the beautiful state! It was a blast! We were actually able to sneak away from the Smokehouse for a bit and site see. First they flew in and we met them at their hotel in Anchorage the next morning, where we hoped in their rental car and headed south to Whittier. We had scheduled a Glacier Cruise Tour. MacKay was very skeptical, he didn't think it sounded fun at all. I was just glad to get out of the Smokehouse for a bit. (: After a little bit of a drive, we came to the Whittier tunnel. It is a man made tunnel that is 2.5 miles in length going through a mountain. The only way to and from Whittier. This is a picture of the tunnel going into the mountain! It was a fun experience:

 When we got to Whittier we grabbed some lunch and headed for our cruise ship! Here are pictures of our route, and our ship. We had so much fun! It was only about a 3.5 hour day cruise, and it was so worth it!

Here are some more pictures of the cruise itself, it was windy and you needed to be bundled because of the cool air, but it was beautiful!!

 Just leaving Whittier

 Isn't he handsome?

I told you, very windy!!

We got to see a shipwreck that has been there for years!

Beautiful Waterfalls from the glaciers up top.

BRR!!!

Glacier #1- Blackstone. This glacier was boring, it didn't calve. But it was beautiful all the same! Very cool to see.

Another Waterfall, boy where they loud!

Mom and Dad at Glacier #2: Beloit. Right after this picture was taken the glacier started calving! (breaking off into the water) It sounded like thunder, it was amazing. MacKay was pleasantly surprised that he really enjoyed himself! (;

Us and the Glacier

Little otter! We didn't see too much wildlife, just some seals, otters, and birds!

 All in all the cruise was a blast! We were served warm gooey chocolate chip cookies on the way back. I would reccommend the trip to anyone! There is also a 26 glacier cruise, it is an all day cruise, more expensive, but includes meals. I have heard good things about that as well!
Stay tuned for the rest of their visit. (:

XOXO- Shanna

Surprise Plane Trip to Homer

Alaska is always so much more fun when the Ford's visit!This trip they surprised us and brought MacKay's Mom with them in their Jet. It was great to have her up! Usually we can't tour a lot with the Ford's because of the Smokehouse bustling with customers, but it was a pretty light day at the Smokehouse, not too many customers, when the Ford's ask us if we would like to take a day trip to Homer. (about a 6 1/2 hour drive) But don't you worry! They have a Jet! It took us about 40 minutes to get there. Holy cow, that is the only way to travel!! (; We had a nice easy flight, went to the Spit, (a man made peninsula with little shops, places to eat and fishing charters) The crew that flew up before us were out on a fishing charter catching some yummy Halibut. (Yes, they took two trips to Homer and back that day!!) We arrived went to eat at this adorable, and delicious fish house! I was pregnant at this point, and we had only told immediate family. Can I tell you how terrible it is to be in Alaska all summer and not be able to eat all you want of the fish?! Life.Is.Hard. (; So while everyone else got to delve into their platters of sea food, I got chicken strips. Yum....(; After we stuffed ourselves full, we hit the shops! We aren't much for shopping, (mostly because we have no mula...) so after a while of shopping we stopped and watched the fishing guides gut and fillet the halibut! Since this is what we do in our little Smokehouse, it was nothing really new, except it was Halibut not Salmon. MacKay learned how to fillet the Halibut. After the point of us shaking because it was so cold, Doug, MacKay's uncle, decided he was ready to go back home! So we hopped in a taxi and headed to our plane. 40 minutes later we were in Talkeetna again. It was just a fun little trip! Like I said, life is always funner with the Fords! (; Here are some pictures to enjoy of our little jaunt:

Little Miss Sara, MacKay's little sister

Us at the little airport boarding the plane. Seriously, I felt like a million bucks. Where is the red carpet?!

Cockpit! The Pilot's stayed in our Cabin while they stayed, they were a joy!!

 8 seater plane! Note my bag of snacks....(;

Sara, MacKay & I, Laura, (his Mom) Inside this little saloon was awesome. Dollar bills were EVERYWHERE, hung to the walls, ceiling, chairs, floor. I tried to get a picture, but it was too dark! 

 Part of the spit, and all the many boats! Facing inland.

Homer facing the ocean. Beautiful!!

At one of the little shops!

I wish we could catch a King like that! What a beauty! (Fake...) haha

I hope to go back, and get on a charter to catch us some Halibut! It is my favorite kind of fish. MM!!!

AK- Denali National Park

Ok, you all know how good of a blogger I am. (ha!) So here is my attempt at starting to get caught up! 

This summer we spent our days in the beautiful state of Alaska! One of my favorite places on Earth. When we first got there we took a trip the Denali National Park- AKA a GORGEOUS place with lots of wildlife! We were in heaven! The Mr. & I rode with his little sister Sara, and his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin- The Fords! We took the long 2 1/2 hour trek starting at 6am. Needless to say, MacKay and I were out cold in the back seat!! We woke up for a few of the stops along the way. This little guy was the first Moose we saw, only about 20 minutes into the trip!

 

 Then we stopped for a breathtaking view of Mt. McKinley, and the Denali Mountains. 

Then, onto the Park, here are some wonderful pictures inside...disclaimer: you will be jealous...

Amazing right? Just admit it! You all want to get a Vaca here this upcoming summer. DO IT! (: We loved the park, and we only went in 15 miles! It is said that Denali National Park is so big, that at one point in time, it will be raining, snowing, and sunny. There are so many animals in there, and I can't tell you how amazing it was to be that close. Not to mention the breathtaking mountains. I am a Wyoming girl, I love the mountains! I can't wait to go back, I would love to go all the way through the park on a tour, however it takes all day! So another time perhaps. (:

XOXO- Shanna

13.8

Yes, I meant to put 13.8....not 13.1

You Runners out there know what 13.1 means. Half Marathon. Well not only did we run a half marathon, but .7 of a mile past a half marathon! The difference to me is huge.

On May 26th, my good friend/ brothers girlfriend/amazing runner&anything-else-she-does, humored me by running her first, my second, Half Marathon! We 'trained together' for 2 months (8 weeks). When I say trained together, I mean running alone (most of the time) and texting/calling updates on how each run went! We were about 270 miles away from each other. It makes 'training together' a bit tough! However, we somehow made it through training. We would try to train together whenever I came home to Wyoming to visit family!

On Mother's Day, Andrew (my amazing brother) got to call on Skype to our home! I came home for that, Daesha came as well, and after our wonderful chat with our favorite missionary, we headed out on our big 9 mile run. It was amazing! We had both been used to somewhat training on our own, so running alongside my partner was heaven. The next week I was up again, we ran our 10 mile around Bear Lake, it was breathtaking! A week later brought us to the day before our race. We headed with my wonderful Mom and beautiful Sister&baby Avery to Logan for a girls day. We then went to Olive Garden to get some Carbs to load on before the big race the following morning. We.were.stuffed.

After a night of tossing and turning, waking up to a swollen throat, and worrying if we were late(at 4am)... it was FINALLY time to get up and get ready. On our hour drive to the starting line we [tried] to eat some organic peanut butter, and metabolism boosting fruit snacks. (when I say tried, I mean gaged down until we about lost it, then gave up...seriously the stuff was beyond awful!) We pulled up in our flashy outfits (just wait, they are amazing) and were oh so nervous! It was chilly, but a great morning for running.

The race started, and a few hundred strides down the road Daesha was in pain. We called her Mom and she drove by with some meds! (don't worry, we kept on running!) The pain for Daesh, was really hurting her, so we stopped real quickly and said a small prayer. A few strides later, she looks at me and says "It's gone!" Simply A.may.zing! (: Soon, not even a mile down the road we find that not only did we sign up for a Half Marathon, but they switched the trails on us, and turned it into a HILLS Half Marathon. WORST NIGHTMARE. Yes, I will say it, and complain a tiny bit! (to their defense, the original path was washed away due to higher tide.) Lets just say the Bear Lake Monster Staff were a little limited on trails. So guess what? We ran our trail FOUR TIMES. Up and back, Up and Back....also, with not one Mile marker to push you along the way. Joyful right? By the time we were heading back up the mountain I was done. Sick and tired with a bad attitude! Happy Daesha at my side, and she just kept on pushing me like you wouldn't believe. Poor girl. (; On our way down, pushing the last 2 miles, we were HAULING. Downhill is where we caught up time. As we were kicking butt downhill, the downhill decided to kick my butt. My right foot hit a rock... full on, and before I knew it was "Sparky Rolling" down the hill. (for those of you who played volleyball with me; Talisha, or Sparky, had the best volleyball roles ever. and that's what I did, shoulder first.) Daesha thought I had fainted. (not too hard to imagine at this point) I just popped up and kept on running! I.was.dirty. (see pictures) We are making a final decent to flat ground that will lead up about 1 mile to the finish line. I take a peek at my GPS tracker, and it shows we are at 12.8 miles. WHAT?! We still have a mile to go till the finish line, yet not near that far till our goal of 13.1 miles...!! I was not too happy. Then we see our families all at the bottom of the hill. I got confused(my mind can be foggy when I run) and it made sense in my mind that they were our finish line! (But in the back of my mind I knew we had to end at the starting place...) But my GPS was not wrong, and we should be almost done! I start pushing. Sprinting really, down this hill toward our family. Giving everything I possibly can give! We get there and they hug us and say: You are almost done!! I almost cried....yup the kind where you lay down in a heap and cry. I was done! So we are once again...on our way. I take a look at my GPS, and guess what? We are now hitting 13.1 miles, and I still have a little less than a mile left. I was exhausted and had never felt so drained! (Yes, little miss drama, I only ran a Half, not even a full, and I am a basket case...live with it. (: ) After what seems and eternity we round the corner and see the light house (finish line) and we start pushing again. As shown in the pictures, IT.WAS.HARD. We crossed the finish line holding hands. 2 hours and 36 minutes. Not bad! Especially for a hills half, and running almost a mile past what we were supposed to. So, I will take it.

Here are some pictures, as you can tell I look pretty miserable, while young, beautiful Daesha looks like she only just went for a jog! (;

Looking back, the whole experience is hilarious to me. Why do I do this? Ha! Looking forward to my next Half! Will I ever run a Full? No.

The above pictures: Top, left-right then Bottom, left-right

#1: Deasha and I before the big race! Note the flashy outfits. (:

#2: Almost Half-Way, so coming back from the first up&back

#3: Our last stretch to the finish line. The finish line is where the camera is

#4: Sprinting up the last hill-Daesha looking determined, Me looking horrified...(;

#5: Crossing the finish line...finally!

#6: What a run! She pushed me more than I can say! #inspiration. 

Pics above:

#1: With our medals! I wish you could see an up-close on them they have the "bear lake monster"...and are hideous! (; 

#2: Me after our run...dirty from my fall, and miserable. 

#3: Daesha after our run....blissfully happy and beautiful! (; didn't phase her a bit!

#4: Me and Aves, my favorite(and only) niece! (:

#5: Daesh and I! Recovered a little more. But need a shower...

#6: Our time, kinda hard to read! 2 H 36 M

#7: My Mommy and I

#8: Another one of Aves and I...She thinks I stink...(;

Just to clarify! MacKay was already in Alaska at this point, or he would have been there cheering us on with everyone else! (:

All in all, this makes for a great story, and looking back, I don't know why this one was so hard for me, but I can't possibly end on a horrible one right? So I guess I will just keep on runnin'! 

Shanna

(editors note: After I ran this half marathon, I found out I was pregnant with my baby boy. So, now we can blame my horrible attitude on being 5 weeks pregnant and running a half marathon, up hills, rolling down mountains and sprinting to light houses. It makes me feel a bit better.)