Sunday, July 15, 2012

Summer Fun Part 1

Mike and I took our first "adults only" vacation since the kids were born to Alaska and had the best time!  (Traveling through the airport and flying is a totally different thing without kids - it's so easy!)  Saying goodbye to the kids was hard and tearful but they were so well taken care of by my parents we didn't worry about them at all when we were away.  They had a great time spending the week with grandma and grandpa.  
Tuesday we got into Anchorage and I went for manis/pedis with Mariann and my sisters-in-law, Tina and Denise and niece Sarah.  Girl time!  Tina and and Jim were gracious enough to let us stay at their house.  It was early to bed for us Tuesday night because the 3 hour time difference really got to us.  

Wednesday, the 4th of July, we had an Alaska Gray family reunion with Mike's extended family and played a competitive game of ladder golf.  That night we headed up to Tina and Jim's cabin in Eureka with Jim, Annette, Nick, Ben, Becky and Shawn.  We had a bonfire that evening and the next day went four-wheeling in the gorgeous mountains surrounding their cabin.  Mike and I had a blast.  At the end of our four-wheel adventure, as we headed back to the cabin, we passed another pair of four-wheelers who stopped to talk to Jim.  They just happened to be Sarah Palin's dad and brother (yep, I met Alaska royalty). 
View while four-wheeling


I was happy to speed around with Jim in his side-by-side.

Mike forging through some deep water.
 We returned to Anchorage Thursday night and prepared for our weekend trip to the Kenai Peninsula for Shane and Holly's wedding.  Friday morning we headed out and stopped in Girdwood on the way.  We took a tram up to the top of Alyeska and had lunch and enjoyed the views. 
The crew enjoying summer in the snow.

The tram heading up to the peak of a double black diamond ski mountain.
On the tram ride down the mountain we saw a black bear.  We then journeyed on to Moose Pass where we stayed at Trail Lake Lodge - a beautiful, quaint place nestled in between two mountains and on a lake with lots of float planes. 
Friday we helped get ready for the rehearsal dinner.

Mike and his dad manning the grill.
 The wedding and rehearsal were held at Inn at Tern Lake - a beautiful (I know I keep using the word "beautiful" but seriously everywhere I turned in Alaska the views were just breathtaking) bed and breakfast.  This seriously was the most gorgeous location for a wedding I've ever seen.  We had a great time at dinner and continued the party at the lodge's bar that night. 
Enjoying our vacation together!

Tina, Annette, Denise and Mike - siblings!
We had some free time Saturday before the wedding so we went to Seward to hike at Exit Glacier.  You know what I'm going to say about it - beautiful!
By the glacier.
 That evening Shane and Holly had such a BEAUTIFUL wedding.  It was a little chilly during the outdoor ceremony but the bride and groom looked gorgeous and so in love.  We very much enjoyed the dinner and dancing - it was a fun wedding crowd. 
Mike and his parents before the ceremony.

Inn at Tern Lake

All of the Grays (minus the busy bride and groom) at the wedding.

This was the view from our lodge.
Sunday we headed back to Anchorage and stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.  It was really cool to see lots of AK wildlife up close - black bears, grizzly, moose, caribou and more (I actually prefer to see them this way then to meet then while hiking along a trail).  That night we went out to dinner with everyone and Monday morning we headed back to Minneapolis.  Like I said - the trip was wonderful.  We're looking forward to going back again soon  - I still need to go halibut fishing sometime.

Although we had a wonderful trip we were so happy to get home and to see the kids.  Miles stayed up late and came to pick us up at the airport and I cried when I saw him I was so happy to hug him again.  We had our happy reunion with Hadley the next morning and she kept looking at Mike and I and waving to us.  Now that we're back to real life we'll have to wistfully looking at our Alaska pictures once in awhile to remember our good time.

(I'm doing 2 blog posts tonight - so if you're reading this and "Part 2" hasn't been published yet you'll have to check back a little later this evening...)

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