Even with the move, this summer has really been no different from the usual. There’s a laundry list a page long of things we want to do, and always so little time. Why am I surprised? So many of our friends have accused Mr. A and I of being a bit overambitious in our plans and activities. I guess our philosophy is that we only live once. If we can travel to see family, get outside as much as possible, make plans to see friends, maintain jobs and kids, indulge hobbies periodically, and still maintain our sanity, why not? (Maintaining sanity has been high on my list these past months, which is one (though poor) explanation why I haven’t been writing more).
So this Friday we’re off to Portland to visit Mr. A’s sister and her family (for the sake of anonymity, I dub them the L’s). Mr. A is presenting his sage grouse data at the conference for the American Ornithological Union (AOU). So we get to run over two squirrels with one car (sorry, birds and stones are boring), and combine both work and family interests. We will embark Friday evening, drive six hours, and then crash briefly before heading out to camp with Mr. and Mrs. L Saturday and Sunday nights. Crazy Towhead is crazed at the opportunity to visit with her cousin Sarah. CT, of course, has dubbed her Ra-Ra. Then we get to spend the rest of the week visiting with friends of ours from Reno who will also be at the conference. Did I mention that Mr. A’s parents will also be driving in for the last part of the week? It’s going to be a crazy family/friend/camping/conference-filled week. Perhaps four squirrels and a car is a better analogy for this one?
In spite of the packed itinerary, I’m really excited. Mrs. L brings out my darker side, and around her I am better able to let go of things. This is good for me, especially when my perfectionist/OCD nature begins to get the best of me, which happens when I’m away from good friends for too long. I also can’t wait to see friends from Reno. With the immediacy of Facebook, I’ve been able to talk to them much more than I would by email or phone. But it’s a double-edged sword. I talk to them more, which fulfills my need to communicate with friends, but it does make me miss them more in other ways.
After Portland Mr. A and I are home for a week and a half before we head to Alaska (sans Towhead) for 5 days to see two of our close friends from Reno tie the knot outside Homer. Picturesque lodge overlooking Kachemak Bay, wildlife and bird watching, kayaking, fishing, and catching up with good friends are just a few of the things on the agenda. Given that we get 5 child-free days for the first time in six months, there are definitely other things we have in mind as well, but I have to keep this somewhat G-rated since my grandma is a regular reader 
Mr. A and I both are shivering with anticipation. The alone time will be fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but Alaska is huge on our list of “Places I Must Go Someday,” and there’s little bit of history to this one.
Mr. A grew up in the concrete suburban jungle of Orange County. He grew up wanting to go to the woods. From the age of 10 his dream was to go to Alaska someday and study wolves. He figured he would grow old, living much like a hermit in an igloo or field camp somewhere in the far north. At 30ish he might find a nice, practical girl and get married but Alaska and the wolves definitely came first. Enter me: lively little blonde from his college martial arts class. I visited him everyday at the sandwich shop where he worked until I had the courage to ask him out. He was befuddled and accepted. Needless to say Alaska never materialized the way Mr. A thought it would. We often accuse each other of showing up 5 years too soon. I hadn’t planned to marry until later either, but love and timing have never been synonamous in anyone’s book. The two years ago, the opportunity came up. Mr. A’s work was accepted at the Wildlife Society conference being held in Anchorage. We were thrilled! The acceptance in itself was an achievement, and it’s location was a major incentive to pull some money from our savings and make it happen. The assumption we made when budgeting though was that Mr. A’s project money would pay for his ticket up there and the conference fees. Wrong. He had to call and ask them to take his name out of the presentation schedule. It was a dark day.
Fast forward to this spring. Two of our good friends move to Alaska about the same time we move to Spokane. Their wedding was originally going to be in Reno so more of our friends could attend. When that turned out to be too much hassle they polled friends and family to see who could make it to AK instead. We hemmed and hawed for a long time. Moving is expensive and finances have been adequate but tight. Finally we broke. It’s Alaska! And we knew if we passed up another opportunity to go, that the spectacular “trip to Alaska” we’ve been dreaming about would end up being a less-than-spectacular cruise when we were semi-retired. That’s not how either of us want to see Alaska. So why not break the ice (metaphorically of course), see the glaciers and wildlife with friends, and whet our appetites now while we still can kayak, hike, and wander wherever our fancy takes us. It’s a short trip but if we keep waiting for that long spectacular trip, it will never happen.
So that’s August. I’ll let ya’ll know later what the plans are for September and October.
