June - Matt's Arctic trip, Seward, Birthdays, the Midnight Sun!

(This is our 100th blog post!)

 Between our month of travel and the upcoming move, my goal for this month was to relax and do as little as possible.

Fairbanks Riverfront Trail

And in that way Lydia and I have been high achievers. :) But Matt's been busier than ever: in addition to a LOT of work (they have a new leader and are planning a big training), Matt had a fishing and camping trip with coworkers in Seward, Alaska, and a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Arctic (more on that in a sec). Any spare hours were put toward grad school.

He took the day off for both of our birthdays. Lydia turned TWO and I wrote all about it HERE! A few days later we celebrated my birthday with a hike on Wickersham Dome and Indian for dinner.

Love L's expression here!

And here :)

The most amazing thing to me this summer is how big and grown up and wonderful Lydia is. I'm not trying to show off - I'm just really amazed by how wonderful she is. I genuinely enjoy hanging out with her. But how could you not want to hang out with a girl this CUTE?

She's perfect. :)

One weekend Matt took his dream trip: driving the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Ocean! This was not a baby-friendly trip, so Lydia and I stayed home. Here he is to explain it. :)

                                      

Van pickup at the airport.

Crossing the Yukon River,

almost to the halfway point, at the arctic circle.

The halfway point - Coldfoot Camp

Brooks Range

When the trees disappear, it means you're officially in the Arctic tundra.

Atigun Pass, where there is still snowfall in June.

There was a lot of wildlife on the way, including Musk Ox,

and Caribou. I even saw two grizzlies and a wolf, but couldn't get a good picture.

You follow the Alaska oil pipeline the whole way,

And eventually pull in to the Oilfield camp at Prudhoe Bay. It looks pretty bleak.

The next day my plan was to fly back, but I got to have a long layover in Barrow, which is even further northwest, but there are no roads that lead to it. Seeing Barrow was also on my bucket list. It's the northernmost town in the United States.

FaceTiming Laura from the Arctic Ocean beach.

The northernmost LDS church in the world - I went to Sacrament meeting and they asked me to play the piano. I was the only piano player in the 8-person congregation. Then one of the people there offered to drive me around town to see the sights.

While in Barrow I met another guy who offered to let me try some Muktuk, or whale blubber. Only the natives are allowed to hunt whale for subsistence and it’s illegal for sale, so you have to be Native or know somebody to get it. It tasted fishy and nutty at the same time, and it’s definitely an acquired taste. He told me a few things about the village and how whale harvesting is a huge celebration.

Muktuk

Finally I got to fly home. This is the airport in Barrow. And that sums up my trip!

___

I'm glad Matt to go on his dream trip but his idea of fun is a little different from mine and Lydia's - I think seeing pictures is enough adventure for us!

A different weekend, Matt and a group of guys from work went on a fishing and camping trip in Seward. They had to charter three boats to fit his whole group, and he came home with 18 pounds of Alaskan halibut! Want to come over for dinner? We have you covered. :)

Meanwhile Lydia and I didn't venture far from home. Our quiet summer days are filled with play dates, the farmers market, walks, swimming, stroller moms, the park, story time, library reading challenge, etc. I also started a scripture group with our ward (church group) and had the first meeting  at our house. 

Cupcakes to share with friends in church nursery
the Sunday before her bday

It's nice having extra free time now, with only ONE job (CoreHealth). Even though I miss teaching at UAF and teaching yoga, the extra time and mental space are worth it. It was a tough decision, but hopefully one day I'll get to go back to both of those jobs.

One Saturday we went to Birch Lake as a family, rented canoes, had lunch, and played on the beach. We love it there!

And some random scenes from my phone:

Lydia learning to ride her moped/bike (it's a little big - we'll have to save it for next year) and her scooter, which she calls her "go"!

She still LOVES sleep, and happily sleeps 12 hours / night plus an afternoon nap. Here's a video from when Matt and I went in to wake her up one day. :)

baking bread

Sunday morning pancakes

It's mosquito-net-on-the-stroller season

Lydia's latest adventure:

One night we visited The Santa Claus House for FHE. Yep, he's still scary!

Much better: L in her happy place, the pool. 

Music in the Garden at UAF's botanical garden.

FaceTiming Heidi and Mike from Rome - one of the many stops in the BYU study abroad program that Mike worked on.

And Daniel came home! We've missed him during his two years serving a mission in Ukraine! 

I've been reading a lot lately. Lydia and I read Anne of Green Gables together (ok, she played and I read out loud), and Matt got me a stack of C.S. Lewis books for my bday - can't wait!

And we watched OSU win the College World Series!! Here's Lydia cheering them on. :)

Can't wait to see what our last bit of time in Alaska holds!