Anchorage Trip: Part One

Friday night, when we discovered I would not, in fact, be leaving Marshall (flights out of Bethel were on a weather hold) Josh and I went about our normal Friday night.  I put the kids to bed while he made pizza.  Then while the pizza cooked, we undid Christmas.

I snuck back in the boys' room later, once they were asleep, to take pictures of them sleeping. Even at age five, there is something magical about watching the twins sleep.  They look so innocent and beautiful. I could watch them sleep for hours.

That night I wrote them little notes telling them how I loved them and how I would miss them and hoped they would be good little boys for Daddy while I was gone.

I felt really peaceful about the fact that I was stuck in Marshall. At some point, I had let go of worrying about it and knew God was in control.  That I would get where I was going exactly when I was meant to.

Saturday morning we awoke refreshed with renewed hope that I would catch a flight out.  At morning snack Wyatt requested accompanying me to Anchorage. "Can I go on the plane with you, mom?" he asked, his big blue eyes serious.  "No, honey. You can't," I said gently.  "Why not?" he asked, "Please? Please?"  Every fiber of my being wanted to say, "Yes! Sure you can! Of course!"  But instead Josh came to the rescue and reminded Wyatt that they would be having Boys-Only Movie Night with pizza & dessert, which was enough to make Wyatt okay with staying home without mommy.

The morning weather was clear, so I was hopeful a plane would come.

We listened all morning on the VHF (village radio) for ERA to call that my flight was coming in. I also called every hour to see if flights were on weather hold or not.

Finally around 10am we heard a flight was coming in.

So we headed out to the airport.

I was really excited on the ride out there, and even as we watched our plane land,

but when I had to get out of the truck, and walk away from those boys...

It got hard.

I kissed them and hugged them and told them I loved them.  Then I hugged & kissed their father and thanked him for being so wonderful.  And I climbed on the plane with tears in my eyes.

Once seated, I waved, bleary eyed, at the three boys waving frantically from the windows of the truck.  I watched as Josh climbed behind the wheel and we all started blowing kisses.  And that's when it happened.

Logan.

He crumpled. Just physically folded in half, sobbing into Josh's side that he didn't want me to go.  Josh, God bless him, held Logan and let him feel his feelings.

I had already been crying, but watching Logan, who is normally my most reserved emotionally, break down at the thought of my departure made me cry even harder.

I took pictures until I could no longer see that white truck where the four things most important to me on this planet were seated.

Then I just closed my eyes and let the tears slide down my cheeks.

I got some pictures of Marshall from the air-- that dark spot on the river is the spot that is open, not frozen, and to the right (I know it's blurry!) is the village.

I seriously did not stop crying the entire flight from Marshall to Bethel, which is about thirty minutes. 

I think it was a mix of emotions.  Both relief that I was finally able to take off after waiting all day Friday to catch a flight, and sadness that I was actually leaving my boys, which I have never done for so many days, and certainly have never been so many miles from them.

Thankfully the flight itself was very smooth, with good visibility and beautiful take off and landing.

As we slowed for our arrival in Bethel, I fished some Kleenex out of my pocket, dried my eyes, and decided crying was done. It was time to be brave. 

When I landed and called Josh he told me that Logan had remained sad until lunch time.  He had marched himself right upstairs when they got home and laid on his bed, holding his (current) favorite stuffed lion.  He told Josh he just wished I didn't have to go to Anchorage.

Josh was able to convince him to come down for lunch, and later when I talked to Logan, he said his peanut butter and jelly sandwich made him all better.  I was so glad he was able to work through his sadness and be okay.  

---

I arrived on the ERA tarmac, walking quickly into the building to find my luggage, hoping if I hurried I could make the afternoon flight with Alaska Airlines.  Once I had my bags, I walked out of the building, slipping this way and that on the sheet of ice out front.  I wasn't sure exactly how to get from the ERA terminal to the Alaska Airlines building, a few blocks away.  In the past, there were always shuttle vans parked out front.

I asked a state trooper as he walked by how I could get from Point A to Point B.  He said he could give me a ride, "Hop in."  He was so nice.  He, too, is living here in the Yukon, raising three small children ages five and under.  His wife is a stay-at-home mom as well.  I was grateful for safe transportation to Alaska Airlines, and enjoyed visiting with him on the drive.

When I arrived at Alaska I discovered I had missed the flight by nine minutes!!! I was disappointed, but relieved that there were plenty of seats on the evening flight, which was scheduled to depart nearly nine hours later.

With so much time to kill, I decided to brave the elements (not too cold, but plenty of blowing snow) and walk myself to Brothers, a restaurant not too far from Alaska's terminal.

There I paid $20 for this meal.

Bacon cheeseburger, fries & a coke.

Worth.every.penny.

It was seriously awesome.

Not only because it was delicious, but because someone else made it for me!

While I ate, I got to watch planes take off and land.

And I did some reading.

When I was leaving I saw these pizza prices, and thought I'd share them.

$37.50 for a large all meat?!? That's crazy talk!!!

When I finished at Brother's, I headed back to Alaska to wait for my flight.  This was the view out my window in the terminal.  I was the only one there for a few hours.  Soon I was joined by a couple with the cutest daughter & son. Something about native babies make me want to scoop them up and squeeze their cheeks.  Their babies were no exception. They had a 9 month old son, and a nearly two year old daughter. Oh man, were they cute!  But watching them chase the little girl, and attempt to appease the baby boy made me grateful I wasn't stuck there with my own kids.  Traveling with littles is so much work!

I did my best to enjoy the peace of sitting in one place with no demands placed on me.  I put on my headphones, read my magazines, and ate the yummy snacks I had packed.

I will admit I started to get worried about the weather.  It was cold and snowing, and super windy.  But Josh assured me the larger jets were much more likely to land in bad conditions than the smaller planes we take to and from the village.

Finally the time came when they called us to head through security and board the plane.  I was overjoyed.  One hour and I would be in Anchorage with Julie. 

What I didn't account for during my joyful trek through TSA was sixty full minutes of the worst turbulence of my life, and the fact that traveling alone (sans Josh to hold my hand) is really lonely & kind of scary under those circumstances.

What also didn't help was the fact that I knew, every moment, I was getting further from my kids, and at the time it felt like my heart was breaking.

... to be continued...