AA--day 2

Just to clarify, AA stands for Alaskan Adventure--not, you know, A.A....ahem.

Anyway, so today I'm still missing the hubs, but I'm not an emotional wreck like I was yesterday.

Saying goodbye at the Shuttle I was a blubbering idiot.  Then I got home and saw the empty space on the bathroom counter where his things sat, and I puckered up and bawled again.

I'm an emotional person by nature, but I surprised even myself by how many tears I shed yesterday.  I'm sure the emotion was exaccerbated made worse by the fact that I had had about 2 1/2 hours sleep the night before, but still...


So as the day went on I was counting the minutes.  I knew his itinerary and  checked it all day long.  I got phone calls from him telling me of his next leg of the journey--and I bawled, partly because I was thankful his trip was going so well (except for that almost strip search at the Las Vegas Airport) and that he was safe, and also because I missed him so much and that he was getting to fly to Alaska and start his dream.

So then the time drew near that he would finally be landing in Ketchikan, and my sister (who lives there) started sending me pics of them going to pick him up at the airport.  Here they are...

So, I'm getting these photos via text and they are coming at regular intervals as they cross the water (see I don't even know what to call it--just water) and I'm feeling several emotions at once.  Excitement that my sweet sister is sending me these texts--how thoughtful and awesome is that?!  I get a play by play and didn't even expect that! :)
Gratitude for my sweet sister and her generous husband who are taking the time and spending their own money (right Sherrie?  your own? ;) to cross the "water" on the ferry and pick up my hubs at the airport, and again, missing him--and excited for him--and missing him...

With every picture she sends my excitement is growing and I'm telling the kids to come look and we are all getting more excited and then she sends this one...

 

...and says something like "these are the doors he'll be coming through".

And. I. Lost it.

I still get emotional thinking about it.  I have no idea why that photo sparked the emotion it did, but there I was bawling again.  Maybe airport arrivals and departures spark deep emotion in us Mormons, I don't know...

Anyway, then he arrived, he called to say "The Eagle Landed" and they took him to their home where they are so generously housing him and feeding him.  They fed him shrimp stuffed halibut, gave him a welcome to Alaska knife set (maybe that makes up for the airport pocket knife incident?) (maybe not...) and took him to see bears.  15 feet away bears.  The stuff you see on Mutual Of Omaha, but right there in person.  Bears that are eating salmon (and not you!) right out of the river and he could hear them, not background music or a narrator from a video about Alaska...

You are in Alaska babe!!!  You are 1544 miles away in your dream place!

*sniff sniff*  Here I go again... :')