To San Antonio! And Mom goes home.

We had planned to take Mom and go to San Antonio to visit my sister and her family.  We were having lots of rain and winds again, and were unsure till the last minute if we were going to make the trip.  We decided to go for it with the caveat that if it seemed too bad, we'd turn around and come home.  It seemed to take forever to get out of the metroplex and I was willing to give it up when it looked like this but Rich persevered and we were fine.

We stopped in West and got some of their world famous kolaches for a snack.  Yum!

 Out for Mexican food the first night with my sis and brother in law, some of their kids and grandkids.   It was great seeing everyone and meeting some of the grandkids I hadn't met before!

The rest of the photos I took on my phone and made collages with on Instagram so here's a hodgepodge! Above Top L: my brother in law Alan, his son in law Greg and grandson Aden, Top R: My sister Kathi and her daughter Rachel (married to Greg, mom to Aden), Bottom L: Rachel and Greg's sons Khalil and Abram, middle: Greg, Rich and Mom, Bottom R: My niece Alana, her husband Paul, and Rachel's daughter Rena

Kathi and Khalil, my nephew Eli with HIS nephews Oren, Asher and Alden, Mom with Aden, Khalil, Abram and Asher,  Rachel and Khalil

A crowd on the stairs,  Rachel and Abram, Alden, Alana and Khalil, Mom, Vicki and Alden

The weather was miserable while we were there so we really didn't get out again after the first night. We spent a lot of time at the dining room table talking, laughing and telling stories.  We also played a hilarious game of "heads up."

Clockwise: My niece Jordan, Mom, Kathi and me; Alan and Eli; Rich and my nephew Ryan, Rena, Abram, Ryan and  his wife Vicki

Then it was time for Mom to head back home to New Jersey. She really enjoyed staying with Sarah and Miles and getting to know their kids a little better. We had lots of fun chatting and laughing and playing games with the kids.

 Our cute little Jack!

Christmas tree is up!  Sarah, Mom and me

We're really glad she came down to spend some time with us.  Hopefully we will get to go to New Jersey in the near future!  Love you, Mom!

Farewell, Unalaska

Our last few days were pretty crazy!  My friend Charlene stopped over to say goodbye--she is my workout idol.  I wish I had the determination and stamina that she does!  My former student Yumiko came back to Unalaska the day before we left and also came to visit, but I failed to get a photo.  It was great to see her again after many months in Japan.  AND my former student Magda spent a couple of hours helping us clean our house.  Whew! Moving is hard work!

Then off to the Post Office to mail several boxes of stuff that we didn't manage to get into the totes going on the boat.  I thought we were going to be so organized and that did not prove to be true at all!  Here's Jennifer, our favorite postal worker, taking care of business with Rich.  I'm gonna miss chatting with her!

 I swung by the office one last time to complete my final paperwork and say some tearful goodbyes to my awesome coworkers.  Above, our bookkeeper Billie Jo and the best boss ever, Lauren.  I couldn't have asked for a better person to work for.

Our visiting reporters John and Greta were lots of fun and I enjoyed working with them for a short time.

Pipa, TV producer, volunteer coordinator, and so much more. We had many good times and deep conversations.  She and Lauren and I had been there together the longest and worked really well together.

That's Chrissy up front, our brand new arts and culture producer.  I only got to work with her for a couple of weeks but I loved her already. So much fun and willing to pitch in and help with anything needed.  She's gonna be a good one for the station and I am glad she's there!

 Tammy and Jack took us out for one last dinner

 It was pretty surreal spending one last night in our house and getting up the next morning to head to the airport knowing it was our last time to fly out of Unalaska.  I definitely got choked up driving over to the radio station and then again driving to the airport. So many memories of 11 plus years on our little island in the Bering Sea.  I am so glad I took such a big leap of faith and moved to the end of the world to begin a new life.  Although I didn't love every single minute of it and sometimes (especially the last few years) I was totally dying to leave, it was still a fabulous experience.

 Elaine and Tammy came to see us off

 along with my sweet friend Kathy, with whom I worked at the Wellness Center years ago.

 Getting ready to board our last flight out

We've stood in front of this window many times over the years, watching for planes to come in or take off.

One last hug for my dear friend Tammy--I can't even put into words how much I will miss this one!  But we will not be too sad because we have plans to get together "down south" in the future.

 There's our plane

 Look! A rainbow for our departure

 Taking off on Pen Air one last time

 Goodbye to our beautiful island home

Poor Ajax and Kali had to endure two flights before getting out of their kennels for an overnight in Seattle.  We reserved a pet friendly hotel room and let them out to roam a bit but they were pretty traumatized, bless their little hearts.

Next morning, another flight and finally we're in Dallas!  Another new start and another new phase of life ahead of us.  Looking forward to new adventures!

Happy First Birthday, Jack!

Jack actually turns 1 tomorrow but we celebrated his birthday a week early while I was still there.  We had quite a crowd for burgers and dogs, swimming, playing and cake!  So much fun!  This little boy is well loved and such a sweetheart.  And you'd never know he was a preemie who scared us to death this time last year!  We love you, Jack!

 Jack and Mommy Sarah

 Cake time

 Pretty good stuff!

Some of Sarah's friends and their babies.  I guess bigger families are becoming the norm once again as many of her friends have 3, 4, or more kids!

Jack and his two girlfriends Charlotte and Addie

 Presents are fun, too!

 Jack and Daddy Miles

 Gigi's 8th grandchild!  :)

Back to Dallas for a few days

I had a few more days in Dallas before flying back to Alaska.  Sarah and I went back to one of the apartments we'd visited and I rented one for Rich and me.  Move in date: October 22!  Very exciting! We also went to her bank and I opened a new account. And we went to look at furniture.  I have never furnished and decorated a house from scratch before so it's gonna be lots of fun!

 Hanging out with Jack at the house

Elle is quite the little soccer player and continues to get better and better every time I visit.  She always plays really hard!  She made a goal in this game.

 With Elle and Beck

 Elle had a game at 9 and then another one at noon.  Beck had one at 11:45.  We all went to Elle's first game, then Miles was going to take her to her second game while Sarah and I went to Beck's. We came home in between and Jack went down for a nap. Since he was still asleep, I stayed home with him while the parents went to the kids' games.  Beck was also on fire that day and made three goals!  Sorry I missed that!

I'm looking forward to being in the same town so I can participate in more of the grandkids' activities!