Alaska

I took Josh to the airport yesterday for the start of his Alaska trip. He'll be up there for 2 weeks with Brett, his good friend from the Army, hunting mountain goat and either brown or black bear, I keep forgetting which lol. Either way, he's excited. Brett is from Alaska, so he's able to go hunting without a guide, which would cost them thousands of dollars (that we don't have). And, he actually got himself a bear a couple years ago, so that's encouraging.

No, I didn't go with Josh.
Yes, he did ask me if I wanted to, but I quickly learned that I would have to sleep outside for the entire 2 weeks under a tarp on the side of a mountain... Not my idea of a good time.

He had a 12 hour layover in Seattle last night before heading on to Alaska, and although I haven't talked to him, his Facebook status tells me that he had to sleep on a bench by the Alaska Air counter last night. At least he packed his sleeping bag in his carryon! He got to Alaska about noon our time today.

It was a weird feeling being at the airport with him yesterday. I did my usual thing and watched him go through security, waited until he put his shoes and socks and belt back on, and then we waived one last time before he disappeared into the tram alcove. I say it was "usual" because Josh and I have been through this scene so many times before, and it brought back so many flashbacks - of him leaving me after visiting Florida, of me leaving him after visiting Fayetteville, of him leaving to go back to Iraq after R&R ...

I had to verbally remind myself that this time was finally different. This was the first time he was leaving to go on a fun trip, he'd only be gone 2 weeks, we're MARRIED, he wasn't leaving for Iraq... lol.

Wow. I don't miss those days one bit.

Hopefully I'll be able to update about his trip. But, I'm not expecting to get many calls, as there's little cell service up there, and once they're in the woods there's no where to charge a phone anyway!

If all else fails, I'll know in 2 weeks if we need to buy another freezer. I need to start looking up goat and bear recipes. You think they go good with artichokes?

Just kidding dear.

Josh, Kim & Abby