Thursday, January 27, 2011

7 Months From Now.

I like to do trick titles sometimes. I guess it's because I'm kind of a jerk.

7 months from now, we will be in Alaska.

My dad is planning a grand trip to Alaska, the land of my birth. I knew that he wanted to do a visit while his health was still good, but I didn't know that he'd invite us. I'm probably jumping the blogging gun on this, but I'm just so excited and happy. We will drive to British Columbia and take the ferry. We'll spend some time in the Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage, and Fairbanks. My dad wants to drive back on the Alaska highway through Yukon Territory, a drive that I took several times in my childhood and a drive that I remember as being terrifying and very muddy.

My dad loves Alaska. A lawyer in Alaska travels a lot because there's really not all that many up there. I remember my dad being in Anchorage all the time when I was a little girl. He would fly down in the morning from Fairbanks and fly back at night. That's like someone regularly commuting from Salt Lake to Vegas. He has been all over that state, from Nome to Barrow. He's the only person I've ever known who has seen a polar bear in the wild. He knows absolutely everything about that state. I know that he'd move back there in a second. It seems like poetic justice that he's going back.

I'm not sure if it's poetic justice that I'm going back, I don't remember much about Alaska. When I think about it, I get a funny feeling in my throat. I look up our house on Google Earth sometimes. It's still blue. I can't tell if it still has that weird stain in the front from when someone egged us on Halloween. I can tell that ferns my dad planted are gone. There's a big tree in the front yard that seems wrong, but then I remember that I haven't been there for 15 years. That tree could have been planted long after we left.

Our lives were so different in Alaska. It's hard to even imagine what I would be like if we stayed there. I know that I wouldn't be the Sarah that you all like to blog stalk. I can't imagine that I would have gone to Utah State and fallen in love with Jeff. I wouldn't have Adam. It makes me sad to imagine another Sarah- I love my life.

But still...

I think of the blueberry bush in our backyard. I think of seeing moose walk down the street. I think of ringing our doorbell and hiding in the snow to trick my mom. I think of wearing rubber boots. I think of staring out our living room window at a blizzard. I think of picking raspberies from the bush that my dad planted for my mom and yes, I think about my dad and how much he loves it there and how proud he is of that crazy state where anything seems to be possible and I think of that little girl who loved her daddy so much.

And I get a funny feeling in my throat.





7 comments:

Suzanne said...

Sarah, that was beautiful. I got a "funny feeling in my throat" reading it to your Uncle Douglas. Thanks for sharing.

Sue said...

I'm so excited for you guys!!!! Benson , our new baby, and I might be going up this summer. I love and miss Alaska. I'm sure you'll remember how much you loved it too. It would have been fun if you'd stayed in Ak so we could have seen each other more but I'm glad you met Jeff and had Adam!

Audrey said...

We're headed to Alaska for a visit this year too. I've never been though, so the only funny feelings I get are wondering how Cooper will handle a red-eye flight and how I will interact with my in-laws for 7 days. It's a ways in the future, but I hope you have a fun time with your family.

Natalie said...

That'll be so fun! I didn't know you lived in Alaska!

Karlie Ann Ady said...

Lucky! We dibs your next vaca.

Kenyon and Jeannette Petersen said...

Woo! Yay for Alaska! That should be such a fun trip for you guys! Has Jeff ever been to Alaska? Also in a way Adam has been to Alaska when he was merely an egg. I'm sure this time around for him will be a more enjoyable experience! Hopefully we'll be visiting you guys sometime in the near future!...not while you're in Alaska though! Also while driving through B.C. look at all the funny restaurant names like my favorite...The Wee Chippy!

Chloe Smith said...

ok so I remember when you first moved into Sandy (when I still lived in the ward) and I thought you were weird just for the pure fact you were from Alaska ! hahahahahahahahaha I dont know why that means your a weirdo but hey when your 8 you find all sorts of things to think a kid is "weird". haha I love your blog, it makes my day!