TRIPS - INSIGHTS - PHOTOS
The first time I saw her,
And breathed her air,
I knew I was home.
I miss her, every single day.
This is the call of Alaska.
I always dreamed of visiting Bora Bora, Tahiti or someplace warm with tropical breezes and crystal blue water. Most of my life, I've hated snow, cold and gray skies (I still hate gray skies). I grew up in and currently live in Ohio so we have plenty of them. For a few short years, I did live in Florida...the sunshine state! While it was a beautiful place to live and explore, I missed my family and moved back home after six years.
I've lived in Ohio for most of my life. As a kid, I remember spending almost all of my time outside exploring, riding my bike or collecting insects. I only had a few friends and even today, my circle of friends is pretty small. I prefer to have a few close friends over a myriad of acquaintances. Being an introvert at heart, I'm not much of a fan of small talk.
Nature has always been a way of escape for me. Even today, I find solace in backyard gardening, hiking or just sitting outside watching the backyard birds. My home is surrounded by gardens and I can spend hours outside watching the hummingbirds and bees as they buzz here and there, pollinating the flowers.
As a kid, my dream was to become a high school biology/chemistry teacher. I guess moving to Florida and getting married was more important at the time. After two divorces and a life of living in the fast lane, something pretty big happened to me that changed my life at the age of 40. I became a Christian. I didn't grow up as a Christian nor did I go to church. However, I guess God decided it was time for me to get my act together. So He got my attention and I've been living for Him for 15 years now. I am so thankful to Jesus for His forgiveness and for giving me a new life. I left the life of drugs, alcohol and promiscuity behind and life is good.
I currently live with my best friend and we try to use our home as much as possible for ministry and to bring glory to God with all He has given to us. We are truly blessed. It is wonderful to have a friend to confide in and who holds me accountable to my dreams and those things I should/should not be doing. It is also nice to have a companion to visit new places and to experience new things.
In 2018, we visited Alaska together. We took a cruise up the Inside Passage and my life changed forever...again.
I can still remember the very moment I realized that I wanted to live there. My dream of moving to Alaska was sparked when I stepped out on the balcony of the ship that June morning in Juneau and I took my first breath of crisp, cold, Alaska air. It was like inhaling sparkling clear ice water.
I was in love.
The sun was peeking through the window shades at about 3:30 a.m. I awoke and thought for sure I was missing something wonderful so I stepped out on the ship's balcony to catch the view. As the sunlight danced off the crystal blue water, I inhaled and watched the mountains come into view. That's when I knew I belonged there.
Have you ever fallen in love and then were separated? That's what it felt like to leave Alaska. I long for Alaska like a lost love.
I find myself homesick for a place where I've never even lived.
Interested in traveling to Alaska? Hopefully you will find some useful information here. I will try to post links where possible. I have posted just about all of the places we have stayed and links to excursions. Also, I have listed a few of my favorite sites below:
Search out our group on MeWe: Alaska-All About Alaska
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