Grandparents are the best! Built-in babysitters, they’ll help you with jobs around the house, plus they help you cook and clean and put your child to bed at night without batting an eye.
My parents were in town from Minnesota for 9 days, and it was fun to have them in town and be tourists for a week because sometimes that’s the only way we get out and do those activities. This was my mom’s 6th trip to Alaska in the 12 years I have lived here, and my dad’s 5th trip, so while they have done quite a few activities, there were some activities that they hadn’t done. (And I know Alaskans will say the same thing: you can live here your whole life and not see everything since the state is so big. However, I’m sure most people can say that about the state they live in too.)
On Sunday when my parents arrived was the Hightail Half & Quarter Marathon, so I helped set up for the event and then ran the race. Afterwards we hung out at home for a bit, and then went for a walk on the trails around the Campbell Creek Science Center. We then picked up a cake for my mother-in-law’s birthday and then had dinner with them.
Monday we took a glacier cruise out of Whittier. We got to see a glacier calve, which was cool, but I was hoping to see a lot more animals. (We really only saw birds and a seal from a long ways away.)
Tuesday we spent the day in Girdwood and hiked Winner Creek Trail. I love this trail because it isn’t straight up a mountain–unlike many of the other hikes in Alaska. We rode the hand tram and then hiked for about 3 miles total, which was about Cullen’s max distance.
Wednesday was a chill day driving back to Anchorage, unpacking, and repacking again. We did stop at Potter’s Marsh and watch the salmon in the water, which was fun.
Thursday morning we drove to my in-law’s cabin outside of Willow and spent some time there. We went into Talkeetna to be a tourist for the afternoon. (Side note: if you want a authentic Alaskan town, Talkeetna would be one option to go to because as some people like to say “Anchorage is 15 minutes from Alaska.”)
We hung out by the fire at the cabin, I read a lot of my book, and Cullen took a bath in a plastic tub. (Ha! It was my mother-in-law’s idea.)
Friday we hiked Gold Cord in Hatcher’s Pass. I love the hike because it is kid-friendly, not too long, and not too steep. You hike back to a glacial-fed lake with crystal-clear water.
Saturday I worked in the morning and did my long run, and that afternoon my mom, Cullen, and I went to the zoo for a couple of hours.
Sunday was church, and then my parents helped us rearrange things in our storage shed and garage so that we could then move items from the baby’s closet into storage that was just being used to house some mementos. I spent part of the day and most of Monday rearranging and purging things from Cullen’s closet and the baby’s closet. It was quite the job as it always has to look worse before it looks better, but it is done now and the room could be ready for a baby if need be. (Not that I want the baby to come yet!) I do want to repaint, put some wallpaper up, and add some more decor items before the baby arrives.
All in all it was a great week of spending some quality time with my parents since I see them only once or twice a year. While I appreciate having FaceTime, it just isn’t the same for Cullen. He was pretty obsessed with Grandma and Grandpa while they were here, so it was nice to spend time with them in person.
