Getting in and out of the bush...

They say that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Well, a plane in the bush flying to the lower forty-eight ends up being worth about $3200 WITH a companion fare on short-notice.

On Saturday, October 2nd, we received a sad phone call from Iowa, letting us know that Grandma Jo passed away comfortably that morning. While the news was not expected, we weren't surprised after the initial shock subsided. Joan, after a severe stroke last Christmas Eve, held on like a trooper, despite the incovenience of a feeding tube, inability to eat solid foods and the bumps in the road that came along with the transition from independent into assisted living. Joan kept her spirits up even when her dearest friend passed away about a month ago. But as time carried on, Joan knew it was time to go. And when we received the news of her passing, we, too, knew it was time to go home and be with family as we all said our good-byes one last time.

So, with enough time to pack a light suitcase and complete my lesson plans for the week, Brandon and I made arrangements to fly from New Stu to Dillingham, Dillingham to Anchorage, Anchorage to Seattle, and finally Seattle to Chicago. Over the course of two days, with a visit to the Tuckwoods in Dillingham, we made our way back to the Midwest. Clayton, my brother-in-law, awaited our arrival at Terminal 3, and we were on our way by 11:30pm on Sunday night. After a few wrong turns, our first visit to a gas station in months, and some catching up, we made it to my sister Katie's for the night. We hit the hay around 3am and slept straight through our alarms the next morning until 10. We were lucky to visit Katie and my nephews, Michael and Jonathan, and niece, Allison, before my brother and his wife passed through Evansville on their way to Potosi from Greenbay. We knew we were meant to come home with the seamless transitions from layovers to car trips. We had a nice visit with Shane and Jen and made it to mom and dad's by mid-afternoon. We kicked back our feet for an hour or two, and hopped back in the car for a trip to Dubuque. Brandon and I really didn't miss too much from the lower-48 food-wise, but boy did Los Azteca's Queso Fundido melt in my mouth that first bite.

The next morning, Brandon and I drove to Des Moines and made a few necessary stops along the way. It turns out that when you live in bush Alaska you don't necessarily have appropriate attire for a funeral in your closet, and with a moment's notice, you can sometimes forget underwear, socks and bras in the bag you've packed. Brandon and I enjoyed our much needed shopping spree, but did surprisingly well at keeping ourselves under control.

We made it to Brandon's parents' house, did some homework and hit the hay early. The only problem was that we were physically three hours behind what showed on the clock. As pooped as we were, we still laid and stared at the ceiling for what seemed to be hours before we fell asleep.

The next morning, I awoke at 5:00am and got ready to visit some of the people I've missed the most: my coworkers! Although all of them weren't there and I didn't get a whole lot of time to see them, it was still extremely nice to see the people I spent 40 hours a week, 36+ weeks a year, for the last three years. It was also really nice to get the greeting from the students that came running over with hugs and hellos. I wish I could bring them all back to Alaska so I could have the best of both worlds.

Anyway, that day filled up with family and reminiscing, and led into a sad but beautiful Thursday saying goodbye to Grandma Jo. The service was nice, and lots showed up to share their stories and condolences. Aunt Jeanie even came down from Belmond with mom and dad to pay their respects. It was awefully nice to see everyone who loved Joan so much. Kalee was adorable, as always, saying, "Where GG go? GG sleep? Bye-bye GG." The evening was spent in Murray with some of Joan's closest friends a family, chatting about what a wonderful woman she was at Donna Sue's and Danny's.

Friday was an early morning with Brandon and I hitting the road a little before six. We drove to Platteville, met mom to trade a few items with her, and headed onto Madison for lunch with two of my sisters. Although it was a short visit, it helped complete my week to see as much family as possible in the little time we had. SueAnne and Therese met us for lunch at Granite City, where we caught up about the nieces and nephews, prospective job changes, and life in the bush. I wish we could have had one more week to relax with the people we care about so much but see so little, but so it is and so it goes when you live three thousand miles away.

We were lucky to get another couple of hours with Therese as she graciously volunteered to drive us to the airport. She looks great and did a good job reminding us of how blessed we are to have so many wonderful people to miss between visits.

We finally, after a number of hours on a plane from Chicago to Anchorage, a turbulant flight to say the least, made it back to the last frontier. An evening at the Hampton Inn, and 7 hours of shopping and shipping did us in for one of two final flights home. We flew to Dillingham and were blessed with the hospitality and company of Cindy, Tim, Sadie, Skylar and Rooster (Rayna) once again. It's crazy we've only met them twice and already feel like they're a part of our family. Brandon got some time with Tim on a work call, where Brandon assisted in taking a deceased teenager, killed in a four-wheeling accident, to the morgue. It reaffirmed my disinterest in being a bush pilot, as he's the one who brought the young boy over wrapped only in a sheet. The pilot and Tim had to transfer the boy from the sheet to the body bag, and Brandon assisted in transporting the body from the trooper car to the hospital. While it's not something I'd ever want to do, it was a good reminder that we're not in Kansas anymore...or Iowa for that matter.

Sunday was a glorious day, as we were able to make our way back to home, sweet home. The three day travel on both ends of a week-visit to the lower 48 can take a lot out of a person. My heart sinks to think about all of the people I didn't get to see, my nieces and nephews specifically, but good friends, too. Hopefully, I'll make up lost time and visits over Christmas.

Anyway, after a loooooong post, and loooooooong travels, we are safe and sound and happy to be home. Love and miss you all, and it was great to see those of you over the last week. Keep in touch!

Brie