Our Life in Alaska and Beyond

I could probably sub-title this post "the longest week of my life" lol. Haha, but really, it was very challenging taking care of the girls all on my own for a week. Scott is the best husband and daddy and we missed him so much! Scott left for St. Paul on Sunday (Mother's Day) and then returned home the following Sunday (his birthday). The week he was gone was also Ruby's last week of school. Haha, the timing wasn't the greatest, but we made it through! And Scott got some amazing pics while on St. Paul Island! I had so much fun going through these and learning more about the wildlife there. :)

Also, check out these links to learn more about St. Paul:
 -The Island
-The cliff-nesting birds of St. Paul
-Many birders go to St. Paul to see rare migratory birds from Asia. The author above wrote this post on his personal blog, which includes some of these rare birds.
-More pics of St. Paul from the same author.

Thick-billed Murres

I'm guest blogging for Holly. I'm Holly's husband, Scott. Last week I had the opportunity to spend some time on St. Paul Island in the middle of the Bering Sea. We boarded the plane in Anchorage, but the left engine was smoking and wouldn't start. We eventually got on another plane and arrived around 11:00 pm Sunday night. There were many setbacks over the next few days. I was traveling with two coworkers and between the three of us only one cooler out of our five checked bags made the trip. Because my suitcase didn't make the trip I wore the same clothes for 4 days in a row (day and night) without changing or showering. Finally, on the 5th day I broke down and washed my clothes and borrowed a pair of scrubs from the clinic.

Me at the airport showing just how Alaskan I've become.

We climbed a volcano and explored a cave on a field trip with the school. It was probably the most dangerous field trip of the 21st Century.

Scott's work sent him back to St. Paul Island (one of the four Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea) for the second time, and this time I made him take my big camera. He came back saying he's been bitten by the photography bug! Yay! I think it's so fun to take pics and remember memories, so I'm glad Scott is starting to like it, too! :)

This trip everything was a little bit more green, and the sun was out for a good part of it, too! Scott captured some beautiful pics and I had so much fun going through all of them and editing them. If you'd like to read more about the migratory birds on St. Paul Island, Scott found a great blog post here (part 1) and here (part 2)! Enjoy the pics!

Also, Scott had a great and successful trip! He'll most likely be going back sometime next year.

Otter Island in the background

Scott's work sent him to St. Paul Island, a tiny Pribilof Island in the middle of the Bering Sea. It was such a cool experience for him and he's so glad he got to go. While there he worked with Alaska Natives in developing healthy lifestyles. He did a lot of good work and he gets to go back next month for some follow up. Even though we missed him terribly (we're so lucky he hardly ever has to travel) I'm so glad he got this once in a lifetime opportunity. My parents were here for part of the time while he was gone so that helped out a ton! So grateful for family! Enjoy these fabulous pics! Next time I'm making him take the big camera!

Taking off from Anchorage