Thanksgiving in Alaska

Being a "Basketball Wife" has it's ins and outs as I have shared before.  Many more positives than negatives though, especially when your husband works for someone who is kind :) that HELPS!

Basketball has taken my husband ALL over the country and my family all over the mid-west, this time we got to travel together far and wide and go with him to The Great Alaskan Shoot Out!  The tournament was hosted in Anchorage over the Thanksgiving holiday.  My lucky duck children and I got to tag along.  I can't tell you what a wonderful time we had other than our team ended up only winning one game while there :( BIG BOO!

It started out with me and the three littles boarding a plane from Tulsa to Dallas, yes just me plus three!
Then a layover then a plane from Dallas to Seattle then another LAYOVER and this one was looonggg six hours I think.  Then our final flight from Seattle to Anchorage.  The kids did great other than one fit thrown by little Pia on the second leg.  How dare I wake her up to get off the plane?!

Looking at a map from OK to AK it looked as though we flew around the world, luckily it didn't feel like it!  The Mister was there at the airport ready to help with the kids and luggage and boy were we glad to see him.

Our hotel was amazing with an amazing view of the Ocean!  I am sad that my pictures are SO POOR they really do no justice to the view we had for about 7 seven hours a day before it got dark again.  The kids jumped right in the pool, I think we ate everything on the menu in the hotel restaurant, and I went without ESPRESSO for almost a whole week!  We played a total of three games only winning our first coming close the other two but just not getting it done.

The kids and I ate Thanksgiving lunch with the other wives and their families at a great restaurant with another amazing view!  We walked about 6 blocks and nearly FROZE!  The husbands were working so we met up with them a little later.

One outing that was particularly special was the day bus trip up the highway in Anchorage to a glacier area covered with snow a beautiful ocean view along the entire highway as we drove.  We even saw a Dahl Sheep high on the rocks.  It was the team the coaches their families and others we traveled with.
We also got to go to an animal conservation and see all sorts of AK animals.  Musk Ox, Links, Moose, Elk etc... it was SO fun even time to grab a few icicles and have a snowball fight!

Me +3 ready to travel bright and early

*SUPERSTARS* looking a lil tired 

"Lemme see Caleb!"

Hard core game of rock-paper-scissor at the airport in wait

How she traveled

I have GREAT children that made traveling a breeze

Pia's feelings captured on camera from the flight from Dallas to Seattle

Our party boarding the last plane!

WE LANDED IN AK!!!!!

                                         My constant helper!

The AK pilots were so friendly!  They let the two littles hang in the front and gave them official "AK airline Flight wings"

Table for two 

View form our room

Me and the Mister

Swimming!!

All bundled up for a glacier tour.

My family 

Baby it was COLD outside

 

                                         The KIDS big and small Of ORU

More of the bus tour

and more

playing in the SNOW!!!

Loving the snow

"Daddy hold me I'm coooold!!!!"

Two CUTIES!

CJ and Damen one of our players

"Look what I have, an ice SWORD!"

Daddy walking to see some AK animals

Khlo

Me and my Mister

Look ELK

Look MOOSE

Running to dinner to beat the cold!! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Sunsetting at 4:30pm... breathtaking

Kids table

L&K

Playing games in a fort

GAMETIME

oops... someone fell asleep at dinner

Handsome Hubs working hard, while we play

Ladies of ORU

"Cool Chicks Wear Blue" GO ORU! 

Coach and his kid

The kids of ORU

My guy doing his thing!

Part of our team, Gametime

My day date with the older two

"I love holding your hand."

The Crew minus Caleb

He was tired and we lost :(

How they sleep, close is just not close enough.

Cot at the hotel 

He spent a lot of time getting up!

Bundled up for a shopping trip

Spiderman or Caleb?

BYE ALASKA 

thank you for the memories!

How I sit during games.  Last baby, cherish!

Ivebeenholdingbabiesduringgamesforeightyears

lovingeveryminute

How she travels

I ended up having an extra day where Kyan took Pia when she was napping, so he could still get work done and I took the older two kids iceskating, and to the movies, we saw Rise of the Guardians.  That was a really fun day.  We played our third and final game, then it was time to load up for the red eye flight home.  Like I said with a few more wins this trip would have been just perfect!  It is surely one we will always remember!