RoyalExpansion: Kodiak

We had planned this trip since this past winter, we wanted to go before Evelyn turns 2 in July (lap infant anyone??)...but when we found out Sweetie would be staying with us more than the original 30 days, we put our plans on hold. Eventually I talked to the social workers and was able to make a plan for her to go stay with some of her biological family members who hope to adopt, she would have an extended visit with them which would be good for the transition and wouldn't leave her feeling left out. We were all excited about our respective plans until 3 days before the trip...plans fell through with her visit. Her social worker put in a request for respite care. It was frustrating and felt very unfair, I wasn't about to leave her, but we RARELY plan big vacations and we were really looking forward to it. Even if a respite family was found in time, she would still end up feeling very left out and to a four year old this was huge. I could see it having lasting effects. I started to pray. I started making phone calls and putting pressure on anyone in authority. I sent out an email with the urgent need for prayer, either for her to be able to see her family or come on our trip...and do you know what? She came. The area supervisor for the county said she had never seen this happen, for a trip to be approved and paid for, for everything to happen so quickly. She was shocked. I wasn't, and neither was God.

First glimpse of Kodiak Island

There were a few tears from Sweetie when I told her that her plans had changed (and much excitement from Capper!) but she recovered quickly and almost acted relieved once she was over the initial shock. We finished our ice cream and went home to tell Daniel. The next night I worked a 12.5 hour night shift to be followed by a quick nap, then a 2 hour drive to show our rental house to prospective tenants, then a drive home to finish packing and a quick sleep before leaving again...this time on a series of flights to the island of Kodiak Alaska. It hasn't slowed down much since then. Well it has and it hasn't at the same time. Our vacation was AWESOME! It was busy in a good way, a fun vacation way. We didn't get much fishing in (though we "caught" plenty of freezer salmon from my uncle's seriously packed freezer!) but did obsessively collected a couple pounds of sea glass...it's easier to be on a beach than a boat with kids anyway.

We were told we must be "really good people" because the weather in Kodiak was so nice. Per my uncle's 70+ year old neighbor, "I can only remember once or twice since we moved here that we've had weather like this."

So here is our trip, in photo form.