We have lived large so far this summer. We took the most amazing tribute trip to Alaska. 5 weeks, 6 people, 1 motorhome. We accomplished all of our goals and had an amazing time. Miraculously I never even considered murdering any of my travel buddies. My kids got along almost the whole time (miraculous!) even after 8 days and 2800+ miles home in the motorhome. I enjoyed the trip completely and felt like Mike was smiling down on us. Since I was training for my hike, I got a different Alaska perspective as I was tromping around in the woods, praying that I wouldn’t be grizzly bear dinner. Many of my long walks will be etched in memory as some of the highlights of my trip. Walking, crying, thinking, forgiving, being thankful, and being pissed off all oddly fit together sometimes. Those walks are probably why I did not feel like murdering anyone. Maybe the walks helped me focus my energy and get my mind in a good place. I know they helped.

We took ashes to some of Mike’s favorite places on the Russian and Kenai Rivers among other places. I cried my face off in the bay at Homer, partly because I missed Mike so badly that it was physically painful, and partly because it was so beautiful that I couldn’t help it. I felt so loved and at peace so often, then a few minutes later I felt so lonely I could hardly endure. The range of emotions is what made this trip so unique. We laughed, we hiked, we fished, we cried, we saw the gorgeous sights. My mom and I checked out some of the coolest bars in the world. All the while, accidentally, without intention, we healed. We all came back a little better, a little braver, and a little stronger.