Cousin Time!

In a turn of serendipitous events, two south Texas cousins met for a wonderful afternoon in Juneau, Alaska. My cousin Kara and her husband Dan moved to Anchorage a year ago, and she was in Juneau this week for work. We were able to spend a few hours together out at the Auke Bay house and had such a fun time catching up. It's been a long time since our days back at the ranch when we had time for just the two of us to chat, and I miss that so much!

Saturday morning Joel and I woke to a beautiful clear morning and were invited on a sea kayaking adventure with our neighbors, Mary Ellen and Dave. Mary Ellen owns the practice where Joel works, and they have been in Juneau for many years. We launched from their house and kayaked out to a small island in the bay. Along the way, we came across to friendly seals who were playing in the sea. They played hide-and-seek with our kayaks. We landed on the beach and spent about 25 minutes laying in the sun and watching the bald eagles sore overhead. On our return trip, we could see many star fish on the rocks near the beach. After a fast clean up and lunch, we headed to town where we worked together at a vaccination clinic stationed at one of the high schools. I had so much fun being at the clinic with Joel, even though we didn't work right together. My volunteer job was as a recorder for the nurses, and I got to know many of the people he works with everyday. I could see us continuing to do this type of work together no matter where we end up!

This evening my parents are flying in from San Antonio, and they will get to stay the entire week. I think our adventures are just beginning!