We arrived in Anchorage late in the evening on the 21st and our good friend Brooke picked us up at the airport. Somehow we managed to leave Annika's favorite stuffed animal on the plane but were able to get it from the customer service people pretty quickly. As tradition has it, we go straight from the airport to pick up food and drinks for the week. This year it was an obstacle course of people at Fred Meyer's and Annika slept in her carseat in one of our carts through the whole shopping adventure. We eventually arrived at the condo we affectionately call the Ski Palace. Our friends Chris and Jamie had already checked in and started making homemade pizza as soon as we arrived. Love it! It was also fun to meet Brooke's boyfriend Dave. Unfortunately, the hot tub and sauna weren't hot enough yet but we were so tired, it didn't matter. Some friends had loaned us a pack and play for Annika to sleep in and af after a little fussing, she slept quite well.....until about 4 am. Luckily all it took was a little food and she slept a few more hours. I think the morning darkness helped a lot, too.
On Thanksgiving, we did a little bit of sledding outside the condo, went for a walk, and made lots of tasty food. There were 10 of us for dinner. We usually try to eat about 5pm and typically end up eating about 8pm. We're so blessed to have a wonderful group of friends to share this meal with. I think the group has changed a little every year with a few new people. There's always an abundances of deliciousness, drinks, and laughter.
On Friday, we usually go snowboarding but this year Kyle had a pulled muscle and I didn't want to leave he and Annika behind for the day. Instead, we walked around the Alyeska resort hotel and relaxed at the condo. We soaked in the hot tub and enjoyed the sauna. Our time always seems to go by so fast.