Alaska Day 5!

This day I showed my kids the downtown area.

 Because we were up and at-em early in the morning the only store that was open was Barnes and Noble.  So we tootled around there for about 30 minutes.  Of course my kids couldn't walk out without a book!  I NEVER thought I would find Lilly in Alaska, so I was super excited to see her at Barnes and Noble!

 Of course I got myself something!

 One of Cale's teachers asked us to find something with the Inuit's as they do a section on them in social studies!

 Since this was the day before my reunion we dropped off Tim to get a hair cut and a shave - then we went to the Great Alaska Bread Company. It smelled so delicious inside!

 On the way out they had samples, look at that HUGE sample!!  Kennedie had a cinnamon chip bread slice.

 Cale had a hunk of cinnamon roll.

 I bought these HUGE cookies and they were delicious!  I also got a set of snickerdoodle's that that kids loved!

 Now that the tourist stores were open I took the kids downtown.  The skybridge connected a parking garage to our big mall.

 Inside the first store.  I found some great t-shirts and hats.  Kennedie finally found a hoodie she liked.

  The big building in the left corner of the picture is our Performing Arts Center and it's where all the plays and ballet's are held.  The building inside is beautiful and I have a lot of memories inside that building.

 The flowers are beautiful all over town, people have planters hanging at their homes all summer.  In Georgia they would wither away after a week or so!

 We got done early so we went and waited for Tim.  At this point his hair was done and he was just about to get a shave.

 What's funny is that the guy that was doing his hair/shave he served in the Army with when he was stationed here!  He didn't remember him but they had a lot of friends in common.

 Cause he is a hat stealer!

 We stopped by the restaurant my dad would take me to, to get burgers that is around the corner from my house.  They have new owners and they have Hawaiian BBQ now!! Tim was so excited!

 She said that the hot dog was HUGE!

 We dropped Tim off at the gym and picked up my mom to go and do some more shopping!  Kennedie saw this "pop culture" store that had a lot of Sanrio stuff in it.

 For dinner we worked out getting all the kids I grew up with together.  Last year in May I lost my best friend (the sister of the two guys on the left of the picture) tragically and this is the first time I had seen this side of my "family" since she passed.  (I mean we truly grew up together I was born 6 months after her and her mom was my babysitter from the time I was 6 weeks old until I finished 6th grade).  These guys (and her) were each others ride or dies.  Because my sisters were significantly older (13 and 18 years older than me, yeah I'm a proud "oops" child) than me these kids were my siblings.  We went to all the same schools, lived in the same neighborhood within walking distance of each others homes, went to the same church, spent our summers together I mean I don't know that I have a memory of my childhood that doesn't include any of them!  It was so good to see them all again.

 I mean it's still the same!

 Since we have a sibling that is older than us (the family of the friend that died also had an older sister) we grew up with our niece and nephews as well, I'm only 7 years older than my niece.  So while we were very close when we were little our niece and nephews are also very close.  (Because I was so close in age to my niece and nephews I was never "Aunt Amanda" I was always just Amanda.  A lot of people assumed we were cousins, or my youngest nephew Arin was confused as my son ALOT because I was only 16 when he was born.)

 I hadn't gotten a picture yet on that vacation of my niece and nephews since I had been there.  So right as the picture was taken my nephew Arin picked his sister and me up.  

My great niece is just the cutest thing ever!!