Hello Seattle!

Wow I had awesome luck today. After pushing my 51 lb bag through as an "under 50 lb" bag, I got myself into a first class seat (for the first time!) thanks to the kindness of the dude at the desk. (what are their official names?? I have no idea...) If I would have known I wouldn't have eaten breakfast since first class gets a free one. :-) On top of that, I've flown once again having a nice person beside me for every flight. Of the 30 or so airplanes I have been on, I have never sat next to someone on an airplane whom I haven't talked to, even just a little bit. I like it because it gives one an appreciation for how diverse of daily lives we have, but how similar people are that you can at least chat lightly for an hour.

Next stop was Seattle where my buddy from college, Christy, was waiting for me outside of the airport!! I was chauffered downtown to rescue Stef from work for a lunch hour. I was SO excited to see these girls and to finally get out in Seattle proper. Christy and Stef are both very enjoyable to be around with their sarcasm and ridiculous stories. I hadn't seen Christy since..... 3 years ago I guess when she graduated! She joined the NOAA corp immediately after college so she was out of there like a woman with a plan! And of course Stef you know if you've been following the blog while I've been in Fairbanks. :-)

Stef, Christy and I at the Cheesecake Factory in downtown Seattle.

Finally back to Fairbanks where bare ground stood when I left two weeks ago with temps in the 10s/20s. Now lies a base of 4 inches of snow and sub-zero temperatures. Priorities: wax skis to get to work, transform bikes for winter riding, plan winter trips. Oh yeah, and get back to work. ;)