This was such an incredible trip! We are blessed with amazing family & friends. Every day was packed with fun. There are so many faces we didn't get to see (this time!), but know that you were all in our thoughts and we wished we could see everybody. Hopefully there will be more trips like this in the days & years to come! Here is a condensed tale of our journey...
Wednesday, May 30th
Wednesday morning we hit the road bright and early. It was a sunny day with snacks in the cooler and good music on the radio. We enjoyed the scenery as we drove through Denali Park(s) where we also stopped for a little nibble. Olivia was very agreeable and we made good time to our hotel in Anchorage.
Thursday, May 31st
We did some speedy shopping in Anchorage, had a bite to eat at the Glacier Brew House and then zipped over to the airport!
Friday, June 1st
We were met by the smiling faces of Aunt Jer & Uncle Kyle in Oklahoma City. They give us a quick tour of OKC & then we head over to meet the cousins - Eliana & Jasper. Olivia & Eliana were instant kindred spirits. We had a great lunch
at La Luna Mexican Cafe with Kyle on his lunch break. Our hotel had suffered severe damage during the recent storms and their computers were offline. They took pity on us, (Olivia literally opens doors!), and just sent us to rooms. Uncle Kyle & Aunty Jer had the most enormous suite! We felt like celebrities! After a little rest we went back to Kyle & Moriah's for a lasagna dinner accompanied by fabulous dance performances by Ellie & Jassy. What a great 'first day' of vacation!
Saturday, June 2nd
We had a fabulous breakfast at our hotel & great conversation which covered many interesting topics. When our bellies were full we zipped over to Kyle & Moriah's where we were met by to excited little cousins. Olivia is lucky to have such sweet girls in her life. We all went to the Myriad Botanical Gardens – there were fountains, splash parks, labyrinths, playgrounds, ponies, ponds, gardens and butter/ice cream making. What a cool place! Then we had some mouth-watering lunch at Iron Star Urban BBQ with
Scoop who drove all the way up from Dallas to see us. This was a special treat because Scoop & his wife Aleks were expecting their baby daughter to arrive any moment! Lunch passed all too quickly and then we drove east to Bartlesville. Aunty Jer & Uncle Kyle were perfect tour guides! We saw Frank Lloyd
Wright’s Price Tower (his only realized skyscraper), the NellieJohnstone Number 1 oil well, and the Kiddie Park (with 18 different rides that only cost 25-50 cents!). We relaxed Chez Stewart for a while - enjoying family movies ("Me Gusta" made an appearance) and the almost as good “Under the Greenwood Tree”.
Adam, Olivia & I took a walk around the block to make room for dinner at Murphy’s Steak House where they serve the infamous ‘gravy over
all’ burger. In the evening we started, but didn't finish, watching "Larkrise to Candleford". Unfortunately, (fortunately?) we were all stuffed with good food and didn't make it very far before we all had to retire.
Sunday, June 3rd
In the morning we went to Grace Community Church where we heard a fascinating sermon on “Walls + Tables:
An Introduction to Galatians” by Josh McNall. We felt so lucky to be there and especially to take Communion with our family. After church we had a filling breakfast & then went home for quick costume change before visiting Grandpa Stewart. It was a very special visit - Grandpa Stewart, Jessica & Olivia all have the same birthday! Isn't that amazing?! It's almost too emotional to write about, but I can say that it meant so much to see him, to introduce Olivia, to watch him smile with her. I'm so happy the visit was a success.
This afternoon Olivia played her first real game of peek-a-boo with Aunty Jer. It was thoroughly enchanting to watch her giggle and coo as Aunty Jer 'appeared' from beyond the blanket.
In the evening we had a delectable steak dinner, preceded by the most incredible gourmet sausage appetizers (courtesy of the gentlemanly Ed Schmidt who it was a pleasure to meet!). After dinner we all enjoyed watching Captain America. A perfect day.
Monday, June 4th
This morning we bid farewell to Uncle Kyle, who had to go to work poor dear, and to Aunty Jer shortly thereafter. We made the first of the series of phone calls asking people to send us things we'd forgotten. In this case it was Adam’s clothes, including his new suit coat for the Christening. We definitely needed that! We met Saundra & John Vincent and their granddaughter,Toni, at Hideaway Pizza in Jenks. After a tasty lunch we went to their new house for a little visit & to look at photos. What a treat to see them, especially since they had just driven up from visiting their new granddaughter in Dallas.
We continued on to Springfield, MO to stay with Catia
& Phil Gilpin. We enjoyed a royal reception - chocolates on the pillows! - and a succulent beef dinner with Aunty Char presiding. Olivia received the most beautiful presents from Aunty Char & the Gilpins - we are all so spoiled.
Tuesday, June 5th
Catia left for work before we got up & I really wish we had gotten to spend more time together. (Next time!) We had a relaxing breakfast with Phil and, as usual, had more great conversation. Soon it was time to head out to Augusta, MO. The crinkly-sounding book Catia gave Olivia kept her entertained for most of the ride! 
We met Nick, Margaret and Hugh Johnson
& Margaret’s mother on their farm & vineyard. We were treated to a grand tour which included the gardens, the grapes, the tractors & their
house. They are such a delightful family & it was great to share "Adam stories" for the first time on the trip. We were given some freshly picked peaches for the road, but forgot Gretel. (Olivia's baby doll - Poor Gretel.)
Adam & I have a special fondness for the history of the Corps of Discovery and our travels today took us along the historic Lewis & Clark trail, which made the drive even more pleasant & intriguing. We made it to St. Charles tout suite - the aroma of Aunt Bonnie's good cooking led us right to her 'new' condo. After a belt-loosening dinner, Aunt Bonnie shared a lot of rollicking family stories with Adam & Olivia and I ran a few errands. I checked in with Mimi who recommended a new iPhone app - Elmo Calls - which was a big hit with Miss Olivia!
Wednesday, June 6th
Aunt Bonnie was the soul of patience this morning as she taught Adam how to make real biscuits & gravy.
Breakfast, complete with samples of Adam's birch syrup was a grand success! Aunt Bonnie was the most gracious of hostesses and gave Olivia a sweet 'pillowcase' dress and gave me the pattern & some pillowcases so I can make more. I am determined to get over my fear of the sewing machine. We took a late morning drive to Old Town (Historic St. Charles) and visited the Lewis & Clark Boat House and Nature Center. We ate lunch at Trailhead
Brewing Co. and then had to drop Aunt Bonnie off & continue on. We did think about Aunt-napping her...but were overtaken by a fit of conscience. It was a long drive north through
Illinois. I serenaded Olivia with the entire Pirates of Penzance soundtrack, Adam snoozed, and it was a very pleasant ride. We rested at a Cracker Barrel and took advantage of their display of rocking
chairs. It was the perfect place to nurse Olivia! Adam tried several Ol' Timey sodas including a Sarsaparilla which made him belch for hours! What's in that stuff?! We arrived in the Chicago area without incident, had a late check-in to our hotel in Rosemont (at
O’Hare) and went right to bed. 
Thursday, June 7th
After a quick breakfast (I was still full from yesterday's breakfast!), we went to The Grove. This is a spot that holds many precious memories for me. I was thrilled to be able to share it with Adam & Olivia. I was doubly fortunate & got the chance to introduce them to Steve Swanson, who is so dear to my heart. He gave us a
private tour of the archives & we got to hear about the Kennicott exhibit planning &
exhumation of Robert Kennicott's remains. We saw all the new buildings including the blacksmith
shop where Adam fell in love with cast & forged iron. We met (& pet!) Cora, the skunk, and emptied the gift shop. Steve gave us a copy of A Death Decoded: Robert Kennicott and the Alaska Telegraph. We strolled around the property, soaking in the history at the
Kennicott house, gardens, Redfield house. It was amazing.
Next we went west to Naperville to visit with Uncle Grant. We lunched at Ted's Montana Grill on bison burgers. Olivia took her thirst 'in hand' and grabbed glasses of water to drink them. I ended up wearing most of the water. Uncle Grant treated Olivia to armloads
of books at Barnes & Noble. Then it was back to his house for nosh & movie – Midnight in Paris.
Friday, June 8th
I awoke this morning to thoughts of Banana cream pie! We breakfasted at Baker’s Square with Christine who came bearing
cute & practical gifts for our day at the zoo. I was almost tempted to give Olivia some of my pie...but I decided to eat it all! 
We met Uncle Grant
at the Brookfield Zoo and spent a merry day there. Olivia loved watching the sea lions gambol. Adam got closer to a giraffe than he had ever been before. We were all mesmerized by the tropical fish, and appalled by the drunken old people who were carousing on rented scooters! They belonged in an enclosure!
So much sun and excitement put Olivia right to sleep and we went back to the hotel to freshen up. We all put on our party clothes for an evening in Itasca. We had so much fun, and so much to catch up on that it seemed like we blinked and the clock said 3am. Olivia had been so good, she spent much of the night sleeping in her car seat, or snuggled with Uncle Lane. A special treat
for all was when Adam shared his war experiences & educated us about Uncle Dick’s
honors. We were all excited to hear that Uncle Dick was eligible for a Bronze Star, which he hadn't received yet! Mostly, it was interesting to hear a soldier's perspective on Uncle Dick's World War II achievements. It was a night filled with love & laughter.
Saturday, June 9th
Uncle Grant met us at our hotel for breakfast & then we ventured downtown to the Museum of Science & Industry. We spent the day there seeing ol’
favorite exhibits – the baby chicks, U505, Yesterday’s Main Street & Finnigan’s
Ice Cream Parlor. Olivia was not feeling very well, so we curtailed the rest of our museum plans and went back to the hotel, taking circuitous
route to find grocery store. Poor Olivia kept throwing up, and as a result we missed cousin Kelly’s graduation party. We spent the rest of the night trying to settle Olivia and stretching our visit with Uncle Grant out as long as possible.
Sunday, June 10th
We lingered in the hotel this morning to give Olivia a chance to make as full a recovery as possible - especially considering we had a flight ahead of us. In the afternoon we drove to Glenview for a lunch & a visit with the Loves. It was good to see them all looking so well! Adam & Ralph shared many army stories - I think Ralph approves of him! We were on our way to see cousin Dawn when I rechecked our flight information - yikes! - my iPhone had made 'time zone adjustments' and we were running way behind schedule! As a result, we had the world's shortest visit with the Walczaks. I'm so glad we at least got to see them & get in a couple more good hugs for Olivia!
We were very impressed with the service we received at the Hertz rental car check-in. The driver saw our car seat and instead of making us take a shuttle to arrivals he drove us right there. This saved us so much time and trouble. Thank you driver! Olivia was very good on the flight which, thankfully, was very short. In New York we were met by Big Boppy who scooped Olivia right up while Adam & I loaded our many bags into the car. Once safely ensconced at my parents' house, we went right to bed.
Monday, June 11th
Big Boppy took the day off from work to spend with us. Although he has a notorious fear of 'messy babies' he whole-heartedly took on the job of feeding Olivia breakfast. Olivia met Boppy's beautiful rabbit
puppet and found him so hysterical that I immediately put 'rabbit puppet' on my mental shopping list. It's good to have lots of tricks up our sleeves! Olivia also took advantage of the wood floors and tried out her 'walker'. She got the hang of it within moments! Another thing for the shopping list! Boppy & Adam got our favorite lunch - sandwiches from the deli at the Mobil
station and we all passed a recuperative afternoon at home. Kari & Mimi left their respective schools as early as they could and we had a nice evening together.
Tuesday, June 12th
This morning we dashed off to East Haven to visit with Nana. She hadn't seen Adam since his redeployment and it was great to see mother & son reunited. Nana, as usual, showered Olivia with gifts and us with tasty treats. Then we went to her work to show off the two redheads. Olivia was like a celebrity! Everyone knew who she was as we walked in! It was heart-warming to be greeted by so many smiles.
Then we went east to Mystic Aquarium. The whole place was a delight, but the most fun was in a temporary exhibit of budgies. We walked into a tent filled with birds and were each give a Popsicle stick with a bit of millet. The birds would land on the stick and snack right near your hand! Olivia loved it!
Wednesday, June 13th
We got up bright & early to take Mimi to work. Olivia & Adam visited with everyone at JPS. It was wonderful to bring Adam because JPS was so supportive of his troop & platoon and their good works with local schools during the deployment. Afterwards we drove to Litchfield
to visit Brock Putnam. Olivia loved our visit because she was serenaded much of the time - a real treat! On our return to New Milford we stopped in SMS to see Aunty Kari. So many happy faces, so many good wishes! We are a lucky family!
Thursday, June 14th
Friday, June 15th
Today we ordered flowers for Olivia's Christening at Lennie’sFlower Shop. The ladies there have helped decorate each memorable occasion in our little family's life - our wedding & now this! They've also kept up with all our news, so it was great to see them. We also got to catch up with Brigid Carney and hear about her adventures. Then we traveled to East Haven to spend the rest of the day with Nana. We lunched at the Sandpiper restaurant & then took Olivia to play at the Splash Park next door & the beach. Olivia got to put her toes in the ocean for the first time! It was so much fun! I can see, though, that next time we will need many more baby 'accoutrements' to make the beach experience last longer. In the evening Adam
grilled us burgers on the deck. What a perfect day! 
Saturday, June 16th
Today was Nana's party celebrating Adam's return & introducing Olivia. A fantastic catered spread, excellent company - I'd say it was a huge success! It was wonderful seeing family & friends and introducing Olivia to all her cousins! Lily seemed to have a lot to tell her!
Sunday, June 17th
Today was full of celebrations! It is Adam's first Father’s Day & Olivia’s Baptism. Olivia looked beautiful in Aunty Kari's Christening gown & bonnet, made by Aunt Bonnie. She also wore delicately crocheted bib & booties made by Aunty Kari and patterned after the ones that my great-grandmother made. She was wrapped in the lacy shawl that Jane made in the same wool as my wedding shawl was made. Everyone looked so nice and the pink flowers that the family wore were delightful - and so apropos for Olivia. Adam's suit jacket arrived in Connecticut before we did - thank you Aunty Jer!
Adam & I were really touched by the incredible turnout of friends & loved ones at church - especially considering it was a holiday. The baptism service was moving & the sermon inspiring. Boppy stood in as proxy for Uncle Grant as Godfather & Aunty Kari is her Godmother. I love the way Peter took her around the church to introduce her to the congregation - her spiritual family. I know they will be supportive of her always.
The ladies of the church helped with our spread at coffee hour & I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. I know I did. After church Nana, Aunty Natalie & Aunty Rae came over. It was a perfect day. Olivia is very blessed to be surrounded by so much love.
Monday, June 18th
This morning Olivia went to the New Milford Public Library to visit Sue Ford. It was so nice to see her and to take Olivia to another library! I hope that libraries become a place of comfort & joy for her, as they are for me.Today was Mimi's last day of school, so we all went to JPS in the afternoon to help pack up her room. With three of us + Olivia we made short work of it! Mimi was one of the first people done! As a special treat, Olivia got to bring home Max & Ruby dolls. Who doesn't love Max & Ruby?! Later Olivia explained the intricacies of Curious George to Aunty Stacy. Someday it will be Aunty Stacy's turn to introduce Olivia to more cultural gems!
Tuesday, June 19th
We had a nice relaxing day today. Olivia examined some seed catalogs and lounged on the couch with Mimi. Nana came to New Milford for lunch & played with Olivia while Adam, Mimi & I worked in the garden. Olivia really enjoyed the pond - looks like she's a water baby! In the afternoon we visited with the Pomerantz family and talked a lot about farming...and Olivia of course! A highlight of the day, however, was listening to records & singing with the family. Music is already becoming an important part of Olivia's life!
Wednesday, June 20th
This morning we had a nice visit from Terry Janaitis. She brought Olivia some adorable outfits! It's hard to believe that Olivia already fits into 9 month clothes! She's growing so quickly. I'm glad I brought all of her 6 month bathing suits to wear on this trip! Today she wore a red on with hearts & played in her blowup pool on the deck. Mimi got such a cool pool - with a mushroom canopy! It was lots of fun. Once we all dried off - because you can't play with Olivia in the pool without getting soaked yourself - we went to a charming tea room in Seymour called Tea With Tracy where we had tea sandwiches, scones, desserts...and tea of course! After stuffing ourselves we walked down the street to a fantastic antiques store! There was so much to see that we spent at least an hour there - Olivia had fun too. On our way home we stopped at Rich Farms for some ice cream. And since we were still warm when we got back to New Milford, we took a dip in Terry's pool (with her permission of course!) in another bathing suit! We've got to wear them all before she grows some more - such a big girl!
Thursday, June 21st
This morning we went to Hollandia nursery with Mimi to get some roses & a new hanging basket. It was a gorgeous day - perfect for walking up and down the rows of flowers, watching the turtles & the coi swim in the ponds, catching the perfumed breeze. We did just enough walking to make us hungry so we grabbed a bite from Starbucks on our way home. In the afternoon, Jaime
came to visit and play with Olivia. Since she'd worn two bathing suits yesterday, there were none clean for today! So Olivia went au naturel in the pool today!
In the evening, Aunty Kari & I went to the hair salon. We both got bright pink streaks and I cut about ten inches off. I was a little worried that Olivia might not recognize me when I got home, but she did! She soon discovered that short pink hair is as easy to pull as long brown hair.
Olivia also got to meet Brandon & Jenni tonight. It was great to have our 'Alaskan family' reunited.
Friday, June 22nd
Today we went to East Haven to spend some time with Nana. We played at her house & then took a drive to Guilford where we lunched at the Guilford Mooring. It was delicious! Although we get seafood in Alaska, we don't get lobster like they have on the east coast! Yum! We won't get to see Nana again before we go home to Alaska, so today was full of as many kisses as Olivia could get! We'll miss her so much!
On our way home we stopped in to visit Jackie & Tom Ascenzi and right after we made it inside, the skies opened up! I think it may have been Olivia's first real thunderstorm. It was a lucky thing we had such nice weather on the coast in the morning.
Saturday, June 23rd
There were so many things to get done today that we had to divide forces. Aunty Kari, Olivia & I went to Toys 'r Us to find a mirror for the rear-facing car seat and some more odds & ends. Then we made a quick stop in Barnes & Noble on our way to David's Bridal. We found dresses for Stacy's wedding in October! I can't believe how soon it is coming up! So exciting!
Meanwhile back at the ranch...Adam & Boppy got haircuts & worked in the garden and Mimi did errands in town. We were all very productive!
Olivia spent the afternoon with Mimi & Boppy while Adam, Kari, Stacy, Robin & I went on a grownup adventure to the movies! It was a treat!
Sunday, June 24th
Monday, June 25th
Since Olivia wasn’t in the mood to sleep, Adam & I
decided we would start our long drive home a little earlier than planned. We
scoured Anchorage in search of breakfast bagels, with very disappointing
results. We also took advantage of the metropolitan atmosphere and did some
quick shopping at Target. Once again we were able to stop in Denali for lunch.
The drive was beautiful and Olivia was very cooperative. When we got home we
were surprised to see that Olivia’s two front bottom teeth made their
appearance!
Tuesday, June 26th
This morning we picked up two more members of our family –
Bertram & Paula – bright & early. I brought home REAL breakfast
sandwiches to make up for yesterday’s dismal results. We really hit the ground
running. I led a tour at the Botanic Gardens while Adam & Olivia did chores
& errands. In the afternoon Adam went to Chena to pick up Sophie and also
to bring Eagle & Circle to live with us. The two sisters are getting older
and Circle is not well. We were told that if she didn’t come to live with us,
then she would be put down. So our family grew by eight paws today!
The most exciting news of the day was that the family was
growing all over the country! Lily Caroline was born to my cousin Adam ‘Scoop’
and his wife Aleks! 7lbs and everyone is well!
The last day of our leave ended with some tasty Thai food.
It was a wonderful month!
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