Two nights in Nome and four nights in Wales, waiting on the weather, wishing we could sleep on our own beds instead of other peoples floors and beds. And now we are here, home sweet home.

But that is not all.

Here is the stage: we are outside the school in Wales loading a big sled up with our coolers and luggage, to be towed with a snow machine over to the airport, which is about a mile away. Catherine jumps on the passenger seat on the snow machine and Willis and I look at each other–who’s mushing?

“Do you want to mush?”

“Hell yes I want to mush!”

So Willis jumped into the sled and I jumped on the back and we set off over the frozen tundra to the airport. Halfway there we here the chopper coming. The fellow driving gunned the gas and we took off. We zoomed up to the hanger and zoomed around the corner just as the Huey was setting down 30 feet away on the helipad. How did that feel? AWESOME.

But wait, there’s more. They generally do not let passengers ride left seat (copilot’s spot) because this particular helicopter does have standard controls, pilot’s and copilot’s. But today there was a HUGE amount of mail to haul so they packed that chopper to the gills and when it was time to board Simon, the flight mechanic (who usually rides copilot) looks at me and points at copilot.

And my face morphed completely into a giant stupid grin.

And THEN when we got back to the island and there was mail for us! So we unpack, then the four of us exchanged christmas gifts. So to recap. I got to ride musher-style on a sled and ZOOM up to meet a helicopter AS it lands. Then I got to ride co-pilot in a very, very awesome helicopter. And then it was Christmas gift time!

AND we are finally back home after a week of waiting.

Was today a good day? Yes.